The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 11, 1925, Page 2

poe 1 DETROIT LABOR HEARS PURCELL , PLEAFORUNITY Five-Minute Ovation Is Given Speaker (Special to The ly Worker), DETROIT, Nov. 9.—Two thousand Detroit workers enthusiastically re- ceived the messoge of world trade union unity given by A. A. Purcell, president of the International Federa- tion of Trade Unions, at the Cass Technical High School, Sunday, Nov. 8th, 1925. The mass meeting, which was well attended by the trade unionists of this city was arranged as the first mass meeting of the Detroit Labor Forum, which was organized under the auspices of the Detroit Federation of Labor. After Purcell had concluded his ap peal for unity on the economic field of all workers regardless of whether they were red, black, brown or white, the assembled workers stood up as one man end gave him an ovation that lasted for over five minutes. During his appeal, every reference to the attempt of the British workers to have the Amsterdam Federation of Trade: Unions come into closer alli- ance with the 6,000,000 organized workers of Soviet Russia was moat enthusiastically received. Sister Disk Wretched Life of “Human Husk” in Effort to Save Father LITTLETON, Colo., Nov. 9 — A large court crowd sobbed sympathet- ically as the daughter of Dr. Blazer on trial for the murder of his 34-year- old daughter, Hazel, known as the “human husk” told the tale of the most astounding devotion her father poured on the “helpless creature” whom he slew to save her from fur- ther misery after his own death. “Her body was terribly twisted,” the sister continued. “She couldn't walk, couldn't feed herself, and was not able even to brush a fly from her face. The noises she made were ani- mallike and frightened strangers. The sight of her eating was so revolt- ing I couldn’t bear to watch her. “For thirty-four years father poured on her the utmost devotion, love and care.” The defense pleads that the death of Dr. Blazer's wife resulted in a mor- bid and despondent condition of mind in the physician which later resulted in insanity. Witnesses brot in by the defense told that Dr. Blazer was “cheerful and happy before his wife died, but depressed and unreconciled afterwards, often wandering around in an apparent daze.” Only Special Mail on Christmas Day WASHINGTON, D. C., Nov. 9— Postmaster General New announced that no deliveries of ordinary mail would be made on Christmas day. Ex- cept for special deliveries all postal operations will be suspended from midnight, Dec. 24 to midnight Dec. 25. An effort to increase the revenue on that day is seen. Firestone Rounding Up Rubber. AMSTERDAM, Nov. 9. — Harvey Firestone has arrived here and it is understood that he is conferring with Dutch magnates relative to the Fire- stone proposals for rubber plantations in Liberia. ' GOOD Wm. F. Dunne, editor of The DAILY WORK- ER, goés to the anthracite coal fields next week to stay for two weeks. About Wednes- day, Nov. 11, daily stories % tion gressive Miners’ Committee. The strike now living conditions; unions; police and the courts, ceive the widest distribution. For Daily Worker Readers DUNNE y “ will appear analyzing the situa- in this scene of bitter struggle, bringing to workers the conditions existing there, supplementing the series of ar- ticles now running written by Alex Reid, secretary of the Pro- in progress; the trade the betrayals of the workers by the officialdom; the This picture of the struggles of miners, written by an outstand- ing writer of the American rev- olutionary movement, should re- _ THE DAILY WORKER Strike Victors Return to Jobs (Continued from page 1) were looking for woxk of the strike existing in the plant. The company unable to, get competent workers thru the United Garment Workers’ Union, which carried extensive advertising in the daily papers for workers on men’s clothing and used its head- quarters as an employment agency for the bosses, then attempted to get an injunction prohibiting picketing of their plant.. After a number of continuances, Judge Pam issued an injunction which was ambiguous in its wording and claimed to prohibit certain forms of picketing. It did not define what kind of picketing was legal and what was illegal. The injunction was nothr ing but a scrap of paper. It did not affect the union picket lines in the least. A few arrests were made for violations of the injunction, but as yet the cases have not even had a date set for their hearing. Terrorize Union Pickets The company unable to break the picket line thru the injunction pro- cess then began a campaign of ter- rorization of the