The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 11, 1926, Page 1

The DAILY WORKER Raises | the Standard for a Workers’ and Farmers’ Government Vol. Ill. No, 77. LEGALIZE WINE AND BEER, URGE AF. OF L. CHIEFS Green’s Agent. Pleads for Light Drinks (Special to The Daily Worker) WASHINGTON, April 9.—A direct appeal by organized labor for modi- fication of the Volstead act to permit Sale of light wines and beer was made to the senate “wet and dry” commit- ‘tee today by William Roberts, per ‘sonal representative of William Green, President. of the American Federation Of Labor, at the hearing today. Sen- ator Harreld, republican of Oklahoma, condueted the session in place of Sen- ator Means, who Is sick. The prohibition law, Roberts said, is being openly disregarded by the American people and has turned the country into a nation of law violators. “Give the people a chance to vote on the issue,” said Roberts, “and there will be no doubt of the result.” “When the federation meets in con- ventions each ‘year, its delegates are well informed on all subjects that come. before the body, as they know the attitude of the rank and file,” de- elared Roberts. “Therefore, when the federation -conventions declared by practically unanimous votes that the Volstead act should be modified it was in response to the voice of the rank and file, At every convention the delegates have freely stated that the unrest among the wage earners be- cause of the Volstead act is ever-in- creasing.” ‘es Gompers. ~Missed.the Beer, miles with the late Samuel Gompers. “Every where we went there was ; plenty “of distilled Mquor but seldom ‘ ‘real beer, We found the homes of i the people had been turned into brew- eries and distilleries which turned out dangerous concoctions that if drunk to any extent would ruin the health of those who drank them. When asked why they drank such stuff they said there was nothing else to be ob- tained. They invariably asked when were. members of congress going to realize that the manufacture and sale of beer would make for true tem- Perance. Women as well as men were interested in such questioning.” Eighteenth Amendment 0. K. “Is it your opinion the consump- tion of hard liquors would be reduc- ed if beer and light wines were al- lowed?” asked Senator Reed, (D) of Missouri. “It certainly is,” said Roberts. “You are not opposing the eight- eenth amendment, then?” asked Sen- ator Harreld, (R) of Oklahoma, “No, not at all” Roberts replied. “We stand for true temperance and we believe modification of. the pre- sent law to permit beers and light wines is the only way to true tem- perance,” McSorley Testifies. William J, McSorley, president of the building trades department of the federation, said he “favored a law which will give the working men beer and light wines.” “The working man does not believe the present law is just or fair,” said | MeSorley. “He feels that the rich man, who had enough money, could stock his cellar and have his drink of whiskey, beer and wine all his life (Continued op pnge %,' ‘the most powerful forces in Massachu- setts’ industrial life. _ Following the traditional method of ‘the prostitute capitalist press, the ar- iticle attempts to give the impression that the relief campaign is a Com- _munist plot, whose purpose is “To the Hub,” and “To seize control ‘ait a in roe tag, 7 ea Rates: Roberts told of travelling: 30,000 | THE DAILY WORKER. Entered at Second-class matter September 21, In Chicago, by mail, $8.00 per year, Outside Chieago, by mail, $6.00 per year, — HE CAN'T SEE THE BIG FELLOW : ss etic epee RM ae ees { OnYeRE 1s SO MUCA STEALING GOING ON NOW a ail in DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME HITS NEW YORK APRIL 25 ROADS REFUSE CLERKS $7.24 A MONTH RAISE Pennsylvania’ s Surplus Is $25,892,985. NEW YORK, April 9.— The appli- cation of the clerks of the Pennsyl- vania railroad for a restoration of the wage scale.in effect prior to July 1, 1921 has been refused by the company. The management declared that neither the facts arrived at by the committee appointed by the road ant by the employes not supplementary statements offered later by the em- ployes justified an Increase. The rail labor board reduced the rate of wages for clerks $7.24 a month in 1921, and the clerks asked the cut be cancelled. On the same. day; in which the rail- road announced its inability to pay its clerical force the small additional sum of $7.24 a month for each man or woman clerk’ employed, there was made public the report of the company for last year ‘showing that 1925 had been one of the most prosperous years in its history, . (Special to The Da Daily Worker) NEW YORK, April of the month, September 26, April 16th > ers of New York are fast rallying 200,000 Workers. of the city in a fight against the ‘MASSACHUSETTS TEXTILE BARONS TRY TO BLOCK PASSAIC RELIEF BOSTON, April 9—In a screaming headling article published in the Boston Telegram, strenuous efforts are made to.discourage workers from | contributing to relief of the Passaic