The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 26, 1925, Page 2

Page Two CHALLENGE OF GENERAL STRIKE FLUNG AT GARMENT BOSSES BY JOINT ACTION COMMITTEE CALL (Specrat to The Daily Worker) NEW YORK CITY, August 24.—At 3 p. m. sharp, a banner was thrust from the window of a dress shop on West 21st Street and the great stoppage of the cloak and dress industry of New York began. in answer to the call issued by the Joint Commit- tee of Action, and in spite of the threats of bosses and the ter- rorism of the Joint Board, thousands of workers poured thru the streots to their assigned meeting halls. The Joint Board acknowledged to reporters that 30,000 workers stopped work, and there is no doubt that the actual figure is nearer 40,000. They filled to overflowing two audi- toriums in Stuyvesant Casino, two in Webster Hall, two in Man- hattan Lyceum, two in Arlington Hall, two in Hennington Hall, two in Lenox Assembly, two in Clinton Hall; also Cooper Union, Mansion Hall, Lafayette Casino and Astoria Hall, and then some 15,000 poople gathered for any overflow meeting in Union Square. Secret Opposition. Bryant Hall had been engaged for the uptown workers, but by order of the building department it was closed at 3 p. m. as unsafe for any meeting, and these workers had to go to other halls. The workers paraded with banners bearing cartoons of Sigman and his clique; denouncing the union machine, its gangsters, its corrupt methods, and pledging loyalty to the Joint Action Committee. The masses of workers were perfectly orderly and there was little interference from the police and no arrests. A file of workers passing the office of the Joint Board were or- dered by the police to disperse, but there was no disorder. Ready for General Strike. At the halls the wildest enthusiasm prevailed, and all mention of a gen- eral stoppage was loudly cheered. The following resolution was adopted unan- imously at all meetings: Adopted Unanimously at All the Meetings by at Least 30,000 Workers. “We, the Cloak and Dress Makers of New York, assembled at the call of the Joint Action Committee in twelve halls on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20, 1925, adopt the following resolution: “The Cloak and Dress Makers of New York have suffered and struggled many years to build our union and have won at least partial recognition of our rights as human beings. We have starved and bled on the picket line to gain better conditions for our- selves and families. For the past few years, however, the employers have _ )\Agu_various schemes reduced to ght all our gains. ‘phe large shops in our industry trade has been \ransferred into the __-“have Ts ten faneared. and the hands of small stab and corporation nests, where the work is being made while the workers of the union shops are compelled to walk the streets in search of employment for the greater part of the year. The scab shop sys- tem against which we revolted many years ago has again intrenched itself in our industry, bringing with it long periods of unemployment, starvation and misery for the workers. No Longer Tolerated. “The conditions to which the cloak and dress makers have been reduced have become such that they cannot be tolerated any longer. The jobbers who have become the practical em- ployers in the industry refuse to take upon themselves any responsibility for assuring a decent livelihood to the workers at whose expense they have amassed great fortunes. The condi- tions of our industry have become such that it is practically impossible for a worker to earn a living. “To remedy this deplorable situa- tion in our industry, our union pre- sented a number of vital demands to the employers a year and a half ago, and when the employers refused to give any consideration to our demands we decided to call a general strike to fight for these demands. The leaders of our union, without our consent, gave over these demands into the hands of the governor’s commission, . which, as is already known, gave us no concessions whatsoever. “An agreement was concluded with the employers for another year under the old conditions which means that the work will continue to be made in scab shops under the most miserable conditions. Financial Skulduggery. “In spite of the fact that our man- date for a strike for our demands was ignored by our leaders, they called out a fake stoppage in 1924 and spent the two million dollar fund which was collected for a strike; after they had emptied our treasury in a most scan- dalous and criminal way, they wanted to force another $20 tax on us and a raise in the dues. “The executve boards and mana- gers of our three locals, 2, 9 and 22, have strenuously opposed this policy and warned the officials of the Joint Board that they could not expect that @ commission would concede to us even the most important demands of the workers. We demanded that the union prepare for a general strike should the employers refuse to grant our demands. “The three locals demanded that tho agreement in the dress industry, which has until this day been a dead letter, should be enforced. The three locals , opposed the increase in dues and taxes | and demanded an accounting for the ( Ein aan Pe Rite Be al A Re eet RS A nae oe Seid $a PO eh IE cd la tat ata Be STE IE SE, SS Be A II te Sie RS So Toe A AR a LE RS A SAM NEWARK COMRADES TO. HOLD MEETING AUGUST 27 ON LABOR DEFENSE NEWARK, Aug. 24.