The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 15, 1926, Page 5

— News and Comment Labor Education Labor and Government Trade Union Politics ACTION NEEDED TO SAVE COLORADO MINE WORKERS Miners Ready: for Revolt Against “Rump” By HARRY KLETZKY. Il, The situation that exists in Colo- rado, principally that of the “Rocke- feller Plan for Industrial Democracy,” the first company union, is a challenge to the American Federation of Labor as well as to the United Mine Work- ers. If the company union “disease” is to be cured in the United States, it must be cured first in Colorado. The policy of “watchful waiting” in Colo- rado has been carried out for 12 years, The time has coma for the offensive. The Colorado coal miners themselves are beginning to demand it; it is time that the entire labor movement, look to the “cancerous growth,” which re- ceived its birth in this state. Effort Needed. If the A. F. of L. is sincere in its fight on the company union, then no amount of effort or money should. be spared to wipe it out in Colorado. Ctiroumstances could not be more pro- pitious. Twelve years of the plan ‘have revealed to the workers themselves the inherent weakness, the sickening flatness, the discouraging futility of maintaining such a program, With the miners realizing the fail- ure of the company union in Colorado, the principal foundation of the plan has been torn down. As long as the miners themselves were debating the plan’s merits, undecided as to ite real benefits and disadvantages, the trade union organizer was handicapped. But today that is changed. The workers art ready. Why is not the A. F. of L, or the U. M. W.? Strong Argument. In the failure of the Rockefeller plan, and it is a failure, the labor movement has its strongest argument against the company union. To de- stroy it all together, and-agein--help. the Colorado miners back to unionism, would strike a blow at the entire company would be staggering. For Colorado is the foundation of that movement. The entire state of Colorado is rap- idly slipping into the ranks of the “open shop” state. Nothing could bring it back more quickly and more certainly, than a victorious attack on the C, F..and I. plan. For the C. Fy and I, controlling the largest industries in the state, has given shelter and “back- bone” to every other open shop move- ment. The forming of the company union on the Denver street car sys- tem, the largest in the state, is an ex- ample of how the C. F, and I. plan has eaten itself into other industries of Colorado, Whole State Doubtful, Colorado labor must remain dwarf- ed as long as company unionism ex- ists in the mine camps and steel mills of Colorado. The mere existence of the C, F, and I. plan in the state is contaminating to the spirit of the Colorado workers. The acceptance by 80 many of the unions in the state of the “industrial commission,” altho the commission has been officially de nounced repeatedly by state federa- tion of labor conventions, illustrates how many branches of labor in the state are now “asking” for what they want, instead of “demanding.” The former militancy of Colorado labor is in great danger of giving away to “"umbleness.” Colorado labor, and especially the Colorado miner, can be saved for the labor movement of the United But it cannot be saved by a continua- tion of a “watchful waiting” policy, Action is demanded, Concentrated, fearless action. The time is near now, Is the A. F, of I, and the U, M. W. ready to strike? Supposedly Neutral Railway Arbitrators Named by U. S. Board WASHINGTON, Oct, 18.—(F, P.) — Edgar E. Clark, former grand chiet of the Order of Railway Conductors and for many years member of the Interstate Commerce Commission, has been named by the U, S. Board of Mediation as one, of the two neutral arbitrators for the demand of the Conductors and the Trainmen on the eastern railroads for a wage increase. The other “neutral” arbitrator will be William D. Baldwin, head of the Otis Elevator company, one of the most notorious open shop concerns in » America, Selection of two neutral arbitrators was made by the board because tho four arbitrators chosen by the roads and the brotherhoods failed to agree within 15 days upon two neutral per- sone for the work, the vaicy AVKKER What Are “Neutral Arbitrators?” Some Information. and Conclusions About the Wage Dispute on Eastern Railway Lines By WILLIAM F. DUNNE. HE conductors and trainmen, mem- bers of the Order of Railway Con- ductors and the Brotherhood of Rail- way Trainmen respectively, having failed to agree with the executives of the eastern roads on