The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 12, 1926, Page 8

British Conservatives Are Seeing the Light (Continued from page 1) mas thruout Russia. They furthermore are remitted taxes, and the rates they obtain for the education of their children are at reduced costs, or entirely free; they pay less for their accomodations, and less for their food while having the first call on both. They enjoy cheaper travelling facilities, on tram, train, bus or whatever local means of locomotion may be available and in the big towns are supplied with open air concerts and wireless apparatus on a scale and system far ahead of anything we in Western Europe posses. Not bad, at all, is it? The workers and peasants of the Soviet Union are the government and privileged classes. Well, that’s exactly what is meant by the dictatorship of the proletariat. Strict and Sound Financial System. sje BU "THERE was a good deal of talk recently about the soundness of the financial system in the Soviet Union. Some anti-Soviet pa- pers went even as far as “forecasting” a collapse of the Soviet cur- rency. Well, they couldn’t forecast the collapse of the government so they attempted to envisage a collapse of the currency. But that, too, did not materialize. Read the report of Baldwin’s delegates. It says: The present fiscal policy is sound, in fact it is almost austere. A periodical balance of the trade budget is produced e which the probable exports for the next few months are orecast. And again: The 1926 budget calls for a revenue of $2,000,000,000, and there is no doubt that the receipts will reach this figure. The Soviet national debt is $254,000,000, or about one-half of a month’s normal revenue. : Compare this with the financial state of most of the European countries. Everyone of them is running to the United States for money. Everyone of them is getting it. And yet, how many of the European powers are able to balance their budgets? How many of them can keep their currencies at par? Not even the strong powers, France least of all. ’ But the Soviet Union, without any assistance from the outside, in fact despite all obstructions from the outside, is managing to maintain a financial system which even British conservatives must designate as sound and austere. A Proper Pre-Election Idea. OW, in the face of the approaching congressional elections, it is hereby suggested that the workers and farmers of. the U States’give a little thought to the report of the British ¢onserva It Sone a vital and practical sou wie is this: When live under a government which takes its dictates from the capitalists, like in the United States, you have one situation. On the other hand, when you live under a government which taken its dictates from the workers and poor farmers, like in the Soviet Union, you have an entirely different situation. One is good for the capitalists and is maintained by them. The other is good for the overwhelm- red majority of the population and should be brought about by em. The road towards it is independent political action. Break with the old capitalist parties. Form a party of*your own. And wage a systematic struggle for a workers’ and farmers’ government in the United States. ee e© @ @ ATTHEW WOLL, first \ice-president of the American Feder- ation of Labor, has made a statement the other day that aia workers of the United States must support the farmers. He said in so many words that organized labor is going to support them. This i8 a good statement as far as it goes. But it does not go far enough to produce practical results either for the workers or the farmers in the coming elections. The Workers (Communist) Party is advocating an alliance between the workers and poor farmers against the capitalist parties. The proposal is that the workers organize politically, put forward their own labor candidates and wage their own independent polit- ical battles. And, furthermore, that the farmer organizations also put forward their own candidates against those of the capitalist par- ties. And that in doing so the workers and poor farmers make an alliance to fight jointly against their common enemy. west does Matthew Woll say about this practical proposi- tion? Alex. Bittelman. What Is Pilsudski Going to Do About It? The economic decline is attributed, as in other countries, to financial “sta- bilization,” under the direction of Bri- tish financial advisers, The workers are becoming increasingly conscious of the contrast with conditions in Sov- jet Russia; and the politicians are re- ported to be negotiating with Soviet Russia for an economic agreement which might lead to orders from Rus- sia for Polish producte, Meanwhile the industrial unrest is spreading everywhere, and m spite of persistent s The economic crisis in Poland has developed with extraordinary inten- sity, and the registered unemployed by the middle of March numbered 259,000—46,000 more than in January. The industries mainly affected are coal and textiles. Some idea of the steady deterioration of conditions is given by the following figures of “offi- cial” unemployment: September, 1923... ansbdahhiipiccs.;; Gap OOe September, 1924 ccs. veneer 166,000 Soptember, 1925 —......00 .. 200,000 December, 1925 rrsserrssves .. 