The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 25, 1926, Page 5

——-y- — cc ETE alc GAMA NS oka a THE DAILY WORKER s = iinet Organized Labor—Trade Union Activities News and Comment Labor Education Labor and Government Trade Union Politics NEXT BRITISH GENERAL WALK- ~ OUT WILL WIN Tillett Tells Garment Strikers of Lessons NEW YORK, Aug. 23.—Ben Tillett, delegate of the General Council of the British Trade Union Congress to gather funds in America for the strik- ing British miners, in an address to the striking garment workers told of what, to his view, had been the les- sons’ of’ the British general strike, which was betrayed by the weakness of the General Council» while the whole working class was ready to con- tinue the struggle to a finish. Workers Have Learned. “The next general strike,” he said, “whenever it will come, will see the adoption of a relentless method and workers organized with a purpose never to brook the insolence and op- Pression of those who break our bod- jes. and our lives and, starve our women and children, “The workers have learned from hunger and destitution what agitators could never teach them.” Tillett pointed out that 3,0004)0 able-bodied men and women workers are unemployed in Great Britain.. Two million children under 14, he said passionately, go without one square meal per week and mothers cannot suckle newly-born. Baldwin Lies. He warned that if the miners’ strike is broken an anger and hatred will be instilled in the next generation of British workers that will prove a force to contend with. At one point he said: “When Premier Baldwin says none of our children are starving he knows that he lies. Even when miners worked six days a week many had to go to the poorhouse to get food for their children.” SEND IN A SUB TODAY TO THE DAILY WORKER. | WITH THE LABOR PRESS INTERNATIONAL MOLDERS JOURNAL—Official organ of the International Molders’ Union of North America. 64 Pages, Published monthly at Cincinnati, Ohio. John P. Frey, Editor. i Baas MOLDERS’ UNION is a craft union and the Molders Journal is a craft journal. It makes no pretense of being anything else but it cul- tivates an intellectual atmosphere which, according to the accepted A. F, of L, tradition radiates from the person of its editor. This atmosphere is that of the Atlantic Monthly, articles from this highbrow but sterile publication being occasionally reprinted by the Molders Journal, The August number quite characteristically carries an article by W. A. Appleton, secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Great Britain, on the British labor movement. The fossilized Appleton, a pure and simple trade unionist of the most reactionary type, argues against independ- ent political action by the British unions in the style made famous by the late Sam Gompers. Appleton’s federation is actually a parallel body to the British Trades Union Congress but it nevertheless receives the approbation of Ar F.:of L. officialdom, 'MHERE is also an editorial article which places the blame for the failure of the British general strike on “human, nature.” The conclusion is worth quoting as it gives an insight into the editorial mentality: +. ©. if- intelligence and practical policies are something which re- sult from experience, then the trade union movement will find more effici- ent methods of helping trade unionists involved in strikes than applying the widespread sympathetic or general strike, As the Molders’ Journal is against revolution, independent workingclass political action and the general strike, it is a little hard to understand what it means by “more efficient methods;” “evolutionary processes,” perhaps. f Rese JOURNAL is against company unions and the open shop which it de- nounces as “the Chinese plan.” It is also against fascism because fas- cism is against the kind of democracy enjoyed by American trade unionists, It is hopeful because a recent convention of the American Bar Associa- tion urged a study of the constitution and says: Let us hope that the action of the American Bar Association will not only lead to a more thorough teaching of the constitution in our law Schools, but that the result will be a newer generation of judges... . We are indebted to the American Bar Association for‘calling attention to the fact that the law colleges are devoting too much time to teaching the law and lawyer’s methods of practice and not enough to teaching the constitution, fee is not the faintest sign that the editor knows that the constitution is a class instrument or that there is such a thing as the class struggle. The Journal carries a half-dozen pages of letters from members and makes a practice of publishing pictures of recently deceased members, The Workers’ Education Bureau, wierd economic material supplied by Irving Fisher of Yale University is a regular part of the Journal as well as }erticles on consumers’ co-operation. Much of the material is clipped from the American Federationist and the Canadian Congress Journal. A direc- tory of the local unions is a regular feature., But little advertising is car- ried. Policies and Programs The Trade Union Press Strikes—Injunctions Labor and Imperialism POLICE ARREST 100 PICKETS IN GARMENT STRIKE Union Continues Paying Police Court Fines NEW YORK CITY, Aug. 23.