The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 19, 1926, Page 1

The DAILY WORKER Raises the Standard for a Workers’ and Farmers’ Government Chicago, by mail, $8.00 per year. side Chicago, by mail, $6.00 per year. es ifn is m Re e on, BENTALL os IN PASSAIC MILL STRIKE Daily Worker Reporter Arrested (Special to The Daily Worker) PASSAIC, N. J. Feb. 17—J. 0. Ben- tall, DAILY WORKER reporter and speaker at the strike meetings held by the textile workers, was summon- ed to court today as he stepped down from the platform at Bellmont Hall where he addressed a mass meeting of strikers. ‘This together with the arrest of two pickets this morning at the gates of AH! EXCELLENT, CABINET TIMBER | é } Entered as Second-class matter September 21, 1923, at the Post’ Office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, FRIDAY, F mt eo 19, 1926 S THROUGH NEW YORK EDITION 1879, by THE DAILY, WORKER ashington Blvd., Chicago, Ill. Published Datly except Sum PUBLISHING CO., 1113 W. ETRAYAL © Unseat Delegate Who Dares Attempt to Discuss Seil-Out By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL. (Special to The Daily Worker) TOWN HALL, SCRANTON, Penn., Feb. 17.—When Delegate Ed Scharfenberg, of Miners’ Local Union No. 1404, wanted to discuss the “merits and demerits” of the “Black Friday” surrender of the Lewis regime in the United Mine Workers’ Union, he was quickly gagged and unseated as a i. the strong arm tactics adopted by AMERICA SEEKS TORULE WORLD, oS" Price 3 Cents President John L. Lewis and his official henchmen in meeting the widespread discontent among the miners against the new five-year agreement. They were the tactics that the official reaction found necessary to use to jam thru the agreement that large numbers of the member- the Forstmann & Huftmann mill is taken as a signal that the bosses have decided to go the limit in breaking the stvike that is now in its fourth week and in a more healthy condition than at any time since its inception. Jack Rubenstein and Bela Varga are the two pickets dragged to jail this morn- ing when they insisted on their right to picket before the gate of the mill inste: of moving down to. the cemetery gate two blocks away as ordered by the cops. ‘ Advise Picketing Cemetery. “We are not trying to picket the dead, we are here to picket the living so they will not join the dead too soon by starving to death,” was their reply to the police and this sounded,entirely too intelligent to be allowed to spread in the town that is shipping its mill slaves via the hearse to the potters’ field very frequently as their bodies give in under the strain of hard work and low wages and little good, Bentall has not been on. the picket line but he has explained’ very the ‘tactics of the bosses apd -shown}- the workers that they must organize, and it is understood that this is a crime in the three towns that are | now in a life and death struggle. The new tactics of the bosses seem to be to hound all progressive workers and they have thus far netted over half a dozen. The two arrested this morning have been very active and have had much influence upon the workers. dt is pos- ‘sible, that the bosses think that there are none to take their places. The strikers claim they have 10,000. good and husky men and women to step right in as soon as the police take any to the bull pen. . “You are to picket at the gates,” said Weisbord giving special instruc- tion to the pickets not to be afraid to do their duty. “Picket the gates,” he repeated. “Never mind the ceme- tery. The dead need no picketing. We want the living to know that we are not going to give in to the bosses. Show that you are alive. Let the bosses picket the cemetery. if they want to.” A statement by the mayor of Passaic offered his good offices to the bosses to help settle the strike. He wants the strikers to go back to the jobs and after they are back he sug- gests that their grievances be taken up and settled in a peaceful way. Organizer Weisbord, in behalf of the United Front Committee of Tex- tile Workers, made the following reply: “The attempt of the Eastside Busi- ness Men’s Association to terminate the strike can have but one meaning; and that is that the mill owners are beginning to weaken before the mighty“blows of the strikers’ organi- zation, the United Front Committee of Textile Workers. . “The strikers are well aware of the fact that many strikes that have been won du@ to the strong organization of the workers have been lost by the workers falling“for the spurious man- uvers of the bosses and they consider «Continued on page 2) SEVEN KILLED IN KENTUCKY MINE EXPLOSION Four of Rescue Crew F atally Gassed CENTRAL CITY, Ky, Feb, 17— Soven men are dead as the result of the explosion of a “solid” shot in the Nelson Creek Coal company mine near here. Three were killed outright, four would-be rescuers were fatally gassed when they entered the shaft and six others still are suffering from the ef fects of the fumes. draft’ advocate to the reviewing authoriti SUGAR KINGS FIGHT LABOR Unions Hard »Hit and Meetings Banned (Special-to The Daily Worker) HAVANA, Cuba, Feb. 17.