The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 9, 1926, Page 1

Amalgamated Association - 4 The DAILY WORKER Raises the Standard for a Workers’ and Farmers’ Government Vol. Ill. No. 150. Subscription Rates: Gary Investigation Promised By Labor Department Result of Exposure By Daily Worker (Special to The WASHINGTON, D. C., July dozen senators and congressmen, the department of labor has prom- | ised to make an investigation of the disasier in the by-products | plant of the Illinois Steel Company of Gary on June 14 which killed fourteen and injured fifty or sixty more employes according to the investigation conducted by the coroner and company officials. Labor Department While declaring originally that the department had no juris- diction over the case, the depart James J. Davis, secretary of labor, in Chicago addressing the con- ‘vention of the Moose, told Senator Shipstead (farmer-labor) Minne- sota, today that an investigation would be made. Other senators most active in push-¢——————______ ing for an investigation are Norris, Nebraska; Frazier, North Dakota;. Wheeler, Montana, and Berger, Wis- consin, in the house of representatives. Immediately following the disaster The DXILY WORKER, and later the Gary steel workers’ investigation com- mittee, sent telegrams and letters to various senators and congressmen urg- ing a searching and speedy investiga- tion. Favorable replies were received from Senators Norris, Wheeler, Fra- zier and Congressman Berger. RES, Fe BRITISH UNION DELEGATES WANT N.U.R. Conference May Oust Right Winger (Special to The Daily Worker) LONDON, July 7. — The National Union of Railwaymen went into an- nual conference today at Weymouth with the delegates displaying plain dis- satisfaction with the way the general strike was run. In- dications are that a move will be made to unseat J. Thomas as_parlia- mentary secretary of the union. Several delegations to the conference are al- ready pledged to LH THOS fight for this. An attack upon Prime Minister Baldwin marked the opening speech of W. Dobbis, president of the union. After jibes at the volunteers during the strike whom he called “scabs in plus fours” and “monocled men and fashionably dressed women who were endeavoring to make themselves use- ful, apparently for the first time in their lives,” Dobbie turned his guns on Baldwin and the conduct of the government during the strike: Baldwin A Hypocrite. “The government, led by that honest, peace-loving, simple-minded British farmer, Stanley Baldwin, left, no stone unturned to brxak the move- ment. If the typical English gentle- man is a hypocrite, then Stanley Bald- win is a typical English gentleman.” Thomas Worried. Thomas was plainly uneasy, altho He did not get his anticipated drub- bing on the first day. He sald in in- terview, “They are out for my blood. They are going to raise Cain,” In the meantime the fhiners’ rep- resentatives in London are-continuing to hold out firmly against the pressure of the combined forces of the govern- ment and the owners as the miners are holding out bravely against hunger in the coal flelds, ” Miners Firm, The new wage-scale to be brought into effect by the coal legislation re- cently passed and bitterly opposed by labor members in parliament has been posted in the mine fields. The miners’ union has taken a stand against this and none of the miners are returning to work, Herbert Smith, president of the miners said in London today, “My advice to the miners 1s to stand loyal- ly by our pledge and refuse any such overtures as have been made. If the British public to not wish to see t miners starved into submission, they must take the responsibility, for neither the governmont nor the own- ere ever intend giving the miners a} square deal.” ee k hs a ¥ So. A dora ; aul Yor 2 ; weaken a ' — Daily Worker) 7—Under pressure from half a Changes Attitude. ment heads, in the absence of A.F.OF L., BIG 4 OFFICIALS, 10 VISIT U.S.5.R. “To End the Isolation,” Says Engineers’ Editor (Special to The Daily Worker) CLEVELAND, July 7.—Albert F. Coyle, editor Locomotive Engineers’ Journal, releases the following an- nouncement: ree meee dearth of accurate in- formation concerning Jabor conditions. in fascist Sartre cia TA by securing firsthand facts about labor conditions in those countries as well as thruout Europe. generally, a select | group of the leading labor executives | of the United States expect to leave this country the last of August for a two-month tour covering the chief in- dustrial centers of Europe. To End Isolation, “While the labor leaders concerned | sion personally and not as an official delegation, their mission to Europe assumes unusual significance because of the fact that it will break down the isolation that has separated the principal labor groups of the two con- tinents since the war, and will also make possible a reliable statement on SWITCHMEN, Experienced only, on air brakes; for out of town; open shop; highest wages; free board and transportation, GEORGE W. HEASLIP, 117 S. Halsted St.