the personnel of @ mediation board, have had two arbi- trators appointed by the committee which administers the Watson-Parker bill to-hand’ down a decision on wages and working conditions on these railroads. The first important dispute to be handled by ‘the machinery of the Wat- son-Parker bill, the records of the af- bitrators appolhted by the Coolidge- chosen cOmmittee are of great im- portance to railway workers as indi- cating thé type which the so-called impartial machinery picks to “adjust” disputes between the railway capital- ists and the’ workers. The two “neutral’ arbitrators are William D. Baldwin and Edgar E. Clark, a Baldwin is the head of the Otis Blevator Company, one of the most notorious open shop concerns in the United States and which otganized, in co-operation with “friendly” labor leaders, “the “so-called” Elevator Con- structors’ “Union in‘ ordér to get around the working rules of the build- ing trades, ~ ay The Otis’ factory ‘is completely open shop, the company has fought the International Association of Ma- chinists and has hired. the. Sherman Service, Iné., to disrupt uniohs with which it hag hat’ conflicts: Edgar BH. Clark, a member of the law firm of Clark and La Roe of St. Louis, hag held high offices in the Order of Railway Conductors and this fact has been played up to the exclu- sion of other more interesting and significant detafls of his career, According to the, “Daily People” of March 25, 1903, Clark had, the follow- ing achievements. to his credit at that time: 3 x piss 1.) In 1901..Clark, during the strike of switchmen on the Denver and Rilo Grande, made an arrange- ment with the management of the road whereby the switchmen’s jobs were taken by coi ‘ors. In 1902, during, another strike, he ordered the conductors to scab on the switchmen. 3.) In 1894, Clark worked hand in hand’with the General Managers’ Asseciation to break the strike of the American Railway Union led by Gene Debs. HESE. earl¥ proofs of loyalty to the interests of the railroad cap- italists brought their reward and in 1903 Clark was appointed Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Labor. From 1906 to 1921 he was’ a mem- ber of the Interstate Commerce Com- mission. Recently, Clark, appearing for the estate of the late Adolphus Busch, defended the claims of the railroads for a higher valuation of their proper- ties. (New York Times, Oct. 10i) At intervals he has given lectures on the railroad situation as a repre- sentative of the “public,” appearing on the same platform with “Poison Ivy” Lee, of Ludlow infamy, now a railroad publicity man. What price neutrality? The conductors and trainmen whose wages and working conditions are to be arbitrated by these two “impartial” individuals will get a decision giving the workers exactly what the rail- roads tell this precious pair to allow and no more, $ It they get any concessions at all it will not be because of the arbitra- tors but because the conductors and trainmen hold a strategic position in the transportation industry and Amer- ican capitalism is willing to contri- bute a little something out of its gen- erous store rather than risk develop- ing class-consciousness among these key workers, UT whatever the conductors and trainmen get from theSe “impar- tial” henchmen of the bosses—if they get anything at all—it will be less than if they were prepared to wage a militant struggle for their demands. That is the why of the Watson- Parker bill. Unless we are much mistaken, the union officials who sold this gold- brick legislation to their membership are going to. have a lot of explana- tions called for in the not far distant future—explanations which will take more cleverness than they possess to furnish, na PAPER BOX MAKERS’ STRIKE AN EXPOSURE OF-CONDITIONS THAT union movement which]. UNORGANIZED WORKERS ENDURE , By ESTHER LOWELL, Federated Press. NEW YORK, Oct. 13.—(FP)—Just how bad conditions are in ynorgan- ized paper box factories is being shown up by the strike of New York paper box workers under direction of the Paper Box Makers Union. Anthony Cap- raro, union ‘organizer, tells of.a manufacturer in Brooklyn who has been working his girl.employes from 8 a. m. to 7 Pp. m—a clear violation of the state labor law limiting women's work to 54 hours per week. Saturday work Was from 8°& m. to4 p.m. But the girls struck when the union called and eee are telling their story: Falsifies Time Cards, When word that a state factory in- spector was coming reached the em- ployer’s ears; he had his foreman di- rect the girls to ‘punch their time cards at 5:30 p, m, but to go