The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 16, 1925, Page 2

Page Two INTERNATIONAL LABOR DEFENSE CHICAGO CONFERENCE SETS UP The eighty delegates representing 18,000 organized workers of Chicago, who met Sunday afternoon at Ashland Auditorium launched a section of International Labor Defense that will bring | the message of*America’s class-war prisoners and the obligation | to defend those now being attacked to every unit of organized | labor in Chicago. The conference unanimously indorsed the} actions of the National Conference held in the same hall last Jtine and that founded International Labor Defense as the champior of all workers persecuted for their activity in the class struggle. The delegates represented members of workers’ benefit branches of International Labor Defense. Henry Corbishley, the central figure of the case of the fifteen Zeigler miners now under serious crimina’ ctftirges in the southern Illinois coal flelds, reported on the frame-up he and his comrades are now being sub- jected to. The conference pledged its support to the fight of the Zeigler miners and then and there raised over $200.00 for the defense fund. To Raise More Than Dollars. W. 8S. Milson of the Car- penters’ Union brought out the dynamic phase of the I. L, D. Not mere dollars, he said, are needed, but while these are good ta use in the routine work of paying lawyers and gaining publicity, yet the function ot the I. L. D. is to raise the spirit of the working masses, to bring the collective force of wide masses into action to demonstrate to capitalist governmental oppressors that the working class will fight solidly, unit- ed as one man behind its spokesmen and fighters who are chosen as vic-, tims by the master class. With wide masses aroused and de- termined the courts and other wolves of capitalist state power will hesitate to carry out their brutal desires of framing up, killing and burying alive our brothers who fight in the front ranks, Victima of U. 8. Imperialism. Max Hankin of Local 199, Machin- ists, spoke on the recent outburst of brutality against the Cuban workers, in which Jose Miguel Perez, the sec retary of the Cuban.Communist Party, only just organized, has been deport- ed and the frade unions are being viciously attacked. A resolution of protest and pledg- ing the support of Chicago workers was offered and passed, in which the fact that American imperialism has practically usurped complete govern- mental power of the Cuban state, was accented ag a special factor making necessary the duty of American work- ers to combat the evil forces of im-|in defense work and relief work for of perialist persecution. The I. W. W. Fighters Remembered. Fred Mann, member of the L L. D. national executive committee, took the floor to bring out the part of the I. W. W. as victims of class persecu- tions. He wished to make clear that he did not represent the L W. W. but merely took part as an individuel in- and 1,500 members of permanent> 12,000 trades unionists, 4,500 | fraternal’ organizations and | Walla Walla with a 40-year sentence |had fought not only their own strug- gle, but defended the right of all union labor to organize and meet in union halls. If this right is. challeng- ed successfully by the continued im- prisonment of the Centralia victims, who are L W. W. members, It would no longer be an L W. W. matter, for raids by white guard American legion thugs on union halls, would soon be the rule in Chicago. Money was need- ed, not only for lawyers, but for pub- licity, to raise the class consciousness of the wide masses of workers to the meaning of the Centralia and other cases, - Fellow Worker Mann spoke of the effort being made by the L L. D. to raise $5,a month for every class war prisoner, regardless of affiliation, and told how much it means for prison- ers to get the little comforts and to know that someone cares enough to see that these are furnished. Prison Relief. “Let us resolve to keep this pledge,” he said, “These revolutionary fighters fought our battles. They are inside for our cause. Let them know we shall stand by them and care for them in their years of prison.” “Let this be done and a great many if not a majority of the members of the L W. W. will whole-heartedly sup- port the I. L. D. and aid it in the wonderful wor it is just beginning.” Get Individual Members, Too. Secretary Maurer, in closing the conference, obtained ,the pledges of