The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 19, 1925, Page 6

4 SS ae DAILY WORKER THE E DAILY WORKER ),,, Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO, 1113 W. Washington Blvd,, Chicago, Ill, Phone Monroe 4712 SUBSCRIPTION RATES By mail (in Chicago only): By mall (outside of Chicago): $8.00 per year $4.50 six months $6.00 per year $3.50 six months $2.50 three months $2.00 three months Kester aae Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER, 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Illinois J. LOUIS ENGDAHL WILLIAM F, DUNNE MORITZ J, LOEB. Editors Business Manager Entered as second-class mail September 21, 1923, at the post-office at Chi- cago, Ill., under the act of March 3, 1879. ee 290 = Advertising rates on application. The Straggle in the I. L. G. W.U: The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’: Union is in the throes of civil war started by the officialdom. Police, gangsters and officials have raided and attempted to raid the offices of Locals 2, 9 and 22 in New York City. The raids were conducted in the same manner as those of the infamous Palmer administration of the department of justice in © 1919-20 and were for the same purpose—the destruction of the mili- tant bloc that has been fighting the bosses. The machine in the I. L. G. W. has gone, in the last two years, to greater lengths against the left wing than any other union in the American Federation of Labor. Left wingers were expelled in whole- sale lots and made to submit to the most humiliating terms in order to get back some of their rights in the union and be allowed to work at their trade. But the drastic methods used by the machine did not kill the left wing, organized as a result of the betrayal of the interests of the rank and file by the surrender of officialdom to the bosses. The bosses were allowed to run the union and after the left wingers had been expelled the sell-out became more and more brazen, the officials believing that their most active critics had been silenced. Local after local has thrown support to the left wing program of struggle as against surrender and the officials are panic stricken. The raids on the three New York locals are the last desperate at- tempt of the machine to check the swing to the left in the union. The leadership of the left wing is facing a real test. No doubt the tactics of the officialdom are designed to provoke a split and un- questionably there will be a rise of dual union sentiment. The left wing must not allow itself to be demoralized and weakened. Its drive for a majority delegation at the next conventtion must be con- tinued, broadened, connected, and extended to every local of the I. L. G. W. Against the disruptive policy of the machine the left wing should raise the slogan of unity in the union and the whole industry. The latest attack of the frightened bureaucracy must, and we believe will, be turned into a weapon which, wielded skilfully, will | bring to the left wing, thousands of needle trades workers who have not yet been drawn into the active struggle and accomplish the defeat of the machine. The present crisis in the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union will focus the attention of the whole membership on the struggle. It is the task of the left wing to see that the interest does not slacken and to give the resentment organizational form—to build, on the broadest lines, a left wing that will be the union. . one Fight Imperialism! The bloody march of the world’s imperialism over the bodies of the oppressed colonial peoples today, for the first time in history, is meeting with almost universal opposition. Whether it be south of the Rio Grande, in the Riffian fastnesses of Morocco or in the vast stretch of territory known as China, the underdog is showing his teeth. The imperialists have sown the dragons’ teeth and they are now reaping the harvest. Having succeeded in temporarily staving off the inevitable revolution at home, the bourgeoisie hoped that thru the intensive exploitation of the industrially virgin countries and their unorganized working class populations, they could secure a new lease of life for capitalism. But they reckoned without their hosts. The flames of revolt against world imperialism are spreading like a prairie fire. The Chinese masses led by the Kuo Min Tang party, the party of Sun Yat Sen, has ordered the foreign bandits to get out; the Riffians are putting up a successful and gallant fight against the French invaders; the Mexican’ people have defied the insolent and brutal threat of Wall Street thru its executive committee in Washington. It looks as if imperialism, temporarily victorious in Europe and North America, has run into a stone mountain in the colonies. The victims of imperialism in Asia are uniting under the leader- ship of the Communist International for the struggle against their enemies. In’ America this struggle is no less keen and needs co- ordination. The