—A general membership meeting of all Work- ers Party members of Newark, N. J., will be held next Tuesday, August 27, at Labor Lyceum, 704 S. 14th St., Newark, N. J. A committee to call a labor de- fense conference in September will be elected at this meeting. All mem- bers of Newark branches must be sure to attend. money squandered by Sigman and his machine. It is because we fought for these demands that the Joint Board in a most criminal and shameful manner has thrown us out of the offices and suspended us from the union. Time to Call a Halt. “We, the Cloak and Dress Makers, have on many occasions during the past ten weeks since our managers and executive boards were suspended, demonstrated. our protest against Sig- man and his clique, who are guilty of having brot our union to the present deplorable state, but Sigman has until this day ignored our demands and be- trayed our interests and takes no ac- count of our protest and our demands, “Instead, he has made a united front with the bosses to throw workers who have been members of our union for many years out of our shops, hoping thru the aid of the employers to force the workers to recognize his mislead- ership. 7 No More Compromise. “We again reiterate that we under circumstances bosses By force to dictate to us whom we ate to recognize as our | We shall not pay any’ dues or ‘taxes to the Joint Board and will not go to their meetings. We will not recognize their business agents, their fake man- agers and fake executive boards, who were appointed in place of our legally elected officers. Sigman must resign, the three locals must be reinstated, and the Joint Board be reorganized on a democratic basis with proportional representation. For General Strike. “In the event that our employers do not cease to interfere in our in- ternal affairs, if they do not discon- tinue their policy of supporting the Sigman clique and forcing the workers to go to the Joint Board meetings and pay dues, if they do not discontinue to assist Sigman in forcing himself on the workers, if they do not cease to discharge workers at the instigation of Sigman and his clique, we hereby authorize the Joint Action Committee to call a general stoppage in our in- dustry whenever the committee shall consider such a stop necessary. “We do not want to recognize the Sigman clique any longer, and we pledge ourselves to do everything in our power to put an end to Sigman and Sigmanism that has been a men- ace to our union from the very first day Sigman came to office.” Cigarmakers’ Union No Different Since Sammy Died; Still Stands Pat BOSTON, Mass., Aug. 24.—The con- vention of the Cigarmakers’ Union here voted to revise its constitution so that the International Union execu- tive may appoint one or more of its members as arbitrators in local dis: putes, An amendment authorizing strike pay for union members taking part in strike where the unorganized are in a majority was voted down after President Perkins spoke against it. The proposal came from the Tampa delegates and Perkins declared that the Tampa men had been too ready to join such unorganized strikes and that the proposed amendment would give the unorganized the power to put the union men on the street when they wished. Advocates of the special strike pay amendment pointed out that it was difficult for union men to stay at work in such walkouts, that much ill- feeling was caused thereby and future organization work interfered with. If you want to thoroughly un- derstand Communism—study it. Send for a catalogue of all Com- munist literature, a eee HOLD CHINA-SOVIET UNITED FRONT MEET IN NEW YORK AUG, 28 NEW YORK, Aug. 24.