—Taking advantage of the removal of interna- tional pressure following the release of Julio Antonio Mella from prison, the Machado government is going ahead with redoubled vigor and fe- rocity in its mercenary campaign to smoothe the road of American impe- rialism on the island. U. S, Amb: dor Crowder and the sugar kings are now more than ever the rulers of Cub: Arrests, intimidation and ar- bitrary assault are the order of the day. Two elements of the population are the victims of this imperialist, reign of terror which the traitorous Presi- dent Machado is carrying out for Wal Street; they are the nationalists Wh« | demand the dismissal of Ambassador Crowder and the abrogation of the Platt amendment, and the militant workers who have been trying to or- ganize the sugar workers, Union offices have been closed down, , organizations disrupted ag meetings placed under ban. The sugar crisis still steutin wie with the military playing the leading. role in dealing with Cuban “colonos” who refuse to accept the terms of the big American compani Marine Transport Union Demands the Release of Cline NEW ORLEANS — (FP) — Pardons for the fighters for Mexican freedom serving life terms for the death of a deputy during a guhrunning encounter on the Texas border during the days of Diaz are asked of the state of Texas by the Marine Transport Workers’ Union of New Orleans. _ Reduce Draft SPATTLE—(FP)—The tence of Dr. A. C, Silverberg, all , will be reduced to 1 year if the recommendation of the judge tence at Washington is agreed to. In the meantime counsel for Silverberg is taking steps for a writ of habeas Tom Mooney Is Mooney is suffering from gastric ul- cers. prison hospital a few weeks ago, but is ill again. INDIANA MINERS Union Ptans intense Or- four-hundred union miners in more than one-hundred automobiles drove to the John Bull mine four miles west of here and demanded that the union miners quit their posts, as they were working on a co-operative basis which was said to be strictly against union rules. miners left their jobs and virtually every mine in “Warrick county has been closed, this TRADE UNIGN CLASS TO DEBATE “PIECE-WORK VS, WEEK-WORK” TONIGHT “Piece-work vs. Week work” will be the subject of the debate at the Chicago Workers’ School class in Trade Union Work tonight at 19 S. Lincoln street. Besides devoting one and a half hours every Thursday night to studying the aims and purposes of the trade unions, how_they function, their history, and ‘how Communists must work within the union to make them militant factors in the struggle between the workers and their exploiters, an hour is devoted to the training of students to take the floor in their union and present a logical aagument for their posi- tion. Every Workers (Communist) Party member belonging to a trade union should attend this class and gain a better understanding of how Communist work in the unions should be carried on, Seriously Ill SAN QUENTIN, Cal.—(FP)—Tom He was discharged from the TIE UP WARRICK COUNTY MINES ganization Drive BLOONVILLE, Ind., Feb. 17 — Over Following this demonstration the This walk-out climaxes the cam- paign’ launched by ,wnton miners in southern Indiana coal fields several eeks ago to unionize all mines ih ction, many, of which have been SENATE BATTLE OVER MUSCLE SHOALS OPENS Norris Leads Fight for Government Operation (Special to The Daily Worker) WASHINGTON, Feb. battle over leasing the government's $150,000,000 water-power project at Muscle Shoals to private industry will open in the senate Monday. This be- came certain today when senator Norris, republican, of Nebraska, leader of the insurgent bloc, served notice he would vigorously oppose the house resolution, which provides for ultimate private leasing. The re- publican steering. committee has placed this resolution first on the sen- ate’s program. Administration leaders predict its early: adoption, In opposing private leasing, Norris declared it woul@ lead to a water- oower monopoly. “In 25 or 50 years,” he declared, “ifywe give away our water-power reSources, we will suffer not only at the hands of coal