—The strikers of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union have learned that the promise of “neutrality” made by the police commissioners to the strike leaders are only empty words. Wholesale arrests of pickets in the garment district and their penalization by fines in police court is the out- standing feature of the strike. Police Work for Bosses, This is undoubtedly due to an un- derstanding between the big jobbers and the police officials, ag the jobbers see new groups of manufacturers de- serting them and signing up every day. Ten more settlements have brought the number of settled shops to 141, among them ten jobbers, No less than 100 pickets were ar- rested Friday for “congregating.” Al- most all were fined $2 each by Magis- trate Goodman in the Jefferson Market court. Altho Louis Hyman, chairman of the strike committee has previously threatened to refuse to pay fines and fill the jails if wholesale arrests were continued, the union is paying the fines thus far. Settlement Stories False. Declaring that reports of imminent settlement are being spread in the cloak industry in order to lower the discipline of cloak strikers on the picket line, Hyman, addressing 1,500 striking shop chairmen at a meeting in Webster Hall, warned them to main- tain the solidarity of the strikers’ ranks until a clear-cut settlement is won. He assured the gathering that the manufacturers, plunged into the midst of their season with no ability to pro- duce garments because of a dearth of workers, had not diminished during the seven weeks of the strike. Others eos WORKER CORRESPONDENCE GLASS ORGANIZED BY J. A. FISHER IN LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES, Cal., Aug. 23, — A workers’ correspondence class of 16 members has been organized here under the direction of J. H. Fisher, The class meets every Thursday night and will soon forward some of its accomplishments to The DAILY WORKER for publication, Imperialist Sailing to Supervise Estate NEW YORK, Aug. 23.—The master | is on the way to his plantations in Africa. Harvey 8. Firestone, Jr., direc- tor of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., and vice-president of the Fire- stone Plantation Co., with land in Liberia, is on his way there to inspect his rubber fields. Chicago Drug Clerks’ Union Holds Banquet About 200 Chicago drug clerks were at a banquet arranged by the Chicago Drug Clerks’ Union at the Hotel Mor- rison. This union is but a few months old and has a membership of about 700. It is estimated that there are about 3,500 drug clerks in the city. who spoke included Ben Tillett, head of the delegation to solicit funds for the striking miners of England and now in the 15th week of their struggle, and Charles S. Zimmerman, strike leader, Speakers pointed out that jobbers, who early in the strike declared they were not involved in the struggle, are now beginning to show their anxiety at the union’s solid position by inter- views in the Jewish and trade press, declaring that they cannot meet the union demands for a guarantee of 36 weeks’ work per year and limitation of contractors, 3d Ben Tillett Speaks, International solidarity of labor was shown at the meeting by the great ovation given Tillett and pledges of support for the striking British min- ers. The International Ladies’ Gar- ment Workers’ Union has already given $10,000 and, being in the midst of a strike, may not be able to in- crease the gift, but Hyman assured Tillett that the cloak strikers would use their influence in the American Federation of Labor to get other in- ternational and local unions to con- tribute. The Furriers’ Strike: Its Outcome and Its Lessons By B, GOLD. By BEN GOLD. OM where did the unity and loy- alty come in our last furriers’ strike? Our furriers suffered from Persecution for many years, For years have the unconscientious For- ward boys oppressed the workers with their “fist methods.” How could the Forwardites expect better from the rank and file? Is it any wonder that in our strike—in this last furriers’ strike—reigned a hearty loyalty, a warm brotherhood? The spirit of blood relationship penetrated each worker. Is it any wonder that the furrier strikers would sacrifice themselves for one another? Is it any wonder that 20 strikers were ready to give their healthy blood to save our business been ousted and has disappeared. The fighter for a better and more beautiful life has taken his place. agent, Shkolonick? Is it any wonder Petty cynicism and the treachery that the furriers were ready to suffer | have disappeared. Comradeship, starvation, nee and incarceration for brotherly relations, self-sacrifice, the right of organization? Is it any wonder that the furriers were ready to fight tooth and nail against the For- guided by the beacon of a strong ideal- ism, has guarded our way. Beauti- fully and honestly has the union made é hee brutal, ugly, paid, fist-hero has the chief? ward with its Long Island gang? Is it any wonder that for 17 weeks the thousands of pickets lay siege to their shops day and