The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 23, 1926, Page 5

EACH MINE IN POLAND HAS A WORKERS’ PAPER Illustrated Newspaper Is the Most Popular (By a Worker Correspondent.) POLAND, Jan, 21.— As everybody knows, Poland Is a country of illite- racy and police terror, and these con- ditions are certainly not favorable to the development of workers’ newspa- pers; Nevertheless, they are appear- Ing. ia Upper Silesia, in the Slionsk mines at Chropaczowa, the miners, have published the first two numbers of a newspaper Storm. In this news- paper, the workers’ correspondence appears in the Polish and German lan- guages, as the Upper Silesian work- ers pass thru the German schools and read and write better in German than in Polish. ‘ Workers Write for Paper. The paper contains. workers’ let- ters from various mines, and articles describing the struggle of the Upper Silesian proletariat in defence of the eight-hour working day in Upper Si- lesia.. Besides this, a song by one of the comrades was published, which was written in honor of the political pris- oners. This song has acquired extra- ordinary popularity. It is already be- ing sung by the revolutionary workers thruout almost the whole of Silesia. The nucleus in the Ferdinand mines also in Upper Silesia, has published @ paper called The Sword. The paper in the Nikisz mines de- scribes the abuses of the local factory committee and conducts electional agitation. The paper also contains an article consecrated to the Communists executed in Warsaw and Ivoff, who were victims of the white terror now reigning in Poland. The paper calls upon the workers to protest, and to give donations in aid of the political prisoners. The paper of the Buek mime in Up per Silesia is extremely interesting. Crowd Around Wall Paper. Having to deal with illiterate work- ers, this wall newspaper is composed of drawings only. One of the num- bers, which is stuck up thruout the whole mine, is a geographical map of Poland, covered by gallows. In the background of the picture lies a work- er who from one side is beaten by a Police bully and from the other side by a trade union bureaucrat. Beneath the drawing is written: ‘This is the fare of the workers in democratic Po- jand.”. The workers crowd around this paper all day long, and during the night the police made a large number of séarches in order to try and find the paper and its editors. This kind of illustrated paper is al- ready, being imitated in other Upper Silesian mines. Deeds Do Not Match Up with Words of Western Electric Co. By a Worker Correspondent. A foreign-born worker in the wood- work finishing department of the Western Electric company took the company’s profession of “American- ism,” seriously and became a citizen expecting thus to get a fair deal from the bosses. At a time when the reg- ular scale in his department was 60 cents an hour he was getting 50 cents, The scale was later raised to 70 cents but he was given only 60 cents. When the rush was over and slack came, this worker, altho an old hand, was discharged, and a new man put in his place. When he complained a new job was given to him in another de- partment but at 56 cents per hour. When the holiday season came he was laid off. New men were left work- ing. °This after the continuous pro- paganda by the company of the “value of long service with us.” Again he complained to the so-cal- led “personal manager” who put him back to work at the foundry, but at only 52 cents per hour, altho it is much harder work. This is the way workers are treat- ed by this great industrial corporation who is doing a lot of talk on “Amer- icanism,” “value of service” and other bunk for which some of the workers are still falling. , ose ee PROLET-TRIBUNE 70 BE REPEATED FRIDAY AT DOUGLAS PARK SCHOOL By A Worker Correspondent The fourth issue of Prolet- Tri- bune, the Russian living newspaper of the Novy Mir workér correspond- ents will be repeated at the Douglas Park Russi Children’s School, 2734 W. 18th St., this Friday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. Sp Admission will be 25 cents, THE DAIL WORKER ' THE WINNERS: The DAILY: WORKER prizes for the three best worker cor- respondents’ contributions this week go to a worker In the Pullman car shops, who won the first prize, a wet wash laundry worker of Chicago, who won the second prize, and a worker at the Turning Basin of Port Houston, Texas, winner of the third prize. The prizes offered were: First prize, “Capital,” by Karl Marx, first volume; second prize, “Ancient Society,” by Morgan, and third prize, the original of a DAILY WORKER cartoon, framed. en he