The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 17, 1925, Page 4

Page Four PAINTERS? UNION PASSES GAG LAW ON MEMBERSHIP Reaction Wins Fight in Convention MONTREAL, Quebec, Sept. 14—(By Mail)—The thirteenth biennial con- vention of the Brotherhood of Paint- ers, Decorators and Paperhangers of America is drawing to a close. . The thing that saved it from complete re- actionary mediocrity was the appear- ance for the first time of a militant though weak (numerically speaking) left wing. This group livened up the convention fighting militantly for pro- gressive measures and against the re- actionary proposals of the administra- tion. ‘ | oil Reaction triumphed but not without a struggle. The old officials were ré- turned to office, The salaries of the general president and secretary were increased $1,000 more per year. The term of office extended from two to four years, conventions to be held every four years instead of biennially. A red baiting clause was added to the constitution aimed to expel the Com- munists or any militant members un- ler the guise if they oppose. the prin- les of the A. F. of L. ‘Whe administration came to the con- ention determined to place the offi- cial seal of the convention on their proposed fight against the progress- ives, ostensibly the Communists, but under this head they lump all pro- gressives who stand for Amalgama- tion, Labor Party, Recognition of So- viet Russia, International Trade Union Unity, Defense of Class War Prison- vers, etc. and for class struggle as against class collaboration. The central point in the convention | was the fight against the reds. That {the 600 odd delegates were. not all ptools of the administration is shown din the fact that the proposed amend- pment to the constitution aimed ssagainst the reds had to be referred ‘back twice to the laws committeé and @ recounting of noses was taken be- fore it was railroaded through. This ‘was only accomplished after a hectic thirty minutes speech by President Hedrick followed by a cutting off of all debate. President Hedrick’s opening speech ‘was made on Monday Sept. 7th in which he stated, speaking of the de- velopment of the painters’ union and referring to the division in the Canad- fan labor movement, it was not easy in the beginning, we were all divided as they are in Canada today. Reli- gious, political, nationality and race questions abounded and the success of the trade union movement in the United States has been because we forgot religion, we forgot politics and | we forgot race.” > “I met two old thembers at this con- vention whom I have known, any- where from 25 to 30 years and if any- one should ask me what their reli- gion or their politics is, I could not say, as I have never asked them, and this should be the attitude of our Brotherhood. “All we should be interested’ in knowing is: ‘Have you worked a sufficient lenght of time and are you able to command the average scale of jwages and are you of sound health.’ and that'is about the end of our investigation—and that is why our organization has been a suc- cess.” This is quite true. All shades of political thought were allowed expres- sion within the organization. No in- ternal struggles were tolerated on the questions of race, nationality, religion or politics. But this is a quite Wiffer- ent speech than the one made by President Hedrick one week later, on Monday September 14th, in which he urged the delegates to place an amendment to the constitution to ex- pel from the organization those who do not endorse the particular brand of politics advocated by the administra- tion and by the A. F. of L. They had to sugar coat the amendment by say- } ing “Members of the Communist Par- ty who oppose the principles of the A. F. of L. This was done to win over the un- sophisticated delegates who could not see that under this cloak that aJl pro- gressives who were fighting against the perversion of the principles of or- ganized labor by the bureaucracy can ‘nd will be expelled under this amend- ment. As an example, the basic principle upon which organized labor is built is that of struggle; any attempt to divert this into class. corllaboration is _® betrayal of the labor movement and , isin opposition to the principles upon which the movement is built, The entire left wing from the pro- gressives to the Communists will and are opposing this betrayal. For this they are being expelled from the Machinists, Furriers, Ladies Garment ‘Workers, Amalgamated Clothing ‘Workers, the miners, under the guise ‘that they are opposed to the princi- ples of the A, F. of L., and now the painters have entered the red baiting alliance, FLIGHT FROM SIBERIA Party Re By C..E, RUTHENBERG | General Secretary Workers Party of America 1O ask the question, how will the party reorganization aid the party in fts political campaigns is to ask how will the party reorganization aid the party, for the central purpose for which the party exists is to draw thé workers into a class, political strug- gle against/the capitalist state power. All the work which the party under- takes must aid in the achievement of this central task of the party. It has no work which is separate and dist- inct from that necessary to achieve this task. The party works in. many fields, but the fruit of its work must all serve