The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 21, 1925, Page 4

Page Four Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO. 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Ml. 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 Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER, 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IIlinots J, LOUIS ENGDAHL ' WILLIAM F, DUNNE MORITZ J. LOEB... | TEES SSE SERRE N08 ER SERS OER Entered as second-class mail September 21, 1923, at the post-office at Chi- cago, Ill, under the act of March 3, 1879. se EA itors Business Manager Advertising rates on application. <i 290 — Robert M. LaF ollette—Middle Class Champion By the death of Senator Robert Marion. LaFollette the American middle class loses its greatest spokesman and fighter. The life and activities of LaFollette cannot be understood with- out knowledge of the forces at work within American capitalist so- ciety. That LaFollette could capture the imagination of millions of workers and farmers and appear to them as their champion is evi- dence of the retarded development of the revolutionary struggle in the United States—a retardation due principally to the premier posi- tion of American capitalism which in turn is due to the inexhaustible natural resources of the nation and its constantly increasing popula- tion recruited from every country on the globe, its highly efficient industrial system. In a period when the working classes in other capitalist coun- tries are openly challenging the right of capitalism to exist and capitalists to rule, when one-sixth of the totak area of the globe, the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics governed by workers and peas- ants, opposes the new order to the old, LaFollette is hailed as a liberator of the masses in America because he stands on a platform that the parties of the middle class in European capitalist countries have been advocating for half a cefitury. In Germany, France or England, LaFollette would have been only one of dozens of leaders in any of the dozen of middle class and agrarian parties. 7 In the United States he brought down on his head the wrath of politicians of both capitalist parties and that of many influential trade union officials. The working class of other countries looks at the United States and marvels. Here was a man who brought forward nothing new— whose support even of such well-established measured as govern- ment ownership of railroads—an accepted fact in Europe—was hesitating when it was apparent at all, who stood for the small busi- nessman and banker, whose whole public career showed him to be simply a vestigial remain of the early period of free competition, yet who was denounced by the capitalist press as an enemy of society. LaFollette’s opposition to the war was on purely constitutional grounds, but he was reviled, persecuted and boycotted after his St. Paul speech as a pacifist and pro-German. His advocacy of the cause of the workers was confined to such elementary things as freedom from injunction processes and in his hatred of Communists he went just as far as any of his big capitalist enemies. That LaFollette had courage, ability and the capacity for hard work his worst enemies will not deny. In a country of the blind the one-eyed man is king and in a nation whose politicians are notori- ously servile, ignorant and dishonest it was inevitable that the La- Follette virtues would secure leadership for him. He and his chief supporter, Warren Stone, haye passed from the American scene. Their personalities can no longer influence the masses and their program is not something on which can be built anything but a confused and ineffective organization. Together with the two capitalist parties they worked to destroy the infant labor party movement and lead the workers and farmers into the camp of the middle class. They brought confusion instead of clarity, but the labor movement, under the pressure of American capitalism and by the activity of the Communists, is slowly making its way thru the fog of middle class ideology to the goal of inde- pendent working class political action and a labor party. Individuals come and go, but the class struggle, which LaFol- lette refused to recognize, continues. British ‘Railway Clerks Against War Contrast the recent action of the convention of the British Railway Clerks’ Association in condemning the government scheme for militarizing the transport industry as part of the war scheme of the imperialists with the action of the convention of the American Federation of Labor in endorsing the mobilization and training camp plans of the war department and asking representation on all directive agence The British Railway Clerks’ Union pledged its members to re-| sist all attempts to recruit them into the war service in any form— the American trade union officialdom of which