a The following books will be offered for next week’s contributions: FIRST PRIZE—“Flying Osip,” stories of New Russia. Eleven SECOND PRIZE—“Whither E: omic and political decline, Russia, including the special repo: THE FIRST PRIZE. PULLMAN USES COMPANY UNION AND PROFIT SHARING WORKERS FROM GETTING ORGANIZED By F. S.. Worke Under capitalism the workshop is Pullman car shops, however, are even worse than prisons. convicts are not compelled to keep up a farce of “electing” jailers into short stories written since the revolution, presenting the work of the most significant of the new Russian writers, liant analysis of the factors which threaten England’s economic Supremacy, and a shattering prophecy of England’s approaching econ- THIRD PRIZE—“Russia Today,” the official report of the British trade union delegation on social and economic conditions in Soviet which was responsible for the downfall of the MacDonald government. ngland?” by Leon Trotsky. A bril- rt on the famous “Zinoviev” letter SYSTEM TO KEEP r Correspondent. very much like a prison for workers. In a prison the committee to seemingly represent and defend the interests of the prisoners. But thé Pullman company compels its workers to elect fake delegate com- mittees representing interests of the workers, but in real- ity consisting of company agents, The workers are not permitted to nomin- ate and elect their own delegates who would truly represent the interests of of the workers, Workers’ Demands Ignored, The Pullman management nomin- ates the delegates who are “elected” for one year. The delegates do every- thing to prevent the workers from striking and from demanding better working conditions, The Pullman workers rejected this fake “repres- entation” system. They voted over- whelmingly against it at~the time it was first proposed by ‘the Pullman ad- ministration. But the administration paid no attention to the workers, The exploiters used this system to keep the workers from setting up their own organization and they have so far suc- ceeded. They are now using another means for undermining the fighting spirit of the workers. The Pallman company now offers to its workers for sale the stocks of the company. The object is to make the workers think that they too “own” the company and to make them work harder in order to produce ‘higher dividends for the exploiters. Not many of the sto¢ks which some foolish workers will buy will remain (By a Worker they are not organized. colored to the white workers. A Negro worker is never called by his real name, “Nigger” or “Snow- dark,” that is how they are usually called. Wien a driver, who is better raid because he is organized, tries. to »xchange a few words with the laundry vorkers, he is sure. to have some rouble sooner or later with the boss. ‘he bogs is afraid to let the “organ- zea” drivers talk with the “unorgan- zed” laundry workers, because they may hear about the better conditions organized workers haye. The workers in the “boots,”: those who do the hardest and most un- realthy work, get as low ag $17 to $18 for a 60-hour week. But if they work the 85-hours week (a very usual thing in every laundry they get about $28 to $25,. ’ On Monday, Tuesday ‘and Wednes- day work begins at 7 a.m. Other days at 7:30 a. m. Luneh is at 12 and back to work at 12:30, until all the work drought in during that day is finished, ‘sually at 8 p. m. and Mondays not sariier than 10 or 11 at night, without 4 bite since lunch time, because you are not permitted to do so even while you are working, If you do not obey, you are fired, There are a lot of old women and young girls (white and colored) who work for $15 to $17 a week without being paid for overtime, They are sent at 5:00 p. m, to punch their leay- ing time and then they are sent back to. work immediately, They do this to get around the law. \ No Food 11-hours at a Stretch, The old women working 12 and 14 “|hours a° day are also not allowed a rest, even not to eat, so they are with- out nourishment from 12 at noon un- til very often about 11 at night, ‘There are a few white collar slaves, like those who make out the laundry They used to get about $40- new in name the+ vith them. Sooner or later the work- ers will be compelled to sell these stocks. Unemployment or sickness will drige them to this and the stocks will again return into the hands of the Pullman company owners, If Workers Were Owners, If the workers were the real own- ers of the shops the company would not be able to discharge thousands of them without their being able to say a word about it. If the workers were the real owners of the shops the company