strikers, ' the series of articles writes openly in the name of the industries and manu- facturing plants of Massachusetts. ‘This of course can be none other than | the textile manufacturers, who are¢}———————______—_____ The gain in net income over the pre- At i tempts to create a conscript army (Continued on page 2.) tire American working class. Johnson, McClintic and all other ali day, Lyceum, 66 East Fourth street. this demonstration petitions will Norman Abbot, the writer of will be resented by the labor move-|°"®- ment thruout the city, In the attack is seen not only an attempt to prevent the raising of re- Nef funds for the striking textile workers but also a more sinister ef- fort to fasten the black hand of reac- han on the city, ‘The campaign for Paising funds for the rast nic of Passaic will tion, The workers are not fooled the fact that very little agitation that if action on these bills is po: ano Enos seprew@en26|| ELECTIONS WN 9—Daylight saving time goes into effect in New York on April 25, the last Sunday Standard time will be resumed on WORKERS RALLY TO FOREIGN-BORN CAMPAIGN INN. Y, Plan Mass Meeting on NEW YORK, April 9 — The work- the support of the New York counci! for the Protection of Foreign-Born Workers in its drive against the anti- alien bills now pending in congress. The council, organized in February and backed by over 200,000 organized workers, has already begun the cam- paign which aims to unite all workers foreign-born workers and thus estab- lish a club over the heads of the en- A mass meeting against the Aswell, registration laws will be held on Fri- April 16, 8 p. m., at Manhattan distributed and the drive started for 1,000,000 signatures voicing the pro- test of New York Labor and demand- ing the defeat of all discriminatory measures against foreign-born work- It is expected that the meeting will prove a highly successful demonstra- now being carried on by supporters of these measures, They understand poned, it is merely an election man- euver, American capital has been con- spiring for several years to carry thru and Or alr and only the organ- 1923, at the Post Office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879. SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 1926 SS FORM 24-HCUR PICKET LINE IN PASSAIC Strikers’ Rally to Fight Police Brutality (Special to The Daily Worker) PASSAIC, N, J., April 9—An all-day, all-night picket line is the answer of the United Front Committee to the three attacks by police on picket lines. “We are not daunted, we have just begun to fight,” said Albert Weisbord in announcing the continuous lines. The picket line at the Gera mill was viciously attacked by the police and Andy Bokowsky, Tony Amazon, and Stephen Gede arrested and held under heavy bail. Gede was badly beaten, as were the others. He suf- fered lacerations about the head and face, Attack 2,000 Pickets. A picket line 2,000 strong was brok- en up in the late afternoon when it attempted to pass the Gera mill. Clubs flew, blood spattered the sidewalks, women were trampled and crushed by horses and by an increased motor- cycle detachment,—all the horror which has become so sickeningly fam- iliar to the strikers in their eleven weeks of dealing with the rioting police, were re-enacted. At the time of writing it was impossible to deter- mine how many were hurt, or how many were arrested. Hide Their Badges. Police again covered their badges so that strikers might not be able to take their numbers and obtain legal redress for the brutal clubbings, They then charged the crowd with their horses, motorcycles and clubs. “An evening picket line before the Botany mill was also viciously attack- ed, Helen Bekowsky and Anna Kosh being arrested. They were beaten and abused during their arrest. Establish All-Night Picket Line. The following statement by Albert Weisbord announced the all-day all- night picket line. . “One thing is very plain and must be kept constantly in mind of the public when it reads about the Cossack bru- talities that are daily occurring in Passaic and that is that the respunsi- bility for the violence and disorder Sow existing in Passaic must be placed fully and plainly on the shoulders ot the mill owners. We shall meet their policy of stubborness and stiffnecked czarism with the same resoluteness, determination and firmness as befofe. We are not daunted, we have just be- gun to: fight, a8 the mill owners will soon realize. Hereafter an all-day and all-night picket line will be established before all the mills. International Solidarity. Europe has turned its eyes on the workers’ struggle in Passaic. “Ad- miration for resistance against gas warfare” and encouragement to con- tinue the struggle was received from fifteen million trade unionists of the entire world in a cablegram received from the central office in Berlin of the International Workers’ Aid by the Passaic United Front Committee of (Continvec on page 2) RIGH MAN RAPED NEGRO GIRL AND HE STILL LIVES Judge Saves Assailant of 11-Year-Old Child LOUISVILLE, Ky.