Fitzgerald, head of the Railway Clerks’ Union, is a part, wholeheartedly endorsed the war plans of American imperialism with a fervor far in excess of that of the Garys, Morgans and Rockefellers. Is it any wonder that to the leadership which curses the Amer- iean labor movement the visit of Purcell, the militant president of the International Federation of Trade Unions, as fraternal delegate is anathema? But his visit will help to break the grip of the bosses on the American trade unions. More Persecution in Hawaii The supreme court of Hawaii territory has upheld the convic- tion of Pablo Manlapit, leader of the striking sugar workers—be- cause the appeal was filed one day too late. This is an obvious attempt to evade the real issue which is the right of colonial workers to demand and enforce; the same privileges accorded the working class in the imperialist nations. Manlapit’s sentence is from two to ten years at hard labor and he is already on the point of collapse from nervous strain and previous hardship. His crime was to organize and lead the Filipino workers of the island in a struggle for better wages and living conditions, His persecutors are the sugar barons and back of them is the full might of American imperialism. Just as the American workers rallied to the aid of Crouch and Trumbull, victims of the same murderous system, so must they come to aid of this militant leader of the colonial workers and force his release. Warrants for the arrest of 175 Nova Scotia strikers have been issued. ‘Troops are on the scene in full war array. No mine owners are under arrest for their conspiracy to starve the miners and their families into submission, The Canadian goverament instead marshals all’its forces to aid the Britsih Empire Steel corporation against the men on strike (Continued from page 1) talk in the local uinon they accept his | wordy criticism of the administration | and his wordy condemnation of the agreement which was lately signed, as being a fight in the interest of the membership and against the reaction- aries. So we have to make clear what the T, U. EB. L. means by carrying on the struggle for a progressive pro- gram and against the reactionaries who oppose progressive measures, First we must point out very clearly to the progressive element who still accept Schneid as their leader, that when the left wing group in the A. C. W. proposed a progressive election program as against the administra- tion with the bosses, it was Schneid and his group who signed a statement prepared by Levin which condemned this group and their program of ac- tion. Again, at this time, when the Hill- man-Levin administration has joined the reactionary Forward group of red baiters and is now carrying on a sav- age attack upon members of the T. U. E. L. and the left wing generally by the expulsion of Local 5 from the N. Y. joint board, the taking down off the job and expelling from the union eight leading left wingers of Local 39—this is the time that Schneid chooses to organize a s0- called left. wing in opposition to the T. U. E. L. This so-called “progres- sive” group in reality is a center group. The leaders of this group are either supporters of the Hillman ma- chine or lean very strongly. in that direction. Schneid and the other leaders of this center group were expelled from the Workers (Communist) Party be- ¢ause they betrayed the left wing by thesigning of the Levin statement, THE DAI WORK which action in esséncé meant the betrayal of the rank afd file. And now they have gong so, far to the right that they say opemily that they do not want the support of the Work- ers Party or of the T, U. H. L. They echo the statements of Hillman and Levin, that they “do not want out- side interference.” This is also what Perlstein said in his expulsion policy against the left wing in the Ladies’ Garment Workers, The natural outcome of this attitude was the attempt to’ shoot Wm. Z. Foster during the Ashland Auditorium protest meeting. This was also what Levin said, and under this excuse ex- pelled the militants. from Local 89. Further, he persuaded or compelled Schneid and his followers to sign a statement repudiating the left wing within the A. C. W. This means that Levin and his circle of officials consider it “outside inter- ference” when the rank and file tries to combat their autocratic rule, and oppose their class collaboration policy, In other words, Schneid and his fol- lowers inside Local 39 dare not issue a printed program of class conscious action because they “would be inter- fereing with the inside ring of the ad- ministration. You can see, therefore, why Schneid and his group are opposed to the is- suing of programs that call upon the rank and file to strike if necessary for their demands. Those progressives who think Schneid fights for progressive meas- ures and against the administration, should study his method