The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 14, 1926, Page 1

The DAILY WORKER Raises the Standard for a Workers’ and Farmers’ Government Vol. Ill. No. 29. Subse PICKETS MARCH THRU CLIFTON: PULL NEW MILL 400 F orstman-Huffman Workers Join Strike By J. 0. BENTALL (Worker Correspondent) PASSAIC, N. J, Feb. 12—Four hundred new recruits joined the 10,000 strikers that have been out for over two weeks in Passaic, Clifton and Garfield textile mills. These came from the Forstmann & Huffman mill that the bosses had tried so hard to protect from the striking pickets and the influence of the United Front Committee that is in charge of the strike and organizing the workers in the industry with demands for a living wage and decent conditions in the shops where they work. The four hundred walked to Neu- bauers’ Hall where the Botany work- ers meet every afternoon and their coming was the signal for a great demonstration and much rejoicing. The hall was already well filled, but the new arrival wedged their way thru the middle of the crowd and were cheered as they were “called to the front and crowded onto the platform, the whole mass singing, “Hold the fort for we are coming, working men be strong.” Protest Police Attacks. The walkout from the Forstmann and Huffman mill came as a result of the brutal attacks by the police in try- ing to keep the pickets from the bridge into Clifton, It ‘ed the workers ih the “Porstman Huffmann mill that after looking into the whole matter they decided to‘ make a beginning and go out in pro test. It is expected that the whole mill will be tied up in a day or two, when a picket line of two or three thousand will call on the workers to join the strike. The bosses have changed their tac- ties and told the police not to molest the pickets. The pummeling and beat- ing Tuesday was too much ‘for ‘the workers in the strikebound towns and they have r d their voices in a mighty protest against such inhuman actions, “Wear Your Trench Helmets!" A returned soldier headed the line wearing his trench helmet. “All yoa (Continued on page 2) NEEDLE WORKERS CARRY ON REAL UNION CAMPAIGN Militants Show How to Organize Open Shops (Special to The Daily Worker) By SYLVAN A. POLLACK. NEW YORK CITY, Feb. 12.—New York City is now witnessing a de- monstration of what the militant .sec- tion of the working class can do, if given an opportunity. The New York joint board of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Uniop, is now conducting an organization drive to bring into the union those cloak- makers and dressmakers who are not unionized at the present time. The organization drive has now en- tered its third week, and has so far resulted in over 6,000 additional work- ers joining the union as well as call- ing strikes in over 400 dress and 140 cloak shops. Of these, over 200 dress shops and 40 cloak shops have already settled with the union. Every day a score of bosses visit the general strike headquarters which are located at the Stuyvesant Casino, Second Ave., and agree to the work- ers’ demand. The reason that the proportion of cloak shops that have settled is small- er than that of the dr shops, is because the union has decided to come to terms only with those cloak shops which have a minimum of four- teen machines, Rank and File Committees. It is an inspiring sight to watch the amount of determination to win the rank and file workers are putting in- to the drive. Every morning before going to work, hundreds of workers picket the shops in which strikes have been called, In addition, over 100 un- (Continued on page 4.) THE DAILY ription Rates: Susie Encase. In Chicago, by mail, $8.00 per y Entered as Second-class matter september 21, 1028, at the Post Office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879, ear, by mail, $6.00 per year, By ALEX REID, Secretary Progressive Miners’ Committee. VER the wire yesterday flashed the news that the anthracite mine strike had been settled on the following basis, 1. 2 A five year contract. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1926 IS BETR Miners! Fight for Yorr Demands! PACED ORI AS << used against u ¥ granting to them all the necessary time tb destroy working conditions, between contracts, and time to rid the mines of all militant miners: who oppose the imposition. The claim that arbitration will not be written into the contract is Wages to remain the same unless changed by mutual consent. Wages to be reopened at the request of either party, 4. Granting of the check off under a different name, 5. Elimination of arbitration from the agreement, This settlement must be ratified by a reconvening of the conven- tion of the hard coal miners before it can be put into effect. This was provided by the decision of the late Tri-District convention. The Vilest Betrayal HE basis of settlement, which the report states has been accepted by John L. Lewis, president of the miners’ union, stands out as the great- est of all betrayals of the American coal miners, Not only American min- ers will stand amazed at this surrender of their demands, but the Ameri- ean workers will see in it the most damnable betrayal of the workers of any craft in any strike in the whole history of the American labor move- . ment. It means a betrayal of the miners’ demand for the 10 per cent in- crease in wages, a demand that Lewis himself admitted was meager and inadequate. Lewis in many of his speeches brought out the fact that the hard coal miners at all times, even when working, were in a state of semi-starvation. He pictured the enormous loss of life that takes place annually in the mines. He showed the suffering of the miners; their wives and families, and their terrible living conditions, yet in face of that, in face of his knowledge of this suffering, he deliberately agrees to a settlement that makes the lives of the hard coal slaves worse than they were before. 