The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 31, 1926, Page 5

PEERLESS LIGHT COMPANY GIRLS DO DIRTY WORK More Freedom in Prison Than in This Shop By a Worker Correspondent, The Peerless Light company, Union avenue and Washington boulevard, is an open-shop concern, The boss and the foreman are the supreme rulers in this place. Mose of the workers are young people. The work is hard and dirty. The girls have such dirty work here that they never go out without gloves, It takes at least fifteen minutes every day to wash their hands. Only the forelady is allowed to wash her hands before the bell rings. Wages in this shop are low and the hours are long. The conditions are miserable. Hiring and firing go on without interruption. The workers are forbidden to talk to each other—not even to ask a ques- tion. A shopmate of mine was fired for talking to her neighbor. When a worker goes to the washroom the fore- man times them. If the boss thinks the worker has taken too much time the worker is fired. When the boss gets a big order everybody must work overtime with- out extra pay. To refuse to work overtime means to lose the job. These are the conditions in the shops where workers are not organ- ized. The things for us to do is to organize ourselves into a union and demand better conditions, higher wages, shorter hours and cleaner work tor girls, Churches are Losing Customers; Advertise to Get More Business By a Worker Correspondent NEW YORK, March 29. — The churches are losing customers.. The Willis avenue Methodist Episcopal church, located at 141st street and Willis avenue, has just erected a large billboard in front of the church, A picture of Christ is in the center of the billboard, with outstretched hands, On each side of his hands stands a church. On top the sign reads, “Righteousness Exalteth a Na- tion.” On the bottom it reads, “Come unto me and I will give you. rest.” The top of the sign has the name of the General Outdoor Advertising com- pany. The churches are losing customers as the workers are getting more, intel- ligent and realize that the church is a weapon used against them. Cigarmakers of Los Angeles Nominate a Known Progressive By a Worker Correspondent LOS ANGELES, March 29—Among the candidates nominated for office in the coming election of the Interna- tional Cigarmakers’ Union is that of Samuel Globerman of this city. Glob- erman is now president of his local, No. 225, and was given its nomination for the office of sixth vice-president. He is a delegate to the local labor council and has long been active in union affairs. He is one of the lead- ers of the progressive group here. He is the agent of the Freiheit here. Opponent Reactionary. Curiously enuf, his chief opponent for the office is R. BE. Van Horn, a member of the San Pedro lecal. Van Horn is as reactionary a trade union- ist as there is. He has been secretary of the local labor council and trains with the ultra-conservatives. The election will take place July 10, AMERICAN AND FOREIGN Communist pate ALL LABOR PUBLICATIONS 1500 : Coke and Pamphlets specially low vices, fHE DAILY WORKER Page Flys. a Prizes this prize for a whole year. writers of Rus: TO WORKER CORRESPONDENTS for the best stories sent in during the wee the issue of Friday, April 2. A New Book athe Stool Pigeon and the Open Shop Movement,” by Jean Spiel- man. An exposure presenting invaluable facts on the labor spy. bgp year’s subscription to THE WORKERS MONTHLY, You'll enjoy k, to appear in Kees Ossip"—Stories by the best of the new revolutionary Write a story now ahout your shop, trade union, how you live. Make it short, give facts—give your name and address. HOW CAPITALIST PRESS IGNORES “THE THIRD CLASS PASSENGERS” By a Worker Correspondnet, URING the Octavian peace (a peace of oppression—Octavius was a des- potic Roman emperor), that prevailed in Mexico when Porfirio Diaz was president a terrible accident occurred on the line of the Inter-oceanic Railway, between Mexico City and Vera Cruz. It was an excursion train, carrying pilgrims to some religious festivity, and the engine and a number of cars following it went into the abyss. The last three coaches, which were first- class or Pulllman, stayed on the track. “En Imparcial” of Mexico City, for many years leading the Mexican press, the day after the catastrophe, covered it in a succinct manner and used a Phrase worthy of immortality, “There were many casualties to lament, altho fortunately all among third-class pas+ sengers,” After’ a dictatorial reign of thirty years, Porfirio Diaz was overthrown by a revolution of “third-clase passen- gers.” If a movie star hurts a toe while dancing the Charleston; if an oil mag- nate strains an ankle while playing golf; if a successful politician is poi- soned by a bellboy, an uproar of anx- iety, grief and lamentation saturates this atmosphere of ours of» black smoke, jazz radio waves and vapors of bootleg whiskey. The papers régret not having at least half