appearance of the All-American Anti-Imperialist League is therefore timely and deserves the support of all class- conscious workers. The myth that the United States is the friend of oppressed peoples is now being exploded. The initiative in the fight against American imperialism is the lot of the American work- ers in alliance with the victims of that imperialism everywhere. ; The Industrial South ; Low wages in basic industry in the south as shown in our story of incomes of workers in the Alabama iron mines are a menace to the living standards of the workers all over the United States. The southern states are the only region in the world where coal and iron are found side by side. There are great numbers of agri- cultural workers, black and white, who can be drawn into industry, the general standard of living is lower than thht of the north and this district is destined to become perhaps the greatest iron and steel producing region in the world. If this field is neglected by the unions there is going to be given into the hands of the steel barons and the associated industrial lords a great weapon with which to beat labor into submission. The key to the organization of this district is in the masses of Negro workers. If the organization campaign announced by the American Federation of Labor recently is for anything more than advertising purposes and to quiet criticism of its neglect of the Negro workers, it will have to establish an organizing center in this greataindustrial district at the same time it begins activities in northern industry. The Mexican newspaper that suggested Kellogg’s statement on Mexico might have been written during a period of mental aberration was away off. Those who know the man are amazed to learn that he regained a flash of normality of a sufficiently long duration to get the abortion off his chest. Every day get “sub” for the DAILY WORKER and a member for the Workers Party Progressive WN Miners Propose Program for Tri-District Convention (Continue from Page 1) of inestimable value to us. The com- mittee is responsive to our needs in every respect and is in a position to expose the violation of the constitu- tion by the officials and the agree- ment by the coal companies. We must combat the forces that are attempting to dissolve this committee, e) The concilation board is and has always been manifestly unfair to the miners and partial to the coal operators. It has shown its impotency to ad- just grievances, with the accumula- tion of hundreds of cases, some of them in their hands for over a year, while the miners are still working under the trouble complained’ of, and many cases lost sight of entirely. We. domand the rejection of the conciliation board as an instrument jof'the coal operators and harmful to the miners. We also demand that the local com- mittee be empowered to settle local and district disputes, and where un- able to do so, appeal shall be taken direct to the district president or the district representative acting in his behalf who will negotiate a sottle- ment of the dispute, with the local committeeman and the local president present, and such dispute must be set- tled not later than 30 days from its inception. f) Yearly Agreoments. Because of the uncertainty of economic condi- tions, with the cost of living constant- ly mounting higher, with the introduc- tion of new machinery, and with the deep-going changes now taking place in the mining industry, long term agreements operate against the min- ers, by, making it impossible to adjust wage stales to meet the changed con- ditions and to enable the miners to give support to their fellow workers who find themselves on strike. Great injury to our cause in general is the result. To meet this situation we de- mand general yearly agreements, ex- piring August 31, of each year, and covering all anthracite and bitumin- ous fields. We flatly oppose all state and single district agreements. g) Unemployment Benefits. As the present market for coal consumes only about 50 per cent of what the mines with their present working, forces are capable of producing, the result is that we suffer from far-reach- ing unemployment, while the coal op- erators enjoy boundless prosperity. We protest against this unnecessary hardship, and we demand that unem- ployment compensation be paid out | of the profits of the coal mining in- dustry, and that a fund be set aside for this purpose, the same to be paid by the employers and to be adminis- tered by the union. We further de- mand that the union insist upon the government introdticing relief for the unemployed miners. Our campaign for unemployment relief shall be based upon the prifciple of full wages for the unemployed. h) The Checkoff. We support the union demand for the checkoff in the anthracite districts. .In the present state of development the checkoff is only, a temporary expedient to main- tain the organization, «Itzcannot and must not be allowed to. serve as a substitute