300,000 "4 313,000 tions are being held. ph Am ae Spill copy on you | attacks by the police, lange demonstra-{ ° i} i} i eC “THE TORRENT.” HIS picture was made from a novel written by Blasco Ibanez, a Span- ish republican, who in Paris periodic- ally shakes his fist at the king of Spain in Madrid—which isn’t bad publicity for his business, and it’s quite safe. During the war he wrote propaganda novels for the allies,of which the “Four Horsemen” and later “Mare Nostrum” were best known in this country. In his earlier days he occasionally wrote a readable story, but never a great novel—nor is this one from which the picture was made. “The Torrent” begins with the loss of their property by a family of smaller means to a wealthier one thru the scheming of an avaricious old woman. Complications set in (and give reason for this movie) thru the fact that the daughter of the poor family is in love with the son of the wealthier one (or the other way around, if you like it that way). The loss of the property and the old lady’s insistence separates the love birds. But the girl has a voice (trained by the village barber) which she uses to seek her fortune in Paris. Here she becomes a famous opera star with a reputation for not too close attention to moral scruples. As usual in the movies, a desire to see her old town brings her back—to further conquest of her old lover, now about to be married and on the eve of successful election to office. De- spite her reputation, which has reached even the hamlet she revisits, the old flame bursts out and our young hero braves a raging torrent sweeping the city thru the bursting of a dam to win back his lady. (The much advertised torrent seems to have been made in the studio or in a nearby creek.) The young man, driven from the girl he loves thru the insistence of his ther; who. also.insists on his politi- As the novel probably says, “many years elapse.” Our lovers meet years afterward in Madrid. He a member of the chamber of deputies, old, hav- ing spent a life quite useless. She is still the old flame, youthful, vivacious, and seeing the dull wreck he has made of himself, sorry that their old love cannot be rekindled. A convincing ending is the only saving grace of the movie. And if you must see this picture and are a mere male, guard your admiration from your wife. Greta Garbo, a movie star of European importation, is a capable actress and as beautiful a creature as ever walked before a cam- era. A real Spaniard, Ricardo Cortez, plays the leading role for all that it’s worth—which isn’t much. It’s that kind of a movie. ‘There are better ones. W. Cc. long enough. speaking. ' song, “Talking to the Moon.” “This centuating it.” discussion ! A PEEK EACH WEEK AT MOTION PICTURES 60. big’ Labor, Movies and Some “Friendly Atmosphere.” UGH FRAYNE, national organizer of the A, PF. of L., attended a din- ner in New York in honor of Will Hayes, “czar” of the movies, at the Waldorf Hotel, where, according to the press, a “friendly atmosphere” predominated. é Our friend Hugh Frayne enjoyed the atmosphere (in addition to the grub and cigars) and did what was ex- pected of a labor leader who believes that what is good for capital won't do any harm to labor. He wasn’t com cerned with questions of the character of moving pietures. Do the movies deal with labor—and how? Do: the lives of the workers, tlieir hopes and aspirations and their struggles form fit subject for motion pictures, etc.? No such problems agitated our friend Hugh Frayne. As the papers reported, he was primarily concerned with “the employment of women of notorious reputation.” He said in part: “With regard to scandals in the movies, our organization is opposed to the engagement of notorious persons to play in the films. I speak person- ally on this matter, because I have a high regard for the real artists in the films. “I have raised a protest against un- desirable women exploiting their scan- dals in motion pictures and have em- phasized this protest by asking our people not to work where contracts are offered for such purposes.” As in all fields of working class en- deavor, our labor leaders who dine with the magnates of industry in the “friendly atmosphere” of a big hotel overlook the question of labor, even if they must blossom into moral cen- sors to do it. We don’t expect any- thing for labor from movies made for profit and pandering to the cheapest emotions. But we do want more from our labor leaders, ; After all, there are lower stages of morality than that of some of our notorious movie actresses. w.c. CORRECTION May 29, in the story “In South America” by Harrison George, the mistake was made of calling the In- dustrial Workers of the World the “International Workers of the World.” In addition, the space allotted for the story did not allow of the in- clusion of the important list of econ- omic demands on wages, hours and conditions of labor established by the Montevideo conference of marine workers as a program around which to rally the workers to-unity within the Continental Committee of Maritime and Port Workers, nor the resolution to fight the divisional action of the pan-American Federation of Labor by the unity of all unions based on the class struggie. Red Pepper HE papers report that the Baptists plan a war on evolution. If you recall, these are the people that christen their converts by soaking their heads under water. But they don’t keep the head under RMERLY worth about twenty cents, the French franc note has dropped in value to about three cents. A helluva note—frankly HE politicians who are appealing for votes in the fall elections on the “wet” issue should adopt for their campaign the popular VARE of Pennsylvania was nominated for senator on a “wet” pro- gram. A political opponent called his slogan “Vare and Beer.” political concatenation, with much caterwauling ac- Put that one in your book for your next political A¥NOUNCEMENTS place the wealth of this country at 353 billion dollars. If by chance we should ever leave this country and take our money be exact—$352,999,999.93, don’t need it. us the wealth would be only 352 billion. To ees aera eles, flan Opticon: «io green ape dtd i : z ’ We got it. And what's Walt Carmon. at ee ee ee ee ee SO ee eee 2 | °. —