—(By Mail)—The ontinued existence of special consid- ration for white persons charged vith crime as compared to the treat aent given Negroes accused of the ame offense was proven again in the recent decision in the case of a young white man who raped a little colored girl of Lexington, Kentucky. The man involved was Charles Merchant, son of C. W. Merchant, a prominent building contractor of Lex- ington. The girl was only 11 years old. The crime was admitted. In order to escape the consequences of his deed, the defense of insanity was set up. During the course of the trial the young man’s father testified to alleged streaks of insanity running in the family. Four psychiatrists hired by the wealthy contractor, de- clared the son's mental condition was RITWoods — AP oLob1ES Te WALKER LEFT WING WINS TORONTO A.C. W. Ballot-Fixers Defeated in Re-election (Special to The Daily Worker) TORONTO, Ont., April 9.—The left wing won an outstanding victory in the elections in the Toronto Amalga- mated Clothing Workers’ Union. The present election was held as a result of rank-and-file demand foliowing the discovery of fraudulent ballot fixing in the regular elections held several weeks ago. Counted Out. The left wing slate, S, Stolberg, can- didate for manager of the union, and A. Temkin, candidate for secretary, was elected by a \large majority. In the previous ele¢tion the left wing candidate for manager, Blugerman had been counted ut in favor of the right-winger, Rosenbloom. The cat was let out of the bag when one of the right-wingers, Jaffe, confessed that ballots for Blugetman had been de- stroyed in large quantities, Rank-and-File Demand. A demand was at once made by the left-wingers and all honest union ele- ments for a re-election. The genera) office, thru General Secretary Schloss berg, tried to discourage this demand and to whitewash the fakers. Finally, however, the rank amd file forced the re-election. The voting was the heavy fest in the history, of the union ir Toronto, 1,100 members participating Governor Smith Aids Insurance Companies Dodge Russian Suits ALBANY, N. Y.—(FP)—April 9— Civil suits by Russians to récover the amounts of their insurance policies from A heard in New York 30 days after the Soviet government is formally recognized by the United States. Governor Al Smith signed the bill which was sponsored by insur- ance companies to stop suits for to at- ot jen At be by is st united | Brorts: of all abnormal, Circuit Judge R. C. Stoll, who had | been, waiting all along for a chance . (Continued on page 2.) PUBLISHING CO., This Issue Consists of Two Sections. SECTION ONE. Published Dally cept Sunday by THE DAILY WORKER ; Sn iis W, Washington Bivd., Chicago, IL Price 5 Cents 254 MINE STRIKE DUE MAY DAY N. Y. Legislature Kills 48-Hr. Week Proposal Despite Election Cry (Special to The Daily Worker) ALBANY, N. Y., April 8 — The Shonk 48-hour week bill for women and minors in industry is dead. By a vote of 79 to 69 a motion to dis- charge the rules committee of the assembly from further consideration of the measure was defeated. The majority of the rules committee is op- posed to the bill but will not report it out, thus preventing a direct vote on it by the legislature, Ten republicans voted with the 59 democrats to get the bill on to the floor. The republican party in its plat- form for the last state election prom- ised the passage of a 48-hour week measure but has taken no steps to carry out their promise. On the other hand, they have blocked every effort, even on the part of a few members of their party, to enact such legisla- tion. JERSEY STEEL WORKERS COME OUT 900 STRONG Demand Wage Increase and Overtime. (Special to The Daily Worker) JERSEY CITY, N. J., April 9—The 900 workers of the Crucible Stee! Co. of New Jersey walked out in a 100% strike demanding a 20% wage increase time and a half for over-time and double time for Sunday and holiday work. The workers are unorganized. Strike Committee. A strike committee called on the bosses. They were told that if they got the men back to work immediately the matter of an increase to some of the, workers would be considered. This is a trick that was worked be- fore in previous strikes in the same plant, and with success. Mass Meeting. The strikers held a mass meeting yesterday in a hall near the plant. The committee reported the results of its mission. Without discussion a vote was taken. Workers jn some departments voted for separate agreements. This had a demoralizing effect on the meeting. Speak for Unity. The situation was saved from com- plete disaster when Louis Kovess was given permission to speak. He told the workers that not a man should return until all the workers get their demands. Separate agreements will lose the present strike as they lost the past one,” he said and advocated that the men take immediate steps to form a union, Will Fight. The workers received the talk en- thusiastically and staged a demonstra- tion for a united ‘fight. A committee was instructed to take action towards