night? Is it any won- der that the picketing committees— simple workers—fought like lions and shed their blood? It is the class strug- gle. UA” SUBSCRIBE NOW TO THE CO MMUNIST INTERNATIONAL Arrangements just completed, establish the Daily Worker Publishing Co. as exclusive agents for the official organ of the leading body of the world Communist movement, $2.50 a year, $1.25 six months, SUBSCRIBE to be informed on the most important i developments in the world of revolutionary labor, its beginning—the left union, Communists Helped, The gang ghashed its teeth. The Communist leaders take no instruc- tions from the Forward gang. They will not accept commands of the un- derworld. Yes, the Communist Party helped us with council and with all it could. The Communist Party was for a long time, is yet, and will doubtless continue, to be our chief councilor. The Communist Party is the organt- zation of the idealistic and revolu- tionary fighters. This is the very reason it has spread its long roots down deep into the hearts of so many workets. We have left the socialist party because it has become the party of the union bureaucrats, petty bour- geois and petty politicians who re- main only vote hunters in time of elections, The socialist party lost its socialism. In the unions the social- ists fight against its own revolution- ary rank and file, against the Soviet Union, against every radical thought and idea, We have desered the so- cialist party and found our identity in the Communist Party, It is there we have recognized our call, It is there that we have learned the methods and tactics of the mili- tant working class. With us each Communist and each left winger must be active in his union in times of peace, and much more so in times of strife. In times of strife each Com- munist must enter into the first line trenches, Every Communist paper must help the unions in their strug- gle, It was so in the furriers’ strike. The Communists and the left wingers in their respective organizations proved worthy of their task, And the socialist party members? It was the duty of every socialist party member to undermine and demoralize the strike. The Forward and the Vecker and the Fur Worker did their share, The latter, also edited by a socialist, worked dexterously to break the strike. The socialists worked in the interests of the fur bosses, Is this the socialist party program? With whom is the Forward and its Long Island associates? Are they in league to break the strike? Almost all subsided, almost al those who made themselves famous during the 1920 strike, by takings graft, became Long Island inhabitants and the Forward took them under its protection,, The first who stepped out into the arena for the strike-breakers was the'detive president. Where was tne It was a true marionette play, in president and in acting presi- dent worked out by the stupid For- ward politicians. This play, charac- terized at its best all the old hopeless members of the socialist party. They have lost the ground under their feet. There is no hope for them. Out of despair they have been driven to do the most idiotic things. Did the right wingers have a policy with regard to the strike? Yes, of course! We have already noted that it was their aim to break the strike and to attack the left wing in the furriers’ union, as well as in other unions. The President's Part. HE president of the international, Shachtman, was a member of the committee. It meant that he was sup- posed to have controlled all our com- mittees as well as the entire strike. The first few days the president (a left Pola-Zionist, as he called himself) worked well in conjunction with the strike committee. When the reports of the various committees came in to the strike committee stating that the strike was in perfect order, every member of the strike committee ra- diated with glee except the president, who felt heartsick. The success of the strike brought him into a sup- pressed mood. The hall chairmen, che hall committees, the investigation sommittees, the information bureaus, ‘he law committee, finance and bene- it committees, and the special picket- ng committee, all important commit- tees led on their activities wonder- fully. It was truly a happy glance to notice that each committee went thru its functions in such orderly man- ner, but the “out-of-town” committee was paralyzed—a dead committee. This committee consisted of the pres- ident and half a dozen vice-presidents. The strike committee was assured by the president that the “out-of-town” committee would do wonders. Disre- garding all the president's assurances, the strike committee appointed a dit- ferent “committee” which would work in conjunction with the international office, Two weeks passed, The strike developed into a strong fight. Hun- dreds of corporation scab shops were closed, Mass picketing demonstra- tions began, New York fur factories were closed. The rank and file were drawn into the struggle. The shop chairmen were organized into a per- manent institution. The strike leader- ship was given over to the chairmen. The professional scabs did not dare to make any connections under the con- tinually