The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 21, 1926, Page 4

MRICS i L'a Se Published by the DAILY WCRKER PUBLISHING CO. 21138 W. Washington Blvd,, Chicago; IL. Phone Monroe 4712 SUBSCRIPTION RATES By mail (in Chicago only): By mail (outside of Chicago): $8.00 per year $4.50 six months | $6.00 per vear $3.50 six months $2.50 three months $2.00 three months Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER, 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, lilinols J, LOUIS ENGDAHL WILLIAM F, DUNNE MORITZ J, LOEB.. ie —————— Entered as second-class mail September 21, 1923, at the post-office at Cht- cago, Ill, under the act of March 3, 1879. Editors .Business Manager 290 Advertising rates on application, = = Mellon—Outlaw! After combining with the Coolidge-Mellon republicans to put over the program of the House of Morgan to force United States adherence to the world court, the democrats, for the purpose of creating an issue in the coming congressional elections, have thrown their forces on the side of the insurgent republicans in an assault upon the Mellon aluminum trust. Not that they are opposed to trusts, but they want to unseat the republicans so they can loot the country for their own political henchmen. The Morgan coalition, now that the international interests of Wall Street have been adequately protected, dissolve and the demo- eratic-insurgent coalition takes its place. Mellon’s machine, con- fronted with this new alignment is a minority in the senate. But there are means of defense of an administration party even tho it is in a minority. It has the executive machinery in its hands to help it carry out its banditry. Attorney General Sargeant, head of the department of justice, has already submitted a report white- washing the aluminum trust. The republican caucus has moved to enforce a rule prohibiting investigations unless they are approved by a committee under republican control. Democratic ingenuity may be able to find a way to force the issue and bring the fight to the senate floor, where the teapot dome Scandals of 1924 may be repeated, with the hope of crippling the Coolidge-Mellon machine. Mellon is the real president of the United States. Coolidge is a mere puppet, mentally incapable of understanding the role he plays as the scullion for the great ‘monopolistic concerns. Mellon, himself, is a plain brigand, an outlaw, using the office he holds to further the illegal growth of the monopoly of which he is the chief beneficiary—the aluminum trust. In order to avoid this identical corruption that now prevails in the administration the original act creating the treasury depart- ment, which was drafted by Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams and Attorney General John Randolph, decreed in section 8, the following: “AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, that no person appointed to any office instituted by this act shall directly, or indirectly, be concerned or interested in carrying’on the business of trade or com- merce, or be owner in whole or in part any sea vessel, or purchase for himself or another in trust for him any public lands or other public property, or be concerned in the purchase or disposal of any public securities of any state or the United States, or take or apply to his own use any emolument or gain for negotiating any business in the department other than what shall be allowed by law; and if any person shall offend any of the prohibitions of this act he shall be guilty of a.high misdemeanor and forfeit to the United States the penalty of $3,000, and shall upon conviction be removed from office and be forever thereafter incapable of holding any office un- der the United States.” Many precedents are established under which Mellon is in viola- tion of this identical sectiton of the act creating the treasury de- partment. The most noted instance was that of A. T. Stewart, a retail merchant who owned the concern now known as Wanna- makers. Stewart was appointed secretary of the treasury by Presi- dent U. S. Grant. The appointment was confirmed by the senate. When the attention of Grant was called to the fact that Stewart was violating the law by holding office since he was engaged “in trade and commerce,” the president recommended to both houses that Stewart be exempted by joint-resolution from the provisions of the bill. . Failing in this, Stewart’s resignation was demanded and secured. But then, what do capitalist laws amount to when they . interfere with the plunderbund? We do not relate these facts because we expect Mellon to ob- serve the law, or because we believe the democrats one whit better, but only that workers may come to despise with an implacable hatred the Wall Street government at Washington and determine to estab- lish in its place a workers’ government. . Defamer of Soviets Croaks Archbishop John Cieplak, Polish prelate, imported to this coun- try by the priests*of that church in order to try to arrest the tendency of Polish people to leave the church, is dead in P; Ne lies « being released from a Soviet prison whence he was sent for con- spiring with others to prevent the Soviets relieving the sufferers in the famine region. As an agent of allied imperialism This meddle- some old fool got in jail. His whimpering, disgustingly servile at- titnde in face of a prison sentence eyoked such contempt on the part of the authorities that he was released. This short jail experience as a white guard hireing was the excuse for his parading thrnout this country as a martyr in order to inveigle Polish people back to the portals of the temples of