on work- Ing till seven. After the inspector came and saw nothing wrong—on the cards—the foreman filed his own sworn statement that what the in- spector saw on the cards represent- ed the true state of affairs. The striking girls say that they were told to answer the inspector, if he questioned them, that they only worked to 5:30. The union hopes to push prosecution of this law-violating manufacturer as an example to oth- er employerg and to stir unorganized workers to realization of what the union can do for them. Strikers Devoted Fighters. Arrests are frequent on the paper box workers’ picket lines but the spir- it of the strikers {s excellent, Capraro declares that he has seldom seen such a determined and devoted self- tes, |rorgetting fighting spirit among strik- ers. It recalls to him the fight of Lawrence gextile strikers in 1919, The week before the strike four surly members of the New York po- lice industrial squad came swinging into union hedaquarters, searching business agents, union officers, and by their manner intimidating workers in the hall, Police and thugs hired by employers are plentiful in the strike areas, particularly at the Specialty Paper Box Co, in Brooklyn. This firm secured an injunction in September ~before the strike—in an effort to check union organization activities among its workers, a What They Demand. The strikers are demanding recog- nition of the unfon in all shops, 44- hour week, time and a half for over- time, double pay Sundays, pay for five helidays and time and a half for other holidays if work is required, no discharge without just and sufll- cient cause approved by a joint com: peri of manufacturers and union us itsider if necessary, mini- mun aéale ot wakes from $25 to $60 per Sek ctcorting to task, $5.4 week ratseat least for every worker, Beha The DAILY WORKDR for one month to your shop-mate, OPEN SHOPPER TRIES TRICKS ONU. S, SEAMEN Compensation Law Not What It Looks Like WASHINGTGON, Oct, 13.—Andrew Furuseth, president of the Interna- tional Seamen's Union of America, has begun a fight which he will car- ry before committees of the house and senate next winter, to safeguard the present legal right of seamen to sue for damages in industrial acci- dent cases, Sounds Good But Isn’t. W, J. Petersen, manager of the Pa- cifle coast antiunton shipping offices and lobbyist before congress for the steamship lines, is now circulating a petition asking congress to include seamen with the longshoremen and ship repairmen in a compensation act. The Seamen's Union is resisting this move on the ground that it re- duces their existing legal chance of payment for injury. Petersen admitted before the house committee last spring that injured Sailors often “nail” the companies for thousands of dollars in damages, Longshoremen and repairmen are senerally unable to get damages in the courts, and hence seek a definite compensation schedule under federal administration, In its official journal the Seamen's Union tells sailors that they need not forfeit their jobs by refusal to sign Petersen's petition, N. H, Federation of Labor Meets, NASHUA, N. H, — (FP) — New Hampshire State Federation of Labor elected John L. Barry of Manchester president at its annual convention. The program endorsed included stitdy of the prison Jabor problom, introduce: tion of di “anttinjunction bill, con- tinued fight ‘for the 48-hour law, against childdabor and adequate com- pensation for injured or kélled. Sup. | Port of the British miners was urged. ‘ Policies and Programs The Trade Union Press Strikes—Injunctions Labor and Imperialism BOSSES DONOT GRANT DEMANDS, TAILORS STATE Supposed Concessions Concede’ Nothing NEW YORK, Oct. 13.—The Ladies’ Tailors and Custom Dressmakers’ Union Local 38 (branded as entirely untrue the recent. statement given to the press by Mr,Goodman for the Couturier Association which said that offer of concessions made by the em- ployers were withheld from the work- ers and declared..that not only were the concessions not concealed from the workers but) this particular offer was considered by them and unani- mously repudiated as inadequate for the tailors and giving nothing what- ever to the women, dressmakers, “Concession” Concedes Nothing. The objectionable features in the last minute concessions made by the employers was that they wanted to eliminate. control by the union of working conditions in the shops. In- stead of giving the forty-hour week, the employers insisted that four hours work on Satufday be made compul- sory which virtually nullifies the con- cession and leaves their offer nothing