watchful eyes of the investi- gation committee, The former “strong” men were forced to give up their plans of obstructing the strike because of the strong fist of the rank and file picketing committee, All was under, control, The manu facturers began to feel the pressure of the strike, The Greek workers ‘ 7 WRITE AS You"'FiGHTI lta. came out of their shops and organized their membership. Their committees made themselves famous with their loyalty and their militancy. No fur coats were produced in New York. The strikers did not permit it. The fur manufacturers opened shops in New Jersey, in Connecticut. It is there that the new harvest of shops grew. The International Failed. HE internaticnal knew about them and kept mum, The president’s “out-of-town” committee was sound asleep. Brother Palinsky, the chair- man of the “out-o/-town” committee, had protested to the strike committee and demanded a report from the pres- ident. The president refused to give such a report under the excuse of “CAREFULNESS” for facts. He as- sured the strike committee again that the international would do its duty. Suddenly the president quit coming to New York. Long Island became the nest of all caucuses and confer- ences. Rumors had it that the inter- national was going to take over the strike leadership. Why? How? No one knew! The halls began to be visited by the outcasts and they behaved themselves suspiciously. Gangsters came into Webster Hall and demanded to be registered as strikers, and requested strike cards, At the headquarters of the general picketing committee gang leaders made their appearance under various excuses. The office of the union began to be surrounded by suspicious characters. Strikers were invited to conferences with right wing leaders. Many strik- ers were accosted by the rights for their names and addresses. President Shachtman disappeared from New York and from the international office. New rumors were spread that Presi- dent Shachtman resigned. The For- ward forced him to take such step because he worked in conjunction with the left wing strike committee. Other rumors had it that President Shachtman had an agreement with the bosses. Where was the international presi- dent? No one knew! It was and still is a deep mystery. At the mass meetings the president did not appear. No tel- egram to show his whereabouts did he send. The strike committee was un- able to answer the various questions put up to them. It was finally spread about that the international was against the strike and would recall it. The strike went on and with a strong tempo. In the out-of-towns grew the number of shops, and the in- ternational knew all about it, And where in the world was president. We shall tell more our next at ¢ article. : il By Upton Sinclair — % (Copyright, 1926, by Upton Sinclair) * b ——_—_—— b. ‘ WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE, When “Bunny” Ross, son of J. Arnold Ross, California oll operator, is thir- teen years old, he goes with Dad to Beach City to sign an oil lease. There he meets Paul Watkins, near his own age who. had run away from his father’e Poor ranch in the San Elido Valley because the family were “holy rollers.” His brother Eli is a cripple who has fits and “heals” people. From time to time Bunny hears from Paul and sends money to his family. In the meantime Bunny is learning the oil business with his Dad who, along with other oil operators is Profiting by the war that had broken out in Europe. Bunny persuades his Dad to go for a quail hunting trip to San Elido Valley. There they meet the Watkins family and Bunny becomes acquainted with Paul’s sister, Ruth, whom he likes, While hunting, they locate oil on the ranch and Dad wheedles it out of old Watkins and also buys adjacent property secretly. In the meantime Bunny starts to high school at Beach City and falls in love with a fellow student, Rose Taintor. When they are ready to drill Bunny and Dad go back to the ranch to direct the work. They persuade Paul to come to live with them and work as @ carpenter. Paul had been living with a lawyer who took an interest in him and left him a legacy of books when died. Paul and Ruth live In a shack near the weil sight. Eventually the well is begun and Eli, now turned prophet and the pet of wealthy adherents to the faith, makes a blessing as the drilling’ be- gins. Bunny goes back to school and finds himself tiring of Rose Taintor. But Soon the glad news comes that Bunny’s well in the San Elido Valley has struck oil lands. A new field is started. As Bunny and Dad watch the drilling the oil suddenly pours out in a great Jet—and it catches fire. Everyone runs for thelr lives. Dad drives in great haste to town—for dynamite. He returns and the blast is quickly gotten ready. When the charge is set off, the blaze is snuffed out and the well saved. Bunny is a millionaire ten times over. The boy is now eighteen years old and begins to worry about the administration of his field, now grown to 14 derricks. He begins aiso to wonder about the relations be« tween capital and labor and asks his Dad some embarrassing questions con+ cerning his relationship to his workers. in the meantime war