super- stition. But the machine age of capitalism has a method of its own of blasting all feeling of re Cieplak achieved litte for the chu Passaic where the te people of his type are utilized for strikebreaking purposes, as was shown by the anthracite barons using the priest, Curran to aid John L. Lewis in his betrayal of the miners. h here. The fact that he died in * . Exposes Role of Army Major General Robert Lee Bullard, one of the notorious labor- hating mercenaries of big capital and head of the national security league, has again lifted the lid on the war department. This time the major general, speaking before the government club in the Hotel Astor in New York, revealed the fact that the now almost forgotten Ole Hansen, mayor of Seattle during the great general strike in that city in 1919, was a mere tool for the war department and that he only acted after the military authorities told him what to do, Bullard told his audience: “I am letting you in on a military secret when I tell you that Ole Hanson was called up from the office of the secretary of war in Washington, and told that we must have backbone in meeting the crisis, He was told the army would back him up in whatever steps he undertook.” For years we have exposed the army as a strikebreaking agency. Now it is thus stigmatized by one of the epauletted swashbuckling thugs of the war department itself. THE DAILY WORKER THE DAILY WORKER) ‘Workers(Communist) | Party Our Tasks in the Trade Unions| By ARNE SWABECK. yer more clearly the fundamental line of policy pursued by the present trade union offictaldom is be- coming shaped to fit into the whole framework of American imperialism. Not only are the various class colla- boration schemes being imposed upon the rank and file membership in con- stantly “improved” form*to more ef- fectively delude the victims, but a complete theory is cunningly being worked out to justify these schentes; while the unions, viewed from their historical perspective, are losing in membership, in conditions once ob- tained and in fighting ability. Surely the antidote to this gradual decay is the building of a virile tft wing movement as a prerequisite to nfusing the unions with a new mill- tancy. The Communist fractions are the instruments with which to build and strengthen the left wing move- ment. Unceasing and systematic ac- tivities by the Communists within the :nions is the only real guarantee for eaching this object. Every Commun- ist must as a first step become a mem- ber of a union. The Role of the Trade Unions, In order not to draw the wrong con- clusions from the present deplorable status of the trade unions, it is well |for us to remember Lenin’s statement that: “The trade unsons are the ele- mentary class organizations of * the workers.” However, not only to ac- knowledge their value as basic instru- ments of the masses ta defend their class interests and continually im- prove their economic position but it is also necessary to give conscious, or- ganized direction, to build and strengthen the unions, to fit them for their historic role, viz., to throw mass- es into action—to become instruments of the proletarian revolution—and to become the principal builders of the new society. Lenin formulated the tasks of the party in this respect as follows: “The engine is the party, its cogs grip the cogs of the trade union wheel and bring them into motion, the trade unions in turn set into mo- tion the greater masses.” This, however, will require intensive schooling of the party membership to become equipped with the necessary understanding. We must understand ‘tile strike is now raging may be significant as| Council met, the elementary needs of the unions, learn how to build constructively, ac- quire the correct approach to the masses and pursue the tactics which will lead to an ever deeper penetra- tion. Ours is the task to completely root out the class collaboration poli- cies which simply lay the basis for outright betrayal to capitalism. As Lenin says further: “That the unions are made up of workers is not enough. They represent an organization of nly If they pursue a class polloy.” Class Collaboration in More Modern Clothing. The latest “achieyement” of the trade union officialdomt in their en- deavors to further tie the unions to the capitalist chariot is the so-called “new wage theory” enunciated by the last American Federation of Labor convention. We quo } part from the report of the ci fittee on the executive council re . We urge wu everywhere: That wage reductions ani upon’. management selling prices may” lower and wages higher. To ‘end we re- commend ¢ooperat study of waste in production... “Social ‘inequality, Mmdustrial in- stability and injustice. unless the workers’ ‘wages, the purchasing’ power heir wages, coupled with a cont lng reduction in the number of »making up proportion to man’s er of production.” The report was ai mous vote, iy | The declaration tained in that last paragraph is, of jurse, correct and is quite a departure from usual statements coming from that source. But to the, American Federation of Labor leadership, and to the trade un- ion leadership in general it represents nothing but a phrase. The real em- phasis is being put on the recommenda- tion for cooperation with management toward elimination of waste. In ather words to aid in making industry more productive and more profitable. With this policy th icialdom tends to meet the co “open shop” attacks. It is not a policy but represents a delibe: ‘ort to ne- gate the fighting abi unions and to dest basis, The more this is actually put into effect, the the results