strikers, Pickets were beaten up and flivver squads would whick them away to cells, where after being held a number of hours and sometimes over night they would be released on charges of “dis- orderly” conduct. Many were arrest- ed and held on conspiracy charges on high amounts of bail. Homes of strikers were raided in the small hours of the .morning. Strikers were pulled out of bed, brot to the detective bureau, there they were subjected to a grilling and later released on charges of disorderly con- duct or no charges against them. When these arrests and acts meant to frighten the union pickets went by unheeded, and instead of destroying the morale of the strikers, it strength- ened their solidarity, the company be- gan to “frame” the active pickets in the strike. Company hirelings would throw bricks thru the windows of the homes in which the scabs, members of the United Garment Workers’ Union, lived, and then blame this on to the union pickets, The union headquarters were raid- ed and a number of union officials ar- rested. Every week of the strike was filled with acts of terrorization of the pick- ets. Recently, a number of union business agents were arrested and one of the business agents had four shots pumped into his leg, when an “acid bomb” was purported tohave been thrown at the scabs. The “acid bomb” was later revealed to be nothing more than a bottle of citrate of magnesia accidentally dropped by a passer-by. This “bomb’s which was supposed to have been capable of disfiguring scabs, was nothing more than a mild laxative, but the union agents are still on bail awaiting the date to be set for their trial. Another “Frame-Up.” A few days after the “bomb” throw- ing, an explosion occurred at the home of Raymond Reeder, one of the heads of the Chicago office of the In- ternational Tailoring company. This was blamed on the union. Upon in- vestigation it was learned that Ray- mond Reeder was about to leave his home and go to Rock Island, where the company had moved some of its machinery and was attempting to re- cruit scabs to operate the plant. Sus- picions then became quite strong that hirelings in the employ of company officials had placed the bomb and that the company would make a move to have some strike pickets arrested and charged with throwing the bomb. Immediately following the throw- ing of the bomb, a truckload of parcel post, that was being brought to the postoffice, was burned under myster- ious circumstances in broad daylight. Every truck and automobile that left the shop/whether it "had parcels or NEWS! Order a bundle for two weeks 2 cents a copy 3Y2 cents Saturday Enclosed $20... LO ssesssssene copies of The DAILY WORK- ER to be sent every day for two weeks to: Name... Street. City... State ..sscsesere scabs always had a couple of police- men detailed to guard it, These pol- icemen were armed and very quick to use their guns as was shown in the “acid bomb” throwing. This time there was no police guarding the truck, Within a few hours of the destruc- tion by fire of this truckload of par- cel post, the capitalist press had stories in which the company officials charged the union with this act. This was scored as an attempt on the part of the company to have the federal detectives interfere with the union’s conduct of the strike, Use “Union” Scabs The company attempted to run the plant in Chicago with scabs belonging to the United Garment Workers’ Un- ion, but did not succeed. Most of the help was incompentent and the com- pany lost heavily in orders. The company also tried to operate factories in Rock Island and in Mo- line, They leased a number of large factories and began to send some of their machinery to these places. They carried on an intensive propaganda in these sections in an attempt to get workers. All they were able to re- cruit was less than 100 in both places and they had reckoned on 1,000 to 2,000 workers. The workers in these towns refused to scab. The company’s attempt to run away from the union and the strike met with defeat, Federation of Labor “Support” During the early part of the strike, a machinist local in Chicago intro- duced a resolution into the Chicago Federation of Labor pointing out that the Amalgamated was on strike and that the United Garment Workers of America were in the plant scabbing on workers who were on strike and using the name of the American Fed- eration of Labor in an attempt to make it appear as tho there was no labor trouble in the plant. The resolu- tion called upon the Chicago Federa- tion to go on record as desiring the affiliation of the Amalgamated Cloth- ing Workers to the American Federa-| tion.of