would not be able to speed them up and cut their wages as it is doing now. If we workers were the real owners of the shops, police and scabs would not be called in to break their strike for better working conditions. The workers are not yet the own- ers of the shops. But they must fight rage Five COMCIPONG 1000 WORKER: CORRESPONDENTS BY JANUARY 13 1927 COMPLAINS LEFT WING NEGLECTS SHOP COMMITTEE How About It, Needle Trades Workers? By, S. FISHER Local 10,iA. C. W. of A. (Worker Correspondent) The left wing:in the needle trades, and the Tratlb Union Educational League haye always fought for the re-j organization of the present | unnions ‘on industrial lines and “shop committees.” I think shop'committees are most yital not only for the needle trades, but for the entife labor movement as well, Still thi8 question has been ne- glected by the‘left wing in the needle trades. - Says It Is Neglected. At the convention of the I. L. G. W. U. nothing was heard about any resolution being introduced to this effect. In New York the left wing are in control of the Furrier’s Joint Board, and nothing has been done to- vard reorganization on the basis of hop committees. to become more militant we must re- organize the unions where our com- rades are in Control on the basis of shop committees, in order to prepare the workers to take an active part in the organizations, and also for leader- ship. This can only be done under the system of Shop committees, Can Cbitro! Officlals. If not every “demagogue” can run on a left slate, and afterwards when he gets into. office he forgets who elected him.)4¥e cannot recall him till the next election. Meanwhile the machine becomes stronger, left wing suffers by it. This has been done in a number of cases, in the “Amalgamated in New York, and .recéiitly by the Furriers’ Union at their cénvention and in many other places. ** and the the joint boardof many organization meets, and camerecall these betrayers immediately, | fo" However, I'¥ealize the comrades in to become the owners as the workers of Russia have done. i appeal to the best of the Pullman workers, to the most militant, the most conscious, who understand that there is no other way to get rid of exploitation than by establishing the cule of the workers and of the poor farmers to join the Workers (Com- munist) Party which is their leader in he fight for the working class, THE SECOND PRIZE. YOUNG GIRLS IN LAUNDRIES PUNCH CLOCKS AT 5 O’CLOCK THEN ARE SENT BACK TO WORK Correspondent.) The wet wash laundry workers are the most exploited workers because Play on Color Prejudice. The majority of workers employed in the wet wash laundries are of the colored race and the bosses carry a lot of race prejudices and hatred from the white to the colored and from the¢————————__________.._____ exchanged .for young kids who get $18 a week. As I said before, the laundry worke! ers suffer because they are unorgan- ized. If all the laundry workers, white and black, would organize themselves in a union, then they coukl put up a fight for better conditions together and they would get them. Forward to a strong laundry work- ers’ union! Los Angeles Has Successful Daily Worker Celebration By L. P. RINDALL (Worker Correspondent) LOS ANGELES, Cal., Jan, 21,—De- spite the serious unemployment situa- tion here, the birthday celebration of ithe second anniversary of The DAILY WOREK turned out to be a success- ful affair, A sum of $138 in cash was collected, and several yearly subs se- cured, The DAILY WORKER telegram was the main cause that started the long green ones to pile up on the toastma: ter’s table. Almost everyone in the uudience wanted to open the envelope. A “fight” over this honor developed, #80 that the old slogan that “competi- tion is the life of trade” worked out all right. The “speech” by Comrade Glober- man, the representative of Fretheit, brot a good slice of the bacon home. So did the birthday cake donated by the Co-operative Bakery, an undertak- ing controlled by Communists, “The party is the instrument for the dictatorship of the proletariat.”