The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 25, 1925, Page 3

— THIS PAGE Is Devoted to the Activity and Interests of the Trade Union Educational League (7. 0, an Section of the North Ame @. L,) .RED INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR UNIONS (R. 1. LU.) THE T.U.E.L. ints the Left Wing of the Labor Movement. ite Purpose Is to Strengthen the Labor Unions by Amalgamation of Existing Unions, Organization of the Unorganized, and by Replacing Reactionary and Class Collaboration Policies with a Unified Program for the Transformation of the Unions Into Organs of Revolutionary Class Struggle for the Overthrowal of Capitalism and the Establishment of a Workefs’ and Farm: ers’ Government. TRADE UNION DELEGATION TO RUSSIA PLANNED AS MOVE T0 FOLLOW UP PURCELL MESSAGE By ART SHIELDS. (Federated Press Staff Correspondent) NEW YORK, Nov. 23.—Two farewell mass meetings to Albert A, Purcell, chairman of the International Federation of | ,,, Trade Unions, packed two big theater auditoriums to fire depart- ment limits the night before he sailed back to England. They | get all covered with dirt. If any dof- applauded him again and again as he urged his message of one/fer feels that she cannot bend her big international union movement of the workers of the world | back, or, that is too lazy to pick them and they voted unanimously for the sending of an American trade |p, please notify the second hand and union delegation to Russia as the preliminary step towards bring- |e will get their bill for them. ing the 6,000,000 Russian unionists into the “all-inclusive inter- national” that Purcell sees as necessary to the safety of the work- ing class. Timothy Healey, president of the Stationary and Marine Engineers’ In- ternational Union introduced Purcell at his first meeting and said he want- ed the world to know that there were labor men in America Who were not afraid to fight for international work- ing class unity. Louis Hyman, manager of the New York joint board of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union gave an ardent talk for world solidarity of the toilers; P. Pascal Cosgrove, or- ganizer of the Shoe Workers’ Protect- ive Union, reported that what he saw in Russia three, years ago was very good from a labor standpoint, Alfred Bolton of the New York stereotypers and oth.r unionists added their voices for the program. - Warm Response in Mexico, Too Purcell sailed on the Berengeria happy in the thought, that the ice of American labor isolation was not so firmly set, His manager tells of en- thusiastic meetings in Boston, Lor- onto, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Clevelard, Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City, Baltimore and smaller cities and Purcell himself reports the warmest response from the Mexicon labor movement which routed him thru the cities in the republic to the south of us. In’ Montreal James Simpson, vice president of the Canadian Trades and Labor Assembly declared his desire to go with the trade union delegation that he believes will investigate Rus- sian affairs for American unions, and in American cities the local trade union conferences that sponsored the Purcell meetings are going on with the agitation here, The money left over from the $1,100 given at the two New York meetings will be the nucleus for the treasury such a trip will need. . ' Must Bring In Russian Unions “It a delegation to Russia is made up of men who know the insides of ‘ workshop and the functioning of trade unions it will see the facts the British trade union delegation reported,” said Purcell, “The six million Russian union men are as bona fide a union movement as the British or the American, and their miners, for instance, have won better conditions for themselves than the. miners in any other part .¢ the world, No world program for the workers can be a success without the coopera- tion of this great Russian movement.” Purcell’s argument for Russian in- clusion into an all-embracing interna- ‘tional is a workday and practical one, Imperialism is grinding down the workers of Asia and Africa, at a few pence a day and is using their pro- ;,d@ucts to beat down our own condi- tions. Unless we bring them up we will go down, says the chairman of the I, F. T, U. The world labor move- / ment must meet the challenge, Beware Black International. Wherever imperialism sets its foot, whether in Indian China, Japan or Siam there must our organization unite the victims to raise their stand- ards. World trade union unity for action against imperialism and for the mutual protection and betterment of the workers. It will take the united power of the world’s workers: the job is too big tor just part of the move- ment alone, And as to the outcry against the veds that is halting the unity move- ment, Purcell warns: “Beware that in your fear of the Red International you do not fall into the arms of the black capitalist international.” HELP SAVE THE DAILY WORKER! LW. CASTS A NET TO GET NEW ” GENERAL SECY, Members Want to Know Candidates’ Policies The 17th general convention’ of the Industrial Workers of the \World, in its closing hours made a list of nom- inees for the office of genéral secre- tary-treasurer, now held by Arthur |of us Coleman, ? ‘ Coleman was nominated pbut): de- DAILY WORKER KEPT STRIKE GOING 3 WEEKS So Says Labor Faker in Deep Disgust By JAMES J. BOUZAN. (Worker Correspondent) UTICA, N. Y4 Nov, 23.