Labor and calling upon Presi- dent William Green of the American Federation of Labor to investigate and take steps to bring the name of the federation out of the disrepute into which the United Garment Work- ers of America was placing it. This resolution was referred to the execut-) ive committee, where it was accepted and then brought before the Chicago Federation of Labor with recommen- dations that it be adopted. The reso- lution was unanimously adopted by the Chicago Federation of Labor. It was signed by Fitzpatrick and Nock- els as heads of the Chicago Federa- tion and sent to William Green, presi- dent of the American Federation of Labor, In a short time a letter ar- rived from President Green telling Fitzpatrick that ‘the Amalgamated was considered a dual union and that it was the duty of the Chicago Fede- ration to support’ the United Gar- ment Workers of America. Fitzpatrick Forgets Strikers Instead of carrying on a battle against the use to which a section of the American Federation of Labor was being put, Fitzpatrick acquiesced to Green’s viewpoint in his attempt to remain “respectable” in the Amer- ican Federation of Labor. He came out in a statement accepting the line laid down by William Green. But, despite this alliance of the bosses and the reactionary and self- styled progressives of the Chicago Federation of Labor, the strikers car- ried on their strike to a successful termination. The strikers received a great deal of support from many of the other locals in the Amalgamated, Many locals levied a special assessment in order to aid the strikers, Militancy Wins Strike. The strike has been won due to the militant spirit of the 800 workers who went on strike, It was their spirit of self-sacrifice and their solid- arity that won the strike and forced the International Tailoring company, which attempted thru this strike to break the power of the union, to come to terms. As long as the members of the union remain alive to their rights and their interests just so long will they be able to win and force their masters to fear them. (Continued from page 1) stitution, If a member belongs to the Trade Union Educational League or Workers Party which is considered by the manufacturers of the amended constitution as hostile organizations, he shall be considered a violator of this constitution. ‘If a member is protesting against the beating of mem- bers at local meetings or in the office of the union or against the corrupting system of issuing books by the re- spective executive boards, he may be considered a violator of this’ constitu tion, and be fined, suspended or ex- pelled. (Section 8). The progressive and class conscien- tious delegates must fight against this paragraph as well as many other amendments, which will be undoubt- edly discussed at the convention, The following matters must be taken up and adopted at the conven- tion: Measures Considered. 1, Recognition of Soviet Russia. 2, Free speech, criticism, protest of members against wrong actions of of- ficials or officers of the union, either on the floor or in the press, shall not pses in the Martinique Hotel. Furriers’ Convention Begins OF NEW YORK IN STRIKE VICTORY Win Under Leadership of the Left Wing (Special to The Daily Worker) NEW YORK, Nov, 9.—Over forty of the largest, Greek shops have ac- ceded to the demands of the workers who have been recently organized into the Furriers’ Union. The struggle for union conditions has been started many weeks ago. The executive board of the Fur- riers’ Union under the left wing lead- ership of Ben Gold, had contentrated its energies to organize the Greek workers in the fur industry. The struggle started in one or two shops. Later on the struggle was spread in all the Greek shops. The Greek workers men and women car- ried on a bitter struggle with such a spirit that experienced trade union fighters were surprised. The Greek bosses tried to spread dissension in the ranks of the workers and were telling the workers that they have be- come the “victims” of the Jews and the Jewish propaganda, Forty Big Shops Surrender This and other similar arguments did not have any effect on the work- ers. It made them fight more bitterly. The bosses did not want to give in to the demands of the workers, but after several conferences with the union officials they at last agreed, and forty of the owners of the largest fur shops have accepted the demands of the workers and signed the agreement with the union. On Thursday Noy. 5, early in the morning the union representatives were negotiating with the Greek bos- Many workers were waiting outside the hotel to learn the results of the ne- gotiations. Celebrate With Special Ceremony” After the signing of the agreement the news was given to the workers who have been waiting there, and about 1500 Greek workers marched over to Bryant Hall at 42nd St., and 6th Ave. with banners and signs in Greek and English. From there a parade started thru the streets of New York. The _workers were, enthusiastic when copies of the special edition of The DAILY WORKER ‘printed in Greek and English were distributed at their mass meeting on Wednesday and at the parade celebrating their victory over the bosses, T Get Freight Rebate lon Newsprint. WASHINGTON, Nov! 9.