—Len- in, Hear the message of Leninism at Reda weeks But now they are boing |the Lenin Memorial meetings, 4 the New York Furriers’. Union had a great task tojearry the organization thru the slump-—that the ‘Kaufman gang dragged.dt into. In this our comrades were, successful, Seek Some Discussion. In order that’ the left wing in the needle trades should become a rea! nower, which J; have no doubt they rill become inthe near future, they aust be the “advance guard” of the abor movmeent like in many other secasions, They must be the first to ntroduce the system of shop commit- cees. This will strengthen the left wing movement,.and the T. U. E, L. as an organization, I would beg ‘comrades earnestly to consider this question and to have some of their views. The Men Ate Beans, But Higher Officers Divided the Graft By An Ex-Soldier Correspondent not a Member of the Workers (Communist) Party. NEW YORK, Jan, 21—I am an ex- service man. To-begin telling of what I saw at Camp, Devers, Mass,, would fill pages of your valuable paper. Did I save gnything by being a soldier on thig,side only? No! The moment I was drafted the firm I work- ed for put the men on piece-work and they made nearly $60 a week, while on $30 a month this is what I had to spend: $3.35 for a $5,000 insurance policy, barber, fgiler and also for food in the Enlisted Men's (Club, Camp Devers, where Meals were very high. All we got were beans and a piece of pickle. On Sunday, the meal was & bit different betause our folks would come visiting. 9 Whatever thei mess sergeant saved on food he shatéd with a few lieuten- ants, while the «commissaries would also be run forsprofit, and the higher officers would divide up that gratt. At Camp Upton, Long Island, the well-known Acker Merrall & Cordit company grocery store, catering to the wealthy class in New York, had their branch, There was a sign put up by Major General James F. Bell stating that an ex-service man would suffer if he’d touch anything from the counters, $5.00 worth of tickets bought you almost nothing and every man who had some money saved when he was drafted spent it for food and to bribe the sergeant or lieutenant, I need an operation, I need an over- coat, shoes, underwear, eye-glasses, dental work and I am given a pjece of paper that the government may re- deem in 1945 which is for two hun- dred and some edd dollars and the value of the federal insurance bonus in January 1927 means that you can only lend 9 per cent of its value from your banker from the notice in the American Legion Office, New York City. is MIC THE THIRD PRIZE. VICE IS RAMPANT IN HOUSTON, TEX.; POLICEMAN BEATS UP NEGRO WORKER TO FIND ALIBI FOR HIS EXISTENCE HOUSTON, Tex., Jan, 21—A Negro worker was beaten with a heavy service pistol in the hands of a brutal policeman here Jan, 15. The police- man knocked the unarmed worker down with the pistol and then, while his victim lay prostrate and defenseless, he struck him a terrific blow full in the face, The blood spurted at each blow. For several feet around the sidewalk was covered with blood. After letting him lay and bleed for several minutes, the noble custodian of the ¢————————————————— Under the shop committee : law handcuffed the victim of his de- pravity and dragged him away to jail. Women Seated First. Much of Houston’s industry is lo- cated at the Turning Basin, Port Houston, The employes are white, colored and Mexican, with the color- ed workers in the majority. They are carried to and from work by street cars operated by the Houston Elec- tric Co. The employes live in many instances, ten miles from their work. It frequently happens that they must stand up on the cars the entire ten miles. This is because of a poor scheduled car service. For most of the workers two transfers are necess- ary, especially for those living in the Heights, Fifth Ward and Dowling sec- tions. After transferring from many parts of the town, the workers col- among them that the: women are to be seated first in the crowded cars and after that every man for himself. Those who win in the friendly com- petition to get in, get the seats and standing room. The losers wait for the next car. It is only natural that in the morning after standing up from one to one and a half hours, or in the evening, after slaving at high speed for ten hours handling cotton, one should like a seat, White girls and colored girls stand up frequently in spite of the efforts to give them seats. It was this friendly competition to get the seats and standing room that caused our brother to be made the victim of the bragging advocate of might not right. The car company originated the unique idea of having a plainclothes man come out in order to.prove to us workers and to impress indelibly upon us that we are inferior and to show the workers that they can be beaten at will as the early Christ- jans and the lowly workers ancient and modern: lect at the shuttle (dinky) line which | I may be wrong but the fact re- carries them to the Turning Basin. mains that if the needle workers are| It has always been a point of honor The beaten mau in attempting to board the car was attacked by the of- ficer, (the man did not know that