barons but at the hands of water-power barons. Some day there will be another great strike—a strike {by the consumers against both codh and water-power barons for the right to live and to use the natural resources given to us by almighty god.” ' Four bills all proposing a govern- ment commission )to operate the pro- Ject for thelevelopment of fertilizer processes with federal-controlled sales are now before the senate agriculture committee. Congress Again Gives Lie to Disarming Bunk (Special to The Daily Worker) WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 The holise naval affairs committee today tentatively approved a five-year naval aviation program calling for the ex- penditure of $100,000,000 for 1,000 planes and two dirigibles, to be three times the size of the wrecked Shenan- doah, The total appropriation was about three-fifths of the amount originally asked for by Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, chief of naval aeronautics, If you want to thoroughly un- derstand Communism—-study it 17—A new ship had repudiated in the meetings of their local unions, President Lewis was acting as permanent chairman of the convention when Delegate Scharfenberg asked for the floor. “For what purpose do you “To discuss the merits and is now before the convention,” rise?” asked Lewis. demerits of the agreement that replied Scharfenberg. The Machine in Action. Lewis seemed a little dazed. He got nervous. Then from the other side of the hall up spoke his loyal henchman, Leo Hornsby, of Local No, 2439, of NaREOOKE. the chief sergeant-at- arms of the convention. Lewis breathed a sigh of re- lief. “J object to this man being given the floor,” declared Horns- by. “I charge he is a member of the progressive miners’ committee and that he was put out of the Plymouth policy committee meeting for distri buting red literature.” Hornsby then read a clause from the constitution’ which declared that any member of the miners’ union found belonging to a rival organiza- tion, citing the I. W. W., the O. B. U. and other ‘similar “organizations should be expelled. Lewis immediately set up a trial court with himself as prosecutor, judge and jury. “Did you distribute this literature?” he asked, glaring at Scharfenberg and demanding, “answer yes or no.’ Scharfenberg refused to answer “yes” or “no,” but admitted he had distributed the literature, “Do you believe what this litera- ture contains?” scowled Lewis some more, again demanding, “answer yes or no.” “I cannot answer that yes or no,” replied Scharfenberg, and began ans- wering in his own way when he was cut off by President Lewis declaring “the delegate refuses to reply. We'll leave it to the convention.” By that time the Lewis henchmen in the gathering were yelling “throw him out, throw him out,” with the great mass of the delegates sitting quiet however. “May I state my defense?” asked |Scharfenberg during a lull, as Lewis hesitated putting the matter of un- seating him to a vote. “You refuse to answer,” Lewis. “I refuse to answer unless I am permitted to answer my own way,” Scharfenberg hurled back. “The question here at issue is whether you are an honorable member of the miners’ union or a traitor,” Lewis parried. “I'll work for the miners’ union on the inside as long as I can,” replied Scharfenberg, “and if I am thrown jout I shall continue working for it on ‘the outside.’ This brot some applause from the jdelegates on the floor and from the jrank and file miners in the galleries. Lewis was chewing viciously on his cigar and yelling to the miners in the galleries who were applauding that they were not participating in the convention, that the delegates in the convention were seated on the floor. In the general uproar Lewis went into session with the other officials on the platform. They discussed ex- citedly together for several minutes while Scharfenberg held his place and the convention once more composed itself. Finally Lewis returned for another try with the delegate who was insisting on discussing the agree- ment. “There is raised here a grave ques- tion,” Lewis began again. “Do you, or do you not believe in the state- ments contained in the literature taken from you when you were un- seated as a member of the Plymouth policy committee?” Oust Questioner, “I think I have the right to believe anything that I please as long as 1 do not believe anything to the detri- ment of the United Mine Workers of America,” declared Schartenberg. “Are you,” c) <Continwed ‘Uh page 2.) yelled LEON TROTSKY SAYS TROTSKY Labor Bureaucrats Aid Imperialist Aims (Special to The Dally Worker) MOSCOW, U. &. S. R., Feb, 