—The state- ment made by Norman T, Thomas, superintendent of the Utica Steam & Mohawk Valley mills, to the capitalist press, is a lie. He said that the workers are will- ing and satisfied to run more ma- chines, The workers told Thomas, thru their committee, that they will not run more machines. Thomas re- plied to “try.” But the workers said, “No, we can’t run any more.” | Nice Job! But then what did Mr, Thomas do? He stopped for a day or two the weaving room in the Mohawk mill. The bosses told the workers they would to go on night shift or get out. When weavers came into the mill looking for a job the boss said, “I'll put you on nights, 24 looms, $46 a week. You don’t have to take the cloth off. Twelve hours a night.” This Is. Democracy. The following is a notice posted on the wall of the spinning room: “Doffers must pick up bobbins that ey drop on the floor immediately. They are not to be left on the floor to “If they don’t do that, they will get a surprise if this room is not kept cleaner. Do not fool yourselves. There are plenty of others waiting to take your job.” DAILY WORKER Ran Strike. Joseph R. White, organizer of the United Textile Workers of America, again has attacked The DAILY WORKER. He said that if it wasn’t for The DAILY WORKER in the last strike we would have gone back to work two weeks earlier. The DAILY WORKER kept us out two weeks. But White never said anything about some workers staying in the mills when the strike was called. The bosses send all the workers home for two months, keeping from 50 to 75 in each mill, not for production, but to fix up the machines for speeding up all when we got back to work, And Then He Phoned it! © ~ The workers read The DAILY clined, as did Carl Kelley asd ‘Nick | WORKER and like its. fighting spirit Radivoeff. The three highesty which, | 2&ainst the bosses. But White doesn’t if they do not decline, will gpjon the | Want to fight the bosses. Only once ballot are James P. Thompson, Ed he told them to go to hell—and that Delaney and Herbert Mahler. Thomp-| W@S over a telephone! Maybe it was son is a hardy perennial; hé { always up for us workers to hear; at that! nominated and always detiliies, Also Rans. © i any os tre dds, as| SAN DIEGO FULL next in line takes his place. The other nominees who are In the also- ran class are Ernest Verlatk, 0. Hend- ricks, J. B. Golden, Cha$/’H. McKin- non, J. Lorden, Chas, Lundquist, John I, Turner, who was defeated last year by a few votes not being counted— Albert Hanson and Phil Engel. Members of the I. W. W. around Chicago are wondering what happened to the resolution, supposed to come before the general convention from the small industrial union convention where it passed by a vote of nine to OF UNEMPLOYED, HUNGRY WORKERS Crowds Pack Agencies Looking for Work By CARL GIEBE. (Worker Correspondent) SAN DIEGO, Cal., Nov. 23—Chances seven, providing that candidates for| for honest workers to make a living office in the general organization| here are very poor. Hundreds of idle should be required to state their at-|men hang around employment offices titude toward the tasks confronting| ll day long, waiting for jobs. But the organization and outline how they| ™0st of the jobs go to the offices intend to conduct the organization af-| Charging a fee of from $2.00 to $20.00 fairs if elected. Want No More Blank Checks. Great numbers of members are in- terested in getting away from blind voting for unknown quantities and are wondering if this resolution chanced to get “lost,” If it is, the candidates would do well to declare their stand on organization problems anyhow, as so the worker that is broke is always out of “luck.” The government employment agency is worse than a lottery. Chances are 100 to 1 against a fellow getting work there. The big blackboard is usually clean, except for some Mexican writ- ing on top for cotton pickers in Ari- zona, or some such impossible place. It is a pathetic sight to see the men there is a real sentiment against sign-| crowd around the rail. Now and then ing any more blank checks and those |the man in charge calls out for a dish- who hang back will be suspected. If| washer or a pick and shovel man— they vote for policies, then they want | fifty cents an hour—or fora common also to vote for men who believe in| jaborer to do a couple hours’ clea them to carry them out. n-up work, The men stand around all Evidently the experience of last} morning in a state of nervous tension, election, when in defiance of the con-| anxious to take anything. Many of stitution only two names, instead of | them haven't slept in a bunk or bed three, went on the ballot, had some| for weeks, effect. The convention elected a com- What brings workers to San Diego? mittee to see that the ballot went out|/It is the propaganda of the chamber in the correct form this year. Militant Picketing _ of commerce, which advertises this city as among the “fayored” spots, with much farm labor needed because of recent rains. And there is suppos- ed to be a building boom here. But workers soon find out, after PROVIDENCE, R, I, Nov. 23.