The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 4, 1926, Page 5

News and Comment Labor Education Ny Labor and Government Trade Union Politica A. F, L. ISSUES APPEAL FOR AID OF MILL STRIKE ‘All Unions Urged to Help Passaic WASHINGTON, D. C., Noy. 2.—De- claration that “the strikers and their families are in deep distress and must have financial help,” the Executive Council of the’American Federation of Labor to-day sent out an appeal to “all International and National Unions, State and Central Bodies, to Local Unions, and to the individual members of organized labor” for immediate and generous contribution to Passaic strike relief, The statement also includes an ap- peal for aid for the Willimantic, Conn., strikers, ahi After referring to the induction of the Passaic strikers into the United Textile Workers, an organization affi- liated: with the A. F, of L., the state- ment of the Executive Council de- clares: Strikers In Distress, “This strike at Passaic, New Jersey, has attracted the attention of, the membership of organized labor and the public generally. Every effort possible has been put forth to bring about an honorable settlement. The strikers and their families are in deep distress and must have financial help if the struggle is continued to a suc- cessful termination. The thousands of strking textile workers and their fami- lies are dependent upon the contribu- tions which organized labor,and its friends may make for food and cloth- ing. It is only in this way that their hunger can be satisfied and their strength to continue the struggle can be maintained” \ Need Aid Now. The needs of the strikers are very urgent indeed. They must have help and have it quickly. Delay will mean hunger and suffering while a quick re- sponse will mean strength, courage and determination to win.” California Teachers Go on Strike for Pay, Have Trustees’ Help WILLOWS, Cal., Nov. 2.—Glenn county’s high school teachers have gone on strike because of the refusal 6f County Treasurer E. F. Bali .to honor their salary warrants., Simul- taneously with the calling of the strike, the board of trustees ordered the schools closed in order that the teachers would not lose their status. Thus the strike is between the treas- urer and the teachers and trustees. Ball is attempting to break the strike by asking for a writ of man- damus to force the trustees to open the schools and the teachers to regis- ter their warrants, Serve Warrant In Mellet Case CLEVELAND, 0O., Nov, 2.—Morris Nadel was served with a warrant charging first degree murder, In coy nection with the slaying of Don R. Mellett, Canton vice foe, here today by Detective Ora Slater. We will send sariple coples of The DAILY WORKER to your friends~ send us name and address, SAFETY OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS IMPERILED BY LOW WAGES PAID - SECTION FOREMEN, REPORT SHOWS By LELAND OLDS, Federated Press. That responsibility for the safety of the millions of railroad passengers rests with some 40,000 underpaid section foremen is suggested in an Inter- state Commerce Commission report blaiming one of these workers for the recent Long Island wreck which cost 7 lives, According to the director of the commission’s safety bureau, the accident was caused by the defective condition of the west switch of the section foreman Dinzio is primarily + responsible. Averaged $125 Per Month. How much do Dinzio and his fel- lows average for assuming this re- sponsibility? Accordihg to the com- mission’s statistics, about $125 a month, less than a skilled worker's pay. “Section Foreman Dinzio,” says the report, “entered ‘the service of this railroad as a section laborer on August 1, 1913, was promoted to lead- ing section laborer on March 16, 1923, and made section foreman January 1, 1924; he cannot read.or write, nor does he understand English to any extent. Consequently he was exam- ined with difficulty, and even tho he wags re-examined thru an interpreter his statements could not be accepted with any degree of certainty because of his apparent lack of understanding of the questions asked.” Self-Respect Killed, This man, entrusted with the daily inspection of track which must carry safely passenger trains traveling from 40 to 60 miles an hour, had been in the employ of the anti-union Pennsyl- vania system for 13 years, yet he could not read or write, could not understand English, and could scarcely understand questions about his job when translated into his own tongue. Here is no condemnation of Dinzio, but of his employer, the great railroad, for the coodlie wage which kills the hope of self-improvement. During the first 10 years with the Long Island railroad Dinzio belonged to a large class of rail workers who south siding at Calverton for whiclr averaged about $500 for the entire year’s work in 1919 and less than $1,200 in the peak year 1920. In March, 1923, when! he received his first prémotion, this group of workers averaged only $74. Average Pay Low. Section foremen in 1916 were ay- eraging $68 a month. In 1920 the average rose to $146, but fell sharply in the depression years 1921 and 1922 For the first six months of 1926 the average pay of section foremen and section men has been: Section Monthly Wages. Foremen Men January $126 $71 February 128 68 March ., 126 76 April 125 13 May 126 73 June 126 16 The safety of the traveling public, as well as of goods shipped by freight or express, demands that such wages be raised to a level which will enable the workers to maintain stand- ards of health and decency at least comparable with their responsibility. Rallroads have taken to boasting thru time table and dining-car menus of their efficiency and safety. But they do not ask the traveler to think with the click, click: of each switch safely passed that the safe passage of the next may depend on the watchful- ness of men getting only $1,500 a year. * Such truthful publicity might cut passenger revenue. Slogan Contest Closes December 1 In the last few weeks remaining before December 1, hundreds of competing slogans for the Sunday Worker come in in every day’s mail. All will be considered, together with the bal- ance sent before December 1, for the seven following prizes to- taling a hundred dollars in books: 1—$50 worth of books for the best slogan. 