but the forty-four hours which they have now, The workers held that the employ- ers are doing nothing constructive to meet a real. demand for a time guaran- tee Of enough work during the year to make their real wages come up to the standard of.a living wage. r Walkout Effective. So effective has been the walkout of the custom dressmakers that the employers were forced, to promise in- dividual raises of from $2.00 to $5,00 and a reduction-of trom 47 to 44 hours a week in attempts to get the cus- tom dressmakers not to join the ranks of the strikers. Since the strike the employers have offered improyed concessions which tho not fully meeting with the de- mands have made it possible to re. open negotiations. “Bosses Lie “About Wages. The women strikers, when inter- viewed in the Central Opera House to- day, were particularly incensed at the salaries mentioned as being paid te the women. Instead of $18 a week to learners, girls who had spent three years at Manhattan Trade School were working for Bergdorf-Goodman since last April for $12 a week and were only offered a two dollar raise since the strike in order that they should not go on strike. Pennsylvania Miners Rally to Support of Sacco. and Vanzetti OLD FORGE, Pa., Oct. 13.—More than 1,000 anthracite miners filled the new Colombus Hall last Sunday and emphatically voiced their protest to the threatened execution and contin- ued imprisonment of Sacco and Van- zetti. The meeting was sponsored by eight Italian fraternal societies, anti- fascisti groups, Workers (Communist) Party and the socialist party. Arturi Di Pietra, associate editor of the Nuovo Mondo, Italian New York daily, was the principal speaker in the Italian language. Pat Toohey of Plains was the American speaker. Several of the organizations behind the meeting appointed a speaker to present to the meeting the sentiments of their respective organizations. The Scranton city administration was attacked by all speakers for their pro- hibiting this meeting from being held in Scranton, therefore compelling the arranging of the Meeting in the little out-of-the-way town of Old Forge. Fannle Plotkinw~speaking for the Young Workers’ “Heague, received an ovation at the close of her speech, A strong resoliftion was adopted calling on the governor of Massachu- setts and Judge Webster Thayer to tree the two workers, A collection of $465 was taken, © Paper Box Strikers Not Gangsters, Says Union; Four Jailed NEW YORK, Oct, 13.—The charac- terization made by members of the industrial squad of four striking paper box makers arrested on charges of disorderly conduct as “gangsters with records” was denounced by Fred Cai- ola, manager of the Paper Box Mak- ers’ Union, in a statement issued at the offices of that union at 701 Broad- way, According to Mr. Caiola, the four men, James Marbone, Frank Rosina, Benjamin Storch James Borneo, were not emp! “a damage sq to destroy com- pany property, | reputable box makers who in the trade for years. by the union as |ta DETROIT T0 STAGE FINE CONCERT FOR PASSAIC RELIEF! Famed Artist to Appear on Program DETROIT, Mich., Oct. 13.— What promises to be one of the biggest musical events of the season has been arranged by the Detroit Relief Con- ference, for the benefit of the Passaic textile strikers. » Artists of national fame will par- ticipate in the concert to be held on Tuesday evening, Oct. 26, at the Ma- jestic Theater, Woodward near Wil- lis. Fine String Quartet. Heading the program is the Detroit string quartet, one of the finest chamber musi¢ orgafizations in the country. Thig quartet is composed of four leading artists of the Detroit symphony orchestra, which has gain- ed national prominence under the di- rection of Ossip Gabrilowitsch. The quartet is led by Ilya Schkol- nik, first violinist of the Detroit sym- phony orchestra, who has been ac- claimed by critics of New York, De- troit, and various other cities, as one of the most interesting of the musi- cians who has come out of Russia. The other members of the quartet are William Grafing King, second violin; Valbert P, Coffey, viola; Georges Mi- quelle, cello; each of whom is a mu- sician of very high rank in his field. Baritone a Feature, Another prominent artist on the program is Stefan Kozakevitch, a young and popular Russian baritone. Kogakevich has sung in most of the country’s larger Russian communi- ties, Detroit, Cleveland, and San Francisco being among the towns vis- ited. He has received much praise from the press, and is generally con- sidered a highly gifted singer showing a wonderful mastery of technique and a marvelous