—Ag-| they have spent their small bank ac- gressive picketing forced the big B.| Count for railroad fare-—that the B. & R, Knight Co—cotton manufac-|“boom” is only for. capitalists and turers—to cease trying to operate the that if they don’t watch out they will Royal Mills at River weavers are striking against the speed-up system that substitutes 32 looms for 16 per man. Point where | be thrown into jail for “vagrancy.” Tf you want to thoroughly un- derstand Communism--study it, MEXICAN TEXTILE WORKERS OUT ON STRIKE PARALYZE THE INDUSTRY MEXICO CITY, Nov. spread thruout the country. The textil 23.—-A general’ strike of textile workers began over an area comprising half of Mexico. In’a’few days it le industry is paralyzed. pected to have fHE DAILY’ WORKER DAA WILLCUT STEEL» RKERS’ WAGES; ONLY LEFT ' © WING PROGRAM CAN AID THEM By ISRAEL AMTER. Five to six hundred thousand steel workers are slaving mills of this.country. Of this big number only 11,382 are organized. Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, whose president is Mike Tighe, is making absolutely no effort to line up the steel workers, in spite of the fact that there is a big ‘What do the steel workers face? corporation, a billion dollar concern, dividend of $42,000,000; hem Steel corporation, with $700,- 000,000 worth of stock, and various other corporations and independents, who work on “gentlemen’s agreement” under the guidance of U. S. Steel. In the nine morths of 1925, U. S. Steel earned $12,000,000, equalling the re- tturns of 1924. The last quarter's returns are $11,- 000:000 moré ‘than the same period of 1924. The 'bttel industry is working from 80 to 85 capacity, according to the statemént’ of the steel barons, which accounts for the huge prosper- ity that it is enjoying—that is to say, the steel oWners. Prosperity—For Bosses. Mr. Schwab, president of the Beth- lehem Steel corporation, forsees con- tinued prosperity for the steel indus- try—t. e.,. the steel magnates. What |} is the attitude, however, of these men at the top toward the workers? The honorable president of the United States, that “well-wisher” of the working class, Mr. Coolidge, de- clares that they are to be given a share in the prosperity of the coun- try. The steel magnates formulate this idea as meaning that the steel workers shall become shareholders in the steel concerns. Mr. Wadleigh, a well-known engineer, declares that this, will be a means of making the workers take an interest in the wel- fare of their’ concern. Very true, in- deed! But what does Mr. Schwab think of this scheme? Dawes Plan Brings Wage Cut. i In a recent interview in which he sized up the situation, Mr. Schwab declared that, the international situa- tion and the return of Germany to the world market mean an intensification of competition. “This will necessitate a lowering of the cost of production and consequently a reduction of wages.” | The steel ‘barons are not waiting for Germany to become a keen com- petitor. know that England is practically helpless at the present time, per steel industry for the most part operating with machinery that in the United States would be considered obsolete. The industry of France has made tremendous strides since France incorporated | Alsace-Lorraine. Never- theless th igh technique of Ger- many, -the Wages and the ten to twelve hours a day under the com- pulsion of the Dawes plan are placing Germany ina position to present con- siderable competition. Mr. Schwa does not really fear this competition, for American steel manu- facturers, of all manufacturers of the world, are in.a ‘position to scrap old the Bethle- + in the The away sentiment for organization. They face the United States Steel) which, in the last quarter, paid a industrial organization and can be turned into a gigantic force if proper- ly led and built up. This can only be done by all the left wingers and pro- gressives uniting on a militant left wing program, and forcing Mike Tighe either to act in the interest of the organization or get out. All the progressives must realize that today the fight must be not only against wage reductions, but for wage increase; for a 100% organized in- dustry; against the speed-up system which is driving thousands of men out of work. To these basic demands must be added a