—We have tried ever since 1917 to Impress upon the workers, and especially the organized workers, the Importance of the Russian revolution. But many were not Interested with “politics” not even with revolutionary poll- tics. And so we bolled It down to the statement that the Russian re- volution is the biggest strike In the history of the world. The Russian workers and peasants are on strike against the employers and caplital- ists not only of Russia but of the whole world. And now we have a_ strike in China. Just a strike? No, the pres. ent strike movement in China Is the beginning of the revolution In the biggest country in the world. Capitalists of the world—Hands off the strike! Workers of the world—stand by the revolution! Hands. Off China: Stand by, Soviet Russia! All organizations that stand for the workers and against the oppres- sors of the world must be represent- ed by two delegates at the China- Soviet Russia United Front Confer- ence, which has been called for Fri- day, August 28, at Stuyvesant Casi- no, 142 Second Avenue, New York, by two delegates. SYNTHOL A NEW LOONEY GAS IS GRAVE MENACE Thousands of Workers: Face Poisoning NEW YORK, Aug. 24.—With the an- nouncement of the new motor fuel, synthol, the Workers’ Health Bureau pamphlet on tetra-ethyl lead comes as a. timely reminder to organized labor that. it must demand protection from all poisons used in industry before workers pay the price with their lives. Tetra-ethyl lead, which killed 11 work- ers and poisoned more than 113 others. during 17 months’ manufacture of ethyl gasoline, is used in making syn- thol,-according to newspaper reports on the subject, afid the base of this new “noknock” fuel is benzol, another deadly poison. Organized labor is urged to start locals investigations to determine whether ethyl gasoline or synthol are being sold or used. Unions are en- couraged by a letter from the ‘Work- ers’ Health Bureau accompanying the tetra-ethyl lead leaflet to report all industrial poisons so that workers can demand protection before, not after, lives: are lost. As the Workers’ Health Bureau points out, there are 280,000 chauf- feurs, 31,000 garage workers, 411,000 draymen and expressmen, 40,000 serv- ice station workers, besides thousands of auto machinists and workers en- gaged in manufacturing tetra-ethyl lead and the new motor fuels, who are exposed to the dangers of the in- dustrial poisons in these fuels. In addition the general public may be seriously endangered because of lead dust deposits from ethyl gasoline ex- haust gases. The Workers’ Health Bureau is keeping in close touch with all devel- opments concerning tetra-ethyl lead and other industrial poisons which af- fect workers and informs its union members and organized labor general- ly regarding these health dangers, Protest Forces the Dropping of High Esthonian Visa Fee WASHINGTON, Aug. 24—(FP)— Visa fees for non-immigrants have been mutually abolished by the United States and Esthonia for their respec- tive nationals. Due to protests from returned travelers, the state depart- ment began some months ago to nego- tiate the dropping of visa charges which it had started during the world war. Many countries have abolished or reduced this charge, in return for like action by the Washington govern- ment. hpenininalteaden iis Yeggs Get $1,200, MT. VERNON, Ill, Aug. 24.—Yeggs blasted the safe of the State Bank of Texico, north of here, early yesterday, escaping with $1,200 in cash. Citizens aroused by the explosions did not re- sist the cracksmen, who escaped in an automobile, General Contracting at Moderate Prices. Work Guaranteed. JOHN L. DELIN General Contractor 1709 N. ROCKWELL STREET Specializing in New Concrete Foundations on Old Frame Hou Garages and All Other Particular Work. CALL ARMITAGE 3802 FOR AN ESTIMATE, Cement Floors| © THE DAILY WORKER MERIGAN NEGRO TAKES CUE FROM SING AFRICA Fights Imperialism Here Also The Chicago’ Tribune has an editor- ial on the uprising of .the darker races. It says the Senussi tribesmen of Africa had opened fire on the Ital- {ans who have been ruling Tripoli and Cyrenaica: ‘It claims that Italian troops which had been sent out to stop smuggling on trade routes to Egypt were set upom and a column cut off. The uprising’ was said to be led by a Paso let of the. Mo- hammadens calléd’ Sheik Ahmed. This is only the ‘Pbeginning. The subject races thruot {the world are gradually rising ainst capitalist circle will not the American imperialism and be rounded out Negro takes his stand with the other exploited peoples pt; the world. It is claimed that South Africa is the only place that further efforts can be made to throw off the yo! e of imperialism, but this is only a blind to make the American workers, think that they are under a great Rs ay government i and have no kick. ie workers of America will surely, take their turn and pull the imperialists’ chair fr under him and throw him out. Imperialism is Sick. Yes, the imperialist is truly a sick man, - Great Britain is full of unrest. There-are thousands of workers out of work and in no spirit to support a large army in the colonies. Continen- tal Europe is on its last leg, suffering from the depression of-a four years war. The knowledge that Asia and Africa got of modern warfare in the last war will stand them in good stead. The Buropean naitons which are de- pending