with Germany looms and at the the same time the men in the oil field under the inspiration of an organizer for the Oil Workers’ Union, named Tom Axton, prepare te etrike for an eight-hour day and a raise in wages, ° e a ° He attended for the first time a meeting of his own trade union. It was at night, and lasted till one o’clock in the morn- ing; and the next day being Saturday, Bunny came up to town and met his father at the hotel, and heard the story of what had happened. Most of the oil employers, it appeared, were exactly like\J. Arnold Ross, in that they left the running of their union to others; there had been not more than forty men at this critical meeting, and the dominant group consisted of repre- sentatives of the “Big Five.” The chairman and obviously the man who ran the organization, was an attorney for Excelsior Pete, who owned a small well, presumably to give him standing. He had a group which took the cue from him and voted with him. It had been rather a steam-roller affair, said Dad. Bunny wanted all the particulars, and plied his father with questions. Dad had pleaded the men’s side, as tactfully as he could, and had found exactly two operators in the gathering who were willing to agree, ever so timidly, with his point of view. To the ruling group he had seemed something of a renegade, and they hinted as much. “You know how it is, son,” Dad explained, “this is an ‘open shop’ town; that’s the way the crowd feels, and you might jist as well butt your head against a stone wall as argue with them about unions. There’s everything to be said for them—they’ve had trouble with organized labor and it’s made them bitter. They say”—and Dad went on to- detail the argu- ments that had been hurled at him; unions meant graft, unions meant “hold-ups,” unions meant disorder, unions meant strikes, unions meant Socialism, “What are they going to do, Dad?” “They’re jist not a-goin’ to let the men have a union—that’s all. I said, ‘It looks as if the Federation has turned into a strike- breaking organization.’ And Fred Naumann—that’s the chair- man—snapped back at me, ‘You said it!’ They'll be a strike- breaking organization, if and when and so long as there’s strikes in their field—that’s the way Raymond put it, the vice-president of Victor, And then Ben Skutt put in an oar—” “Ben Skutt?” “Yes, he was there; it seems he’s been doing some ‘investi- gation work’ for the Federation—a polite name for spyin’, He knew jist exactly what I’d said to our men the day before; - and he wondered if I realized the unfortunate effect of my atti- tude—it amounted to givin’ the strikers moral support. I told Ben that I usually took the liberty of saying what I thought; I was taking it in this meeting, and I'd take it in the newspapers if they asked me. Naumann smiled sarcastically: ‘I really don’t think they’re going to ask you, Mr. Ross.’ ” And sure enough, they didn’t—either then, or later! The meeting was supposed to be secret—which meant that indiivdual members were not allowed to be quoted, but the chairman or somebody gave to the press an official story, telling how the meeting had voted to stand firm against the threats of the union. It was a time for all lovers of America to uphold the country’s welfare against enemies without and within—so ran the state- ment in both the morning newspapers. “What are you going to do?” asked Bunny, “What can I do, son?” Dad’s face was grey, and deeply lined; he was not used to staying up so late, Bunny knew, and he had probably lain awake until morning, worrying over this situation. J And yet Bunny could not help making it harder for him, “Are we going to let those fellows run our business, Dad?” “It looks.as if we’d have to, son, I’m in no position financial- ly to buck the game.” “But with all the oil you’ve got?” “I’ve got a good deal of oil, but it’s mostly in the ground, and what I'd need for this job would be a couple of million dol- $. lars in the bank.” He went on to explain how modern affairs were conducted. A man never had enough money, no matter how much he had; he was always reaching out, doing business with the future, so to speak. He put money into the bank, and that gave him the... right to take out more than he had put in; the bank would take his “paper,” as it was called. Here Dad was drilling a lot-of new wells, he was buying machinery and materials, and paying for labor in advance—all on the certainty of the oil He was going to get next month and the month after; he knew he was going to get it, and the banks trusted him, on the basis of his reputation, and the known value of his property. But if Dad were to set cut to fight the Federation, he might jist as well forget there was such a thing as a bank in the State of California; he’d have to pay cash for everything, he’d have to stop all his development work, and even then, he mightn’t be able to meet his notes when they fell due, : (To be continued) CANVASSERS WANTED The DAILY WORKER is in a position to make a ey pro- position to a limited number of canvassers in Chicago ter- ritory. Permanent position with good income. Telephone Monroe 4712 or any morning at 10 a. m. 1113 W. Washing. . ton Blvd.