campaign for a labor party, for if there is any industry in which the workers feel the heel of the capitalist government, it is the steel industry, where the workers, owing to lack of organization, are the helpless victims of government as- sistance to the steel barons, Mike Tighe controls less than 50% of the 11,000 workers in the Amal- gamated. He controls 86 of the small lodges, against 14 big lodges which are left wing or progressive. In these lat- ter lodges the left wing is making} great progress and must now strive with all energy to line up every pro-| gressive on the left wing program. Major Issues. | These are the major issues that the! left wing must drive home to the or-| ganized steel workers. And no small} disputes should keep them apart. They must have a big delegation at the coming convention of the Amal- gamated Association in April. No move should be tolerated, such as the non-payment of assessments, to dis-) franchise members in the elections for | the convention. The assessment ques: | tion must be fought out at the con-| vention.’ Victory cannot be won by stepping aside from or outside the organization. The fight must be fought inside this convention—and if it need be, at further conventions. If the whole left wing and the pro- gressives line up behind the left wing program, they can give Mike Tighe the figlit of his life. It will mean either action—which is not to be ex- pected of Mike Tighe—or ousting of the reactionary machine. The ques- tion of organizing the steel industfy is of greater importance than that of. the assessment—of greater import- ance both to the men inside and out- side the Amalgamated Association. Blackie Ford Gets Support of Frisco Unions in Defense SAN FRANCISCO—(FP)—The di- trict council of carpenters and the waiters union of San Francisco pledge support to Blackie Ford in his new trial on a murder frame-up charge arising from the 1913 hopfield riots. “Ford’s arrest amounts to persecu- tion,” the carpenters say in their pro- test resolution, Ford’s trial is set for Dee. 1. GREEN DECIDES UNIONS CANNOT BAR COMMUNISTS Fears Left I. L. G. W. at A. F. of L. Convention NEW YORK, Nov. 23.—The breach between the Bookkeepers’, Stenogra- phers’ and Accountants’ Union and Local No, 22, of the International Ladies’ Garment Union that for awhile took the form of a_ strike against the clerical department of the garment offices was healed at a con- ference directed by William Green, president, American Federation of La- bor. Green advised the union to admit again to full union privileges Anna Berman and Irving Fraulkin, the two office workers the bookkeepers’ union had attacked as Communists. Green told the conference that the bookkeepers’ union could not afford to bar workers, It is a struggling or- ganization that annually appeals to |the federation for assistance and the] problem of organizing the office work- | ers generally is a difficult matter. His advice was followed. Sitting in at the conference were Leonard Bright, president of the union; Louis Hyman, manager of the New York joint board of the garment workers and others concerned. The strike followed the refusal of the lo- cal union to discharge these two cleri- cal workers barred by the bookkeep- ers. At the time of this trouble the local garment body was functioning independently of the international union but since then it has come back and a peace pact has been ratified. Willimantic Holding Out After 38 Weeks WILLIMANTIC, Conn, Nov. 23— The strike of American Thread Co. employes against. the 10 per cent wage cut enters its 38th week. More than 2,000 are affected. THIS APPRENTICE’S STORY MUST BE TOLD IN PAINTERS’ LOCALS machinery apd install the*very latest at no mati what cost. But Gary and Schwab.are not satisfied with their profits—hence wages are going down. In the.past four months wages have been slashed 6 to 7%. Thus in May-June,.a,29-30 gauge doubler re- ceived $.877,.per 1,000 pounds; in July-August he received only $.849 and in September-October his wages were again reduced to $.820 per thou- sand pounds, The same reduction took place in every department of the steel industry. Living Costs Go Up. In the past half year the cost of living has mounted; one has only to regard the price of eggs and butter to realize that they are no longer with- in reach of the workers. If, according to Schwab, the steel mills are work- ing at almost full capacity, then ‘wages of necessity should go up—but on the contrary, they are going down, the ®xcuse being greater competition on the world market, The purpose of this is Perfectly ob- vious. Gary and Schwab know yery well that steel/production cannot con- tinue at the present rate of produc- tion, The building trades, the back- bone of the present “prosperity,” has reached its peak, 1926 will witness a recession in the building trades, The automobile industry, which this year will reach a figure of about 4,000,000 cars, has