power of expression. Ukrainian Workers’ Choir, The Ukrainian workers’ theatrical choir will also participate in the con- cert. This choir, directed by Ivan Atamenec, is composed of 35 mixed voices. It has appeared at various concerts in Detroit, also with the De- troit symphony orchestra, and is con- sidered here the finest of the nation- al choruses. The admission is 75 cents, $1.00, $1.50 and $2.00. All proceeds go for the relief of the textile strikers. Only 1700 tickets are available and work- ers and music lovers are urged to get them early. Tickets may be obtained in advance by ‘writing to the headquarters of thé Detroit Relief Conference at 55 Ade- laide street, or at the following sta- tions:, 1967 Grand River avenue, of- fice of International Labor Defense; 935 Alger, office of the Freiheit; Gray- ling Hall, 2376 Grayling Ave, Ham- tramck; Yeman’s Hall, 3014 Yemans, Hamtramck. Tickets ‘can also be obtained at the box office on the day of the concert. EMPLOY MORE WORKERS ON U.S, RAILROADS NOW Maintenance of Way Work Increases Number Railroad employment in July meant jobs to 61,550 more workers than were on the payrolls last year, according to the monthly report of the interstate commerce commission. The commis- sion’s figures show a total of 1,857,219 railroad workers who received in July $254,617,654 in wages. Big Maintenance Program, More than two-thirds of the employ- ment gain resulted from maintenance of way programs, requiring 42,000 more workers than a year ago. As this work is largely seasonal the late fall months will undoubtedly find most of these workers again looking for work. The increase of 13,396 in the train and engine service group, how: ever, is likely to’hold as long as the presefit high level of traffic is main- tained. In other departments the gains were relatively unimportant, Employment in the maintenance of equipment group fell off slightly compared with 1925, Apparently the larger business of the railroads does not mean more jobs for shopmen. Railroad pay for July averaged $138 if executives and high salaried of- ficials are included. The average for workers paid on an hourly basis was $131, These averages show practi- cally no chatge compared with July, 1925, | WCFL Ra o Program | Chicago Federation of Labor radio broadcasting fon WCFL {s on the air with regular programs. It 1s broadcasting on a 491.5 wave length from the Municipal Pier, TONIGHT, YW . | 9” . Mn-Chicago Federation of La- na bu! tine aero 7! Co Trio; Little ny The Ndi Page rive {Copyrigat, 1926, by Uptom Sinclair) IV Paul and Bunny talked, that Friday night, and a lot of Sat- urday and Sunday, and Paul explained the Russian revolution. There was an easy way for Bunny to understand it, Paul said; if there was anything that puzzled him, all he had to do was to remember their oil strike. “Ask yourself how it would have been at Paradise, and then you know everything about Russia and Siberia—yes, and Washington and New York and Angel City. The Oil Operator’s Federation, that set out to smash our strike, they’re exactly the sort of men that sent our army into Siberia— often they’re the same individuals. I read in the paper yesterday how a syndicate of oil men in Angel City has got some conces- sions in Saghalien. Lremember one name, Vernon Roscoe. He’s one of the big fellows, ‘isn’t he?” Paul said this seriously, and Bunny and Ruth exchanged a smile. Paul had been away so long, he had lost track of the oil-game entirely! Said Paul, “The operators are the same, and so are the strikers; Do you remember that little Russian Jew, Mandel, a roughneck that was in our strike? Used to play the balalaika, and sing us songs about Russia—we wouldn’t let him make speeches, because he was a ‘red.’ Well, by jingo, I ran into him in Manila, on the way out. He'd been travelling steerage on a steamer, on the way to Russia, and they found he was a Bol- shevik, and threw him ashore and took away everything he had, even his balalaika. I loaned him five dollars, and six months later he turned up at Irkutsk, in a ‘Y’ hut. Lying on a shelf there was a balalaika, and he said, ‘Why, that’s mine! How did it get here?’ They told him a soldier had brought it, but didn’t know how to use it. ‘You can have it if you can play it,’ they said, so he played it all right, sang us the Volga Boatman, and then the Internationale—only of course nobody knew what it was. A few days later there were orders to arrest him, but I helped him get away. Months after that we came on him out in the country, not far from Omsk; he had been a Soviet commissar, and the .