The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 12, 1926, Page 1

|| SUPP2R | (| -—THEEVENT OF ~ THE SEASON! 2 Gey paren NEw «| The DAILY WORKER atk Pm 80x 180 si the Standard for a Workers’ 7° and Farmers’ Government Vol. Ill. No. 103... Subscription Rates: GALL OUT BRITISH SOCIALISTS SAY BIG MEMBERSHIP GROWTH I$ MYTH Story Spread by Own Press Is Unfounded NOTE.—The publication of this concluding article on the sacialist Party convention at Pittsburgh was delayed, due to the fact that J. Louis Engdahl, while attending the con- vention, was arrested during a pro- test demonstration against the denial of the right of the Workers Party to hold its May Day celebra- tion in Carnegie Hall, Engdahl with Abram Jakira, after being held in jail for four days, were finally re- leased when the case was dismissed by the court ef common pleas after jail sentence had been imposed in the lower magistrate’s court. Eng- dahl’s daily article is again resumed today on page two. , xs 9% By J, LOUIS ENGDAHL. (Special to The Daily Worker) PITTSBURGH, Pa. May 8 — (By; Mail.)—Recently the sociallst press hysterically broadcasted the claim that the membership of the socialist party had shown an increase of 4,000. Like many other-reports, this one would have been “interesting if true.” It would then have been a phenomena in the working class movement worth studying. But George R. Kirkpatrick, socialist party secretary, in his official report to the Pittsburgh ~convention, made the interesting~confession, There's Nothing to It. “No communication has been given out by the national office justifying the inference in our press that. our party membership is this year aver- aging an increase of 4,000 over that of last year.” Thus the socialist membership boom bursts quite comically. The mass membership conventions addressed by Eugene V. Debs in all parts of the country, the $15,000 donated by Abraham Cahan, editor of the New York Jewish Daily Forward, for or- ganization purposes, the launching of the party’s weekly, the American ‘Ap- peal, edited by Debs, have not brought the results that some socialist editors have frantically claimed for ‘them. Actual Figures Interesting. | Some of the actual figures are in- teresting. The socialists officially ad- mit that they lost about 2,000 members following their disastrous participa- tion in the LaFollette campaign in 1924, The early months of 1925 pushed the membership down to bed rock showing for the first three months of that year, as claimed, an an average monthly membership of 9,754. The average membership for the first three months of this year (1926) is placed at 9,772, which would be an increase of 18 members.,,It must be remembered, however, that these were tha months leading up ‘to ‘the present convention, when all the states wahted to make a good showing in the offi- cial-report. This led them, as is the custom, to purchase blocks of dues stamps, upon whieh, the. membership estimates are based, altho they may be a good part of the rest, of the year in disposing of these%staimps, ~ The best that eat) be- said is that the socialist party membership, in spite of the tremendous efforts exert- ed, as outlined above, have merely re- sulted in the membership remaining stationary, One interpretation of this effoft is given by Secretary Kirk- patrick in his report as follows: Members at $7 per. “The extraordinary effort at organ- (Continued on page 3) The American Worker Correspond- ent is Out! Did you subscribe? WRITE AS YOU FIGHT! —_———. a3 utside Chicago, pe aae™ By JOHN (Special Cablegram to The Daily Worker.) OSCOW, U. S. S. R., May 10.—The whole working population of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, from the largest cities to the furthermost village, is absorbed in striking British workers, It is impossible to establish as yet the total amount collected for the support of the strikers, but it is already clear that it will surpass the origtnally estimated sum of one and a half million dolla numerous enterprises, notably in the Don Basin, the Urals and Siberia, not only contributed a quarter day’s pay, but in many instances a whole day’s pay and two days’ pay. Many tranferring the pay they receive to their unions for immediate remittance to London, Not a single ton of goods has been put aboard English ships in Soviet ports, and other foreign ships which. are suspected of the intention to carry goods to England are not being permitted to have goods put on Demonstrations participated in by the sailors and crews of English and other foreign ships, as well as those of board by the workers’ unions. In Chicago, by mail, $8.00 per year. T THE BRITISH GENERAL STRIKE! *” ei Entered at Second-class matter September 21, 1923, -at the Post Office at Chickgo, by mail, $6.00 per year. the Soviet PEPPER. The Exe Red Trade Union International has ‘ ¥ ting of the the campaign of assistance to the workers of al fight. The unist Internationa’ Workers in thousands are working overtime and WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1926 Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879. = 290 LABOR’S in, as well as transport workers and railway men, are re- ported from, Leningrad, Odessa and other ports. CALL ON SECOND INTERATIONAL FOR UNITED FRONT. ive Committee of the Communist International and the addressed a call to the coming sit- the Second Internationa! at Amster- exeoutive committee of dam delving et the struggle of the British workers imposes upon the ountries, especially their international organizations, the duty to.do all in their power to assist the British workers in their great | and the Red Trade Union Interna- tional consider that joint action of workers of all political opinions is necessary to ald the British working class. To give Such aid the Communist International’ and the Red Trade Union International have appointed a committee, consisting’of Taelman of Germany, Semard and Monmosseaux of France, Dogadov of the Uinon of Socialist Soviet Republics, liek of Czecho-Slovakia, to negotiate with the executive committee of the Second of such a united front. International for the establishment There appéared today in Moscow the first copy of a newspaper pub- lished by the Union of Proletarian authors in behalf of the British strik- ers, which. calls upon them to “Fight like hell.” FOOD IS NOW BLACK! Before today the trade unions abided by the slogan, “Food is not black,” meaning that/it is not considered non-union and the Trade Union Corigress had issued permits for workers to assist in the handling of food. But BRITISH STRIKE TIGHTENS. INTO WAR ENDURANCE of Machine Gunning By N. N, EWER, Herald and Federated Press * Correspondent. LONDON, May 10. — The situation | today is marked by a general tighten- jing into war endurance. “The first |two years of this strike are going to | be the hardest,” is the favorite slogan | Of the workers of the London docks | while the other side every day has | some new melodramatic display to | convince the middle-class they are | fighting for their lives. Food wagons entirely unmenaced are convoyed by cavalry and heavy who laugh with good humored derision at the foolish and unnecessary display of armed force. Thousands of young now food is black. As a protest against the use of heavily armed troops to convoy food trucks and trains the Con-! middle-class men from schools and gress has withdrawn permits and put PENNSYLVANIA LABOR IS FACING MANY PROBLEMS State Federation to ; ‘Meet at Erie By GEORGE PAPCUN. (Special to The Daily Worker) ERIE, Pa., May 10—The State Fed- eration of labor convention opens here May 11, at the Elks Hall. There will be several very important issues which mean life or death to different labor unions in Pennsylvania, The chamber of commerce has dem- onstrated to the workers how it tries to get influence in this state, espe- cially in the Pittsburgh district, where it is making a big drive against the United Mine Workers. First, it carried,.on a “Forward Week” in Pittsburgh from Feb. 13th to the-19th, trying to show the need of increased mémbership and in- creased income in order that it may be better able to aid in the fight (Continued on page 2) Put a copy of the DAILY WORKER in your pocket when you go to your union meeting. Revolutionary poets, artists, writers and dramatists will celebrate with you at the Central Opera; House, 67th Street and Third Avenue; New York City, on May 14, 1926. sme, Come and'take part in hoodies a ban on the movement of food by union men. LAST STRIKE BULLETINS AS WE GO T0 PRESS Support From Nova Scotia Miners. SYDNEY, N. S., May 10—Announcement was made today at the district headquarters of the United Mine Workers of America) that miners of this district would not work on shipments of Cape Breton coal destined for British ports. Moral support was pledged the striking British miners, Hull Strikers Failed. HULL, England, May 10.—Thirty-two strikers, arrested over the week- end, were today arraigned and sentenced ‘to terms of imprisonment ranging) from three to six months. policemen. Most of the persons were charged with assaulting House of Lords—Superfluousi LONDON, May 10.—*The strike situation is still very grav,e but at the moment there is nothing more to be said about it,” declared the Marquies! of Salisbury, the government spokesman, in the house of lords this afternoon, The house of lords adjourned, for lack of busin at the end of a ten-minute session, Pi ’ More Clyde Workers to Come Out. GLASGOW, May 10.—Shipyard workers and members of the Engineering trades unions have bene ordered to join the general strike tomorrow. More Armed Convoys. LONDON, May 10.—Again today the goverriment moved food supplies thru the streets of London under the escort of armored cars and with troops with rifles unsiung and bayonets fixed, \ One convoy reached Hyde Park this afternoon, after a parade of some twelve miles from the docks. No attempt was made to molest the convoy, but it was jeered all along the route. * MORE STRIKE NEWS ON PAGE 3. RL TR MOCHA Art Young Moissaye J. Olgin Michael Gold Norman Thomas William. Gropper * [owed Rorty Y Floyd Dell , 7” » Hugo Gellert colleges parade the half deserted streets. The latest stunt is to equip special constables with “tin hats.” Grimly Dangerous. All this is incredibly foolish, but also grimly dangerous. It arouses and ntensifies hatred for the working class among middle-class strata who, under the influence of the government mani- festo’s are rapidly developing a real war psychosis, He will like it! Give your union brother a sub to The DAILY WORKER, MARINE TRANSPORT WORKERS OF |, W. W. GALL STRIKE IN N. Y. (Special to. The Daily Worker) NEW YORK, May 10. — A strike of marine workers in sympathy with British labor went into effect here shortly after midnight today, it was announced at headquarters of the Marine Transport Workers Indus- trial Union No. 510 25,000 seamen may be exentually involved. The announcement Said the strikers asked for a wage in- crease of $15 monthly and improve- ments in working conditions, A cable notifying the British branch df the union of the decision was dispatched early today. Similar cables were sent to South American and Central American branches. Mark Van Doren oisha Nadir Norman Studer Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. August Claessens Word was also sent to Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Coast ports where the union has representation, There will be music, tableaux and other interesting things Published Daily PUBLISHING Ci | Clubmen Talk Openly _ Foreign Editor of the London Daily | eal of the New York Workers (Communist) Party to Ajl Transport and Waterfront Workers WORKER. cept Sunday by THE DAILY WORKER 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Il. SERVES Sens paenintam cme gti NEW YORK EDITION a Price 3 Cents Second Line of given to the government to avoi to care for transport of food ur Call Out Half THe second line of defense includes the half million workers engaged in the engineering end of Tuesday's shift as well a ers not called out thus far. This walk-out will bring the number of those idle as the re- or more. | sult of the strike to nine million ity of the emergency act. Mrs. Pollitt Is Arrested Marjorie Pollitt, wife of Harry Pollitt, Communist leader Workers’ Army Joins Big Strike 7 (Special te The Daily Worker) LONDON, May 10—The second week of the general strike began today with a reliable report that the trade union congress has ordered out the “Second line of defense” on Wednesday and instructed the unions to cease aiding the movement of food as an answer to the government's use of troops. Until now the slogan of the unions has been “Food is not black,” meaning that it is not scab and that assistance shall be da shortage. But with the gov- ernment convoying the food with military and tanks, which the strikers take as a threat, today’s order leaves the government naided by the workers. Million More trade who will quit work at the s gas, water and electrical work- Mine Leaders Are Jailed William Lawther and Harry Bellon were thrown into jail and refused bail at Durham in the coal region under the author- finishing out ‘a year’s sentence in Wadsworth prison, was ar- tion,” | bail. | Samuel, chairman of the Royal have met Herbert Samuel. front line is unbroken.” Many Amalgamated Organizes N. Y. Uniform House NEW YORK, May 5,—(FP)—One of the largest uniform ‘houses of New York has been otganized by the Amalgamated ‘Clothing Workers’ Un- jon, Conditions under the agreement are union recognition, 44-hour week, wage increases of $5 per week for cut- ters and 15 per cent for tailors. A three-day strike turned the trick. Workers in 10 shirt and boys blouse shops won wage «increases of $1 a week for week workers and 5 per cent to 10 per cent for piece workers. FOR THE BENEFIT OF "=" THE PASSAIG STRIKERS —anisans cot An announcement of a conference between Strikers Ignore Troops | raigned in Bow Street court-for having “documents in her pos- | session likely to cause disaffection among the civilian popula- The direct charge was ‘that Mrs. Pollitt had published a | newspaper, “The Workers Bulletin.” She was released on $500 | Cook Dashes New Rumor armored cars thru crowds of strikers | Sir Herbert Coal Commission, and the min- ers’ leaders which caused optimism in government circles, was dashed by a vigorous denial from A. J. Cook, secretary of the miners, who said, “There is no truth in the statement that we The conduct of negotiations is in the hands of the Trade Union Congress.” The huge and unnecessary display of armed force staged in and around the London docks by the government was met by an order from the Trade Union Congress for strikers to ignore the troops and to stay away from the docks. “Front Line Remains Unbroken” At peace rumors are peremptorily denied by the Trade Union Congress, which today issued a communique that said, “Our rumors of violence thruout the kingdom are branded as false and the work of provocatuers by the union teaders.. They are, however, aware of what may hap- pen when huhger begins to pinch while the government con- ducts its affairs ‘with a great show of military strength. 'San Francisco Cooks Send Cale of Cheer to British Strikers (Special to The Daily Worker) SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, May 10. — One thousand seven hundred mem- bers of Cooks’ Union, Local No. 44 of this city unanimously passed a resolu- tion instructing their secretary to send a cable of solidarity to the strik- ing workers of Great Britain, The message was addressed to A. J, Cook and reads as follows: CONGRA- TULATIONS. BRITISH LABOR SOL- IDARITY SPLENDID. YOURS FOR VICTORY. Auspices: New Masses. International Workers’ Aid 8:15 O'Clock