for militant organization methods and poligies. We will relent- lessly resist its being used as 9 weap- on to discriminate against militant miners who dare to raise their voices against the reactionary policies of the union officialdom. es 2. STRENGTHEN. ING OF THE UNION, Relnstatement a) Members, ment of all members expelled from the union because of their political opinions and the fight they have made against corruption and reaction in Expelled We demand. the reinstate- the United Mine Workers. We de- mand the reinstatement to full rights, of Alexander Howat, August Dorchy, Jim MacLachlan, Tom © Myerscough, Duncan McDonald, Freeman Thomp- son, John Watt, and the many others expelled. We insist that: the expul- sion of progressive eléments from the Miners’ Union is not only totally un- worthy of the history of our fighting organization, but it will also lead to the destruction of our union. b) Expulsion of Edmunde’ Group. We condemn the illegal and unjusti- fied expulsion of 1700 members of Local 699, and the expulsion and depos- al from office of Brother Edmunds because of their fight against the Cappellini-Lewis machine. This ex- pulsion constitutes a flagrant viola- tion of the international and district constitutions and has no other end than to protect the interests of the bureaucracy and to prevent real prog- ress in our union. It fs an arbitrary measure designed to eliminate all op- position in the coming Tri-District Convention. It is on a par with the ruthless tactics carried on by the Lewis administration in Kansas and Nova Scotia. We demand the seating of the delegates of the expelled local at the Tri-District Convention, the re- instatement of all expelled members, and the replacement to office of the deposed local and district officers of J our union, c) Organization Cai ign, More than 50 per cent of thé “coal miners in the United States are unorganiz- ed. This constitutes an ever-increas- ing menace to our union-and to our standards of living. It must be re- moved by the inauguration of far- reaching campaigns of/organization in the unorganized fieldseby the Inter- national. 1 4) Dual Unionism. “Many times when the rank and file membership are arbitrarily treated the offictal- dom and denied and their rights in the organization, they tend to become discouraged « to break away into secession mo its. This tendency is a serious mistake and must be sharply condemned. No mat- ter what the provocation from the bureaucrats, who are determined to stay in office at all costs,:all members must stay within the union and settle our differences there in a practical and constructive manner, e) Election of Organizers. We de- mand the direct election of organizers and field workers. The appointment of such workers is a menace to the organization and must be abolished. f) Proportional Representation. We demand the elimination of blue sky locals and the reduction of the payroll vote during elections and in conventions. Election Vote. The refusal of John L. Lewis to comply with the terms of the constitution and publish the tabu- lated vote of each local union dur- ing the recent election, indicates that Brother Geo. Voyzey received a much higher vote than was officially accred- ited to him, if he was not actually elected. We insist that this tabulated vote be immediately published. h) Alllance of Transport Workers. A real fighting alliance must be creat- ed between the men who dig the coal and those, who haul it. This must not be an agreement to pass resolutions of sympathy to each other in times of trial and struggle, but an agreement to actively aid each other, by striking in support of each other’s demands. i) Amalgamation. We endorse the general movement in the trade unions ih favor of the amalgamation of the craft unions into industrial organiza- tions. In this day of trustified indus- try the craft union is obsolete and cannot protect the interests of the workers. If we miners had had a series of craft unions in the mining industry instead of one organization, every semblance of unionism would have been wiped out of the coal min- ing industry long ago. We stand squarely upon the principle of indus- trial unionism and call upon our offi- cials to support the amalgamation movement in the A. F. of L. Con- vention. J) International Trade Union Unity. Capitalism is international and the workers must likewise organ- ize solidly on an international scale. In times of strike, the workers in one country are used to defeat the aims of the workers in other countries, The complete unification of the workers is the only remedy for this situation. Therefore, we heartily support the joint movement of the Russian and British Trade Unions to consolidate all the trade unions of the world into one great international. And we also demand that our delegation support this proposition in the A. F, of L. con- k) Class Collaboration. We oppose the movement for class collaboration which is now being furthered. hy. the trade union bureaucracy, and, which is expressed in such movement# as the B. & O. plan, labor banking ‘projects, workers’ insurance schemes, etc, Class collaboration is a policy of surrender, |. It means to subordinate the interests of the workers to those of the ‘em- ployers. We demand a policy of class struggle. The labor banks, as now organized, practically make capitalists out of the handful of officials who control them. We demand their re- organization upon true co-operative lines with their control in the hands of the rank and file and their invest- ments limited to real working class institutions. 