17— America no longer thinks in terms of countries that she may dominate with her great reservoirs of gold but in terms of continents, declared Leon Trotsky in a speech in which he traced the imperialist development of the United States. He pointed out that today America is gaining a greater stranglehold on the nations of Europe and that with her vast sums of gold she is changing governments and upholding governments at will. He pointed out that tho America was not a member of the league of nations that its ruling clase pulled strings in the. league. of. nations and were able to force thru policies they desired. } “The United States’ strength re- servoir is its sixty million gold re- serve, This is mighty music, of which (Continued on page 33 CHINESE POLICE CHIEF ARRANGES FOR EXECUTIONS Agrees to Kill Natives Held by Foreigners (Special to The Daily Worker) SHANGHAI, Feb. 17—Shifting po- litical fortunes of succeeding Chinese commanders controlling the Shanghai area have been keeping alive over 200 unfortunates who expected to be dead long ago. Fate is fast. overtaking them and Shanghai for the next few weeks will witness a series of grue- some executions. The 200 are Chinese prisoners who have been under sentence of death in the prisons of the international and French settlements for more than a year. In conjunction with the head of the present Chinese regime the foreign atthorities have lately com- pleted arrangements, as was done be- fore, to carry out the death sentences. Five to ten condemned men from each of the concessions will bevexecutel each week until the, entire number have been killed. Chang Commander Willing. When the warfare just . outside Shanghai came to an end late in 1924, the administration of the Chinese area adjoining the settlements: was’ com- pletely disrupted, a condition that con- tinued for over a year. During: his brief rule, Gen. Shing - Shih‘Lein, Fengtien (Chang Tso Lin's army) commander, ousted four months ago, undertook to receive the condemned men, then numbering about 160. © It was announced Ahat executions would take place regularly until all had been disposed of. Twelve men were put to death publicly, after having been paraded thru the streets of the foreign settlements. Then came a new shift of power and the condemned | were left in the hands of the foreign | authorities, New Arrangements Made. Under the terms of the new = ar- rangement, the prisoners will be handed over in groups to Colonel Yen Tsung-Yang, of the Woosung and Shanghai constabulary and, ,com- mander of the martial law area bere. The international settlement police each Tuesday” will deliver into eus tody of the martial law forces a batch of from five tO ten condemned men, Lewis started once while the French concession authori- ties wil do the same each Friday. men | + Mussolini Hatches New Fake Assassination Plot (Special to The Daily Worker) LONDON, Feb. 17—The Populo dt Roma, Premier Mussolini’s personal organ, reports that a plot to assassi- nate him has been discovered. Dr. Antonio Careri has confessed to the police. He implicates two members of the chamber of deputies’ opposi- tion, Mantini and Dullo, and 30 others. All those involved were creditors of Careri. Numerous additional arrests are expected. It has been the dictator’s custom to announce the discovery of plots against himself whenever he felt his power slipping, the excuse enabling him to make way with his political enemies. The Central News, the office ial Italian agency responsible for the dispatch, reports that “the police are handling the affair with great thoro- ness.” As the tactics of the fascisti are to get rid of their opponents by any means whatever, it is expected that those arrested will be subjected to medieval tortures and perhaps death. Union Yellow Cab SAN FRANCISCO—-(FP)—The ‘Yel- low Cab Co., which has absorbed all other taxi companies in San Francisco, has at last agreed to unionizing its employes, More than 400 drivers were voted into the chauffeurs union, and @ new. -wage scale was established, Drivers will receive $4 a day and com- mission, Previously Yellow Cab drivers received $125 to $190 a month, and Checker Cab drivers (the chief company consolidated with the Yel- low) $4.50 a day without commission. DISPUTE OVER TYROL FLARES UP IN AUSTRIA Chancellor Castrigates Italian Ruler (Special to The Datty Workert VIENNA, Feb, 17—The Southern Tyrol dispute flared forth again today. Dr. Rudolf .Ramek, chancellor and minister of the interior, made a bitter attack in a speech before the Aus- wlan parliament upon the faseisti gov. ernment and Premier Mussolini, } y