—Chicago Tribune. are undertaking this important mis- S41 Apply 7 a. m. and all day. E DAIL Entered at Secon In Chicago, by mail, $8.00 per year. Outside Chicago, by mail, $6.00 per year, Inquire i-class matter Sew#tember 21, 1923, at’ the “Post Office at Chi MOTORMEN. Experienced only, on air brakes; for out of town; open shop; highest wages; free board and transportation, Apply 7 a m. and all day. Inquire GEORGE W. HEASLIP, 117 S. Halsted St.—Chicago Tribune. Another Light Hidden Under a Bushel I, L.G, We SENDS the much disputed position of the mass of working people in both Italy and Russia, Announce Details Later. “While further information concern- ing the detailed plans of the party will not be announced until the middle of July, it was learned today that the chairman of the group will be the pres- ident of one of the big railroad broth- erhoods and that the remaining mem- bers will consist of-promigent grand officers of at least two other transpor- tation brotherhoods and leading inter- national unions both inside and out- side of the American Federation of Labor. Lauck Heads Economists. “In addition to firsthand personal observation, the commission will also take along a staff of expert economists under the direction of Ws Jett Lauck, long regarded as the ablest labor economist in the country by the rail- road brotherhoods, the United Mine Workers and other great International unions. Frank P. Walsh, former joint chairman with ex-Presidént Taft of the United States war labor board, will also accompany the party as ex- pert adviser on legal political af- fairs. No Conflict with Official Decisi “Prominent executives of large in- ternational unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, it was learned today, state that their plans to secure reliable information concerning cohditions in Russia in no wise con- flict with the refusal of the last Ameri- can Federation of Labor convention to send an official delegation to Russia at the expense of the federation, » Big Four and A. F, of L. Represented. “The present mission, it is pointed out, claims no official American Fed- eration of Labor status, since it Is composed of labor executives con- nected both with the railroad brother- hoods and the A. F, of L. Moreover, since the labor leaders concerned are making the trip on their own private initiative, their plans are not properly / @ matter of concern to the A, I, of L.” | 10,000 PICKETS ON STRIKE LINE 3,000 Capmakers Join Garment Walkout NEW YORK, July 7.—Yesterday was the first day of fighting activity displayed by the striking cloakmakers. In spite of the heavy rain and the sud- den strike of subway and» elevated motormen, encountering great hard- ship, about 10,000 participated in the first mass picketing. ‘ The famous open-shop stronghold ot “November and Posternack,” em- ploying 100 was crippled by taking down 70 workers, which stopped the shop completely. It was here that gangsters protect- ing the shop made their first wild at- tack on pickets, using blackjacks and knives which failed to scare pickets away, however. ) Sixteen mass meetings were held and all halls were jammed. The strike committee appointed the following ad- visory committee of nine: Hyman, Zimmerman, Sigman, Ninfo, Dubinsky, Stenzer, Boruchowitz, Zirlin and Goretzky, to serve as action commit- tee to conduct the strike. The jobbers and manufacturers are beginning to feel the grip of the strike. Two thousand capmakers are also out for the 40-hour week, an increase in scale, strict union shop and jobbers to be fully responsible to the union, Home Guard Spouter Annoys Theater Crowd Holiday makers at the Palace thea ter on the Orpheum circuit were dis- agreeably surprised over the Foutrh of July week-end when they had to listen to propaganda for Illinois con- stabulary and home guard vigilantes by an unannounced speaker who was permitted, by, the Orpnoum manage- ment. ta,agneume the time of the au- dience, ~ 1 ea FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1926 Dw 290 lilinois Slush Fund Probe Begins July 26 WASHINGTON, July 7.—The senate «slush fund committee this afternoon closed its in- uiry into Pennsylvania’s recent $3,000,000 senatorial race and adjourned to meet in Chicago July 26, to launch an investigation into the Illinois senatorial primary. decided where the hearings will be, altho two Chicago hotels are under consideration. The committee has not BRIAND WILL CONSULT CHAMBER BEFORE MOVE TO SETTLE U. S. DEBT (Special to The Daily Workerd PARIS, July 7.