of struggle against the present agreement. In Local 39 Schneid proved conclusively that the new agreement was just as rotten if not worse’than the old agree- ment. Yet what did he do when it came to acting against the agreement? CHICAGO C. C. C. PLEDGES AID | AT COMING CONFERENCE FOR GITLOW, ALL CLASS WAR FIGHTERS Detailed reports and outlines of immediate work were outlined at the city central committee meeting of the Workers (Communist) Party, Local week ending July 4. to an anti-imperialist Hands-off China demonstration with English, colored and oriental speakers if they can be obtained. The party, it was reported, was ne- gotiating with the local Kuo Min Tang to arrange a protest meeting. If the Kuo Min Tang is not ready to go into such a meeting, the Workers Party, together with other organizations will hold a united front protest de- monstration on the Chinese situation next Wednesday, June 24, at North- west Hall, North and Western Aves. Among the speakers will be William F. Dunne, H. V. Phillips, Negro speak- er and oriental speakers, if possible, and others. Fight Against Criminal Syrdicalism. The city central committee went strongly on record for the call issued by the Labor Defense Council to build a large defense organization and pledges itself to give full support to the June 28 Unity Defense Conference and for the release of all class war prisoners and especially on the case of Comrade Gitlow, who is to be re- manded to prison on the recent deci- sion of the supreme court declaring the criminal syndicalist laws legal. The following resolution was adopted unanimously: Whereas, the United States su- preme court, the buttress of capi- talism, has decided that our Com- rade Benjamin Gitlow must serve the remainder of his ten years’ sen- tence for uttering the famous left wing manifesto of 1919, and Whereas, our Comrade Gitlow has during the past six years held aloft the red banner of Communism in Ameri joting himself unflinch- ingly to the cause of the Communist International, be it Resolved by the city central com- mittee of Local Chicago of the Workers Party in regular meeting held on June 17, 1925, to congratu- late Comrade Gitlow for his deter- mined stand for the exploited mass- es and to offer our support and our pledge to work unremittingly for Comrade Gitlow’s freedom so that he may continue his splendid activi- ties and in building the Workers (Communist) Party of America into a genuine mass Communist Party, and be it further Resolved that we call upon every member of the party that for the coming week all efforts be made to push the work of the coming de- fense conference to be held June 28, by securing union affiliations and delegations to the conference, and be it further Resolved, that we send this reso lution to the C. E. C., the DAILY WORKER and all other party or | ed for Saturday, Jw Chicago, at its meeting, Wednesday, June 17. The central committee has laid out an anti-imperialist campaign for the This campaign will connect itself up with the demand for Hands Off China, Release of Crouch and Trumbull, Opposition to Coo- lidge’s July 4th Mobilization Day, Opposition to the Infamous Dawes Plan, Unconditional Independence for the Philippines, Hawaii, Porto Rico, etc. Campaign for Hands Off China. A special manifesto dealing with the concrete phases of imperialism will be distributed. On July 4th in Chicago at Beyer’s Grove, the Workers Party anuual picnic will be turned in-¢——— |Hall to follow the unit gans with the request that the same be printed therein. The amnesty meeting for Temple conference, will demand the release of Crouch and Trumbull, fight the portation of Kannasto, Zinich, Lassefl and all oth- er class war prison Comrades. will get on the job funds for immediate release of thése class war prisoners. a Great Britain’s Trade \Unionists; Work for Trade U. "’s Unity. The visit of Purcell, chairman of the British Trade Union delegation among others, is of world wide signi- ficance and demands more than ever an intensified campaign on the part of militant trade unionists for unity in the world trade union movement and with particular emphasis on the American labor movement. Also the campaign for recognition of Soviet Russia assumes increasing import- ance thru the report of the British trade union delegation to Russia and Purcell’s visit to the United States. The party and the militants organ- ized in the Trade Union Educational League will now increase their activi- ties both for Russian recognition atid for unity in the trade union move- ment. ; Bulld a Labor Party. The city central committee also heard the instructions for the labor party campaign adop' by the cen- tral executive commi and is pro- ceeding to take steps to take the question of a labor party before the workers. The cam for a labor party is to be based not on the ab- stract slogan for such a party, but is to be