will accelerate the present decay. It is conceived in the same spirit with which President Greén made the state. ment at the last A. F, of L. convention that in America there is no need for the class struggle. Facts Show Different Picture. What does our experience show? The class struggle in its’most ruthless form,—Mr. Green nogwithstanding. Following immediately fupon. the in- dustrial depression an@ great unem- ployment during 1920-21 the employ- ers were quick to take all possible ad- vantage. The “open shop” campaign class 1000 set in full force stretching way into 1922. No efforts were spared to at- tempt to smash the unions. All a forces of government were mobiliz to crush the workers’ strikes and hel, lower working conditions.. The un- fons suffered in every respect. The membership of the A. F, of L., despite the following period of prosperity has gone down from over 4 million in 1920 to 2,877,297 at the end of 1925. Real wages have decreased despite the prosperity period. Although cer- tain “trades, such as building trades, have been very fortunate in main- taining their wage standard, the ex- tent of reduction for the multitudes can be measured by the figures pub- lished by the U. S. department of labor showing the average wage of common laborers over the whole coun- try in 1920 to be 49¢ per hour and in 1925 to be 38 cents per hour. Of course, the cost. of living was higher in 1920, but nothing further need be said. In many instances the working hours have been lengthened. . While the unskilled, unorganized were the heaviest hit, nothing can compensate the unions for their lost fighting ability, Building the Future Leadership. The downward slide has reached its crowning debacle in the betrayal of the anthracite miners. 158,000 min- ers sold out, their strike defeated de- spite their readiness to fight. The op- erators won the day and it will become the signal to a renewed union smash- ing campaign all along the line. The employers will be preparing while the union officialdom prattle about co- operation with employers toward ell- mination of waste in production. The trade unions, however, will be compelled to fight or succumb. We say choose the former and make it a real job. That necessitates the pur- suattce of a class policy. It cannot be expected that the pre- sent trade union leadership should pursue such a class policf or regard the trade unions as class organiza- tions. Yet while that remains the task for the future leadership it is neces- sary meanwhile to prepare the unions for the immediate struggles to come. The Communist fractions must take the initiative. The coming “open shop” campaign, the attempted wage reductions will make the issues clear and also put them on an elementary basis, Naturally it must be along these lines that the fractions proceed to organize and broaden the left wing. On the simple issues of fight jagainst wage cuts, against deterioration of working conditions, for the organiza- tion of the- unorganized and. the strengthening of the unions and against the policy of class collabora- tion, 4 WORKER. CORRESPONDENTS BY JANUARY 13 5 1927 Next Week’s Prizes! First Prize—A valuable founta Second Prize—Karl Marx’s “C: Third Prize—Lenin on Organization. jin pen. apital,” Vol. No. 1, Be sure to send your name and address with the story. We cannot forward prizes if we do not know FORDS, N. J., LABOR TO CO-OPERATE how to reach you, FAKERS REFUSE FOR MINERS’ RELIEF By a Worker Correspondent FORDS, N. J., Feb, — At a recent meeting of the local branch of the In- assaic, ternational Labor Defense I was ap Cieplak was used to disseminate the most monstrous pointed to visit the local unions for inst the Soviet Union’ and was hailed as a martyr after |the purpose of organizing a relief com- mittee to help the striking union coal miners. This has given me an op- jiortunity to see the treachery of the union officials of Fords, N. J. I visited the Hod Carriers local first and after finishing my appeal for the organization of a miners’ relief com- mittee in Fords, N, J., 1 was informed by the officials that the union could not act unless authorized by the Cen- tral Labor Council, That same even- ing I visited the plumbers’ local and there I was refused admittance al ice for saints and miracles and | cogether. The next evening the Central Labor I arrived early. I was going to present this thing to the offi- cers in whom I formerly had some confidence, I met the president and a few others, I presented the’ propo- sition to them addressing myself to the president. I told him it was the opinion of workers that something more than merely a donation from the union treasury should be done to assist the striking miners. I told him about the relief committee of the I, L, D. and asked his permission to address the meeting. He absolutely refused to give me the floor. He said that organized la- bor has already done its share to- wards helping the mipers for has not each union donated a sum of money. An official from,the United Brother- hood of Carpenters and Joiners of America by the name of Warren came up to me. He called me into a back room and began in this fashion: “Say you are sending me union tickets and literature for your I. L, D, but I will not support it because all of your members are not citizens, I want you to understand that we do not take anyone iato our union unless he is a citizen, and we will have nothing to do with any organization that takes in non-citizens,” a I answered anyone* can become a member of the I. L. Dt whether he is a citizen or not a§ long as he is a worker and understands. the necessity of defending the workers in and out- side of prison, The he answered: “Aw, to hell with the Wérkers!” This is,the answeral received from the union officials of Fords, N. J. when appealing for help tor the striking coal miners, é —————— Worren, O., Négroes * Show Interest in Negro Labof Congress By a Worker Correspondent WARREN, 0., Fb, 19.