3. an insult to the Miners, in view of the terms of the accepted agreements. There Is no need of writing arbitration into the contract, as the opera- tors will get allthey desire under a long term agreement. Arbitratio @ snare, but even better than a long term agreement. At least under iarbitration we may be able at times to have Our posi- tion presented) ishowing the increase in the cost of living and the in- adequacy of ot wages to meet it, but long term agreements effectually destroy all ch wes of bettering our living and working conditions, ‘ight Against Ratification 7 the reconvened convention of the Tri-District will londay to ratify the betrayal. ." be on your guard. An attempt will no doubt be made to pack the convention against you, to enable the Lewis machine to shackle you: with the long term of peonage. Already the lining up of the machine is taking place to pack the convention. Do not permit them to create the same reign of terror that they have created in other conventions to pull through their treacher- ous policies. Anthracite miners, go to your local unions at once and elect progres- sive miners to represent you at the convention. Instruct them to fight against the betrayal by the Lewis machine. Spurn the machine pro- posal, and fight for your Tri-District demands. Fight for 10 per cent increase in wages. work day andiweek. No arbitration, no Fight for the shorter conciliation boards, Fight The miners have been betrayed many times, but never in history have the underground Slaves been so ruthlessly sold out as in the terms of this reported settlement. . o,° Smashes Working Conditions five year contract will result in the destruction of the miners’ con- ditions, and make of our union an instrument of the bosses to be WORKERS Fl LS RC Le * THE PASSAGE ANTHABOR LAW Form Councils Against Fingerprinting Bill The attempts of the tnion-smash- ing, anti-labor Coolidge administration to put over the Aswell bill to photo- graph, fingerprint and card index foreign-born workers in America is meeting with the most vigorous resist- ance of the workers in this country. These bills are aimed at those foreign- born workers who work in the basic industries of this country and who are the most active in the fighting for bet- ter living conditions, Councils for the protection of the foreign-born workers have been form- ed in New York City, Western Penn- sylvania and are now being formed in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland and other great centers of the country, Everywhere organized workers are beginning to see the need of uniting all of the workers in these councils to combat the anti-labor legislation that is now before con- gress, The Workers (Communist) Party, which is always in the forefront of the struggles of the workers in this country against the attacks of the bankers’ and bosses’ government, is mobilizing its entire membership to be thrown into this fight against the finger-printing bills that, will soon come before the national law-making | ; bodies for their approval. Every shop and street nuclei, every language frac- tion is being brought into action to organize councils in every city—and to acquaint the workers in the shops and factories, in the unions, fraternal organizations and workers’ clubs to the necessity of uniting forces to re- sist the passage of these laws. “The big financial and industrial magnates are now working overtime preparing a new campaign against the foreign-born workers, against the working class,” declared C. E, Ruthen- berg, secretary of the Workers (Com- munist) Party in an interview with The DAILY WORKER representative, “Congress is today ‘considering legis- lation aiming to weaken the whole working class by making it impossible for the millions of foreign-born work- ers to fight effectively against de- grading working and intolerable living conditions, Pres: t Coolidge and the millionaire secretary of Labor Davis have already come out as vigor- ous champions of these vicious anti labor laws, sponsored by every open (Continued on page 3.) GLASS. WAR PRISONERS ~TO-BE -NDED- TONIGHT: AT WORKERS’ HOUSE Are you willing to help those who are in the jails for us, the victims of capitalism who are class war prisoners held by capitalism in its dungeons? Come TONIGHT to the Workers’ House, 1902 W. Division St., where a concert and dance is given by the Russian branch of the International Labor Defense, Rus- sian and American dances, tea from a “samovar,” in the “chainaia” of the Workers’ House, etc. A good time for a good purpose. Admission only 40 cents. Beginning at 8 p. m. CHICAGO LABOR DEFENSE HOLDS BIG CONFERENCE Rally t @ Defenss of Zeigler Miners Delegates from more than 50 regu- lar branches and affiliated organiza- tions and representatives from sym pathetic groups attended the confer- ence of the Chicago International La- bor Defense at 180 West Washing- ton St. Among the affiliated organ- izations the Chicago International La- bor Defense are: Workmen's Circle branches Nos. 129 and 328; Painters No. 275; Work- ers’ Sick and Death Fund branches Nos. 194, 282 and 11; Local No, 39, Associated Clothing Workers of Ame- rica; Lettish Workers’ Club; Machin- 8’ Lodges Nos. 337 and 84; Work- ers’ Sport and Athletic Alliance; Freiheit Youth Club. Sympathetic bodies represented at the Feb, 10 conference included, the Workmen's Circle Nos. 518 and 87 (Independent) ; Workers’ Marxian Youth Alliance; International Wood Carvers’ Union; Chicago branch Left Poale Zion, ete. To Broaden |. L, D. This conference was held to stimu- late greater interest and closer rela- tions for broadening the field of the I. L, D, drawing attention to the need for ald to the Zeigler miners, to the plans for welcoming Trumbull and to the Paris Commune, its significance and the reasons its anniversary ts be- ing commemorated by Labor Defense organizations thruout the world, The national secretary of the pro- gressive miners, Brother Reid gave a stirring talk on the miners’ struggle, Past and present, and called upon the delegates to rally to their help when they are persecuted on account of their working class activity. West Virginia has been the scene of one of the biggest industrial battles ‘Continued on page 3) against the fo worse than chai 1 slaves, Down with the betrayal! term agreement that will shackle you, and make you Down with the proposed sellout! Anthracite Miners! All together! District nds! FARMERS AWAIT THE ELECTIONS Nonpartisan League Is Back Namber Now By JOHN GABRIEL SOLTIS. (Special to The Dally Worker) MINOT, N. D., Feb, 12—The poli- tical pot of this state is beginning to boll. The coming primaries in June and the elections in the fall are Prompting the politicians to look to their fences. All parties are alert. This year is especially an import ant one politically, from the stand- point of the masses of farmers, who are now in the process of orientating themselves to the rising farmer-labor party of this state. The tempo of de. velopment for the farmer-labor party. which was formed on December 8, a‘ Bismarck, will besdetermined by th political events which will transpir in the next month in this state. Farmer Thru, With League. For a decade» the non-partisan league has lead the farmers political ly. In the days avhen that organiza tion had a revolutionary ideology, i was the politicals champion of th farmers. In those days they tough for it. However,; much water ha: (Continued'on page 3) Defense Bazaar in N. Y. Proves Great Succes: NEW YORK, Feb. 12—The annual bazaar given by the International La- bor Defense last Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Gentral Opera Housc was most successful. A program har been prepared which included folk dances, athletic exhibitions, singing, and numbers by the Finnish sym phony orchestra, with dances every evening. The proceeds from the gale of the numerous articles which had been donated by sympathizers will Substantially aid the defense under- takings of the league. Wm. Weinstone told of the organization of the De- fense League and the extensive work it is carrying on in connection with such cases as those of the Zeigler miners, etc, Pascal Cosgrove, organ- izer of the Shoe Workers’ Protective Union, presided, Order a bundle of The DAILY WORKER for every mecting of your union { Fight for your Tri- Published Datly except Sunday vy THE DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO., 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Il. This Issue Consists of Two Sections. SECTION ONE. Price 5 Cents Surrenders Wage Increase; Grants 3-Year Contract (Special to The Daily Worker) PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 12.—The long five and half months’ strike of the anthracite coal miners has ended in a betrayal of the union miners into the hands of the coal barons by John L. Lewis, president of the miners’ union. In spite of the demands of the union miners for $1 a day additional pay and for a short two-year contract, President Lewis ichained the miners to the profit-producing machine of the mine owners with a five-year contract, wages to remain as they are and increases only to be granted by “mutual consent.” Thruout the entire strike Lewis, the class collaborationist, has always followed the lead of the mine owners’ spokesmen, rather than listened to the demands of the striking workers. In the settlement that has been made with the coal barons and which is to be presented to the miners’ tri-district convention that is being called for Monday for ratification he has seen to it that the owners’ interests are taken care of. The Deed Is Perpetrated. This morning the joint negotiating committee met here and after a short session, in which the betrayal of the miners was perpetrated, it adjourned. Shortly after, the miners’ scale com- mittee met and after a two-hour ses- sion announced that they had accept- ed the agreement that was reached between the owners and the Lewis regime. Following the meeting of the coal scale committee, the joint negotiating committee held another meeting and formally announced that the coal strike had been ended. PAPCUN TO SPEAK IN- MANY CITIES IN THE | GOAL MINE DISTRICTS GEORGE PAPCUN. 0 © WASS MEETINGS WILL PROTEST PAPCUN ARREST uabor Defense Plans Free Speech Fight PITTSBURGH, Pa, Feb, 12.