overproduced and now is forcing a tremendous export trade. Automobile production even this month is slackening and men are be- ing laid off. 4 They ‘insist’ on It, In this description of the steel in- dustry, one cannot forget the promise of Mr. Gary tolbolish the 12-hour day, and his complaint thereafter that the workers insist’upon working more than eight hours. True, for the simple reason that they cannot live on the eight hours’ pay that they get. 500,000 to 600,000 steel workers are exposed to the worst exploitation that several billions of capital can im- pose, and are practically without or- Sanization. What has Mike Tighe to say about it? What are Mike Tighe and his machine doing to alter this situation? What has the American Federation of Labor done and what does it intend to do? Only 11,382 of the mass of steel workers are inthe Amalgamated As- sociation, and’ Mike Tighe sits re- splendently on hié throne and declares everything is Well with god in his heaven, oF For unit’ on Program. Association isan ft UNTIL OFFICIALS DO SOMETHING By J. P., WORKER CORRESPONDENT. CLEVELAND, Ohio, Nov. 23.—Being a painters’ apprentice I think it would be well to describe the conditions under which we have to learn the trade and under which we are allowed to join the Painters’ Union. We have an apprentice school here in Cleveland which is controlled by the bosses and by the city board of education. The Master Painters’ Associa- have two representatives on the ap- prentice committee as against two re- presentatives of the union. These ‘six men, together with the secretary of the Building Employers’ Association and the instructor of the school are the ones who decide all the policies and arrangements under which the apprentices work. “Great Opportunities"—To Scab. Having control of the school the bosses use it to carry on their pro- paganda. Members of the Building Employers’ Association, as well as the instructor, deliver lectures to the ap- prentices, telling them of the wonder- ful prospects before them of the great opportunities that a painter has of becoming a contractor and a boss, etc. This is really propaganda against the union, giving the young fellows ar idea that the union is only a tempor- ary thing, while the important thing is the “chance” of becoming a boss. Discriminate Against Progressive: Apprentices who happen to have progressive or radical opinions are discriminated against and forced to a lot of trouble. According to the agree- ment, apprentices are supposed to at- tend the school for four hours a week, If they happen to be late for a few minutes, they are forced to waste a halt a day on their own time in order to go to the apprentice committee to ex- plain the reason for being late. In many cases they are punished by being forced to attend school for three or four days a week also on their own time, On one occasion, for being late ten minutes to school, my boss was in- structed by the apprentice committee to dock a half day’s wages out of my pay. During the past week I was ordered te attend school for four weeks, without pay, simply because of the false statement made by the instructor of the school. He claimed that I had been notified to appear before the apprentice com- mittee, altho several of the apprenti- ces who were present at the time he claimed to have informed me, declared that he had not told me anything about the matter, No Help From Union Officials, The District Council ot Sg J tinisre’ Union did not even care té Tisten to | tion and the board of education each &——————_—_ me when I tried to appeal from the decision of the boss controlled ap- prentice committee, instead the busi- ness agent wanted to know why I had not saved enough money during the time I had been working to be able to spend four weeks in school without Day. The instructor of the school is very much prejudiced against some of us because we tried to prevent the board of education from using the free ser- vices of the apprentices during school hours to paint several schools, while at the time there were many painters out of work, Fifteen of us were forced to paint two schools, outside work, which we all are experienced at. The excuse the teacher gave was that we would get experience on the job, but the fact is that the experience that we really need is on inside work painting wood- work, varnishing, paperhanging, etc., which is more advanced than paint- ing the sides of a frame building. An Open Shop Forum. ‘When the school was first organized about a year ago, all the apprentices were enthusiastic about it, since they were actually learning something about the trade. But during the last couple of months, the school has be- come dead and uninteresting, very little about the trade is being taught; instead the school is used as a forum by the Builders’ Association. The school is so dead, that some of us were put to work fixing the Plumbing ana the toilets in the school building, which