1) Against Postponement of Inter- national Convention. We _ protest against the postponement of the In- ternational Convention, which is now being engineered by the Lewis ad- ministration. With the union con- fronted by a thousand difficult prob- lems, to put off the convention for a year means to gravely sacrifice the interests of the union, We insist up- on the convention being held in Janu- ary, 1926. 3. GENERAL POLIT- ICAL DEMANDS: a) Fora Labor Party... In order for the workers to dévelop: the. poli- tical power of their class, it is, neces- sary to: build up.a political organiza- tion: of: their own, a Labor. Party, which will draw the millions of work- ers into political activities and organ- {ze them for political struggles against the capitalists. We repudiate the s0- called .LaFollette progressive move- ment which 1s devoted to the interests of the middle class business elements and large farmers and which cannot serve as the party of the workers. We propose the formation of a labor party based upon the trade unions and in- cluding all other political organiza- tions of a working class nature. We demand that our delegation fight for this proposal in the A. F. of L. Con- vention, and support the labor party in the various states. b) Natlonalization of the Mines. The growing trustification of the coal mining industry 1s threatening to de- stroy our union and to wipe out our standards of living. Private owner ership of the mines has become an intolerable curse to the miners. It must be abolished. In common with the miners of the world, we demand the nationalization of the mines, with workers’ control of the industry. c) Recognition of Soviet Russia. The Russian Soviet government is the first government based upn the de- fense and protection of the interests of the workers and poor farmers. It hag stood inthe face of a world-wide attack from organized capitalism. The delegation of the British trade unions to Russia has just published an ex- tensive report pointing out the tre- mendous strides forward being made by the workers and peasants of Sov- iet Russia with their newly establish- ed society. We stand for the recogni- tion of Soviet Russia and for the es- oe Anthracite Miners! Read THE PROGRESSIVE MINE copy; bundles, 2! cents per copy. the U. M. W. of A. Alex Reid, secreta' Court Strikes Deathblow at Speech Rights idige decision of the U. S. supreme court is a death blow to freedom of speech. Its constitutional guaran- tees are wiped out by Justice San- ford’s decision upholding the N. Y. state criminal anarchy statutes. A set of laws are constitutionalized that can be interpreted to hold as illegal any expression of opinion in opposi- tion to those in power. The decision will unquestionably be utilized to crush any movement of an economic or political character that strives to protect workers against injustices, to defend their interests and to better their conditions. This decision is part of the present move of the powerful capitalist interests to lower the work- ers’ standard of living. This move is evidenced in the campaign to smash unions, té prevent workers from striking, as in West Virginia, to in- crease the hours of employment and to reduce wages. Characteristic of this campaign are the many vicious injunctions that are being issued by the courts against labor. With this decision the U. S. supreme court has definitely arrayed itself in support of this anti labor campaign, The U. S. supreme court took al- most two years to arrive at a decis- ion after having heard the arguments In-the case, It is rather unusual for the court to do so, The only explana- tion that can be given is that the ma- jority of the court thinks the time is now favorable for the rendering of such decisions. When reaction is in full swing all over Burope the court feels it is good policy to strenfthen the hand of reaction in the United States, HE forces of recation will” seize upon this decision to begin a cam- paign of brutal suppression against the organized labor, radical, and Com. munist movements, The raiding and persecuting parties of the famous Palmer and Lusk days will be perse- cuted, deported and thrown into pris- on, This decision further establishes the fact that the United States supreme court is not a defender of the rights and liberties of the people but is the servile tool of the capitalist