—Loyott Fort Whiteman spoke in Warren to/a fine meeting of Negroyworkers of this town, His audience consisted of sorhe of the real workers of the mills and factories who were there to listen to ‘his speech on the ‘work of the Amer- ican Negro Labor Congress. His talk upon how the Negro was to emancipate himself from his de- plorable condition was an inspiration to his hearers and they Mstened and drank in the many well told and point- ed illustrations on how the colored worker in the mines and mills had to endure the most deplorable conditions due to the fact that he was not or- ganized and that he still was hitched to the bosses both pplitically and in- dustrially, thru his Imck of organiza- tion and education industrial lines, A nice collection taken up and quite a few subscriptions for the Negro Champion we meeting. : received at the PROLET-TRIBUNE NO. 5, RUSS LIVING NEWSPAPER, WILL BE OUT TONIGHT The next issue of Prolet-Tribune, the Russian living newspaper, will be out Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Workers’ House, 1902 W. Division St. It willl be the fifth number of the paper. Beginning at 8 P. M, Lakewood Hotel Workers Must Organize to Better Conditions By M. SCHNEIDER (Worker Correspondent) LAKEWOOD, N., J., Feb. 19.—This town is mostly visited by parasites who come here for the week-end: Many of their families stay here all year around, Most of them are either dress manufacturers or chain restau- rant owners. There are two hotels here—one the Fairmount and the other the Clar- endon. At the Fairmount conditions are better than at the Clafendon. The bell boys in the Fairmount receive $20 . month, no days off. One day they work 12 hours and the following day 6 hours. This continues thru | the busy season whieh lasts about six to seven months, The’ tips they are sup- posed to depend on for a living are very small and scarce, The girls in the dining room and alsq the chambermaids work from 8 to # hours a day for $30 a month, The foofl that is given them is very poor. The boys and the chambermaids are those who suffer most on account 0} food that is so badly prepared that it is hardly digestible. When there is a little better food there is less of it and the workers must leave the table feeling very hungry. The girls in the dining room get a little better food. The only way that these workers can change their condi- tions for the better"is thru organizing into-a union and demanding better conditions from their bosses. Notes to Correspondents, © John H. Hanson, Farmer Gorre- spondent, is requested to kindly send is address to the office of The DAILY WORKER for our records, WIN THE Y CONDUCTED - BY TH Forward to a Workers’ Sport Movement! Today the’fundamental, the all-im- portant task confronting our league is the broadening of its base among the young workers, i. e., the mass recruit- ing of new members. It is aboslutely essential for our reorganized, but numerically weakemed league that it assimilate new elements. In order to do this it must penetrate into the new masses of young workers. The reorganization ‘of the league while temporarily causing loss in mem- bership, nevertheless prepares the ground for mass activity. The confer- ence of the young workers in eastern Ohio and the intensification of the trade union economic work are slowly moving us toward mags activity. But there is another way in which we can approach, influence and win large masses of young workers,’a way which we have completely neglected in the past, and that is thru sports work. The Young Communist International has time and again pointed out the im- portance of sport work as part of the activities of its sections. At the fourth world congress it declared: “The work in the workers’ sport or- ganizations, having regard to the pres- ent world political situations is of the greatest importance, The fourth world congress gives the Communist leagues the task of taking up the work in the workers’ sport and athletic organ- izations much more strongly. They must take the initiative in the forma- tion of workers’ sport and athletic or- ganizations where such are not al- ready in existence.” Break the Capitalist Sport Monopoly. Because of the present situation in which the league finds itself, and be- cause of the objective sport conditions in this country, these words of the Y. C. I, assume the greatest signifi- cance fer us. The capitalist monopoly of sports must be broken thru the building up of a powerful, mass work- ers’ sport organization based on the principle of the class struggle. And it will be the historical role of the Young Workers League to lead in this work, and to give it energy and direction. Communist Activity Thru Sports, Sports work offers our league splen- did opportunities for its Communist activities. Thru the building of a working class sports’ organization we WING WORKERS LEAGUE create a means of gaining contact with large masses of young workers who we could not otherwise reach. It is obvious that the existence of @ mass. workers’ sport organization (with our: fractions functioning with- in) would prove an_ inexhaustible source of , rl to our league— numerically, Minancially, and in all of its campaigns and activities, Thru our fractions we could bring our program before the membershIp,:we