its main objective—to draw the workers into a struggle against the capitalist government. I emphasize this statement of the fundamental aim of our movement at the risk of criticism for stating some- thing that is axiomatic for all Com- munists because it is just in the re- organization of the party that false viewpoints are apt to creep in. In fact, there have already been expres- sions of erroneous ideas in regard to the reorganization of the party. T a meeting of one of the English branches in Chicago, a comrade opposed the reorganization stating as his reasons that he was against the transformation of the Workers Party. into a new industrial union. The same erroneous conception appeared in a letter from one of the comrades in charge of the trade union work of organiza THE DAILY ,WORKER t e the party who asked whether the work of organizing shop nuclei was not a phase of the work in his charge. Both the comrades had the wrong idea that thru the reorganization our party was to become a sort of new union and do work which the unions now carry on, This conception arises from the fact that in arguing in support of the form- ation of shop nuclei as the basic unit of the party we have emphasized the fact that the shop nuclei will be the closest contact with the workers in the factories and will know and un-- derstand their grievances and make these grievances the starting point for their agitation and thus draw the workers under the influence of the Communist Party. UR shop nuclei must take up the grievances of the workers in the factories where they are organized but they cannot and must not stop there. It is not sufficient that the shop nuclei raise the issue of bad working conditions and carry on a struggle against the employers on this issue or that they lead a fight for reduction of hours or increase of wages in the factories. It is not suffi- cient that they take up the work of organizing shop committees as the basis of organization of unorganized factories. The struggle for better wages, shorter hours, better working conditions, -to organize the unorgan- ized must be connected in every case with the struggle against the capital- ist government and the capitalist system, It must be a means of ap- Se on and a proach to gain influencd and estab- lish the leadership of thé Communist Party. The struggley ov, r wages and working comditions fnust' be connect- ed with the struggle! against the Dawes’ plan and imperialism. The leadership in a strike and govern- mental interference in such a strike must be the means of directing the struggle of the workers against the government. Every struggle originat- ing in the factory must be connected with the broad political struggle of the workers to establish the proletar- ian rule, All of the above is only another way of saying that we remain a revolu- tionary political party after we or- ganize on the basis .of shop nuclei. Reorganization does not mean that we have established a new. form of. in- dustrial organization to fight the bat- tles of the workers in the factories. It does mean that we have found an effective means of combiting these struggles with and making them the starting point thru which we draw the workers into the political strug- gles against the capitalist state | power. HE reorganization of our party | presents itself in two phases. First, | the creation of the new basic unit | of the party in the form of the shop nucleus and street nucleus and sec- | ond, the creation of a centralized ap- | paratus of the party. The party has | been greatly hampered heretofore in | its political campaigns because of the | slowness and heaviness of the party | in going into action. With the decen-! The Party Reorganization OR the past three years our party has had before it the question of its reorganization upon the basis of shop nuclei. We have had much talk upon the subject, and within the last year the first real steps have been taken towards reorganization. But these were the mepest beginnings. The recent sessions of the Enlar$ed Executive of the Comintern devoted the major part of their attention to the question of the reorganization of the parties and Bolshevization generally. Consequently, all over the world the reorganization process has been stimulated in the various parties. Our party is no exception to the general-rule. At the party con- vention just ended it was clearly manifest that our party now fully tealfzes that it must be reorganized and is willing to undertake this im- portant task. Our party is now ac- tually entering into the period of re- Organization. Progressive Miners in Anthracite Say Union Must Fight (Continued from page 1) demands of the anthracite mine work- ers have been forgotten, pushed to the background and in lieu thereof have been substituted some fake issues, issues on which the present strike is being waged, firstly comes the “check- off,” they the 10 per cent increase, and then the $1.00 day for all labor classified as “company labor, which is all labor other than that of contract mining inside and outside.” Lewis, Kennedy and Murray, with their handpicked scale committee are concentrating on the demand that the “check-oft” shall be established in the anthracite field. The more important, the burning issues are forgotten en- tirely. And what