a dozén ‘first pages on which to print itemized :de- tails of the calamity afflicting the na tion, Editorials continue for. weeks, philosophizing on the remotest. origins and furtherest consequences. of the event. But suppose three-score coal miinern are buried under the, debris of a;de- fective structure wrecked by apres ventable explosion; suppose a few. hundred poorly-paid factory workers are slowly poisoned by deleterious gases in the manufacture of a product. which is making some millionaire more millions; suppose, as it hap- pened last week in Alabama, thatstwo dozen humble laborers are turned a human patty, becoming covered .bf tons of molten metal, in a plant, where @ similar explosion occurred two weeks before. One-column heads start the briet notice. The prosperous population of the metropolises read the news with great indifference. Editorials are con- spicuous by their absence. Laborers, perhaps dirty foreigners, third-class passengers ,are involved. It has no importance! ‘When shall the American people commence to realize that the human life of the humblest, blackest, and most ignorant coal miner is just as sacred, just as worthy, just as precious as the human life of kings, emperors or barons, so numerous in this re- public? Or is it, perhaps, that the peace we have here now is also an Octavian peace and that third-class passengers are slowly hatching a dramatic scene such as those enacted in Mexico or in Russia? Quien sabe! Bank Failures Point. Need of a New Party By a Worker Correspondent’ ST. PAUL, March 29—The Ramsey County State Bank here has been closed by A. J. Veigel, Vite: banking commissioner, Deposits of, approxi- mately $1,300,000 are involved, The cause of the closing was. “frozen” assets. This is the fourth bank “which has stopped operation in the last few weeks, I believe thero ate others we do not hear of." The losses fal! mostly mn workers and little business men ‘who have saved up something for sickness or emergencies, Such events as these are paving the way for a real workers’ and farmers’ party movement in this section of the country. DAILY WORKER COSTUME DANCE With Prizes for Costumes Saturday Night, APRIL 3 ADMISsiO’ Folk Dances .. ee wt fe -opérative Center, ring Ave. qo iy “Good Fun EDITORS OF OUR PRESS, WAKE UP, PLEASE ANSWER! Some time ago we mailed the let- ter which is reproduced below to the editors of our press. Only a few have replied so far, We need the answers of all the editors, Perhaps some let- ters were lost in the mails, therefore we reproduce it here again, Editors! Please answer as soon as Possible! The letter is as follow: see To the Editor: Dear Comrade! The Chicago Worker Correspondent Group of The DAILY WORKER will issue The American Worker Corres- pondent, a monthly magazine devoted to the interests of the worker corres- pondent movement. The first issue ,{ Will be out on April 1, In order to obtain more information about the worker correspondent move- ment, we ask you to answer the fol- lowing questions: © Name, language and address of your paper (daily? weekly? monthly?). Have you any worker correspond- ents? About how many? Any organizations of worker cor- respondents? Addresses of their secretaries, Have you any special worker cor- respondent department in your paper? Any other information that may be of use to us, Please reply as soon as possible. Fraternally yours, The American Worker Correspondent. 1113 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, Ill. Y. W. L. WORKER CORRESPOND. ENTS’ CLASS IN DETROIT DETROIT, Mich.—A class of Work- ers’ Correspondents has been started by the Young Workers’ League. Mem- bership to this class is open to all league and party members. It meets regularly every Thursday at 8 p. m. at the House of the Masses. Comrade Owen Stirling is instructing the class. Comrade Stirling is one of the most experienced journalists in the local movement and by far the most compe- tent instructor that can be engaged. “The pen is mightier than the sword,” provided you know how to use it. Come down and learn how in the worker correspondent’s classes. AMERICAN FEDERATIONIST ADVERTISES WARES OF STRUCK PASSAIC MILLS By a Worker Correspondent, NEW YORK, March 29 — While the Passaic textile workers are ing clubbed and imprisoned in their fight against the Passaic bosses, the American Federation of Labor, which has 80 far given the strikers no assistance, has been advertising scab mills in its official organ. The American Federationist for March carri half-page advertise- ment of the Botany Worsted Milis, Passaic, N. J. Altho the workers of the Botany irsted Millg have been on strike for eleven weeks there is not a single word in the Federationist re- garding the stri! these mills or at any other textile mills in New Jersey. The entire magazine from cover to | cover ignores the strike completely. The March issue which makes no mention of the striking textile work- ers not only advertises the Botany Worsted Mills but a number of other capitalist aries such as Sin- clair rage Pan-American Petro- leum and Tra 1 jort Company and the Balt! Ohio Railroad, au- rious anti-union “B, | street. 