linked up withthe concrete is- sues, agitating the workers and on the various united front campaigns of the party, such as the struggle against wage cuts, against collabora- tion, for the release pf Crouch and Trumbull, Hands Off campaign, ete. | Industrial Organizere to Take Up Party United Front Campaigns. All of the above reports and ‘cam- paigns mentioned must be pushed strongly by the party organization in the trade unions, fraternal organiza- tions, etc. The particular situation in each organization trade union or dis- trict council, central labor body, ete., will determine the tactics of the cam- paign and the introduction of reso- lutions on the various issues of crim- inal syndicalism, hands off China, antl imperialism, for a labor party, for world trade unioh unity, etc. In order to co-ordinate these important campaigns and to lay out the work particularly and cargeiaily for each | situation fhe meeting of the industrial organizers of the has been call- 2D. m., at EER = ER Worker Shows Difference Between Fake and Real Progressives | He told the membership that they could do nothing else but accept it. In other words, he urged them not to vote against it. The only, difference between this and and the Hillman-Levin attitude is that Hillman and Levin tried to prove that it was a good agreement and the members should accept it, while Schneid said it was a bad agreement, but the members must accept it. It Is an elemental principle, sure- ly known to Schneld, that only by strike or threat of strike can any union get or @éven keep good condi- tions, Yet Schneld advised against a course of action that would lead to strike. In good times strikes get better conditions, in bad trade times It protects against “readjustments,” This is simple. This is known to everyone Schneld. Yet Schneid advises “no strikes.” ‘So does Hillman. Where Is the dif- ference In practice? The policy of Hillman and Levin is class collaboration under the slogan of “industrial peace,” “no strikes for the next 10 years.” * Schneid and his group frankly state that it would be folly to attempt to get the members of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers to strike for their demands. And to ask them to vote against the agreement would mean ‘to ask them to strike against it. This is just another method of advocating “industrial peace” and “no strikes.” What. sort of a “progressive” is it whose strike policy cannot be dist- inguished from Hillman’s? Schneid has, as his slogan, “revive the old fighting spirit of the Amal- gamated,” and yet in the next breath he says it would be folly to expect the members of the Amalgamated to strike. How can anyone lead the militants in the Amalgamated if they are opposed to struggle against the employers and at the first threat from the administration desert the left wing and betray the rank and file as Schneid and his group did? Talk is cheap, Only actions count. The agree- ment prevents strikes and. permits wage cuts. Hillman fought for it, Schneid did not fight against it. Schneid and his group say that the Hillman-Levin machine has the; mem- bership terrorized, and because of this terrorism they will not accept the advice or the leadership of those members of the A. C. W. who accept the program and are adherents of the T. U. EB. L. He gives this as one of the reasons why this new group has been organized. . But the real reason why he organ- ized the group is because the left wing called for a militant struggle against the reactionary bureaucrats of the A. C. W, on the basis of progres- sive trade demands, While Schneid and his group, who have always been close sympathizers if not actual sup- Porters of Hillman, cannot accept this policy. So they have organized themeelves into a center group to befuddle, con- fuse, and demoralize the left wing. They will fight the Hillman-Levin machine in words, but with the tongue in their cheek, and when it comes to action, such as advising the member- ship to vote against the agreement, they will not do it. Hillman at one time led the left wing victoriously against the reaction- ary Rickert, and for a period of time believed in struggle against instead of collaboration with the employers, But, in the course of the development of the A. C. W., Hillman became the leader of a center group,’ attempting to follow a middle road between the reactionary right wing represented by the yellow Forward socialists, and thé left wing represented by the T. U. 5. L., until in the struggle he had to take his choice between the left wing and the reactionaries, and he went ‘bag and baggage over to the *orward gang. For over a year there has been but two groups within the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, the left wing, rep- resented by the T. U. H. L. and the Communists, and the right reaction- aries, represented by the Hillman- Levin-Forward reactionary