—A eries of mass meetings to protest gainst the arrest of George Papcun vill be held in the Connelsville coke egion under th auspices of the Inter- 1ational Labor Defense. / One meeting will be held in Browns- rille Pa, at the Monongahela Hall, ligh St, S. Brownsville, Pa. on saturday night, Feb. 20 at 8 p. m. The second meeting will be held in Uniontown, Pa, at the Croatian Hall ‘ranklin street, Uniontown, Pa, on Sunday Feb, 21 at 2 p, m, The third meeting will be held in Republic, Pa, at the Croatian Hall on Sunday Feb, 21 at 7 p. m. Bronx Forum Lists New Lectures Sunday Nights NEW YORK, Feb. 12—The Bronx Forum is continuing its lively Sunday evening discussions at 1347 Boston Road, The following are the sub- jects and speakers for the next few weeks’ Feb, 14—"The Public School Sys- tem in America,” by J. 0. Bentall, and Feb, 21—"The Bread Trust*—by D, Gita. The joint negotiating committee’ then made public the terms of the settlement in the following statement: The Terms of Surrender, “1. Work shall be resumed.at once under the terms of the expired con- tract whieh, subject to modification, as hereinafter provided, shall be in force and effect until August 31, 1930. “2. Any time after January 1, 1927, not oftener than once in any year, either party may in writing propose modifications in the wage scale of said contract. The parties agree, with: in fifteen days after receipt of such written proposals, to start conferences in the usual manner in an effort to agree upon such modifications. “3. If within thirty days after the start of such negotiations, the parties have not agréed, all issues in contro- versy shall be referred to a board of two men with full power and without reservation or restriction; and the parties agree to abide by any deci- j sion or decisions of such board either on the merits of the controversy or + as to the procedure to be followed. | Such board shall be appointed as fol-| lows: “The operators shall name three ZEIGLER MINERS END TESTIMONY: STATE SUMS UP Prosecutor Plays on National Prejudices By TOM BELL (Staff Writer, Daily Worker) COURT HOUSE, Benton, Ill., Feb. 12—The case for the defense in the trial of the thirteen Zeigler miners charged with assaulting D. B. Cobb last August 11 at a meeting of Local 992 United Mine Workers has closed. Forty-two witnesses, not counting character witnesses, took the stand. Play on Prejudices, From the attitude of the prosecu- tion toward the foreign-born defense witnesses it is quite evident that they intend to direct a barrage of anti- foreign propaganda to the jury of native-born farmers to secure a ver- dict of guilty, Judge Neeley, hired by Fox, presi- dent of the miners” sub-district, to aid in the prosecution, is being groomed for the anti-foreign role, His qualifi- | cations for this can be judged by his sking a Montenegrian who came to men and the miners three. The oper-| this country in 1917 and served in the ators shall select one man from the | miners list and the miners shall se-| «41, you a Russian?” To Neeley all lect one man from the operators’ list “Russians” are scoundrels, and the two men so approved shall constitute said board.” ere Call Tri-District Convention. American army against Soviet Russia, Klansman Murders Miner. The story of the murder of Mike Sarovich was told by several wit- SCRANTON, Pa., Feb. 12 — A tri-| nesses, Dan Radisin saw Alex Hargis district convention is being called | with a gun in his belt at the meeting for Monday to take place here in an/and saw him fire the shot that killed attempt to “ratify” the Lewis betrayal. | Sarovich, Geckovich saw the shot The machine in its announcements to/| fired and helped Matt Crnofevich to the press declare that the convention | carry the dying man to the street. Joe is “merely a formality.” The Lewis | Telford, deputy sheriff of Benton, who machine is digging up all of the grave-| arrested Hargis was prevented from yard locals and is trying to pack the | telling his story by objections from coming convention so that their be- trayal will be accepted. It is expected that elections will be held tonight and tomorrow for dele- gates to the Tridistrict convention | in the various locals, shine will have far from easy sled- ding in this convention as the progres- sive miners are determined to lead the fight against this betrayal of the triking anthracite miners, The Lewis ma-| jury hearing the state’s attorney. Alex Hargis was named by a coro- nere’ jury as the murderer of Mike Sarovich. When arrested he was bail- ed out by Lon Fox. But at the grand he was released and Frank Corbishley charged with the murder. The charge against the thir- teen in this case is part of the plan to shield Hargis, klansman and sup- (Continued on page 2.) CLEVELAND, Feb, 12. collected for other purposes.” The District Executive Committee |the source of these charges: the | socialist officialdom of the Jewish | Daily Forward once stuck its nose into its nose badly scorched. In the belief CLEVELAND SOCIALISTS BLOCK RELIEF TO ANTHRACITE MINERS ‘The orgy of attacks on the relief campaign started by the Cleveland Workers’ Conference for Miners’ Relief is under way. The Cleveland Federation of Labor has warned the workers of Cleve- | land not to contribute any funds to the Cleveland Workers’ Conference, on | the grounds that the “so-called Workers Party has misappropriated funds + | that they can continue to spread these a rellef campaign and came away with | of Labor intend to do in thi cnsstainnenaninentit ANNI of the Workers (Communist) Party | ties, the Jewish Daily Forward, thru |challenges the Cleveland Federation | ity agents in Cleveland, have inspired of Labor to produce a single fact to/ the Cleveland Federation of Labor to | substantiate this baseless charge. The | make the charge again, in the hope | District Executive Committee knows |that the Cleveland worekrs will be- lieve them. What has been done. What does the Cleveland Fede: (Continued on page 2)