21 KILLED AND 6 INJURED IN FOUNDRY BLAST Second Explosion _ Same Month By a Worker Correspondent BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 29.— Twenty-one workers were killed and six badly injured when four hundred tons of molten metal envepoled a num- ber of workers and splattered over others when the No, 2 furnace of the Woodward Iron dompany exploded. Ore Melting Device Explodes, The 80-foot oreahelting device gave way without any /warning and the whirl and the swish that came with the downpour of metal told workers outside the flaming area what had happened. Those that were not com- pletely envelope were struck by the molten iron. ‘Many died instantly. A number of, those further away were badly burned. 9 The explosion wrecked steam and water pipes and*this made the suffer- ing of the workers'much worse. This accident sis considered the worst one that has happened in this shop. The furnate was heated full blast and blew up:just before the cool- ing process hadcbegun. It took more than an hour for this mass of molten nietal to cool. In the meantime the rescue crews did the best they could tescuing those who were still alive atid also the dead, Of the sixteen that were instantly killed eleven were Negro workers and | five were white workers. The names | of th Negro workers killed are Henry | Funderberg, Clifford Ball, Joe Cade, | Joe Dean, F, H. Holton, Percy Col-| lins, William Perry, Ed Brown, Ed) Bibb, Earl Y. Brown and Henry Cal-| houn., The names of the white work ers are Howard E. Mussey, furnace | superintendent; Bill Rutherford, For- est W. Lawley, EB, B. Martin and Jess Wolth. ty. This makes the second explosion in- side of a month; at this plant. In an explosion on .Mareh 4, when furnace No. 1 exploded,,the live of two work- ers were snuffed out. The workers blame the defective equipment. The bosses declare..they are “at a loss to explain how the,explosion occurred.” re HUDSON-ESSEX WILL FARE ONLY ¥0 RKERS Bosses Réfuse to Take Middle-Aged Worker By a Workdr: Correspondent DETROIT, Mich., March 29 — The Hudson-Essex Metor Car company hires only young-strong men that are able to keep up with the speed-up sys- tem that they haye in the plant. The manager of the,,.employment office gives no consideration to the men of 45 or 50 who stand in line. They are not fast enough,.. They cannot pro- duce the profits the bosses seek. He picks out the young fellows. When a foreman needs ten men he sends in a requisition to the employ- ment manager for fifteen. The man- ager picks out those whom he thinks are agile and can stand the pace. They are sent to work in the department ‘they were hired for. After they have worked a week the in Workers (Communist) Party Trade Union Problems and Reorganization ie an of AEE +2 Party members into the trade unions is before every Party committee, before every Party unit, every Party confer- ence. It has been before the Party membership for a considerable time, but the progress of “unionizing” the Party is a slow one. Some of the comrades are getting impatient and suggest the adoption of drastic dis- ciplinary measures. “Ideological prep- aration of membership — we had enough of it,” they say, “it’s time some other measures be adopted.” Correct. But not measures of me- chanical compulsion. Reorganization Raises Problem. With the reorganization of the Party the problem of drawing the Party membership into the trade unions as- sumes a new aspect. The reorganiza- tion placed before the Party the ques- tion of activities in the shops, among the masses of the unorganized work- ers. And the first word that the Party naturally speaks to these workers after analyzing their conditions is: “Organize!” In this situation the de- mand to join the trade unions becomes for the Party members a concrete one, a question of action, a question of participating in the struggles of the unorganized workers for organization. DAILY WORKER AGENT T0 COVER UNION MEETINGS i\Each Party Member Must Be on Job At the regular DAILY agents’ meeting at 19 South Lincoln street a lively discussion took place as to how best to reach the 348,000 union men ahd women in Chicago. It was brought out in the discussion that there are 1,065 union meetings held every month and that if we had 50 nuclei actually functioning it would mean at least 21 union meetings ‘for each of these 50 nuclei to be visited each month, There is not a single nucleus in Chi-‘ cago covering a fifth of this number and it was decided that a drive be made at once to check up on this ace tivity in every’ nuclehs. '. Every DAILY WORKER agent is in, structed to see that the nucleus not only is assigned to at least 10 unfén meetings a month, but that they ure vovered by the comrade assigned and that a report is made at each meeting on result of visit. In