|Kolchak people had captured him, and buried him alive, up to his nose, just so that he could breathe. . When we found him the ants had eaten most of his eyes, but there was still some life in him, his forehead would wrinkle.” It was while Paul was alone with Bunny that he told this; and the younger man sat, speechless with horror. “Oh, yes,” said Paul; “that’s the kind of thing we had to see— and know we were to blame for it? I could tell you things much worse— I’ve helped to bury a hundred bodies of people that had been killed, not in battle, just shot down in cold blood, men and women, children, even babies. I’ve seen a ‘white’ officer shoot women in the head, one after another; and with our bullets, brought there by ourrailway men*—I mean our bankers’ railway men. Alot of our boys went plumb crazy with it. two thousand that came off our transport, I doubt if there were ten per'ceént quite normal. I said that to our surgeon, and he agreed,” + tone v All this was so different from what Bunny had been taught that it was hard for him to adjust his thoughts to it, He would go off and think it over, and then come back with another string of questions. “Then Patl, you mean the Bolsheviks aren't bad people at all!” Paul answered, “Just apply the rule—remember Paradise! They were workingmen, like any other workingmen on strike, A lot of them have come from America—got their training here. I used to meet them and have long talks—all kinds of fellows. that had been all over this country, They are people with modern ideas, trying to dig the Russians out of their ignorance and super- stition. They believe in education—I never saw such People for teaching; everywhere, whatever they were doing, they were al- ways preaching, having lectures, printing things—why, son, I've Seen hewspapers printed on old scraps of brown butcher paper, or wrappings our army had thrown away. I learned Russian pretty well—and it was just the sort of thing our strikers printed at Paradise, only of course these people have got farther in their aousele against the bosses, they see things more clearly than we 0.” Bunny was staring, a little frightened. “Paul! agree with the Bolsheviks?” Paul laughed, a grim laugh. Then you “You go up to Frisco and talk with the men on that transport! That army was Bolshevik toa man—and not only the privates, but the officers. I guess that’s why they brought us home. There was mutiny in Archangel, you know—or maybe you don’t.” “I heard something—” base at “Let me tell you, Bunny—I’ve been there, and I know. The Bolsheviks are the only people in that country that have any faith or any solidarity; and they’re going to run it, too— mark my words, the Japs will get out, the same as awe did. You can’t beat people that will die for their cause, the last man and the last woman,” OR high Said Bunny, timidly, “Then it isn’t true what we've been told —I mean about their nationalizing the women?” “Oh, my Lord!” said Paul. thinking?” “Well, but how can we know what to think?” Paul laughed. “Come to think of it, 1 met some women that had been nationalized by the Bolsheviks — as school-teach= ers. They taught the men in their armies to read and write, and made every man swear to teach ten others what he had learned. I saw a couple of dozen such women in a cattle-car on the Trans- Siberian railway, without a single blanket, nothing but blocks of wood for pillows, not even a bucket to serve for a toilet, They had several cases of Asiatic cholera among them, and they’d been that way for ten or twelve days—prisoners of war, you un- derstand, waiting until they got to Irkutsk, where they’d be shot without a trial. And on the other hand, Bunny—here’s the truth I was in Siberia eighteen months, and never saw an atrocity com- mitted by a Bolshevik, and never met a man in our army that had seen one. I don’t say there weren't any; all I say is, I met men that had travelled all over Russia; our people as well as natives, and the only Bolshevik atrocity that anyone knew about was the - fundamental one of teaching the workers they hada right to rule the world. You can set this down for a fact about.the Russian. revolution, all the way from Vladivostok to Odessa and Arch- angel—that where the ‘reds’, did any killing op executing, the ‘whites’ did ten, and a hundred times as much. about ‘white’ atrocities, .beeause the bewspapers don’t report them—they are too busy»telling how Lenin has murdered Trot- sky and Trotsky has thrown’ Lenin into jail.” (To be continued) -_ aoe | rn ‘ 4 : + Out of the . “Is that the sort of rot you've been You never hear - cats ie | est he