is old and in bad con- dition, located on W. Fourth St. a factory and warehouse district. Union Should Step In. If the apprentice schools are to be really run for the benefit of the ap- prentices a lot of changes must be made, In the first place, the school should be under the control of the union, and not of the bosses, The ap- prentices should be represented on the committee in charge of the school. The wage scale at the present time is very low, when we remember that an apprentice in forty hours turns out as much work as a full time union painter, altho only getting about half the wages. This applies to apprentices who have already served two or more Page Three , CUTTERS’ LOCAL PROGRESSIVES. FIGHT GANGS Dubinsky Tri es Old Terrorist Rule (Worker Correspondent) NEW YORK CITY—Many militant ~ fighters of Local No. 10 of the Inter- national Ladies’ Garment Workers’ > Union were badly beaten ant-bruised, © by the gangsters of the reactionary bureaucratic machine of that local, at — a mass meeting arranged by the Pro- — gressive Cutters on Thursday, Now 19, at Webster Hall, for the purpose of acquainting the masses of the cut- ters as to the correct state of affairs and conditions in their local. The demogogic and phrase monging Manager Dubir knowing of the meeting in advance; organized his gangster clique to break it up, but without considering, that the progres- sive cutters were well prepared for it Pogrom Tactics, Their. reactionary tactics against the cutters manffested itself by their pulling out knives, cutting up many cutters assembled and breaking chairs over their heads. As a result of this Comrade Berkowitz, an energe“q fighter, in the ranks of the works bs against the bosses and their toe ithe reactionaries, was badly beat and slashed over the head. He ht to be immediaately taken to the dt tor, { This conflict is a continuation of t fight between the rank and file @ the reactionary bureaucratic 7? chine, who is still in control of Le? No. 10 and is fighting the lefts ¥ his corrupt tactics of “gangsterir even after the peace resolution wi was edopted between the Joint Ac Committee and the General Execu Board, which was supposed to F created harmonious co-operation tween the various crafts of the Ir national. The rioters were from the meeting. finally eje’ After the tur had somewhat abated, the chair: Comrade Horowitz, proceeded the meeting, declaring “this outt of violence and bloodshed of our spoken reactionary Dubinsky wil) shake the determination of the Sressive cutters. On the contrai will tend to strengthen their d mined will to clean Local No, 1 this despotism which prevails in The, tollowing speakers, Bdhiwy Syoss, Lukin, Shapiro, Brown, Bern- stein, Cooper, spoke giving their own opinion about the splitting tactics pe- rused by the vile smelling skunk, Du- binsky. All condemned his atrocities | committed against the cutters assem- bled at that meeting and a resolution adopted demanding Dubinsky resign. Niwitinting Banking Control of Industry; Both Woven Together By WALLACE T. METCALFE | WARREN, Ohio, Nov. 23.—In a re- Port to the stockholders, President Wick of the Trumbull Steel company of this city writes that the company owns 600 acres of land of whieh 30 per. cent-is- used for manufacturing purposes. The company has 40.5 acres under roof, 17.1 miles of trackage with all equipment and 4,500 workers em- ployed. For the past month or so, this stee! company, one of the finest independ- ent steel mills in the Mahoning valley, has been under the management of Jas. A. Campbell, president of the” Youngstown She Tube Co. be- cause of the financial difficulties its old management experienced, 2 A new loan has been floated in Wall Street and the subscription books for their 13 millions six per cent 15-year mortgage gold bonds closed on Nov. 13. According to the Wall Street re- port $1,500,000 was substribed to in Mahoning valley. Trumbull Steel Co. has an agrée- ment with the Amalgamated Associa- tion of Iron, Steel & Tin Workers. It is one of the few companies in Ma- honing valley having such an agree- ment. British Labor Party Man Says American Labor Is Moribund BALTIMORE—(FP)—Rhys Davies, British labor member of parliament and undersecretary of home affairs in the MacDonald cabinet, told the Baltimore open forum that American working men are still as much cap- italists in their outlook as are the owners of the plants where they are employed. American labor's political condition he termed moribund, === years. Beginners are even worse off as far as wages are concerned, Te- ceiving only from fifteen to twenty five dollars a week for the first year. IT hope the Young Workers League will begin to pay some attention to. the young apprentices and begin to > organize apprentice clubs, which will be a means of giving the apprentices a chance of organizing them obtain better conditions and wi the job, and to receive moré att and consideration from the un