the delegates of an immediate sum to the local I. L. D. treasury. He ac- cented that the I. L. D, hag both col- lective and individual affiliations. Those organizations, such as unions and fraternal bodies which affiliate and make the affiliation effective by subscribing a certain fixed monthly sum, are the collective affiliates, But the members of such organiza- tions should also be inyited to join I. L. D. bratithes as individual mem- bers and take a direct and active part class war prisoners. A big campaign for the Zeigler miners is to begin at once, Maurer announced. bi An executive committee of nineteen THE DAILY WORKER Strike ‘of the I. W. W. Seamen Ties Up Boats in New. York Harbor (Continued: from page 1) quarters at No. 3 Coenties Slip at- tract large crowds of seamen, with a steady stream lining up in the union, scores reporting for picket line duty and showing fine fighting spirit. In Brooklyn ‘a crowd of 800 seamen packed the hall at 158 Carroll street to listen to strike speakers of the fy a bg Detachments of pickets are com- manded by captaing and the |. W. W. is making every effort to make the strike effective. Funds are re- quired to sustain the ploket lines, and all working class organizations In the ports affected, particularly the Workers (Communist) party units, are making efforts to give all material assistance they can afford. Workers in New York .City and vicinity are urged to take or send relief funds to either No. 3 Coentles Slip, or 105 Broad stret. Quick action is imperative. FRANKLIN UNION REJECTS ANTE RADICAL LETTER Ci ommanists Defended Against Attack (Continued from page 1) feeders. President Crambert, Berry's tool voted against. Brother Brandt was appointed dele- gate to the Chicago Federation of La- bor to fill a vacancy in No, 4's dele- gation, Pollce Protect Crambert, Seven policement were outside the hall during the meeting. Four were Plain clothes men from the bureau and three in uniform. Crambert was asked what the police were doing there, but he refused to answer. ‘When Crambert left the hall the po- lice followed him. According to the union rules an official who misses two consecutive meetings without a reasonable excuse finds his office automatically vacated. Two of Berry's tools had broken this Tule, but they were saved by Cram- bert who refused to allow the mem- Ybers to decide whether their excuses were reasonable or not. Children Strike For More Seats. PASSAIC, N..J., Sept. 14—Shortage seating space has brought about a children strike at the Washington school which theets with the parents consent. School authorities have at- tempted to transfer the older children to direct the wark of Chicago local of the International Labor Defensa|'? 22°ther school to make room for set up at the conference was elected. The committee includes Emil Arnold of Painters’ Union No. 275; H. terested in class war prisoners’ de- Schneid, Local No. 39, Amalgamated fense, in this respect, however, rep- resenting a certain sentiment among the membership of the I W. W. There were about 100 good revolutionary fighteys in prison in this country, where we have an American counter- art of the white terror of Europe. The European workers have suffered ghastly persecutions and still suffer. It is necessary that we give our ut- most solidarity to them. Here, particularly in California and Washington, the L W. W. whose re- cord of revolutionary struggle is known not only nationally but thru- out the world, the American white ter- ror has jailed scores upon scores of the most conscious fighters for their olass. In California a worker needed to commit no crime to go to. jal. Mere membership in the L W, W. sent workers to prison for from one to fifteen years. ‘The General Defense and the Call- fornia Defense have done all they could for these men and done very well. But the I. L. D. with its inti- mate connections within all labor and radical unions thruout America could do more, it could raise a huge cry of protest on a national scale in ex- posing the tyranny that has sent these these fine fighters of the I. W. W. into the hell holes of California prisons. Centralla-the Test. The Centralia victims lying in organ of the party, Gei Ready for Reorganization ITHIN a few days the Organization Department will announce Its plan to mobilize the membership for the reorganization of the party Into shop nuclei and international branches. With the beginning of this