imterests who are bent on depriving tt ass of the workers from organizing to com- bat the attempts of the capitdiists to further degrade-and subjugate them, HIS decision directed against all labor the Communists, realize will be used against them first because they represent the most” ogiceptg sec- tion of hte working class. The Com- munists know that the ground is being prepared for actton against them, In the recent public statements of gov- ernment agencies, chamber of com- merce, church organizations, of those interested in establishing religious training in the public schools, etc., the need of combatting the Communists is advocated. Charges undoubtedly will be made that the Communists advo- cate force, violence and the use of in- dividual terror. On the basis of the charges a demand will be made to either drive the Communists out of the country or imprisom them. It is ridiculous to make «such charges against the Communists. They em- phatically oppose assassination and other forms of individual terror as a means for the workers to accomplish their emancipation from capitalism. The Communists in opposition to in- dividual acts of terror and violence stand for mass politicakaction by the working class. Against the organized power of the capitalists the Commun- ists seek‘to organize tls power of the working class. The Communists ad- vocate the building up of the power of the workers on the industrial field by the amalgamation of craft unions into industrial unions the organ- ts To those who carry on and To those who never parley To those whose bleeding f That only great souled on Of blazi TO ELLA REEVE BLOOR To those who scorn the dungeon and the halter, To those whose deeds are flame to clear the way, To those whose naked breasts have felt the wrath hate that scorched them and that seared,— ization of the unorganized workers. On the political fleld they advocate the uniting of the forces of labor for po- litical action thru the orgnaization of a@ labor party. HE Communists however are suffi- ciently aware of the fact that the capitalists will never give up their power to the workers without a strug- gle, Whenever the workers fight for their interests they feel the wrath of the organized might of the capitalist class. During strikes workers are continually brutally treated and often murdered at the behest of the capital- ist interests. The organized suppres- sive powers of capitalist governments, the courts, the police, the militia, and even the armies and navies are used against them, All over the world the workers are more and more realizing this. In China the imperialist powers, notably England, Japan and the United States have sent warships to China and have landed marines in Shanghai to suppress the fight of Chinese workers.for -humane condi- tiows, As a result many defenceless Chinese workers have been shot down in cold-blood. In Bulgaria the bloody Zankov regime tortures and massa- cres thousands of workers. In Poland the brave fighters of the workers are executed or doomed for many years to a living hell in foul dungeons. 8,000 workers are behind prison bars in Germany. Innocent workers like Tom Mooney, Sacco, Vanzetti and never falter, nor betray, it have walked the path have ever dared, 4g pat Joins ra ‘ . Come! Drink a toast! They are the gods immortal Whose flesh may pass, whose spirits never die. Come! Dink a toast! They live within the portal Of veitory, and urge us with their ory. glasses. Ready! Drink onée , cnemuand HENRY rth WEISS. many others are still kept in prison in the United States. These conditions typify the rule of capitalism because capitalism is based on force and vio- lence. It uses force and violence and individual terror against the workers on the slightest pretext. The butch- ery of the world war is an example of capitalist force and violence. The Communists opposed to the bloody regime of capitalism will organize the workers to overthrow capitalism in the United States and to establish in its place a workers’ and farmers’ gov- ertiment. Contractors Cause Unemployment and Weaken t the Unions ¢@ontsnned: trom from page 1) City Official Cement Owner. “John J. Sloan has large interests in granite and limestone quarries thru- out the state of Illinois, also large holding in cement plants in the state. Sloan, therefore, has been fighting the asphalt paving contractors, such as the Standard Paving company, the R. F. Conway construction company, the American Asphalt: company, and the White construction company. Sloan tn Scab Concern. Sloan is also interested in the Un- ion construction company. It. was this company, far from being a union con- cern, that fought with Peter M. Shaun- nesy, president of the Bricklayers un- ion No, 2, last summer, when the Un- fon.construction company began to lay all, sewers with cement blocks instead of brick as had been done in the past. (See August, 1924 issue of the Progressive Building Trades Worker). The Chicago police depart- ment was