upon their‘ foreign colonies for cheap raw material, as well as man power for their arinfés, are constantly double-crossing each’ other and wait- ing to pounce upoh’€ach other at the slightest chance. You will remember it was the Tribuné that was the first to cry “red” at thé!'American Negro Labor Congress. low it is crying “soviet” at these tatives who for years have had to ‘keep up an aristoc- o © ngelees Ieisure class, when all they are asking for is a chance to gov- -« themselves, Demand Unioniration of Negro, The United States today is just as much an’ im} ‘ation as France or England. It is gonstantly seeking mand that Rie opal electric- ians, locomotive firemen, etc., be or- ganized in the Am@Pican Federation of Labor, as well as the hod carriers. The union official realize that play- ing at organizing the Negro will not satisfy him this tiffe; so, in order to help the big employers of labor keep the Negro sttrikebreaker as a whip over the white worker and keep the easy jobs with big pay, they find it necessary to cry out “RED” when the Negro demands tobe organized on all fields. But with all the help union of- ficials can give him, truly the capital- ist is a sick man, Hoisting Engineers to Be “Neutral” in War of Building Unions NEW YORK CITY, Aug. 24—The bricklayers-plasterers’ jurisdictional war entered another phase late last week when the bricklayers were or- dered on strike in ‘towns where the plasterers had iously exercised exclusive jurisdiction. The strikes took place in Lynbrook, L. I.; Water- town, N. Y., and Paterson and Pas- saic, N, J, | The bricklayers'teceived a setback when it became Known that Arthur M. Huddell, presidént of the Interna- tional Union of Hoisting Engineers, in a telegram from Ghicago to Edward J. MeGivern, president of the Operat- ive Plasterers and Cement Finishers’ International Union, repudiated the ac- tion of the hoistt € engineers who went on strike seVeral days ago in sympathy with the bricklayers, “I have instructed Local 403 of New York City to remafii neutral,” said Mr. Huddell. “I knoW nothing of any agreement except’ what you tell me. It has never received my approval and is done entirely on their own responsi- bility, and I will do anything I can do to have our local remain neutral.” “All we have asked of any trade is to remain neutral,” said Mr. McGivern in commenting on the telegram. Pneumonia Industrial Disease. BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Aug. 24.— (¥P)—Families of workers who die of influenza or pneumonia clearly con- tracted from conditions of work are entitled -to state compensation under a Conhecticut upreme Court ruling on the case of Dela Penn, a marble:cut- ter employed by Jackson Stone Co. will not have to be based on the place the disedse or cold leading to disease were ¢ontracted, but on proving that work Conditions made the employe susceptible and weakened. ye in Hearstism Carries Germ of Fascism, Labor’s Foe, These United States By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL. — Pees William Randolph Hearst parades as “an enemy of the interests” in the municipal campaing raging in New York City, at the same time joining in the “open shop” war against. the Amalgamated Clothing Workers’ Union in Chicago. e In New York, Hearst calls for the re election of Mayor Hylan as “the people's candidate”, while in Chicago he grows hysterical in his lacking of the judicial mountebank, Judge John H. Lyle, who is supported by the great bankers and in- dustrialists in his war on the striking garment workers. * * * . This is in harmony with the Hearst policy of adapting his newspapers to the locality in which they are published. In New York, Hearst has won tremendous circulations for his “Journal” and “American” among the Jewish workers, great numbers of whom are employed in the needle trades. It is to these he appeals in great part for support of Mayor Hylan, in the Hearst-Hylan war on Tammany Hall for the selection of the mayoralty candidate in the democratic prim- aries. The Hearst press in New York City now gushes rad- ical phrases. The “municipal ownership” espoused by this aggregation is hailed as “a revolutionary measure” before the elections. But, even if the Hearst-Hylan ticket goes thru, the capitalist colossus will stand astride the nation’s greatest city powerful as ever. Only Hearst will be the gainer; adding to his political strength, bolstering up his hope that some day he may yet land in the White House at Washington, D. C. gee Mee Sere In New York, democratic, but in Chicago, republican, is the Hearst program. In New York, try to fool the workers with radical phrases; in Chicago, make open war upon the workers in an effort to crush their organizations. It is not an accident that Hearst is backing the repub- lican-capitalist “law 'n order” judge. Lyle, who throws the support of his court to the International Tailoring Company, thru holding the victims of the bosses’ frame-ups under ex- horbitant bail, notably the $105,000.00 put upon the striker, Patsy DeRosa, forcing this worker to sit in jail for ten days until the fight to reduce the bail was won. * ° * * In so-called “peace times” the American judicial system boasts much of its claim that all are innocent until proven guilty. But these are not “peace times” in Chicago. The “open shop” war on labor, carefully planned, with its Landis award in the biulding trades and the attack on the coal min- ers at Herrin, in Williamson County, has opened another chapter in the present effort to crush the Amalgamated Clothing Workers’ Union in the garment industry. In this war, as in all great industrial struggles, the capitalist courts hold the workers guilty of all crimes charged, challenging them to prove their innnocence. Listen to the judicial today to big business, Lyle as he convicts in the columns of the Hearst press without court procedure of any kind, the work- er, DeRosa, as'follows: ., : “It isjunfortunaté for the people who. were slugged by DeRosa, and those whose property was destroyed by the acid thrown by DeRosa, and for the 61 year old woman that'he put a gun’ up to while his companion _ threw acid in her tailoring shop. “It is ‘unfortunate for afl of these people, but it Is not my fault, and if the public is satisfied lt have to be.” ee ee This is nothing if not an appeal to the lynch law spirit of the mob; an attempt to rouse prejudice in the minds of the uninformed and the easily misled not only against the Amal- gamated Clothing Workers’ Union, but against all organized workers in the state as well as in the — Thus is fascism born, finene its ally among the most reactionary unions, like the United Garment Workers of America, that lends itself to) the “open shop” bosses as a strike-breaking agency, and typified best in the capitalist es afl a Seo actrees Ne ate Eee Da AO cent EE a press by the numerous and ingly. growing Hearst publications. Let the workers recognize the enemy and fight accord- KU KLUX KLAN LEADER TO 60 ON TRIAL OGT, 12 TH| erm sero; « tt tat INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Aug. 24, — D. C. Stephenson, former klan leader in Indiana, Earl Klinck and Earl Gentry will go on trial here on Octo- ber 12 for the alleged murder of Madge Oberholtzer, 28, of Indiana- polis, last April, it became known to-|: day. Judge W. M. Sparks, of Rushville, selected recently to sit in the case, fixed this date with the approval of Judge Fred E. Hines, of Hamilton circuit court who was disqualified from presiding at the trial by de- fense counsel. Se . Date Satisfies Defense, INDIANAPOLIS, Ind,, Aug. 24, — Eph Inman, chief of counse) for D. B. Stephenson, Warl Klinck and Earl Gentry, alleged slayers of the Madge Oberholtzer, said today that Oct, 12 as the date for starting their trial was satisfactory to him, Inman stated that Judge Sparks of Rushville who will preside in the case had asked him if the date suited him and that he had replied in the affirmative. FOREIGN EXCHANGE, NEW YORK, Aug. 24.—Great Brit- ain, pound sterling, demand 4.85%, ca- ble 4.85%; France, franc, demand 4.69, cable 4,691; Belgium, franc, demand 4.54, cable 4.54%; Italy, lira, demand 3.65%, cable 3.66; Sweden, krona, de- mand 26.86, cable 26.89; Norway, kro- ne, demand 18.92, cable 18.94; Den- mark, krone, demand 23.58, cable 23.55; Germany, mark, no quote; Shanghai, tael, 78%. vty te POLICEMAN GRASHES INTO TAXI-CAB, BUT LAW IS NOT FOR HIM Paper.) JUSTICE, Time, 9:15 p, m. Place, Park avenue and 60th street, New York City. iceman driving without his chauffeur’s or operator’s license ignores the stop light signal set against him and cras' into a taxi- cab operated by Mi: ilverman of 90 Grafton street, Brooklyn. The offender, Patroiman. James Donohue, was given a summons for eperating a machine without a license and passing a. stop signal which called for traffic to halt. At the time of the offense Donohue was in civilian clothes, but the next day appeared In his uniform before Mag- istrate House in the traffic court, which delayed his trial due to the fact that the magistrate was unable to recognize the policeman as the defendant, being under the impres- sion that he was there in his official capacity. Upon being Informed that the po- liceman was the defendant, he then went thru the process of meting out Justice, for which a judge is placed upon the bench, Result: Suspended sentence. Sells-Floto Circus Nonunion. DENVER, Colo., Aug. 24.