he was an officer), After the “law” drew his gun, the unarmed man made no resistance, but this did not keep the policeman from knocking him down with the pistol and then beating him in the face as the man, whose great crime was in being a worker, lay up on the sidewalk defenseless and dazed Vice on all Sides, Attack Worker. The Turning Basin is the habita- tion of a very vicious criminal class: gamblers, prostitutes, drug peddlers and murderers daily scatter disease and destruction, This is known to the police department and our three Brass Check daily papers. The edi- torials are continually harping, “Why is our police system unable to cope with this cancer in the community’s side?” This week the body of E. B. Wilson was churned to the surface of the basin by a passing ship. When last seen, Wilson was at one of the dives at the Turning Basin. The po- lice have not solved the murder; so it is evident that there is work for po- licemen other than breaking the heads of honest workers, white or colored. The writer heard a street car man today telling a passenger that the “nigger” was pushing a bunch of white girls, but the intelligent work- ers at the Turning Basin will readily see that this defense is the old one of playing the white workingman a- gainst the colored workingman. It is safe to’ say that not a single worker will be taken in by it. The writer has never seen-among any class more con- siderate, gentle and courteous treat- ment than given the women folks both white and colored by these work- ers, They put the watch words, “Women First” into practice, The workers must organize as a class re gardless of race, creed or religion, and then abuses and outrages such as this will stop. WEALTHY WOMEN |MOVIE EXTRAS LOYAL TO THEIR) STAGE REVOLT CLASS INTEREST Set Example for the Working Women By Norman Bursler. (Worker Correspondent) LOS ANGELES, Cal. Jan. 21.— “To reform the Communist Party is a much bigger job than I ever want to undertake,” laughingly said Anita Whitney when shown an article from the Los Angeles Times in which Gov. Richardson’s stand on her case was endorsed by the modern female Judases, otherwise known as the Republican Study Club of Los Angeles, who, during their discussion on the Whitney case, asserted that wide- spread propaganda favoring Comrade Whitney’s release was attributed to her having joined the Communists for the purpose of reforming their party. How these female betrayers fawn before their lords and masters, whe classed them with imbeciles, until mi litant women, one of the most activ: of whom was Anita Whitney, gainec for them the right of political expres gion, is shown by their unanimous vote endorsing the stand of the big corporations’ mouthpiece, and in their support of the world court. With their usual disrespect for truth, some of the liars asserted that the news organ of “a radical group” had come out with threats of violence against the governor in event he re fused to pardon Comrade Whitney The name of the paper was conven iently ignored, The loyalty of the woman of the bourgeoisie to their class is an ex ample which proletarian women might well follow. There is ne “woman's question” with them: mere. ly the class struggle. AGAINST HAYS Demand Hiring Bosses Get the Can By L. P. RINDAL (Worker Correspondent) LOS ANGELES, Calif., Jan. 21.— “Movie Extras Revolt,” says a big headline in the Los Angeles papers. One thousand or more male extras are protesting against rotten condi- tions in movieland to Will Hayes, the ‘papa of the Motion Picture Producers Association.” Louis Lacas, 519 Temple street, and A. W. Jacobs, 655 North State street, are circulating a petition which will be sent through Fred Beetson, per- sonal representative of the “little fath- er” on the Pacific coast. The extras want to be treated “respectfully,” and they are also kicking about “bad deals” on one hand and “favoritism o a certain few” on the other. They demand the discharge from noviedom of certain casting direc- ors in the Central Casting Bureau, the employment agency of the big bosses in the picture industry. The exploiting private employment bu- reaus were put out of business recent- ly, by the order of higher ups, after much criticism and numerous scan- lals. But the new system seems to be no better—if not worse—as the same people are in charge. The boys ire making a serious kick this time— t is called a “rebellion” by the cap- talist press, Several months ago the women ex- ras were “raising hell”—good and trong—with the employment sharks as well as with the almighty, scab- 1erding bosses. Will Hays ordered in ‘investigation” by the industrial