group. This situation called for a militant struggle by the left wing against the Hillman administration. And we found within the ranks of the left wing, both T. U. BE. L. and Communist, in- dividuals now represented in the Schneid group who could not accept this policy of struggle. Hence we have a new group taking the center position which has been given up by Hillman and the history of this group will be the) history of. all center groups—the honest, militant progressives who now follow Schneid will come over to the left wing, while the leaders will either be driven by force of circumstances into the camp of Hillman completely, or will ac- knowledge their mistake and come back and join the forces of the real left wing, the T, U. B. L. As one who has watched the devel- opment of the Schneid group for over two years, I want to urge the progres- sive elements to repudiate him and his fake fight against the Hillman ad- ministration and rally to the fighting program of the T. U. E. L. group in the A. C. W. and help to solidify a strong,and genuine left wing that will Sweep away the class collaboration policy and make of the Amalgamated a@ powerful union, a fighting organ of the class struggle. A Rank and Filer, ALLENTOWN, EASTON, AND BETHLEHEM, PA., COMRADES TAKE NOTICE (Special to The Daily Worker) ALLENTOWN, Pa., June 19.—A ge- neral membership meeting of the Le- high Valley section will be held on Wednesday, June 24th—8.00 P; M. at 1161 Mechanic street. All members of Allentown, Eaton and Bethlehem must be present.—A. Néwberger, Secretary c.c.c. 19 S. Lincoln St. Every party branch industrial organizer must be present without fail, if there is to be a mili- tant campaign for the various pro- grams of action laid out. Anti-Police and Injunction Bills. In addition to the above, -reports were given on the passage of the Bar State Police bill and the Anti-Injunc- tion bill in the Illinois legislature. The passage of these bills revealed clear- ly the results of the non-partisan method employed by fakers. These methods brought them, nor the work- ers, anything. Injunctions, in the last analysis, are solved by mass viola- tion of them. Effective struggle against state constabulary bills in one form or another will be offset only by organized action on the industrial or political fields of workers as a class. Negro Trade Union Committee onJob A special report was rendered on work among the Negroes. The or- gan of the American Negro Labor Congress, The Champion, is now out and sales are rapid. Many unions have responded to the call for the Congress scheduled for October 25. Negro speakers are covering party branches and various trade union bodies. The Negro Trade Union com- mittee has been making decided head- way. / é The Book Store campaign is meet- ing with success. Literature sales in the form of books and pamphlets are going well. The campaign for The DAILY WORKER, however, must;be pushed more strongly by the branches which must pledge themselves for a| , certain quota of subscriptions for The DAILY WORKER. In this immediate campaign free speech fight forms the attracting base at present of the street meetings. 8 30 New Members Join Communists. Applications for membership were accepted from the following branches: ™ Ukrainian .. en South Slav No, 1. North Side English. Douglas Park English. Nucleus"No. 4 Douglas Park Jewish. Finnish .. Lake View Scand. C2-S8l. T. of L.. Greek .., Lettish .... North West Jewish Next meeting of the ©. C. C, on Wednesday, July 1, 1925; 8 p. m., at 722 Blue Island Ave, Fraternally yours, Workers (Communist) Party, Locai Chicago. | 2 1 2 3 1 4 1 2 2 6 1 7 |CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON THE CLEVELAND SITUATION The investigation of the secretariat of the C. E. C. dealing with the party controversy in Cleveland discloses and establishes the following facts: 1. The minority group, led by Comrades Benjamin and Boich, planned and carried thru an organized raid upon the regular meeting of the C. C. C. of Cleveland, held June 8. 2. The purpose of this raid was to seize the leadership of the local organization ‘at all costs and without regard to the principles of Communist organization and constitution of the party, and to overrule decisions of the c.c. CD. E.C. and C. B.C. ~ i. e., 19 votes for the majority. 4. In the face of a deadlock, gen- eral turmoil and the impossibility of proceeding with the meeting, the chairman and the D. O. declared the meeting adjourned. This was the cor- rect thing to do under the circum- stances, 5. Upon the legal adjournment of the meeting, the minority group, led by Benjamin, Boich and Bartov (the latter acting as chairman) proceeded }to hold a rump meeting, declared themselves the regular C. C. C., res- cinded and overturned action by the C. E. C. by reinstating Benjamin, the nine suspended delegates, and the suspended Jewish branch, and elected a new local executive committee, thus creating a dual, competing body to the regular local party organization. 