—(FP)— The hiring of nonunion billposters Denver by the Sells-Floto circus is expected to have a bad effect on the show's gate receipts thruout the south- west. Plenty of union billposters were available for the job, but the Sells- Floto general agent preferred to air his dislike of organized labor and gave the contract to a local open shop con: | cern, BERRY BRINGS GRIST TO HIS “OWN BUSINESS Uses Union Funds for Private Ventures (Continued from page 1) ing the order of the day. Those novel methods of fighting the employers will undoubtedly Wenefit the reactionary officials, but they will only prove mill- stones around the necks of the mem- bership. The Charges. Bs Chicago Printing Pressmen’s Union No, 8 specifically charged the officers of the International Union with many offenses, including having “used union funds to finance wholly or in part the following concerns in which they were personally interested: a Clinchfield Hydro-Electric company, Clinchfield Land and Lumber com- pany (previously the Clinchfleld Land and Timber company.) Clinchfield Mercantile company, The Knoxville Printing Shop, Berry’s Grist Mill. A little item of graft on the credit side of Berry’s ledger is a coftract with the United States government for the transportation of the mails be- tween Rogersville ahd the Pressmen’s Home. For this he received $850 per year. Berry has no equipment for thi8 work but he uses the employes of the International Union to do the work. Berry puts the compensation in His own pocket. While he was roaming around Europe after the war, in re- turn for his services to the employers, the quarterly payments received from the contract were turned into the union treasury. Facts Brot Out, Berry secured ten lawyers ot defend himself against the charges made by Chicago Printing Pressmen’s .Union No. 3, but he Was not succe: sful in keeping the story from reaching the public. The following facts were brot out in court: The Clinchfield Mercantile company with branch offices at Rogersville and Alum Well was founded with money taken out of the treasury of the Inter- national Union. George L. Berry is president of the corporation. Joseph ©. Orr, secretary-treasurer of the un- ion’ is also secretary-treasurer of the. company. Berry and Orr had a way of making monéy that would win the admiration of O. Henry, author, of “The Gentle Grafters” and other short stories, The bills of the Mercantile company (a country department store) were met ‘by fhe International Union and the In-, ternational Union gave notes for the bills of the, Clinchfieid Mercantile company. The International Union then bought supplies to cover the amount of these bills and the Mercan- tile company naturally made a profit on the goods sold to the international. In other words Berry and Orr for their company bought goods with the money of the union and then sold those goods -to the union at a profit to themselves. Berry said that no profit was de- rived from the operation of the Mer- cantile company. Yet the company made enuf money in 1918 to show a surplus of $18,000 and paid an income tax, Even Berry's own auditors and his secretary-treasurer admitted that the company made profits. Who got the dough? It certainly did not go into the coffers of the International Union. The court records showed that the stockholders and the officers of the Clinchfield Hydro-Electric company, another Berry concern, built with the funds of the,international, are George L, Berry, Joseph C. Orr, Mrs, George L, Berry, Mrs, Joseph C. Orr and Mrs." Gehres (Berry’s mother-in-law.) Berry admitted having loaned this company $35,000 of the union funds, altho he testied that he did not know who the stockholders were outside of himself. As a matter of fact the enor- mous sum of $192,000 was, sunk in this quagmire and there is a letter on record written by Berry to the Western Electric company, promising to make payments to that company for electrical equipment just as soon as the war emergency assessment began to flow in. In a contract entered into between the Hydro-Blectric company and the I. P, P. and A, U. the International Union was to have the privilege of buying the: plant at the end of ten) years on the payment of $75,600 ($40,000 cash and the $35,000 stock made.out in Berry's name.) Another Berry Business, ’ Another one of Berry's enterprises: is the Clinchfield Land and Lumber) company, In this also Berry and his pal Joseph C. Orr are the principal ” partners and stockholders. This com- pany had no equipment to haul freight, yet Berry and Orr with the concur- rence of McHugh, Brophy and Marks, contracted for the union's hauling with the Clinchfield Land and Lumber com- pany (their own concern) at a price of 18 cents per hundred and then sub- let this hauling to another contractor at a price and made a profit tor themselves, ses Another chapter in “Majah” Berry's. career of “frenzied finance” will be’ told tomorrow, Build the DAILY WORKER with subs. . ”