—News- paper publishers in Dallas and Fort Worth, ‘Tex., today were awarded reparation against varfous railroads for excessive freight charges on ship- ments of newsprint paper; in carloads, during the period from Aug. 26, 1920, to June 30, 1922, his Oil Stove Explodes. STERLING, IL, Nov, 9.—Richard Perkins, 33, was burned to death in an oil stove explosion which destroyed his home here. His wife and sons, Lee, 4 years, Henry, 13 months, escaped thru a window, © New Jersey Hit by Coal Strike, Plead With Capitalist Agents By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL. ‘ODAY, Governor Silzer of New Jersey, one of the states hard hit rh the anthracite strike, announces that he will e} not call the problem raised from the hard coal fields. islature into special session to discuss the by a freezing populace living only a few miles Governor Silzer finds his excuse for failure to act in the same declaration that is used by every crooked capitalist politician. The governor claims that during the last three years he has tried to get the legislature to act on the fuel question, but that he has failed, adding that “no relief might be expected as long as the voters did nothing to compel respect of their wishes and consideration of their welfare. If the republican and democratic members of the state legislature were questioned, they would reply that it was the fault of the governor. Go a little further, the democrats would blame the republicans, and vice versa, the republicans the democrats. It is the old “pass the buck” game of cap- eestor: italist politics that has a staunch ally and vindicator in the nonpartisan policy of the American Federation of Labor. Responsibility is passed back and forth until the muddled worker doesn’t know where he is at, that is, unless he has decided to completely break with the old parties and carry on his political struggle on a class basis. It is interesting to note that the demand on the gover- nor for a special session of the state legislature was made by the Perth Amboy, N. J., Local Union of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of union pleaded that the legislature take “such steps as may be necessary to protect the public against extortioners who, thru their action, are endangering the lives of the workers and their families.” * * Here is an example of where the “nonpartisan,” class- collaborating politics of the A. F. of L. leads. - . America. This carpenters’ * ° Workers rotest to the capitalist politicians, whom they have elected. The political henchmen of the profiteers reply, in the words of Governor Silzer, that: “If the people would only wake up and assert themselves, our reluctant legislators, state and federal, would be forced to respond to the wishes of the people, but so long as the voters do nothing we cannot expect relief.” * * The indications are that the workers are awake. The protest of the Perth Amboy carpenters is testimony to that. The great strikes in the silk and textile mills of the state is added evidence. The trouble is, however, that the workers have not yet learned to act as a class. First knowledge in this direction would reveal itself in the organization of a powerful state labor party, based upon the trade unions, that would send labor's own representatives into the state legislature and there raise and fight for working class issues. Governor's Silzer’s declaration is a challenge to New Jersey labor to pro- ceed in that direction. The challenge must be accepted. * * * * But if the workers really wake up, as they will when they enter actively and energetically into the class struggle with their oppressors, they will find that even labor legis- lators in New Jersey's capitol at Trenton cannot overcome the enemy, entrenched in the anthracite coal fields as in all the nation’s great industries. They will find that the munici- pe! councils, the state legislatures, the national congress are ut the instruments of the capitalist class; that the capitalist state must be