might the check-off be? Does this demand, the check-off mean so much that it should super- ede all other demands? It does not. The check-off is but an organizational measure, not effecting the wages, hours and working conditions of the anthracite, but is merely a demand, which if won, means that Lewis -will not have as much trouble as hereto- fore-in collecting the dues and assess- ments of the miners’ of the region. ‘The..companies would just take it from their envelopes and turn it over to the union. What a mighty, soul stirring demand! Yet Lewis and his official cohorts emphasize the strike will continue until the check-off is established. We support the check-off, singe the tri-district convention -in- cluded it-among the demands, but we point out the check-off is dangerous in many respects, as controlled by the operators and the union bureaucraty constitiites, a tremendous, weapon to be. used against the militant forces of ‘union, ; - +s, Some Admit Mistakes Ss Many fiflitants of the hard cdal field. were.and are yet, confused over the cheek-off,'Many who were sincere unreservedly ‘supported the demand. Pointed out the dangers of the clieck- off, from a theoretical standpoint and from past experiences, many have ad- mitted their previous position to be wrong. Is this demand of sufficient merit to be made the chief demand during this strike? Lewis forgets the miners of this field load a four, five and six ton car of coal being pafd on the car basis, ene enema treet semeepstintsetteteeemnemccy: SS a A new edition of this splendid The party stands to benefit enor- mously from the reorganization, coup- led with the whole. process of Bolshe- vization. The present system of or- ganization is altogether unfit for a Communist party. The language branches are an even more primitive and ineffective form of organization than the purely territorial form com- mon to social-democratic parties thru- out the world. So long as our pres- ent form exists we cannot function effectively as’ the vanguard of the proletariat. The reorganization of the party on the basis of shop nuclei is a first requisite for our party’s ac- tive and effective participation in all phases of the class struggle. 'N all its spheres of activity the power of the:party will be increased by its reorganization on a shop nuclei basis. Not the least of the advan- tages accruing will be an intensifica- tion and extension of our industrial work. This will,come inevitably be- robbed of their labor by this system, make thousands of ‘dollars profits ‘in- dividually for’ their bosses. The tonn- age system will be fought for a relent- less ceaseless striggle will be con- ducted by thémifitant forces of the anthracite for the realization of this demand. Thé progressive bloc at the tri-district convention introduced and fought for the tonnage resolution. It was adopted and included in the 12 demands. Lewis shoves it to the back- ground, quite content to have the companies rob the miners longer un- der the system of being paid for coal produced on the basis. Real Demands Lewis concentrates on the check-off, and what of the miserable lot of thousands of miners who daily go un- derground, remain there all day long slaving like beasts in gas, water and mud only to return home without hav- ing made a days wage? Lewis forgets that there is one thousand: and one different prices for labor in the an- thracite mines, discriminatory and in- equitable, that no standardization of wages exists, that thousands of boys, paid boys wages, from $3.00 per day up, are compelled to do men’s work, that children daily scab their parents out of jobs. Standardize the wages. Equal wages for the exploited youth. A minimum wage are demands fought for by the progressives during the election camp- aign, on the floor of the tri-district convention, and will be fought for in the future, the very near future. And again, Lewis fights for a second- ary demand forgetting that the eight hour day in the anthracite fields is a big joke. The exploited miners are forced, in many instances, to remain underground far exceeding the eight hour limit, in a wild endeavor to make a days wages, yet to fail.’ A six hour day and thirty hour week was fought for by the progressives and they will continue to fight for it. Make of this strike a real strike, since a strike is a conflict between the employer and worker. Van Bitner Usual Failure. April 1st the miners of Northern West Virginia, under the leadership of that famous Jesus Jazzer, Van Bittner, declared a general strike, The anthracite continued to work, Other bituminous “flelds contitiued to work. The West Virginia miners are still on strike, with victory an impossi- bility, the anthracite followéd them on strike six months later, the cen- tral competitive field continuing to cause of the shop nuclei form of or- ganization tending to throw our party more directly into the struggles of the workers for better conditions in the industries. This type of party unit will bring home to us with greater force the problems of the workers in the shops and factories. Its general effect will be!'to greatly stress the necessity for of more ac- tive participation in all'® phases of trade union activity. The antiquated language branch is a conglomeration of workers of all in- dustries. It