forming a union and arrangements made for another strike meeting with English, Hungarian and Greek speakers, Low Wages. The steel workers in the Crucible plant receive wages as low as 30 and 35c. an hour. In some, departments they work as much as 70 to 100 hours a week for $35.00. The company, which has plants in various parts of the country, shows an annual profit of over $11,000,000, Tammany Hall Smith Slanders Soviet Union ALBANY, April 9-—-Governor Smith is expected to sign a bill introduced into the legislature at the request of the New York Life and the Equitable Life insurance companies that would relieve them of liabilities to their pol- icy holders in the Soviet Union until 30 days after the formal recognition by the United States of the Soviet Republic, . At a hearing on the measure held on April 5 Smith signified his agree- ment with the purposes of the act. The governor, who is a strong Catho- lic and a Tammany Hall politician, seized occasion to slander the Soviet Union in a cheap diatribe. John W. Davis, former ambassador to Great Britain and Democratic can- didate for president in 1924, repre: sented the corporations, Charles Récht, of New York City, was present ‘tot the Soviet government which had arranged for the: filing of such claims with one of its departments, COAL MINERS TO FIGHT LONG DAY AND WAGE SLASH Whole Labor | Movement Behind Them. 4:, hil (Special to The Daily Worker) LONDON, April 9—A nation-wide coal strike May 1 that will undoubted- ly bring with it a general tie-up in Great Britain is a certainty. A con- ference of miners’ delegates met to- day in London and voted to stand by their slogan “Not a cent off the pay, not a second on the day.” Wage re- ductions, lengthening of hours and substitution of one national agreement by district agreements were flatly re- jected. Subsidy Expires. The decision of the conference amounts to a rejection of the recom- mendation of the Royal Coal Commis- sion that had beensetupin an effort le stave off the coming crisis. The | original coal subsidy of $50,000,000 ap- propriated last June that postponed the crisis has now grown to $115,000,- 000 and will be discontinued May Ist. Wage Cuts. The operators have expressed their intention of launching a wage-cut drive on the expiration of the subsidy, It is this that will directly precipitate the strike in the coal fields. The min- ers have been assured by other sec- tions of the labor movement that their walk-out will be joined by workers in other industries. More than Wages. A. J. Cook, Secretary of the Miners’ Federation, said about the coming con- flict, “We are consulting the whole trad@ union thovement because in case of a fight it will not only be the miners’ strike but one of the whole movement. Wages will be the imme- diately object but we are going to get something more. There may be both an industrial and political struggle.” T. U. C. Behind Them, The miners are in consultation with the ‘Special Industrial Committee of the Trade Union Congress preparing plans for the whole organized labor movement of Britain to stand behind the miners. Tonight the miners’ rep- resentatives will confer with Premier Baldwin, Industrial Alliance, An Industrial Alliance is being formed to stand by the miners and defend the workers’ movement in the coming crisis against the fascist or- ganizations such as the O. M. S. that are being formed with government connivance for strikebreaking pur- poses, Unions ,totalling a million and a half members have already vot- ed to join the alliance. The largest of these are the Miners Federation, 800,000 members; Transport and Gen- eral Workers, 290,000; Amalgamated Engineering Union, 207,000; ‘Workers’ Union, 131,000. Call For Action. The “Call For Action” issued by the British Minority Movement con- (Continued on page 2) Lecture on Religion at N. Y. School Forum (Special to The Daily Worker) NEW YORK, April 9.—“The Role of Religion in Civilization” is the top- “| lem “Is.Proletarian Culture Possible?” ic of unusual interest which the Workers’ School Forum, at 108 E. 14 street announces for this Sunday night, April 11, at 8 p. m. and the speaker is D. Kvitko, who has writ- ten much on psychology, ppilosophy and sociology. The question of religion, its role in society and the attitude of the Com- munists towards it, is one of the most difficult problems and one which the Workers Party has not given enough hot to, This forum lecture is intend- ed to provoke discussion of these fundamental problems and to direct attention towards their solution, On the Sunday following, another controversial subject will be introduc- ed in the forum in the form of a i lecture by V. F. Calverton on the prob- ‘ Calverton will take issue with viewpoint of Bukharin and Trotsky this matter and will in part defend viewpoint of the proletcult advovates, His talk, therefore, 18° “expected to arouse controversy, < 5 10 dap Open your eyes! Look There are the stories of the struggles around you begg! written up, Do it! Send it int as you fight’ 5 :