campaign to reconstruct our party, a series of articles on organizational questions will be printed in every Questions and problems confronting our mem- bers In the rebuilding of the party will be answered and analyzed in Clothing Workers; S. H&nkin, Ma- chinists’ Local No. 199; A Newman, Workman's Circle 519; S, Gallant, Workman's Circle 497; L. Cohen, Workman's Circle 518; H. V. Phil- lips of the American Negro Labor Congress; Fred Mann of the National Committee of I. L. D.; George Maurer, Rose Karsner, Sam Hammersmark and others. The Chicago Local will immediately proceed to work, campaigning funds for the Zeigler defense and other cases and gathering in new members for the organization. the smaller ones. The other school is over a quarter of a mile away. LYDIA BEIDELL SPEAKS TONIGHT AT Y.W.L. BRANCH ON EUROPE Comrade Lydia Beldell, who has Just returned from a trip thru Eu- rope, will speak at the Young Work- ers League, branch’ number three tonight at 3201 South Wabash Ave. Comrade Beidefl has visited several countries in Europe and will speak on the conditions of the workers which she observed while there. RAIL PROGRESSIVES TO AIDTHE — ANTHRACITE COAL MINE STRIKE _—_—_ (Continued from page 1) the following officers were unanimous- ly elected: President: Roy H. Woods, of the Electrical Workers. Vice-president: Peter Jensen, Mach- inists, Chicago, Ill. Secretary: Otto H. Wangrin, Rail- way Clerks, St. Paul, Minn. The international committee, also unanimously elected, consists, of the following: John Foley, Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, Cleveland, Ohio; C. H. Clarke, Machinists, Stratford, Ontario; John Kipper Boilermakers, Organization Department. activities thru the shop nuclei, Watch these oolumne closely, the DAILY WORKER by Comrade Jay Loveatone, head of the Organ. ization Department, and other party members. The DAILY WORKER will also establish a special section for the In this section there will be printed ar ticles on the progress of the organization campaign, the xperiences of the comrades In the work . of organization, and letters and reporta from comrades giving their experinces in carrying on the’ ‘party's These articles will be Iving articles, and of Intense Interest. Chicago, Ill. A. S. Harbin, Boilermak- ers, Covington, Ky.; Homer Booth, Sheet Metal Workers, Huntington, W. Va.; C. HE. Lombard Electrical Work- ers, Hudson, Wis.; Frank Dinardo, Blacksmiths, Montreal, Canada; Clyde Crawford Blacksmiths, Huntington, W. Va.; J. W. McGraw, Railway Carmen, Tacoma, Wash.; Donald Menzies, Rail- way Carmen, London Ontario; E. Wil- ton, Sheet Metal Workers, Montreal, Canada. This international committee is em- powered by the conference to en jarge itself by the addition of new members 80 as to have 32 in all, two from each of the 16 standard unions, Foreign Exchange NEW YORK, Sept. 14.—Great Brit- ain, pound sterling, demand 4.84%; cable 4.84%, France, franc, demand 4.69; cable 4.69%. Belgium, franc, demand 4.40%; cable 4.41, Italy lira, demand 4.16%; cable 4.16%. Sweden, krone, demand 26.80; cable 26,83. Nor- way, khone, demand 20,73; cable 20.76 Denmark, krone, demand 24,43; cable 24.45, Germany, mark, no-quote, Shan- shai, taels, 80.50. God Falls Virginia Governor RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 14.—Govern- or Trinkle appealed to the people of Virginia to attend church and pray fry rain, which iy sorely needed thru- out tho state. If you want to see the Com- munist movement grow- asub for the DAILY. WORK: CHAMPAIGN, IL, CONVENTION IS DISMAL SCENE Reaction Rules Over Illinois Labor CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Sept. 14.—The several hundred delegates here to at- tend the annual convention of the Illi- nois Federation‘ of Labor face a dis- mal prospect bf one of the most reactionary asseniblies of the state organization in Years. Typical of thé uhprogressive nature of the convention is the fact that all and sundry expeet the most serious “fight” of the convention to be over the fake issue of whether it shall en- dorse “light winés ‘and beer” or the “bone dry” prohibition act, The only real issue rumored is the fight the few progressives present may make for abolition of all discrimina- tion by unfons Against Negroes and for their admission on par with all other members.’ The same fight’ is made for abolition of discrimination concerning all races afd race preju- dices. ' The convention will listen to Bill Green, president of the A. F. of L., and Frank Farrington, and betting is close on which shall give the most reactionary and “anti-Communist” speech. Both are acknowledged ex- perts in this field. Johnny Walker, president of the fe- deration opened the sessions with his usual lacrimose oration, magnifying beyond all resemblance the almost in- discernible “victories” of organized labor in the past year, but ended with shedding futile tears over the “bad industrial conditions” and the “dis- tress among the miners” (which he has done not one thing to alleviate) and admitting in fact that besides the flat janitors and. the milk wagon drivers labor unions in Mlinois are going backwards fast. The Second.Fiood Strangely, Johyny had little to re- commend as a remedy for these de- plorable conditions.. Weeping seems to do no one any good. If it did Il- linois unionism would be prosperous long ago instead of,drowned in the crocodile teams of “Weeping Johnny Walker.” One bright idea Walker dwelt upon was that discovered by the Union of Brick and Clay Workers of Lansing, Illinois, which pay the differ- ence between the jury fee and eight dollars a day for every member which serves on a jury. jy; “By so doing ey avoid having many decisions rendered against the labor movement that are unfair and unjust,” said Walker, scaréely com- Prehending the insult he was giving to the mentioned brick and clay work- ers. Victory With Some Alloy In It The biggest “victory” that he could boast of was the mythical “restrict- ions” placed by the recent legislature on the use of injunctions. While the technical and legal aspects of anti- labor injunctions may in some cases be changed by the bill, the big em- Ployers of labor, as shown by the Chicago Tribune at the time of the law’s passage, are quite satisfied that it won't matter a tinker’s dawn what the law says, the picket line is going to have a round with the courts in any strike of consequence. William B. Wilson, who was the secretary of labor during Wilson's presidency, is due to address the con- vention. It is a sad looking lay out for progressive unionism unless the left wing developes unexpected strength. Tammany Braves Fight at Polls Over Loot in New York (Continued from page 1) fountain pen, will have the support of the biggest, provided he has a chance to win. If not big biz will support Tammany, as Hearst is looked upon more or less as a scab in Wall Street. May Run Independent It is reported that in the event of Hylan’s defeat in the primaries, he may launch a third ticket in the finals with Fiorillo LaGuardia as candidate, LaGuardia would’ ‘be counted on to garner the Itallam: vote and the so- called: progressive: vote. He would have the support of Hearst and might pull enough support away from Tam- many to make the republican candl- date's election possible. But Tammany may find ways and means of forstall- ing such a dangerous development. The only sane voice crying in the political wilderness here as far as the working class movement is concerned ig the program of the Workers (Com- munist) Party and that organization’s call for a united front of all working class organizations to fight the elec- tions under the banner of labor of almost 6,000 robust jobs. What Chinese Are Opposing the White-Washing of the Shanghai Murders By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL, ° TORAY: the imperialist governments at Washington, Lon- don and Tokio must have finally reached the conclusion that the Chinese do not intend lending themselves to a fake investigation of the murders of Chinese workers and stu- dents, starting four months ago, in the streets of Shanghai and elsewhere. : Decked with all the panoply of judicial procedure, a commission jointly organized by Great Britain, America and Japan announces that it is ready to investigate the Shanghai incident. But it is desired to have a Chinese representative on the commission to help apply the white wash. Otherwise the calcimine might appear too muddied, failing to have the proper effect on the workers of China and those of other lands intensely interested in imperialst crimes in the orient. * * * * The American member of this commission is none other than Judge Elias Finley Johnson, member of the supreme court of the Philippines, where he must have received excel- lent schooling as an agent of the robber rule of the Wall Street bandits. The Filipinos can easily conjure up the kind of a report that this judicial lackey would make on the struggle of the Shanghai textile workers. The Filipinos know from experience, bitter experiences under the bloody regime of the anti-labor General Leonard Wood, who rules the islands. The loyalty of Judge Johnson to the dollar band- its is further attested by the fact that he is joyously acclaimed by the British member of the commission, Sir Henry Gollen, chief justice at Hongkong, where the English lash falls es- pecially heavy upon the backs of Chinese workers. The Japanese member is another judge hailing from the courts of Tokio that have been quick to send protesting workers to prison and to the gallows. * * ° e In fact, the trio is so foul that it cannot be stomached by even the capitalist governments of France, Italy, Bel- ium, and the Netherlands, who refuse to participate in the ‘arce, which they can afford to do, since their interests are not so much at stake. The power of the fist of Chinese labor in these days is pictured by the cartoonist of Gudok, the Soviet railroad workers’ daily, as follows: The Fist of Chinese Labor ioe m= MAA 3 OO It Disturbs the Plans of the World Imperialists. ~—From Gudok, Russian Railroad Workers’ Daily * * * ° One of the British-American demands on the Chinese is that the Chinese government “must give conorete evidence of its beg and willingness to enforce respect for the safety of foreign lives and property and to suppress disorders and anti-foreign agitation.” The Chinese do not take that demand seriously. It is purely a demand that China be made safe for imperialist agents to plunder and murder the Chinese. In the words of Genera) Feng Yu-Hsiang: “It Is not timely to talk about China’s ability to protect foreigners while foreigners are Sage Chingeas with: unequalled ferocity.” ' These expressions will sound familiar to every worker in this country who. has gone out on strike only to have the state militia, if not the federal troops, brot in to shoot him down in the name of and order.” The troops have only been withdrawn when “order has been restored” which, translated, means that the strike has been broken. . For more than a hundred years, the imperialisms of the great predatory nations have plundered China and made open war against her. The Chinese people have fought back as best they could. Their determined stand at the present . time shows that they have plenty of fight left. It is the wish of all enlightened workers the world over that they will develop enough strength to drive all their oppressors, Ye as well as foreign, into the Pacific, to be rid of them ‘ ‘orever. . The heroic struggle of the workers of China is concern of the workers of the whole world, ‘ ——— ing. Work, the socialist claims to e deep against all capitalist candidates. “e MADISON, Wisc. Sept. 14.—Robert M, LaFollette, Jr:is expected to get a good start towards wearing his late father’s senatorial toga, after thé primary vote is counted tomorrow| Besides having his father’s sentiment al following as ay, asset, young Bob is favored with the, support of the state roping with Governor Blaine at the throttle, This machine hes the dispensation that means in votes could be told with fair exactitude by the most uncultur- ed ward heeler in Chicago or New York. The Coolidge republican candidate is Roy P. Wilcox but his chances are slim. If defeated in the primaries, the latter is expected to run in the finals. The socialist candidate is ex- pected to get on the final ballots, His main argument.is that LaFollette is aot his father's son, politically speak- — wear the dead man's mantle, but the family refuses to surrender the heir- loom, It would not surprise many season- ed politicians to see Blaine and La- Follette Jr. walk into the Coolidge camp after the next glection shows the G. O, P. grand chiefs who's who in Wisconsin. Recently LaFollette, Jr, came out in favor of Mellon's tax program, declaring that the rich need- ed relief as well as the poor, or words to that effect ‘ -working class prisoners, DEFENSE BREAKS, JAIL BARS, SAYS'| CE RUTHENBERG | (Continued from page 1) workers in order that the capitalists might maintain power. “Why is it that in 1910 they did not need criminal syndicalist laws and in 1919 they did?” Comrade Ruthenberg continued. “The answer is the Inter national revolution. The victory of proletarian revolution in Soviet Rus- sia was an answer to the