does not reflect the life and struggles of the workers in any Particular industry. Consequently its tendency is to devote itself not to the real struggles of the workers but to affairs of a much more minor char- acter, The shop nucleus, on the other hand, composed solely of workers in one industry, is by the very nature of things confronted and animated by the problems” and Movements of the a7) OS’ ieee tralization of the party into 18 lan- guage sections made it almost im- Possible to secure a quick response and quick action in support of the campaign initiated by the Central | Executive Committee. Its communi- | cations and instructions regarding the } campaigns had to slowly filter thru the language sections before\the party units locally could be drawn into ac- tion. The consolidation of the party, thru the creation of sub-section, sec- tion and city organizations, the lead- ing committees in charge of these sections will create the apparatus thru which the party can in the fu ture, be quickly mobilized for its work. The organization of shop nuclei and street nuclei in place of the terri- torial and language branches of the party is the fundamental change which will enable our party to really influence the masses of this country. At the present time, communications and instructions regarding party cam- paigns reach our territorial and lan- guage branches, are read and some ef- forts made to put them into effect, but these territorial and language branch- es are not connected as such with any mass of workers whom they can influence and draw into action in sup- | port of the campaigns thé party ini- Hates HE shop nucleus on the contrary, is a cell embedded among a mass | Its Political Campaigns receive instructions in regard to a party campaign, The secretary of the nucleus receiyes the instructions to day and ‘tomorrow communicates them to every member of the nucleus and the members of the nucleus im- mediately begin their agitation among the mass of workers around them in support of the party campaign HE reorganization of the party, thus, in two ways creates the fun damental condition for work by the party in d workers into the mass poli gle against the capitalist government It establishes contact with the imme ldiate grievances of the workers which |makes possible the development of |our-campaigns out of these grievanc jes thus starting from the immediate point of intérest of the workers and {it creates ‘the’ organizational machin- ery thru which the party can make its influence felt among the masses. The reorganization of the party means that we will have a new party, the party will gain as effectivéness as an instrument to reach and revolu tionize the American workers. We |have been working with a clumsy, un- | suitable organization because of that |we have wasted a great deal of our energies. To reorganize the party means at least the starting of the ef- |fectiveness of all our work. We will |go forward in the work of making our jparty the leader of the mass move- successful wing the of workers. The members of a shop | ment of the Amer: workers direct- nucleus do not haye to wait two |ing against the capitalist state power weeks or a month for the meeting of }and for the establishment of Com- a territorial or language branch to ' munism. workers in that industry. Every cut in wages, every act of tyranny of the employers, every movement of unrest of the masses tates itself into the life of the nucleus in the industry concerned. IONSEQUENTLY the question of trade union organization must always occupy a leading position in the activity of the shop nucleus. If the workers have no unions the prob- lem of organizing them into such is an ever present one before the shop nucleus. It must fasten its attention upon this great problem of the organ-| ization of the unorganized until event- ually a trade union is founded. If there are company unions in fis _in- dustry inevitably the shop nucleus will be forced to fight this institu- tion of the employers, aiming to de- stroy it or to turn it into a real labor organization. If there are trade un- ions in the industry their actions in defense of the workers’ interests, or inevitably precipi- | By Wm. Z. Foster | their faflure to act, are also bound ta be matters of constant and major im In all industries the shop nuclei will the powerful organization of our party fractions in the trade unions. | Let us therefore, proceed diligently with the reorganization of our party that is now being prosécuted. The effective completion of this great task means to multiply the efficiency of our elaborated upon, trade union work. but in every field of party activity. Doubters and those who meet the party reorganization campaign with Passive resistance should be pushed aside and this great task made the first order of business thruout the cal strug: | portance to the shop nucleus involved. | feel a direct and urgent impulse for | party, not only in the activity here | | Mellon’s Whisker Distillery Stock Aids Bootleggers WASHINGTON, Sept. 15.