commission of the State of California. What will come out of it remains to be seen. The collaboration speeches made under the roof of the chamber of ommerce did not sound the very best n the ears of the writer, to say noth- ng about the flattery scheme of the vosses of calling the extras “artists.” Jne may die on account of false pride, ut one can't live very long on a diet” like that. Neither Will Hays nor said indus- rial commission will do anything vorth mentioning for the extras, They yust learn to take matters into their wn hands, Brothers and sisters! ‘ead The DAILY WORKER! Talk ‘ings over with members of the forkers Party! Organize under the ight kind of leadership! TREAT WORKERS LIKE ANIMALS IN SHIPYARDS Sunny California Not Luring to Workers By VINCENT IGNATIUS. (Worker Correspondent.) SAN FRANCISCO, Cal. Jan, 21— We hear so much about this sunny south land, in the advertisements that are circulated in the east and central states. It is referred to as the land of opportunity where the sun shines and the palm trees grow. As to the latter two conditions, it may be true, but when a worker tramps around for weeks begging for a job, chances are that he will. forget altogether that there is a sun, let alone palm trees, Looking for work here can well be illustrated by a farmer in the central states buying stock at some stock- yard, the worker being the stock or the animal, and the bosses the buyers, Looking For Prey. Hiring men at one shipyard, for in- stance, where there w about fifty nen one morning, it was done in iden- tically the same manner. There was a high steel fence on the other side of which the bosses, two of them, panted like tigers waiting to devour their prey, Occasionally they would see a strong husky looking man walk to the outskirts of the crowd, directly he would be pointed out and called up to the steel fence thru the bars of which he would impart the neces- sary information about himself, and he would be given a card evidence that he got a job. Then there was another type of man they picked out, men that hed long grey beards, evidently this was done for the reason that these men had a smaller chance of getting a job than the younger ones, therefore, they would be more loyal and work for next to nothing. These men, two of which were hired that morning, were altogether too old to perform any kind of work, Only One Way Out. When the farmer goes out to buy horses for himself in order to con- serve funds he first buys a few strong and sound ones and then to fill out his team he gets the ones that he thinks will take him thru the season, thus making a little more profit on his investment for that period of time. Evidently it is:the same case with the shipyard. They want to make a lit- tle more profit on their slaves. It is indeed a shame to be endowed with human emotion to see all of it. it is time for the workers to join together and throw off their backs these institutions which compares them to animals. To do this it be- comes their duty to join their nearest Communist nucleus, the only organiz- ation capable of accomplishing that end. Portland Chamber of Commerce Won’t Hear Anna Louise Strong By J. STEVENSON, ' (Worker Correspondent.) PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 21— Anna Louise Strong addressed several well- attended meetings in Portland, rais- ing funds for the support of the John Reed orphan colony in Russia. At a meeting under the auspices of the Portland labor college, she delivered a very able and interesting lecture, showing the difficulties that the Sov- fet government had to contend with and their success in coping with them. Many. questions were asked and an- swered. She also addressed the Women’s Progressive Club, As was to be ex- pected, she was refused admission to that sacred body, the Portland cham- ber of commerce, the.reason for re- fusal being that Miss Strong was a radical. Butchers’ Union Starts Membership Drive in New York Meat Stores By a Worker Correspondent. NEW YORK, Jan, 21.—-A campaign to organize all unorganized tenders in butcher stores and meat..markets is to start tomorrow, It is said that there are 8,000 of these workers in this city who are unorganized and a Great deal of effort will be made to bring them into the Butchers’ Union, The aim of the union is to get modi- fied working hours on Saturday and on holidays. At present these tend- ers work unlimited hours, In Staten Island it is now a violation of the un- jon agreement for butchers to work after 9 p. m. or for the bosses to com- pel the workers to labor after that hour, The agreement runs on Satur- day nights only.