could or- ganize united front campaigns and demonstrations, and bring out the members to our meetings, and affairs. In general the sports organization can be to the Young Workers League what the workers’ clubs and fraternal organizations are to the party: a rich field for propaganda and agitation, as well as a reserve of sympathizers and potential members, Organizing Workers’ Sporte, As the first step toward the sys- tematic organization of sports work on a national scale, it is necessary to gather together and unify all of the existing working class sport bodies into a single whole. With the league and party comrades assuming leading roles (by dint of their con- structive activity) a real organization campaign can then be launched, The American youth readily lends to or ganization on the basis of sports. This reflects itself in the innumerable ath- letic clubs that sprout up in every neighborhood. However, ‘these clubs are very short lived because they lack leadership, organization connec- tions and @ class basis, As our work wbroadens and develops, members of the workers’ sport organizations can be sent into these clubs, whose mem- bers are mainly young workers, and they can be won over. Work Among the Rural Youth, In.our work among the rural youth, we can use sports to great advantage. In this field the bourgeoisie ts just ers’ sport movement can meet it with- out. the technical difficulties (gymna- siums, flelds, ete.) that it encounters in the cities, Another phase of our sport activity will be in connection with thé work- ers’ children. Large numbers of work- ing class children are drawn into the orbit of bourgeoisie sport iniluence, and this must and can. be combatted by the building of a children’s sport movement, with the Young Pioneers as the kernel. —P. Cc. eta aap ew https = omen ash baa ng Young Girl Arrested By a Young Worker Correspondent. PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Mary Fret- thick, .14 years old, of 1113 Saw Mill Way, northside, was pinched for try- ing to take some silk hose in a depart- ment store here. It was found that Mary’s father was killed in a mill accidént three years ago. The state compensation board al- lowed the widow of this worker mere- ly $12 a week, with which she had to take care of a family of 6 children besides herself. Then an attorney came around and told the mother that he could get her more compensation if she would sign over the balance due her from the cor- poration where her husband was killed, The mother complied with the at- torney’s request little dreaming that he was working for the very corpora- tion where her husband had worked. The attorney wanted more money be- fore he would handle the case for her. So the mother started to work, 1. e., took in washing and because of over- work soon took sick and died. Then Mary had to quit school, and go to work. To help keep the family together she worked as domestic help which pays in Pittsburgh from $6 to $6 a week. But Mary, young as she ds, was not satisfied with the fake attorney's tale, Yesterday she had a friend call up Harrisburg, Pa., and there she found out that no attorney tried to get an inerease in the compensation, So Mary started for home. She could not resist the temptation of get- ting a look at some real, clothing and therefore started to walk thru @ department store. Her desire for new clothes proved too strong, and she started to take a pair of silk stock- ings. She was caught and arrested by one of the so-called store “dicks,” and is now being held on a charge of larceny. Now she is branded as a thief. What a joke it is to say that everybody is equal! LS Toledo Debate Arouses Interest of Workers By a Worker Correspondent TOLEDO, Ohio, Feb, 19 — Two con- flicting opinions will clash Saturday night, Feb, 20, 8 p, m., at.716 Jefferson, Ave,, at a debate over tactics in the working class struggle. Karl E. Pauli holds the opinion that atheism is the sole road to economic emancipation, Alex Schwarzenfeld holds the opinion that the struggle must be on all fronts, not only one. The question is: “Resolved that atheism is the road to economic emancipation of the workers.” The proceeds of the debate will be divided between the American Asso- |; ciation for the Advancement of Athe- ism and The DAILY WORKER. CORRECTION, In the article appearing in * this column two days ago: An answer to the Young Jewish Marxian Alliance, there appeared the statement that the Young Workers League is sanction- ing the organization of Freiheit Youth Clubs “all over the country.” The writer was using a Chicago example. We participate in th® organization of y@ing Jewish workers’ clubs, under certain conditions, where clubs of such a character do not exist, ete. Folk Dance, Feb. 27. A folk dance will be held by the Young Workers League of Cleveland, Saturday, Feb. 27, at South Slavic Hall, 6607 St. Clair Ave. Begins at 6:30 sharp, Good music and. big pro- |! . All workers are cordially in- vied. Admission tree, Naturally, clubs choose their own 4 Night of the Bronx Youth. The Bronx section of the Young Workers League will hold an affair on Saturday evening, March 13, at 1347 - Boston Road, Bronx. This is the first affair of the Bronx working youth this year. An interesting program of Plays, games, song and dancing will be given. All working youth of Greater New York is invited. Remember the date and place, Y. W. L. AGITPROP HEADS, Attend the party agitprop confer- ence this.Sunday at 10 a, m,, at the Freiheit office, 3209 W, Roosevelt Rd. Room 14. Duroflax Binding Cloth Bound ad nee ‘ ‘ ri] beginning to penetrate and the work-, ————__]