used in this fight to keep the scabs from having their heads broken, There"is another fight now going on between ne Las imag and the tile makers.) \Werkere Pay For Fight. ‘The fight going on between. t the dif- terent,.paving companies and Sloan and his board of improvements is costing organized labor plenty in wages and in the strength of their organi . This ts because at the present imo, because of the fight be-| tween the Sloan coment interests and Support the program of the progressive miners. It means life and fighting spirit for our organization. Progressive International Committee of tablishment of full diplomatic and commercial relations with that country, d) Class War Prisoners. In many states militants of the working class are held in jail because of their ac- tive fight on behalf of their class. Tom Mooney, Warren K. Billings, Richard Ford and Herman Suhr, in California, Rangel and Cline in Texas, Sacco and Vanzetti in Massachusetts, and scores of others are languishing in the jails of capitalism. We demand’ their unconditional release, and to this end insist that our International Union develop an active campaign on their behalf. e) Child Labor. The shame and curse of child labor still weighs upon the working class. The rejection of the recently proposed amendment to the federal constitution shows the de-; termination of the capitalists to per- petuate this outrage. We demand that an aggressive campaign be carried on by the union: against child Jabor. ft) Antl-Syndicalism Laws, In many states thruout the United States there are on the statute books so-called anti- syndicalism laws, which. deny the workers the fundamental rights of free speech, free press, and free assembly, and which are used to jail hundreds. of militant fighters in the cause of labor. We condemn these anti-syndicalism laws as invasions of the rights of the workers and as be- ing calculated to stifle and choke out every branch of the labor movement. g) Imperialism—The Dawes’ Plan. The Progressive Miners condemn the imperialistic’ policy of the capitalist class, as being carried out in China, Persia, Central and South America, and various other countries, as lead- ing to the enslavement of the work- ers at home and the development of wars abroad. We especially condemn the Dawes’ plan, which means the enslavement of the German workers and the consequent reduction of the standards of living of the working class all over the world. We condemn the tendency of labor leaders to sup- port the imperialism of the em- ployers. h) Citizens’ Milltary Tratning Camps. As part of their general scheme to militarize and subjugate the working class, the “open shop” employers, in co-operation with the war department, have launched the so-called Citizens’ Military Training Camps. These institutions, under the guise of giving the young workers a month’s vacation on full pay, induct them into the most intensive military training and do their best to turn these workers out as scabs and strike breakers. We condemn this scheme which is calculated on the one hand to further the “open shop” plans of the employers at home and their im- perialistic adventures abroad. ee R, 50 cents per year; 5 cents per ry. 7020 S, Chicago Ave., Chicago, III. By Bén Gitlow ag conclusion the capitalist interests who are jubilant over this decision should not forget that it will not put a stop to the activities of the organiz- ed workers and especially the revolu- ary working class movement led by the Workers Party. The Communists cannot be gagged by such a decision. In the end the Communists at the head of all the forces of labor will be vic- torious over all the forces of reaction an@ capitalism. the asphalt and brick interests, no work is being let to the contractors, and the large Chicago companies are closing down and laying their men off ‘Thousands of workers are at this moment out of employment at a time when the season is at its height. It not only affects all of the asphalt workers, most of whom are Negroes belinging to Local 25, Asphalt work- ers union, but also hundreds of mem- bers of the cement finishers and plasterers local No. 502, as well as plasterers local No. 464, not to men- tion the thousands of members of the different laborers local unions. 4 Business Agents Do Nothing. The business agents of the uni are taking no action in this sit but are allowing the cement and phalt companies to weaken the un- ions and throw thousands out of work because of the contractors’ disputes. ATTEMPT TO LYNCH NEGRO IN STATE OF ANTI-EVOLUTION LAW NASHVILLE, Tenn, June 17— Fearing an attempt would be made to lynch John Henry Wallace, ne- gro accused of the murder of Ever ett Hedgecoth, a detachment of na- tional guardsmen was sent to Murfreesboro. The negro went on trial there today. The troops were ordered out ‘by Governor Austin Peay at the re- quest of the county judge, attorney general and sheriff of Williamson county. Get a sub—make another Com- munist! q be | )