6. This dual local executive com- mittee, elected at the illegal, “rump meeting, contains Esther Shwartzer, who was regularly expelled from the party. 7. Following this action by the minority group on June 8th, the sec- retary of the suspended Jewish branch Duchan, proceeded to call a meeting of the regularly suspended Jewish branch in competition and opposition to the recognized Jewish branch of the party in Cleveland. These facts, which were definitely established by the investigation of the secretariat, demonstrate an open and flagrant violation of the fundamentals of party discipline by the minority group led by Benjamin and Boich. These and other facts disclosed by the investigation prove furthermore that the Benjamin group is carrying on a systematic campaign of opposition cal- culated to undermine not only the present leadership of the party, but to destroy the Communist conception of leadership in general. Benjamin and Boich have ‘been shown guilty in spreading and culti- vating a non-Communist conception of Communist organization and disci- Dline. Even in their statements before the secretariat on June 12th, both took the position that decisions of govern- ing bodies of the party have no validi- ty for the membership of the réspect- ive party units. The essence of ‘this position is, that party decisions of C. C. C. and C. E. C. have no force unk formally approved by the mem- bership of the branch or city. These non-Communist conceptions are not only being spread but actively acted upon by the Benjamin-Boich group is disregard of the rulings and decisions of the local, district, and national or- ganization of the party. The root and main cause of'the present difficulties in Cleveland is their anarcho-menshe- vist conception of party organization advocated and practiced by the min- ority comrades led by Benjamin Boich. ~* ae ‘This situation is further aggravi by the fact that the Hinesity bette waging a desperate struggle to gain control of the Cleveland organization and in numerots cases has resorted unpermissable means to achieve this i 3. The roll call votes taken at the C. C. C. meeting on June 8, prior to its adjournment by the chairman and by the D. O. show an equal number of uncontested votes cast for each side,end. In waging this factional struggle the minority group in Cleveland has overstepped the bounds of party con- stitution and general Communist prac- tice and discipline as laid down by the Communist International. In view of these facts, the secret- ariat finds it necessary to condemn and repudiate the action of the min- ority group in the rump meeting of June 8th. The secretariat draws the attention of the party membership in ‘Cleveland to the fact that these anar- cho-menshevist conception of organ- ization constitute a real menace to the development, integrity and unity of our party. The secretariat calls upon the party membership in Cleveland to combat such non-Communist behavior and to repudiate the action of the Ben- jamin group at the rump meeting of June 8th. Therefore the secretariat decides upon the following measures: 1. To declare illegal the holding of the rump C. C. C. meeting on June 8th. 2. To declare illegal and therefore void all proceedings, decisions, and actions of that meeting. 8. To cancel the membership meet- ing called for June 16th called by the rump C. C. C. meeting. The question of membership meetings in Cleveland and other cities in the preconvention period will be settled by the parity commission in the near future. 4, Comrades Boich and Bartoff are herewith suspended from {%e party for @ period of three (3) months without voice and vote. The secretariat ap- proves the action of the local execut; ive committee and the district com- mittee in suspending Comrade Ben- jamin from the party for six months without voice and vote. FREE SPEECH FIGHT CONTINUES TONIGHT AT NORTH AND ORCHAR The free speech fight conducted by the Workers (Communist) Party on the corner of North avenue and chard street is being continued. To night the meeting will be addressed by comra Karl Reeve and Barney Mass. Eigtheen members of the Wor. kers Party were arrested last Satur- day when they conducted"an open, air meeting on this corner, ‘ They are charged with violating « city ordinance, declared unconstitutio- nal by the Iilinois supreme court, re- quiring a permit from the chief of police to hold open air meetings. The ° will be fought in the courts, The speakers at Workers Party street meetings Saturday night are: North and Orchard—Barney Mass and Karl 5 North a lashtenaw—Manuel Go- mez and Al Shaap.\ ; Division and Washtenaw—I. A. Da- vidson and J. Louis Engdahl. fis Kedzie and 22nd—Sam Hammer. to | $mark and William F. Kruse, 12th and St, Louls—Comrade Early, nh dt eee