—Premier Briand this afternoon promised the cham- ber of deputies that he would nov ask them to ratify the Mellon-Ber- enger agreement for the settlement of the French debt to the United States until the minutest details of all negotiations concerning the set- tlement have been furnished the chamber. The premier made this statement, after interrupting Frank- lin Bouillon, who delivered a speech attacking the agreement. ANOTHER LARGE SHOP ASKING FOR FURRIERS’ TERMS Strikers’ Meeting Lively; Bosses’ Is Stormy The Furriers’ Union held an en- thusiastic mass meeting yesterday afternoon at strike headquarters, Ra- cine and Taylor strewts. Two detectives tried to start trouble but were unsyccessful. One of Chicago's largest fur shops, Walter’s, has asked for a meeting to- day with the strike committee. This is the first time that this large mant facturer has ever agreed to negotiate with the union and this ts considered a victory for the present leadership and solidarity of the strike. ‘The fur bosses had a stormy meet- ing yesterday—one boss pulling a knife on another, Dissension is grow- ing in the ranks of the employers as shop after shop signs up. The strike committee believes that a full settlement with a victory for the union will be made next week. A half dozen strikers have been ar- rested and the usual charge of ‘dig orderly conduct” lodged against them, DISARM CONFAB DISMAL FAILURE, DELEGATES ADMIT Merely Served to Deepen Imperialist Division (Special to The Daily Worker) WASHINGTON, July 7. — The in- ternational preparatory commission which has been sitting in Geneva for weeks trying to evolve a basis for a new world disarmament conference has utterly failed in its purpose, and little that is beneficial to the cause of disarmament! can now be expected from it. This was the prevailing opinion among Washington officials today after reviewing the results of the weeks of negotiations, and the pessi- mistic reports of America’s delegates. The commission has just voted a re- cess for a month—over the protest of the, American delegation—and is scheduled to resume in August, Futile Talk. So futile have the discussions been that there has been talk of withdraw- ing the American delegates, but the action has not materialized because President Coolidge and his advisers decided that to do so would lay the United States open to charges of having “wrecked the conference.” Rather than be put in such a position it was decided to maintain the Amer- ican delegation at Geneva, even tho Washington is convinced that nothing very tangible will come of the pro- ceedings. Deep Split. France and, her continental allies, Poland, Belgium, Czecho-Slovakia and others, have combined at every oppor- tunity to outvote the United States, Great Britain and Japan, the chief naval powers at the conference. Through the votés of small coun- tries, whose navies are either non- existent or negligible, the basic “principles” established in the Wash- ington naval’ atmathent conference have been ovéfthrowh and disregard- | of the “free employee’ ed, Published Daily PUBLISHING CO,, | of Street and Electric Railway Employes of America, Chicago Divisions 241 and 388: Why not picket and prevent the shipment of these Saggy who are being hired to break the strikes of motormen and switchmen in New York and Indianapolis? _WORKE >, linois, under the Act of March 3, 1879. except Sunday by THE DAILY. 1113 W, Washington Bivd., ¢ NEW YORK EDITION YORKER Shicago, Ill, Price 3 Cents —— All Militant N.Y, Labor Backs Strike: Walker Helns Company; B. R. T. Men May Stop Work By H. M . WICKS. (Special to The Dally Worker) NEW YORK, July 7.—For the first time in seven years New York City faces a subway strike. and switchmen on the subway lin completely paralyzing the main subways that ve Washington principal lines iy Brooklyn. company to man the trains with .' Approximately 1,000 motormen es of the Interboro system are out lines of the E and West Side Heights, the Bronx, and the two Desperate efforts were made by the a hastily recruited army of strike- breakers, scum of the earth from Chicago, Washington, Philadel- phia, Buffalo and Cleveland, in subway employes who had been d of duty and incompetency and w DUNN EXPOSES LRT. ‘YELLOW DOG UNION Discloses Startlin g Facts Back of Strike By ROBERT DUNN (Author of “The Labor Spy” “American Foreign Investments.”) Written Especially for The DAILY WORKER. x aes perfect yellow dog contract, binding the workers like slaves, to the ‘company, exists on the lines of the Interborough Rapid Transit Com- pany in New York. A company union known as the Brotherhood of In- terborough Rapid Transit Company Employees has existed on this trac- tion system for ten years. Adopted to destroy real labor organization, this Brotherhood is controlled body and soul by the transit corporation. It has kept. the 15,000 workers of the com- pany in virtual bondage. The individual agreement which the company unionized worker signs is contained in the “obligation” of the Brotherhood member which reads in part as follow: “In conformity with the policy adopted by the Brotherhood and consented to by the company, and AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOY- MENT, | expressly agree that I will remain a member of the Brother- hood during the time | am employed by the company and am eligible to membership therein; that | am not, and will not become identified in any manner with the Amaigamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employes of America, or with any other association of street railway or other employees, with the exception of this Brotherhood, and the Voluntary Relief Depart- ment of the company while a mem- ber of the Brotherhood or in the employ of the company ,and that a violation of this agreement or the interference with ay member of the Brotherhood in the discharge of his duties or disturbing him in any manner for'the purpose of breaking up or interfering with the Brother- hood shall of itself constitute cause for dismissal from the employ of the company.”