abolished, and the Soviet state of the workers and farmers established before “the endangering of the lives - of the workers and their families,” complained of by the Perth Amboy carpenters, will come to an end. The capitalist state lives for profits. Soviet rule, having abolished profits, will protect the interests of all thru the Communist social order. Capitalism must give way to Communism. WASTE OF HUMAN LIFE FOR GAIN OF CAPITALIST PROFITS SHOWN BY DEATH LIST IN ANTHRACITE “(Continued from page 1) widowed women thruout the anthra- cite. Every fourth man killed in the state of Pennsylvania, is an anthra- cite mine worker, yet they comprise only 158,000 workers out of a total of 3,000,000 in that state, One-fourth of all days lost thru accidents in the whole of the state are: 10st to the an- tracite mine workers, which is more than any other industfy including steel. Here indeed, is @ problem for some of our so-called efficiency en- gineers and industrial experts. be considered a violation of the con- stitution, K 3. No paid official shall remain in office more than two years. “4. Article 8: Section 3, must be amended, and in case of @ vacancy in the General Executive Board such a vacancy shall be filled by its respec- tive local thru a vote and not by the appointment of the president. 5. An unemployment fund. 6. Sick benefit fund. 7. A tuberculosis fund, for: estab- lishing a department of six or more beds in Los Angeles sanitarium for consumptive members. 8. Amalgamation of trade for one big union, 9, The fur worker shall serve the interest of the worker. It is our wish that the triumphal march of our progressive delegates to the convention shall lead to our vic- tory. the needle reine Wrap your lunch ‘in a copy of the DAILY WORKER and give it (the DAILY WORKER, not the lunch) to your shop-mate, Three Times British Death Rate. In the United States today with all its scientific and industrial progress, the mine workers are being killed three times faster than the mine workers in Great Britain. With the only available figures at hand for the last three years, we find that for every 100 miners killed in Great Bri- tain, we have killed 322 the first year, the next year 332 and the next 367. Alarming figures indeed, 367 miners killed here, as against 100 in Great Britain. The progressive hard coal miners in Pennsylvania know that the union demand of ten per cent increase in wages, even if granted, can never ade- quately compensate them for their work or risk in those slaughter hous- es of the anthracite. They know it is not a question of ten per cent, it is not a question of dollars and cents, it is a question of human values—hu- man life itself, and the progressive the miners refuse to place their lives the lives and happiness of their wives and children on the scales to be weigh ed against a dollar cost of coal pro- duction, y Lives Versus Dollars. This dollar and cent cost for coal production, and cost to consumer is continuously dangled before the eyes of the public; with the figures mani- pulated in such a way as to convince the uninitiated of their accuracy and mislead the “dear people” in the hope public sympathy will be turned against the miners and in favor of the operators, " In spite of all the coal owners’ prop- aggnda the facts will not down, In- vestigators have at various times re- ported steady and phenomenal in- crease of earnings by the hard coal owners thruout the last five years. While their profits have been increas- ing, the cost of living mounting ever papeinenputbien pal: decreasing, the hard coal slaves find themselves at the bottom of the lad- der in misery and want. Who Gets the Surplus? The United States coal commission, commented upon the tremendous spread between the cost of mining a ton of coal and the cost of that coal at the consumer's cellar. Governor Pinchot, at the 1923 set- tlement of the anthracite strike, found the marging of profits had in- creased three and one-half times over the pre-war margins. Those same profits have increased ‘during the last two years, and set at naught the propaganda lie of bankruptcy of the industry. Their “Legal Owners.” The United States coal commission said in its report of July 5, 1923, “That these limited and exhaustible natural deposits have been in the ab- solute private possession of their le- gal owners, to be developed or with- held at will, to be leased for such roy- alties as could be exacted, to be dis- tributed at such rates and in such manner as a double-headed railroad and cost combination might find most. advantageous from the point of view of private profit.” The coal Commission