challenge of the rule of the capitalists, the rule of the capitalists, here in. the United States was challenged by the Com- munist movement.” “The International Labor Defense can break the bars and save the work- ing class fighters from prison, jast as | the protest of the workers secured the freedom of ‘the.members of the I. W. W. in 1926, and saved several thous- and workers from deportation after the Palmer raids. The fight made for those working class leaders shows that the workers have the power and if they use it can save their champ- ions from the clutches of the capital- sts.” Comrade Ruthenberg declared hat so far the workers had won in he Michigan Communist cases, keep- ‘ng the Communist out of jail for three years, “The International Labor Defense can take up the fight for the forgotten class war prisoners. It must also think of the international situation, of the white terror raging against the workers of other countries.” Saved Fighters from Hangmen Comrade Ruthenberg then told how the protests of the workers of the Eu- ropean countries had done much to save Sacco and Vanzetti and Tom Mooney from the gallows. He told how in Poland, Roumanta, Bulgaria and other countries the capitalists are trying to wipe out the strugzle of the workers by killing off their leaders. He told how the three million mem- bers of the International Red Aid are sending help to the workers of all the world. “We in the United States must do the same,” Comrade Ruthenberg con- cluded. “We must help those who stand in the forefront of the struggle .gainst capitalism. That is the pur- dose of the International Labor De- ense. If we do that we may look for- ward to the day when the workers will rule, and will put the capitalists in jail.” “Must Enlist Masses,” Foster Comrade Foster told how the cap- italists of Spain. and other countries are seizing on the leaders of the work- ers and murdering them in cold blood The I..L. D., he said, must defend the leaders of the working class. “Some of the finest fighters for the workers are now rotting away in the prisons and the masses are not stirring a hand to secure their release,” Comrade Foster said. Comrade Foster told how Kline and Wrangel in Texas, Mooney, Schmidt and MacNamara of California, Sacco and Vanzetti, are being persecuted, and forgotten. . “New systems, a new spirit is needed,” said Comrade Foster, “And the I. L. D. is about to supply that. We mist realize that the defense of Political prisoners is an established { part of our work of fighting the cap- {talists. We must enlist the masses, and the only way {s thru such an or- ganization as the International Labor Defense, whose purpose is to teach the workers the real meaning of this class persecution. The I. L. D. is an effective organization of the workers to defend their leaders.” Struggle In Zeigler | Maurer opened the meeting by telling of the successful conference which organized a permanent local unit of the I. L. D. Henry Corbishly went into detat! on the struggle of the Zeigler miners against the Farrington machine of bureaucratic mine union officials, Cor- bishly told how the Progressives, with himself ay president of the Zeigler local, were twice arbitrarily deposed from office by the mine union officials, who enlisted the aid of the ku klux klan, He told of the frauds Derpe- trated by Farrington in the miners elections, ‘Phe kluxers, Corbishly sald; at 2 meeting ofthe local, following a dis- Dute with the Bell and Zolier Goal er Hargis, a kKiansman and hanger-on, shot and killed ities toe vich, The next day 18 of the progres- sive miners Were arrested on warrants Sworn to by Lon Fox, subdistrict President of the union, and other Far. rington machine men, with “assault with intent to kill,” Alexander Hargis, the klan murder. er, on the other hand, was reledsed on bonds supplied by Ion Fox. The dispute with the coal company, Cor- bishly showed, was decided in the company’s favor by the mine union of- ficials. The coal was being run out So fast that it was impossible to weigh it, The checkweighman went home, and the miners walked out, The Farrington machine took the com- Dany’s part and deposed Corbishly and sah Nick progressives, rbishly thanked the Inte: a al Labor Defense for its Pergreyend militant miners of Zeigler. Robert Minor, the chairman, made the collection speech, and a large 6um of money was donated for defense of company, started a fight and Alexand- Fi |