—(Emphasis mine— R. D.) OTHING could be more specific. The worker before he obtains em- ployment is compelled to agree to join the company union. The “obligation” of the company union not only binds him to membership in the company union but specifically forbids him to join the street railway workers’ union affiliated with the A. F. of L, or any other union other than the company union. It constitutes a 100 per cent “closed shop” against real labor union- ism and in favor of the bogus com- pany Brotherhood UR employer associations, cham- bers of commerce and leagues for industrial rights who are never-ceas- ing in their imprecations against the trade union “closed shop” should study this*Brotherhood document, Our economics professors and worthy rotarians who are continually .com- plaining about the lack of “freedom in employment” existing in unionized in- dustries should have the I. R. T. yellow dog obligition rubbed . into their eyes. It would teach them some- thing about the liberties and. blessings ” who patriott- (Continued on page 2) + and} addition to a number of former ischarged for drunkenness, neglect ho had been involved in accidents. Rush Swamps Traffic. This met with partial success until the first wave of the morning traffic swamped the meager service at 6:30. By 8 this morning the subways were trying to escape from the long lin ft trains stalled at the stations from Van Courtlant Park in Manhattan to At- lantic avenue in Brooklyn. available bus, t vehicle is pressed into e to con- vey the millions of workers to their }places of employment. The elevated lines and Brooklyn-Manhattan subway are not affected by the strike and are operating to capacity, tho there is strong talk of the motormen and switchmen on other lines joining in the walkout. Strike Has Two Objectives. The strike has a two-fold objective. It is against the company, the strikers demanding a wage of $1 per hour for motormen and 75c an hour for switch- men. The men are now receiving 82 and 58 cents an hour respectively. Thus-the average motorman receives but some $36 per week for his labor, while the other skilled workers, such as carpenters and bricklayers, receive far more than twice that amount. Its second objective is to smash the infamous company union known as the Brotherhood of Interboro Rapid Transit Emplo For years this fake union, under the leadership of the notorious Con- nelly, who engineered the company- inspired strike of 1919, has prevented the workers on the transportation lines of the city obtaining decent con- ditions. and other Tire of Connelly. The last straw was the attempt of Connelly, a company tool who heads the spurious union, to thwart the de- mands of the switchmen and motor- men for a raise in pay. The delegates to the committee of the company union from what is called Local 7 were three old-time subway workers, representing the motormen and switchmen. They were Edward P. Lavin, Harry Bark and Joseph G. Phelan, all fighting Irishmen. Bolt Meeting. When Connelly refused to consider their demand for a raise they bolted the meeting, called a mass meeting of the members of the local they repre- sent last Thursday night and then and there organized the new union against the company union which is leading the strike today and is known as Con- solidated Railway Workers of Greater New York. Born in Struggle. Organized overnight and defiantly calling a strike when less than a week old, the union and its leadership have captured the admiration and evoked the confidence of the workers on all the city transportation lines. Last night at a meeting held in Man- hattan Casino, 155th street and Eighth avenue, the strikers were in a contin- ual uproar from 9 in the evening until 5 in the morning, Many of them who were scheduled to take out trains before midnight, the hour to stop work, remained away from the barns and when the hour of the strike ar- rived the workers trooped into the hall from the various barns. Each group arrival was the signal for fresh outbursts of enthusiasm jven the elevated employes were affected and a number of them quit, but were advised by the leaders to return to work and work for a general shutdown of all lines in case it is necessary in order to win the demands for the strikers. Police Guard Scabs. ‘A number of stationmen and con- ductors have quit and efforts are be- ing made to bring all of them out, As usual, the full force of the city police has been mobilized to try to crush the strike. Policemen are guard- ing the imported scabs, who are vainly trying to operate the trains. Ali militant labor is back of the strike. (More Strike News On Page ) o