found royal- ties as high as two dollars and eighty- four cents per ton, or more than half of the wage cost. In 1922, the royal- ties trom coal lands owned by the Girard estate amounted to $1.20 a ton and brot a return of $18,980,000 on an original investment of $2,340, Some Figures on Cost. The following figures will interest the workers, who are likewise con- sumers of anthracite. One ton of hard coal: Labor cost, $4.05. Total mine cost, $5.52. Mine price, $6.27, Freight, $4.48, Retail price, $16.00. ‘The reader Will notice he paid tou, times the labor cost for his ton oi coal, and in many cities today ig pay ing $24 per ton, or six times the labor cost. TWO SETS OF | BUTCHERS HERE ON DEBT PROBE Roumanian Mission Ar- rives While Italians Wait (Special to The Daily Worker) WASHINGTON, D. C., Nov. 9—The second fascist government debt com- mission is here to place its petition in bankruptcy before the capitalist gov- ernment of the United States while the lackeys of original fascism are still striving to prevent the pawning of their industries to Wall Street, via way of the White House and the treas- ury department. The new arrival is the commission from the bloody Ruu- manian government that has butcher- ed thousands of Besarabian peasants to force them under Roumanian rule and is even now preparing more butch- eries. ; Following the Roumanians’ appear- ance, the American commissioners plunged into further consideration of the Italian debt, now approaching completion. The Italians received cable advices from the fascist tyrant, Mussolini, over the week-end bearing on the ne- gotiations, and the substance of these will be communicated to the Amert- cans at a meeting late this afternoon. The tenor of the Rome advices is understood to have been favorable to a settlement, altho there are still some differences between what Italy thinks she can pay, and what the United States thinks she can pay. The American commission will strive to force complete capitulation in order to control Italian industries. Count Volpi states that he was “here to settle” and would remain until an agreement was reached, “if at all possible.” KLANSMEN TRY TO BESMIRCH MURDERED GIRL Defense Based on Tales of Debauches NOBLESVILLE, Ind. Nov. 9.— New depths of depravity were sounded here by the defense for D, C. Stephen- son, noted ku klux klansman, and his two associates, Earl Klinck and Earl Gentry, on ttial for the murder of Madge Oberholtzer, when testimony of ku klux witnesses was introduced purporting to blacken the reputation of the dead girl. Not merely did they bring about her death, but now they try to befoul the name of the victim. More exquisite chivalry of this ob- noxious order! Klansman Testifies. The witness thru whom the charge was made in refutation of the state’s claim that her association with tephenson was enforced was Ralph B, Ridgon, a real estate man. Ridgon, a confessed klansman, swore that on one occasion he was ealled to Stephenson’s room in the Washington Hotel to discuss politics and that Miss Oberholtzer was there. “After he and I had transacted our business we three drank gin to- gether,” he added. Miss Oberholtzer also was frequent- ly at Stephenson’s office last winter when he called, Rigdon said, while the moron klansmen in the audience grinned. Fascist Police Raid Gorky’s Italian Home ROME, Italy, Nov. 9.—On the or- der of the fascisti dictatorship, police recently raided the home of the Rus- sian author, Maxim Gorky, at Sorren- to and searched thru the writer's pa- pers in an attempt to connect Gorky and his secretary with the anti-fascist political movements. The Russian Soviet ambassador protested this action of the Italian fascisti government. ~ Hear Wheeler Argument Nov. 27. WASHINGTON, Nov. 9.—Argument over the demurrer filed by Senator Wheeler of Montana, against his in- dictment for conspiracy to defraud the government, was set by Justice Balley in district supreme court today for Nov. 27. “Pennsy” to Spend $60,000,000, PITTSBURGH, Pa., Noy. 9,—Gen- eral W. W. Atterbury, president of the Pennsylvania railroad, here today to inspect the company’s properties an- nounced that in 1926 the railroad will spend $50,000,000 for improvements, Sas eect Astronomers to View Eclipse. SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 9—A Har- vey University contingent of astro- nomers left San Francisco to observe a three-minute eclipse of the sun at Benkulne, Sumatra, on Jan, 14, 1926, 1887 38th ANNUAL ~—= 1925 MEMORIAL CELEBRATION Por th cago labor inavemient Aue “olen is: bine is ngg, Geor er, arranged i fas oaretest 4 e North Ave, and 4 person, ers: