The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 20, 1926, Page 2

Page Two GENEVA FARCE ON ARMAMENTS IS IN SESSION U.S. Suggests Plan of Its Own (Special to The Daily Worker) GENEVA, Switzerland, May 18—The Soviet Wnion is not represented here at the arms conference, a fact which makes impossible a discussion of the question of armaments in Poland and the border states, according to the statements of the agents of the im- perialist governments who are trying to find some excuse for their inability to do anything except select a few committees to “survey” the arms ques- tion and then adjourn in the hope that the atmosphere will clear up a bit be- fore the next assembly of the league of nations. If the imperialist powers desired the Presence of Russia's delegates they would have held the meeting else where than in Switzerland as they all know very well that the Soviet Union will not send its representatives into @ country where the government con- spires to murder them as is the case in Switzerland, where a Swiss bour- geois murdered M. Vorovsky, Soviet representative at the Lausanne con- ference in 1923. U. 8. Has Plan. Untted States representatives are watching developments and are known to have an elaborate plan perfected by Wall Street loan mongers to in- duce Europe to reduce armaments and thereby be better able to pay interest on Americdn loans. The United States seeks disarma- ment thru a system of regional agree- ments rather than in a universal sys- tem aimed at abolishing armaments all at once, Hugh Gibson, chairman of the American delegation, told the league of nations commission charged with preparing a future conference on the reduction of armaments at the opening meetings here today. France to Press Claims. France gave indication that she ex- Pects to conduct an insistent fight for her policies with regard to disarma- Mussolini to Announce Completion of Fascist Program During Week ROME, May 18. — Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator, will issue a manifesto before the end of the week, declares |the “Tribuna,” announcing the end of liberalism and completion of the fascist program. The manifesto will point out that Italy is now to be ruled by three great combinations: the big industrialists, the fascist trades unions and the fascist grand council, with courts of labor to enforce arbitration and to prosecute those who dare strike, The fascist minister of corporations in the Mussolini cabinet will control all three organizations, HEAVY VOTING IN PENNSYLVANIA ment, for M. Paul Boncour, the French delegate, declined election as President of the commission. “I must decline because of the vital interests of France,” said M. Boncour when nominated by Lord Robert Ce- cil. “I couldn’t be simultaneously the Judge and the prosecuting attorney.” Much of the work of the commission will be turned over to sub-commit- tees and steps in this direction were taken today when it was decided to create @ military sub-committee and an economic sub-committee, to be pre- sided over by Vice-President Cobian of Spain and Vice-President Buero of Uruguay, respectively. + 28 An American “Observer.” GENEVA, May 18—Will Rogers, American lariat artist and Zeigfield Follies clown, bobbed up in the league of nations disarmament commission session this afternoon and attracted more attention than many of the dele- gates. “Just throw out the Japs and the Chinese and you would think you were in congress,” drawled Rogers in his seat in the press gallery. ‘This man, Paul Boncour, he seems to be the Babe Ruth of the league.” The American Worker Correspond- ent is out. Did you get your copy? Hurry up! Send In your sub! It’s Fag You'll Be Proud of This Book of RED CARTOONS The genius of our class is in it! 64 pages (9x12) of the best cartoons by such noted proletarian artists as ROBERT MINOR, FRED ELLIS, ART YOUNG, WM. GROPPER, HUGO i GELLERT and others, | ee ee eee 4 With an Introduction i By MICHAEL GOLD. On heavy drawing paper and bound In brown art board binding. $1.00 postpaid With One Year Sub to The DAILY WORKER FREE PRIMARY FIGHT Graft ee Hit ‘All Candidates (Special to The Dally Worker) PHILADELPHIA, Pa., May 18. Pennsylvania registered republicans | and democrats are voting today in the primary election, the outcome of which will determine the control of the republican political machinery of the state. The main contest is over the nomination for United States sen- ator, and more than a million voters are expected to participate in the re- publican primary alone. The Mellon-Coolidge administration forces are desperately striving to bring out their full strength in sup- port of George Wharton Pepper, one of the rock-ribbad reactionaries of the Morgan coalition of republicans and democrats. “Boss Bill” Vare, of this city, who is head of the corrupt republican ma- chine here, has mobilized all his forces and expects to carry Phila- delphia by a large plurality. Governor Gifford Pinchot, who dominates a considerable portion of the state political machine and con- trols the state offices—the pay roll gang—is satisfied that his fences are intact and is only awaiting the official count. Graft Charges Persist. 30,000 PASSAIC CITIZENS JOIN WITH STRIKERS Great Mass Meeting Supports Strikers (Special to The Dally Worker) PASSAIC, N, J., May 18.— Thirty thousand citizens of Passalc and its vicinity placed themselves officially on record as supporting the striking textile workers to the limit on Sun- day at a huge mass meeting in Pas- sale. The Associated Societies and Par- | shes of Passaic, Garfield and Clifton, land vicinity, comprising more than forty societies, benevolent, social, re- ligious, political, and churches, met to endorse the strike, and to pass resolutions urging the senate investi- gation of the strike now pending. Support Strikers, A real citizens’ meeting, called by the Association itself, it represented the actual feeling of the mass of the people in the strike area as to the Justice of the strike, This great body, with ramifications extending thruout the entire nation, created the Citi- zens’ Conciliation committee which worked for more than a month to bring the mills and the strikers to- gether, and finally encountered the iron refusal of the mill owners to meet the union for settlement vf the strike. The Association then declar- ed that it must abandon fits position THE DAIL¥ WORKE Illinois Democrats Oppose Two-Thirds and the Unit Rules Both the Brennan and the Harrison- Dunne-O'Connell factions in the demo- crat party of Illinois agree that the two thirds rule now used in nominat- ing presidential candidates be abol- ished. Many of the active leaders of both ‘factions are opposed to the unit rule system under which state delega- tions cast their votes for candidates. It is declared that the leaders of the dry forces may fight for the reten- tion of the unit rule and the two thirds law, fearing the nomination of &@ wet candidate for the presidency. Vincent Dallman, editor of the Spring- field Register and a;:prominent dry leader in the democrat party, declares editorially that he seeks the abolition of both these rules. MANY PARDONS WERE SOLD BY POLITICIANS Joliet Warden’ Shows Up Crooked Parole Board Warden John La Whitman, in his tes- timony before the Cook county grand jury investigation 6f¢he Major En- gineering Corporation headed by Major M. A. Messlein, which has been ex- posed as a pardon mill, brought out that pardons and paroles are sold in- discriminately by Illinois politicians. He declared that the feeling among the inmates of the penitentiaries that they must have money with which to bribe officials in order to get out be- of neutrality and support the strik- ers with its full strength. Send Washington Committee, The first move of the Association will be to send a committee of thirty citizens, including many clergymen, to Washington to demand senatorial in- vestigation, it was announced at the meeting. The committee will leave on Monday night. Plans also include the collection of relief funds for the strike reef organizations. The meeting on Sunday, in Belmont Park Hall, was presided over by Will- fam R. Vanecek, prominent attorney of Passaic, and was addressed by thirteen priests, and three laymen, in- cluding Councilman Quinlavan of Gar- On every hand are heard accusa- tions of graft and it is admitted by all that more money has been spent in this state campaign than is cus- tomarily spent in a presidential elec- tion. The Mellon forces, representing great monopolistic combines, have flooded the state with money because they fear the nomination of Pinchot, which will place the Pennsylvania governor in line for a contest for presi- dential nomination in 1928, In Pittsburgh and Philadelphia the lid is off as far as bootlegging, vice and gambling are concerned and the underworld is mobilized to its full capacity—in Pittsburgh for Pepper and in this city for Vare. Other Complications. The situation is very further com- plicated by the ramifications of other candidacies—the contest for the gubernatorial nomination between John §. Fisher, E. E. Beidelman, John Tener, and Congressman Thomas W. Phillips, and on the democratic side between Samuel E.’Shnll, Wm. FE. Porter and E, C. Bonniwell. For the democratic senatorial nomination there is no contest, Wm. B. Wilson, secretary of labor in the Wilson cab- inet, being unopposed. The chief hope of the democrats is that there will be so much throat-cut- ting by the republicans that a split party will be the result and offer a chance for the election of a democratic ticket in November for the first time in modern memory. In this hope, they are banking large- ly upon Governor Pinchot, for the ex- pectation fs general thruout the Penn- sylvania that the governor, if defeated, will make an independent race for the senate backed by the more pronounced dry element of the state. If Vare wins, constituting a wet victory, Pinchot’s independent candidacy is regarded as assured. If Pepper wins, it is said to be doubtful if Pinchot will make the race, as Pepper has considerable fol- lowigg among the drys and churches himself, ee. The DAILY WORKER goes to press too early to obtain returns from the primary elections In Penn- sylvania, but they will be pub- lished tomorrow. Carpenters Take Up Wage Scale Tonight A epecial meeting of the Carpen- ters’ District Council of Chicago, will be held tonight to consider a com- promise wage scale said by Harry Jensen, president of the council, to have been submitted by the bosses. At the same time the contractors’ asso- ciation has denied that any compro- mise has been offered to the union. Charles Sand, secretary of the Car- penters’ district counct!, appeared be- fore Carpenters’ Local 181 at its meeting Monday night. He made what some members of the union called a “Moscow” speech, declaring that “red” activity was running the union, He met with no success. The members of “181" were not in the least taken in RR by Brother Sand’s oratory, field, who asked to be allowed to speak in support of the strike. Big Parade. The Association is making plans for a huge parade in Passaic on next, Sunday as a part of the campaign for additional Passaic support. All the societies of the Association will be represented and strikers will march in the parade. FURRIER UNION MACHINE OUSTS 3 LEFT WINGERS Millstein Caretes on by Suspensions The executive board of the Chicago Furriers’ Union prior to the last meeting of the union had suspended three left wing members of the local and this constituted a topic of lively discussion when the local convened for its regular meeting last Friday, under the gavel of Manager Millstein, leader of the right-wing, machine forces in the local. The suspensions were made on the ground that Charles Grossman, Man- del Scheinberg and Max Mendelson, all left-wingers, had participated in a fight with Millstein supporters at a local union meeting on April 9th, The executive board is controlled by the union machine and altho supporters of Millstein had been implicated and actually started the fight, none of them were suspended. Order Them Out. When the minutes of the board were read, Millstein ordered the three sus- pended members to leave the hall. Objection was raised by Finkelstein, chairman of an impartial committee to investigate the affair. He pointed out that the impartial committee had come to a different decision than the executive board and that Millstein was breaking an agreement previously made. In spite of the fact that the impartial committee was composed of largely right-wing supporters, it had decided only to impose punishment by fine on the three left-wingers and also upon Max Lieberman, a machine man who was involved in the fight. Machine Moves. Morris Lieberman, a brother of Max, made a motion to sustain the suspension of the three members and to ignore the findings of the impartial committee, This motion was finally passed by a vote of 45 to 32, Offer “Armistice.” After this achievement, Millstein then offered a truce to the left-wing- ers. He said that, in viewof the com- ing agreement to be signed by the bosses, that an armistice should be declared between the two groups in the union, But a spokesman for the left-wing announced that it had had enuf of Millstein’s “truces’”—the suspension of the three members at the meeting be- ing the outcome of one of them, fore their time was up had broken down the discipline in the prisons and caused the murder of Deputy Warden Peter Klein. Tho he was supposed to be the war- den of the Joliet prison, he declared that Klein did as he pleased and bossed the jail, thus destroying all discipline. Whitman said that he complained of this state of affairs to Chauncey Jenkins, director of the state department of public welfare and overseer of all. prisons, but no attention was paid to his complaints. Jenkins had appointed , Klein. Will Colvin, head of the parole and pardon board, was also Sones, appointee of Jenkins and followed Jenkin’s in- structions in the issuance of paroles and pardons was ther point brought out by the jury. “It was common among the prisoners that it di fit them to obey the rules and dits under the merit system, * | “It was an acce| tact among them, just as you miglt accept the facts of your daily life, they had to have money or powerful political friends to get them out, of the peni- tentiary. Bribes Sou “It you had money or influence, it didn’t matter how bad)you were, or what your record was in prison, “If you had them not,it didn’t mat- ter how good your record, how trivial your offense—you couldn't get out. Klein Murder. “I can illustrate this’ teeing best by telling you of the convérsation of the seven convicts who escaped, first stabbing Deputy Warden Klein to death. They said té Keely, captain of the guard, who was forced to lead them from the penitentiary: “We'll probably hang for this if they catch us. But what’s the differ- ence? The only way we would ever get out of here is this way. The guys who can get dough or political pull— those they spring. We never could get out, 80 we had to take our chance,’ Messlein Aids Convict. “One of the convicts went over the prison wall one night and escaped,” Mr. Whitman went on. “In his cell we found a note, addressed to me, which I still have, and: which in sub- stance was as fol! “‘T paid Maj. Me: me out of here, and I'm being double- crossed. I’m not getting out. I want to go down and see the governor and find out why my case was not con- sidered, As soon as I do that I'm coming back.’ “The prisoner did come ‘back, vol- untarily, and repeated his story to me. Strangely enough, he was mis- taken, for his case had been favor- ably passed upon by parole board. Parole Escaped Convict, “It was necessary to hold the man eight or nine months because of his escape attempt, but St the earliest moment he was paroled.” Another Victim of Chicago’s Booze War A prosperous looking gunman who fired his deadly volley from the rear seat of an expensive automobile while a pretty woman companion acted as chauffeur, {s being sought by police following the murder of Thomes Dire, an official of the Motion Picture Oper- ators’ Union, Dire was standing in the shadows of an elevated station when the death car, piloted by a blond, rolled up to the curb near him and stopped.' A man then laned forward and fired four shots. As Dire slumped to the pavement the car sped away. He died on the way to a hos! . When Dire’s living quarters were searched a book containing a list of booze runners and guhmen was found. It {s believed that Dite was connected with one of the boond'rings, R Soviet Finances Show Malicious Propaganda of Kept Press Baseless By J. LOUIS UST as regularly as the passage of days on the calendar record- ing time, the Union of Boviet Re- Publics triumphantly persists in overcoming every crisis that the ‘capitalist world hails as a welcome omen of its doom. It was not long ago that the finan- cial experts of capitalism were claiming that Soviet finances were going to the dogs, that the chervo- netz was dropping in price on for- eign exchanges and that the rouble would see another tremendous in- flation. It was charged that dire disaster leading to inevitable chaos lay dead ahead for workers’ and Peasants’ rule. All these claims were refuted in this column at the time with infor- mation that was available for all editors anxious to make use of it. One of the particular offenders in ‘Chicago was The Tribune, The facts that gave the lie to the misleading propaganda of this sheet were duly sent to the editor of The Tribune. Even the receipt of this information was never acknowledged. Altho the Tribune conducts a “Beg Your Par- don” column to correct all its errors, no correction was ever made of any of its lies against Soviet rule. This column is used to put right small typographical errors and to correct insinuations that might drift into the news about the great rich on “the gold coast.” It is not in busi- ness to set right deliberate misre- presentations of conditions under Workers’ Rule, that governs for 150,000,000 workers and peasants over one-sixth of the world’s land surface, eee It has remained for the Chicago Daily News, now owned and con- trolled by a clique of Chicago goed ers and “big business” men, to pub- lsh some of the truth, which it does under the niggardly title of, “Slow Improvement in Red Finances; Soviets Force Successful State En- terprises to Share Profits with Fail- ures.’ This would infer that Soviet fin- ances have been at a low ebb, which is not true. Last fall’s grain export program did not materialize to the extent planned, with the result that | the funds for the development of * industry were not forthcoming. This ‘was merely a temporary setback that is now being completely over- come. Gt * Junius B. Wood, in the cnicage Daily News, shows how the income of the Soviet Union has steadily mounted during the last four-year period, the estimate for 1925-26 being nearly a billion roubles ($500,- 000,000) im advance of that for 1924-25. It is also shown that mining and oil are in the lead of the most suc- cessful industries, while the heavy metal industry does not lag very far ENGDAHL. behind. Wood put two questions to Nikola Brukhanov, people’s com- missar of finance, in order to get his information. Wood inquired as to the principle sources pf state in- come of the Union of Soviet Repub- lics and their approximate amounts, and also as to the most successful among the state undertakings. Bruk- hanov showed that the growth of the All-Union budget revenue dur- ing the last four years had been ag follows: Extraor- Ordinary dinary 949,000 531,000 missare. All figures are in rubles (ap~ proximately 50 cents equals 1 ruble). The fiscal year starts Oct. 1 t—Three ciphers omitted. Brukhanoy makes the terse deo laration that this table shows the gradual steps in the rapid recovery of our state budget. Probably even more significant ‘is the statement that the economic bet- tering of the general population has increased the demands for articles of domestic and imported manufac- ture. This in turn accounts for the considerable increase which the in- direct taxes will show this year. er ae In reply to the second question, Brukhanov showed that the great majority of the large industrial (state) trusts started to show profits as early as 1923-24. Group ing profitable and unprofitable trusts separately, the growth of the former in recent years has been as fol- lows: Profits Losses During 1924-25 no industry op- erated with a loss in all its branches. The only unfavorable balances were those of separate “heavy indus trusts, especially branches of these which were not sufficiently devel- oped up to now, such as shipbuild- ing, automobile, buildings, etc., ete. However, even these branches, un- der @ general expanston of revenues in the industry, are gradually reduc- ing their losses and even developing into profitable undertakings. The paper industry leads with the highest profits.” After It come min- ing, oil, textiles, sugar, electrical ap- paratus and food. Less profitable are the metal industry, forestry, silicate and leather, whose profits, however, are five per cent of sale prices. see Thus industry in th Soviet Union steadily climbs the difficult upgrade toward complete reconstruction. Another falsehood of the enemy cap- italist world has been shattered. The workers and peasants, driving toward Communism confidently, await the next poison pen effort of the hired scribblers of their foreign foes. They, will shatter that, too. Judge Wilkerson Will Pass Sentence on Lake and Druggan on June 2 Federal Judge James H. Wilkerson anounced he will pass sentence June 2 on Terry Druggas and Frankie Lake, bootleggers, and five assistant jail superintendents for allowing the two booze runners to visit cabarets while they were supposed to be in thefr cells in the Cook county jail. Sheriff Peter M. Hoffman and Wes- ley Westbrook, former warden, al- ready have been sentenced on this charge. On, the same date Judge Wilkerson will set a day for the trial of Druggan, Lake, Hoffman, Westbrook and the minor jail attaches on charges of con- spiracy to obstruct justice, Coolidge Seeks French Debt Ratification (Special fo The Dally Worker) WASHINGTON, May 18.—President Coolidge hopes that the Franco-Ameri- can debt pact will be ratified at this session of congress and that congfess will take no action on the debt until the French parliament disposes of the agreement. FOREIGN EXCHANGE NEW YORK, May 18. — Great” irit- ain, pound sterling demand 4.86 3-16; cable 4.86 11-16. France, franc, 3.89; cable 2.89%. Belgium, franc, cable 2.91. Italy, lira, 3.60% 3.61. Sweden, krone, 26.76; 26.79. Norway, krone, cables 21.753 cable 21.78, Denmark, krone, 26,28; cable 26.30, Shanghai, taels, 72.25, D. Kulikauska, 55, a member of the Lithuanian Fraction of the Workers (Communist) Party and of the Amer- lean Lithuanian Workers’ Literature Association, will be buried. tomor- row afternoon at 2 o'clock, Burlal services will take place at his home 1401 Twentyninth Pi i ‘ t Mexican Workers Demonstrate on the First of May (Continued from page 1) slogans as, “Cursed be those who claim the right to live while being exploiters,” or “The land for the peas- ants that work it and the factories for the workers who toil in them; for this we fight.” Protest Before U. S. Consulate. The electricians’ union led the pa- radé on horseback and along the line of march the thousands banked up around the most hated foreign coun- tries’ consulates to demonstrate their test at imperial exploiters and fas- cist dictatorships. Before the consulate of the United States many speakers addressed the srowds, protesting at the attacks by the United States on Mexican sov- ereignty and the rights of Mexican workers exploited by American capi- s in Mexican industry. A fight nergetic and decisive was urged against the enslavement of the Mexi- can workers to the yoke of Wall Street, Send Greetings to Soviet Workers. The proposal to send fraternal greet- ings to the workers and peasants of Soviet Russia by way of a telegram to the Soviet ambassador to Mexico was carried with a shout, and the throng moved on to the consulates of Spain and Italy, where speeches were made against fascism and.the earnest desire for the early overthrowal of Mussolini and Primo de Rivera were made known to the agents of these criminals. In the evening the Princess Theater was packed by a mass meeting, de- spite the obstacles put in the way of the meeting by the socialists, who pre- vented the gathering in another thea- ter, where it had been announced. Here again the desire of Tampico for unity of the whole work- against the capitalist and imperialist exploiters..was the burden of the speeches and material help in the form of a collection for the strik- ors against a Yankee corporation of Cinco Minas was taken up, ., WRITE AS YOU FIGHT i, U.S. CAPITAL FINANCES BIG GERMAN TRUST Coal, Iron and Steel in Giant Combine (Special to The Dalfy Worker) BERLIN, May 18—An amalgamation of German firms controlling 50 per cent of coal iron and s' Produc: tion, forming possibly the largest pri- vate Industrial concern in Europe with a capital and reserve valuation of more than $300,000,000, Is to be fi- nanced by the Wall Street firm of Dil- lon, Read and Company, which Is ar ranging a loan of between $30,0000,000 and 5$0,000,000—said to be largest for- eign loan ever made to any private corporation of Germany. The combination is known as the Vereinigate Stahlwerke, or the United Steel Works, and comprises the Thys- sen Company, the Rhinelbe Union, the Phoenix and Rheinstahl, with Fritz Thyssen, son of the late August Thy- sen, who was a leader of German heavy industry, as chairman of the board of directors. The Thyssen firm and the Rheinelbe Union are previous debtors to Amert- can capital thru Dillon, Read and Com- pany, who last year marketed $12,000,000 of Thyssen paper and $25,000,000 of the Rhinelbe Union. With the loan now being negotiated American imperialism gains a great step in the control of European heavy industry. A commission has been in- stituted to draw up plans for reogran- ization of the component works, so as to eliminate costs and especially la- bor. Coal operations will be directed from Essen and iron and steel from Dusseldorf, according to reports. Representatives of the combination are to sail soon for the United States to complete the loan negotiations, at least by mid-summer. Transport Workers’ Sea-Board Strike Alarms Standard Oil (Continued from page 1) Coenties Slip, opposite the Seamen's Church Institute—the largest sea- men’s institute in the world—and at other important outdoor points where seamen gather, show that the strike call meets approval of the toilers of the sea, So do the mass meetings in the M. T. W.’s recently opened hall at 140 Broad (corner South) street— the pivotal poimt of the waterfront. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Dick Brazier and other old-time “wobbly” speak- ers, and also men fresh from the ships address these meetings. Wage Raise, As a direct outcome of this strike shipowners have raised the scale of wages on boats sailing out of New York. The shipping board scale was $67.50 for coal-burner firemen, $65 for oil-burner firemen and $62.50 for sea- men. The M. T. W.’s 1923 strike brought wages up to this scale, an all- around increase of $10 a month, Strike Demands. Here are the strike demands, thonu- sands of copies of which, in various languages, are also being broadcast: 1, Fifteen dollars wage increase for all licensed and unlicensed men on all U. S. shipping board ships. 2. The American Steamship Own ers’ Association and private owners to pay the same rate as the U. 8. ship- ping board ships and this shall also apply to all vessels of foreign registry signing articles in American ports. There must be no difference in wage scales, 3. That there be no overtime work without pay. All overtime to be paid at the rate of 60 cents an hour for all seagoing’and coastwise vessels. 4, The eight-hour day as a max- imum for the marine industry with a 44-hour week in port. 5. Better food and living condi- tions and that the ship furnish clean bed linen once a week; towels and soap to be furnished by the company. 6. That logging only be permitted if a member of the crew fails to turn to for a whole work day in port. The same to be at the rate of “one for one.” 7. That the delegates of the Marine Transport Workers shall have access to all ships and docks. 8. That all men shall be hired from Hall. 9. Abolition of the blacklist and the deferred list system. 10. That the three-watch system be enforced on all ships, M. T. W. delegates are giving them wide circulation in Philadelphia, Bal- timore and other Atlantic ports, The organization, of course, needs funds to finance this strike. Printing is one large item of expense, It also costs much to care for strikers, pickets and others on the firing line, All contributions should be address: ed to: Wm. Panton, Chairman, Strike Committee, P. O. Box 800, City Hall Station, New York City, The American Worker Correspond Did you subscribe? ent Ie out! the Marine Transport Workers’ Union,