— Secre tary Mellon is the one man held chief |ly responsible fot the non-enforce- |ment of prohibition in the United | States, and his ownership of whisky | distillery stock is pointed out as help ing to explain his indifference, in the first section of the report by the re- search department of the federal council of churches-on the social com- sequences of prohibition. U, S. Vessel Grounded HALIFA N. S. Sept. 15—The United States shipping board steam- ship Argosy, which was held fast on a submerged sand bar on Sable Island for six hours and which refloated with high tide, was headed toward this | port for a survey today, according ta | wireless reports. The Argosy, a vessel of 5,000 tons, sailed from New York last Friday. | The: time ‘clock system in «the | schools may die a natural death. Pay “| roll clerks in schools have demonstra+ | ted to Superintendent McAndrew and | his assistants at a meeting discussing the time check system that instead lof the few hours of work a month of | heretofore a full month’s time will be }taken to handle that work. YOUNGSTOWN BRANCH ' MEMBERSHIP MEETING } SATURDAY, SEPT. 20 GIRARD, Ohio, Sept. 15.—Young: stown branch general membership meeting to hear the report of the delegates to the national convention will be held on Saturday Sept. 20th, | at 7:30 p. m. in Athletic Hall, 338 | W. Federal Street. | | panes | Fireman and Boy Killed. | MT. Vernon, ©., Sept. 15—Mt. Vernon's worst fire in years was brot junder control today, after it had taken toll’ of two lives, and caused |serious burns to nine persons The dead are: Ralp Simpson, fireman, who died \from burns received fighting the |blaze. | Ted Squire, 16, shoe boy, burned to a crisp, was found in the Kokosing river. Navy Whitewash Monday. party. The speed and effectiveness WASHINGTON, Sept. 15. — The with which we accomplish the party}court of inquiry to investigate the reorganization will show very much}Shenandoah disaster will convene the degree of Bolshevization that our}Monday at Lakehurst, New Jersey, party as a whole has arrived at. the navy department announced. work, This is a sample.ef how Lewis conducts strikes, a sample of the sOli- darity he and,his crew indulge in. Victory will\bé: assured the miners only when all fields are united under one general agreement,.expiring at one time. We demand a national agreement, an agreement covering the industry nationally in order that this organized scabbery stop, Lewis concentrates on. the check- off. He denounceg nationalization of the mines, he forgets the miserable conditions of the workers here, he kowtows to the scabherding republi- can party. We will fight for a labor story for this DAILY WORKER PROMINENT DI will receive a copy of the } also be sent to you with i WRITE! PRIZES The worker sending in the best issue of the from the catalog his choice of $5.00 Worth of Books. fg Second best story 2 $3.00 fe Worth of Books. cy Third best story Is $2.00 Ig * Worth of Books. WINNING STORIES WILL RECEIVE Whether or not your story is printed you booklet WORKER CORRESPONDENTS, by William F. Dunne—without charge. Special worker correspondence paper will party, a political party of the work-) ing class, for a workers’ and farmers’ government, Communists Heard From. | The Progressive Miners’ Commit- tee has been heard of here. More} will be heard of them. All militant) forces in the anthracite field will fight tirelessly for their program. . Nation- alization of the mines, six hour day, the tonnage system, abolish the con- tract system; a labor party, a mini- mum wage. | They demand Lewis fight for real demands. Present real issues Which will benefit the anthracite miners. pep elelelelelererereleieverelelelereresereserereesereieselereserererelerele will receive SPLAY. Little Red Library nstructions on the CORRESPONDENCE NUMBER Tell the DAILY WORKER how you work and how you live. Help to make this issue a reflection of the lives of t the workers in America. Ie We know the operators can very eae: Egyptian Fools British Police ily grant the check-off without any} loss to them. We know the operators | drpiiiaiat Sept. 14.—Prince Ahmed can grant the 10 per cent increase and | Seif El Din, brother of King Fuad of still lose nothing. These two are the | Egypt who made his escape from chief demands of Lewis. The more| England where he has been confined vital are forgotten. We ask why did| in an asylum for ® quarter of a cen- the Lewis machine fight the Progres- | tury, is now playing hide-and-seek sive Miners' Proposal at the tri-district| with a number of Scotland Yard de- convention to demand $2.00 for com-| tectives in and around Paris, accord- pany labor and 20 per cent for min-! ing to the French newspapers. ers? Lewis instead of doing that in- Once, the newspapers state, the de- nerted $1.00 and 10 per cont, | tectives had the prince virtually sur- rounded, but dressed as a woman and wearing a heavy veil he calmly walk- ed thru their cordon. Build the DAILY WORKER} with subs. | jalerererererererere WORKER erefrereia| fererereirciaicele eseleferesyer Tr 1/7 MY Send in your story to WORKER CORRESPON- ad eng DENT CONTEST EDITOR, 1113 W. Washing- write for a working class newspaper, », .. ton Blvd., Chicago, lll. : . ic] riacep een velar ceicieltdieldl uae alae Ba : story of escape from exile--- W: itten by a brilliant: writer _ and an outstanding political figure. reverse side of each sheet telling how to Tp parerelerelerererer By Leon Trotsky $1.00 0. ny efeleferelerelereret eo) li b ‘ ‘ ee \ ele mereeemialeleerare) eee eerie a, li eeesestncina ae eee