case the address or time of meet’ ing is wrong or the comrade does not find a meeting in session this must bé reported to the DAILY WORKER agent of the nucleus. Number of copies sold—literature sold—size and character of meeting— literature of social or proletarian par- tles sold—this all should be fully re- ported to nucleus DAILY WORKER agent. The next day’s issue of the DAILY WORKER can always be secured at local office after 6:30 in the evening, if arrangements are made in advance, otherwise they must be secured from the DAILY WORKER building and will be given on written order of boss lays off five of them and keeps those whom he finds are better able to produce greater profits for the boss. It is terribly hard work and in order to keep one’s job the workers are always working at top notch. After a few years—if'a worker lasts that long—he is a nervous wreck. The conditions in the plant are not of the best and as time;goes on they grow worse. Every day the work grows harder, while wages are being re- duced. The bogges look in disdain on the workers in.the shop. The only thing that these.bosses ever fear is organized power, ,,dt’s time the work- ers organized and.fought for better conditions. ‘FAMOUS LUNCH’ WAITERS JOIN NEWARK STRIKE sae : Socialist Lawyer Aids * 5 Bosses Get Injunction By a Worker Correspondent NEWARK, N. J., March 29.—During the last few days the Greek restaurant workers’ strike has spread to the Fa- mous Lunch company, 556 Broad A temporary injunction has been obtained to prevent picketing. A strike is also going on in the Little Presto, at New and Halsey streets. The demands of the workers are 10 hours a day and. six days a week. A temporary injunction has also been is- sued for the Little Presto, These injunctions ‘were obtained by the | thru the! activities of Sam- uel Kaufman, social lawyer and mem- ber of the Workingmen’s Circle. It is alsop interesting to note that the same day the | ictions. were is- sued a law was miewieg the Ra Jersey state legis! ore to peacefully prep nm Rea nucleus agent only, South Bend Workers Collect Funds to Aid Passaic Strikers By a Worker Correspondent SOUTH BEND, Ind., March 29 — The Hungarian workers of South Bend are doing excellent work in collecting tunds for the relief of the striking Passaic textile workers. The readers of the “Uj elore,” Hungarian Commun- ist daily, have turned in over $163 to the secretary of the shop nucleus here. Many Hungarian workers have al- ready sent in their lists to the strike committee. The Hungarian workers are planning to go from door to door in a drive to collect funds for the Passaic strikers. The Jewish Freiheit Club is sending in relief funds constantly. They have adopted as their slogan in the drive to raise funds for the Passaic strik- ers: “We have to win that strike at any price.” “Say it with your pen in the worker correspondent page of The DAILY WORKER.” TRUMBULL appeals to YOU To write to the class war prison- ers of the United States, Information at office of the International Labor Defense, 23 &, Lincoln St., Chicago, Ils Telephone Lehigh 6022 DR. ABRAHAM MARKOFF Surgeon Dentist - \" East 115th St., Cor, men’ Ave. NEW YORK CUT¥CTe SD: So hia den WORKER | An illustration? Passaic. The textile workers, members of the Party in Passaic, hardly needed any disciplin- ary measures to compel them to par- ticipate in the struggles for better conditions and for organization, Another illustration. At the recent organization conference of the Party in Chicago, in the course of discus- sion of the trade union question, one of the comrades related how recently some of the Party members in Chi- cago, millinery workers, enthusiasti- cally joined the trade union during a drive to unionize the millinery shops. While this interesting experience did not arouse any discussion, yet, in our opinion, it touches the very heart of the problem of the ‘unionization” of the Party. Connected With Workers’ Struggles. The campaign for drawing the Party membets into the trade unions will become a real and a live issue for the membershiponly when connected with the struggles of the workers, with the struggles..of the unorganized workers for better conditions and for organiza- tion, The réorganization of the Party was a revolutionary change; it shook up the Party, it placed the membership face to.face with new and increased responsibilities, with new problems, new methods of activity. But it is be- coming ever clearer that as the Party overcomes the difficulties and grad- ually solves the problems of the re- organization and, especially, as it suc- ceeds in drawing the membership into mass activities in the shops, it is be- coming ever clearer that because of the reorganization and thru it many vexing problems (which in the past. appeared almost unsolvable) bbe solved the problem of drawing the membership into the trade unions, The Party is an inseparable part of the working class; its efery problem is related to the problems of the en- tire working class and must be solved as related to the problems and strug- gles.of the entire working class.’ The reorganization of the Party has made this exceedingly clear, We can, therefore, look forward with confidence to the solution of the prob- lem of drawing the Party members into the trade unions and trade union activities. Increase Activity. Our methods of solving the trade union problem must be: activization of the shop and street nuclei; demand discipline and activity on the part of every member of the Party; develop the organization campaigns of the trade unions, increase pressure on the trade union bureaucracy for the organ- ization of the unorganized, NEW YORK PLANS TO FOLLOW UP THE LENIN DAILY WORKER DRIVE NEW YORK, March 29—Now is the time to show that we really meant business with the Lenin Drive. The one month subscriptions from non-party members are now expir- ing-and every real Leninist will make. it his personal business to see to it that they renew their subscrip- tions and become permanent read- ers of The DAILY WORKER, The first stage of the drive was fairly successful in New York, over 1,000 new subscriptions being se- cured by 400 DAILY WORKER Builders. But not much permanent good will result if we now permit ., these short time subscribers to drop off the list.. Every Builder who sent in some of these “Lenin subs” should now visit the same to secure their renewals. And the more than 1,000 members of the Workers (Communist) Party in New York who did not obey the instructions of the district commit. tee, and who did not send in even ne subscription for The DAILY ‘WORKER during the Lenin Drive should begin NOW to do their Com- munist duty toward the official or+ gan. of the Party of Lenin. Section 4 Begins Women’s Work. A meeting of directors of women’s ‘work in every shop and street nucleus in Section No. 4, Chicago will be held Friday, April 2, at 19 S. Lincoln, St. at $'p. m. | Fatdeecey of invitation to a novel party, from the Chicago DAILY WORKER agent Sam Hammersmark, have gone out to all Chicago workers who have done some special service for the DAILY WORKER since Jan- nuary first. To this Builders’ Party held on Wednesday night at Stiskas Hall on Irving Park Boulevard will come some hundred odd workers specially invited to the affair which is restricted to them only and for which no admission Chicago Builders Hold Exclusive Affair “Is There a God?” Will Be Subject of Cleveland Lecture CLEVELAND, March 29 — At this Lenten season, when the entire christ- ian world is thinking of redemption and when the Jews are thinking of their passover, the Communists throw open the whole question of religion. “Is there a God?” The Communist re- ligion and the church are used by the capitalists in order to keep the work- ers in subjection. “Is there a God,” will be the sub- jeet: of a meeting arranged by the Workers (Communist) Party, District 6, at Carpenters’ Hall, 2226 EB. 55th St., on Saturday, April 3, at 8 p. m. The main speaker will be Anthony Bimba, one of the editors of the Lithuanian Communist daily Laisve, who was recently prosecuted in Brock- ton, Mass., under the blasphemy law. The other speakers of the meeting will be I, Amter, district secretary of the Workers Communist Party, and John Brabtin, chairman, Admission 25 cents. Russian Members of Workers Party Will Meet Wednesday A special meeting of the Russian fraction of the Workers Party will be held Wednesday, March 31, at 8 p. m. at the Workers’ House, 1902 W. Divi- sion St. Very important matters will come up, All Russian members of the ; party are urged to attend, is being charged. The editorial and business offices of The DAILY WORKER have been granted a special invitation and are also being invited to the eats, dancing and other features of the first DAILY WORKER Builders’ Party of this year. All DAILY WORKER agents and those who have secured subscriptions or sold The DAILY WORKER at un- jion meetings, etc., are participating in the affair, when for one night Com- munist pleasure will come before pro- paganda business, 187 history, 15 Cents. The Zeigler Frame-Up 10 Cents. THE MOVEMENT FOR By Tom Bell NEW! THE PARIS COMMUNE By MAX SHACHTMAN. Other Books by the Same Author: Lenin, Liebknecht, Luxemburg No. 8 IN THE LITTLE RED LIBRARY A brief little booklet on a great event in working class when, as Karl Marx wrote, France attempted to “storm the heavens.” the workers of This first glorious attempt at proletarian dictatorship, so vividly portrayed by the author, should be read by every worker on the 55th anniversary being celebrated thruout the world on March 18, 10 CENTS—Twelve Copies for One Dollar THE DAILY WORKER PUB. CO., 1113 W. Washington Blvd, Chicago, Il. WORLD TRADE UNION UNITY A brief but complete and important study of the subject now under, discussion by world Labor. The history of the past negotiations and the basis of world. unity.of Lavor.are included. __ _ 15 Cents, will be |