2—$25 worth of books for the second best. 5 PRIZES of five dollars worth of books each will be given to the five next best slogans, COMPETING SLOGANS SUBMITTED and Fights for the Working Class.” —J. Mihelic, Kansas City, Mo, “Imperialism’s Nemesis.” —Ethel Paimer, Saskatoon, Canada, “The Guide,of Vital Thoughts.” —B. Pomezantz, N. Y. “The Magazine That Makes You Think.” —lIrene Chapple, Ashland, Wis. “Knowledge Seeker—Joy Bringer.” —A Worker. “The Roded to Progress.” “The Only Sunday Paper Fit to Read.” —J. Volkman, Wilmington, Del. “For Fighting Thinkers and Think- ing Fighters.” John Chapple, Ashland, Wis. “Brain Food for Workers.” —wW. J, Howey, Toledo, 0. “A Sunday to Sunday Treat.” —Anonymous. “A Herald of Freedom.” —Paul Hoffman, N. Y. “Read the Sunday Worker While You Rest.” 4 —Max Kitaes, N.Y. “The Sunday Worker for Every Worker.” —Chas. Schwartz, Brooklyn, N. Y, SEND YOUR SLOGAN TODAY! STRIKE STRATEG By WILLIAM Z, FOSTER Se ARTIOLE Vv. © +o we Mirrant Leapersuip A FUNDAMENTAL, necessity strategy is the building and functioning of an effective trade union leadership. The workers’ necessity for a firm, courageous leadership is a burning one. The very nature of their struggle against the capitalists and the state de- mands centralization and discipline, which involves the transference of great power into the hands of those who stand at the head of the unions. One cannot fight the class war on the basis of referendums. Even as a military army, the workers’ organizations must be headed by a capable general staff. Besides, because of their capitalistic environment, the workers are afflicted with many destructive illusions, political, economic, patri- otic, religious. These make them a prey of various breeds Hence, the tremendous importance of de- veloping an honest, well-knit, and thoroly capable leader- ship, able to point the way ideologically to the workers as well as give them organizational leadership in times of of misleaders. “wirikes. ‘ The problem of leadership may be considered in two fighting to a successful strike leaders. } Howat among’ the miners because of his unwavering devo- tion to their interests under any and all circumstances. workers. spirit. sinks adriceres-trened. THE DAILY WORKER : S atic RGIS Ra renter etn sneererarcendbrr Oe SRS Riitoane ee at ode dry-as-dust bureaucrats, ignorant and unimaginative. They, |. are almost totally without idealism and true proletarian | organization than to individual leaders to conduct the strug- They receive no-~inspiration from the |-gle (although the recent spectacular rise of Ben Gold among ‘% masses, They are altogéther’unfittéd to lead the American} the New York fur workers illustrates again’ the power of working class in the great struggles lying ahead of it. This the militant, dynamic leader even in hide-bound trade un- is because they are wedded to the capitalist system and are | ions). But when the’ unorganized go on strike, untrained in reality the agents of the capitalists in the ranks of the }and inexperienced, they look especially for inspiration and guidance not so much to their weak union yucleus as to the Our strike strategy must aim at the elimination of these.| personalities at the head of their movement. misleaders and the creation,of a body of militant, fighting |, leaders, These must be able:to sway the masses, to develop | fighting spirit in the personality of one man. The case of their fighting spirit. "They ‘must be honest, courageous, re- |Weisbord in Passaic is typical, And woe to the situation if the man at the+head of their movement is not a real leader. ganized this tendency must be sourceful. Especially they thust be honest and courageous. Nothing inspires the workers so much as loyal and brave.|.In struggles of the unor; EEE ENE aaa SETI ee ends AES ee aR eaten RS Policies and Programs The Trade Union Press Strikes—Injunctions Labor and Imperialism STARVATION I$ NEW SCHEME OF TEXTILE BOSSES Stop Credit and Begin ee rae ir * Evictions in Passaic PASSAIC, N, ,J., Nov. 2.—Having failed in their most recent effort to closé down the strike relief food stores by bringing pressure to bear on the wholesalers to deny the usual credit courtesies to the strikers’ relief organ. ization, the. local mill barons are pounding on the strikers from ano- ther anglo. Evictions. With the approach of cold weather, the mills have begun an attempt to evict striking workers from mill-owned premises. Botany, the biggest of the strike-affected mills, has set the lead in serving eviction notices on its strik- ing workers. On Mattimore Street, which is completely owned by the Bot- any Worsted Mills, a brutal drive is now on to put on the street the strik- ers who occupy the Botany frame buildings, this irrespective of whether they are behind in their rent or not. Taking their cue from the mills, lo- cal landlords have begun to evict strik- er tenants to such an extent that at present an average of twenty families are evicted a day. These evictions put a heavy strain on the relief machin- ery, for they make it necessary to find new homes for the evicted fami- lies and to move their belongings off the sidewalks. But that is part of*the Botany strategy, of the same with the exorbitant fines and high’bail set by the so-called law courts, and is done to harass the strikers and de- plete their funds. Scores Owners. In a statement issued to-day, Al- fred Wagenknecht stresses this point and scores this latest strike-breaking scheme of the mill-owners. He calls upon all organized labor to “support the gallant Passaic strikers who are now in their tenth month of struggle against the most powerful and ruth- less combination of open shoppers in the country. oe “It is significant that the Botany Mills have waited nearly nine months before trying any drastic metns to dis- possess the strikers occupying its houses.” U.T. W. Sends $5,000 for Passaic Strikers PASSAIC, N., J., Nov. 2—The Gen- eral Relief Committee Textile Strik- ers, 743 Main ,Avenue, to-day an- nounced the receipt of a check for five thousand dollars from Sara Con- boy, secretary-treasurer of the United Textile Workers. of America, “with which the. strikers are affiliated through their local Local 1603, U.T.W. FREIGHT HANDLERS ARBITRATE NEW YORK—(FP) Boston & Maine Railroad freight handlers and baggage men have agreed to arbitrate their dis- pate with the employer on a six-cent wage increase. The Railroad Media- tion Board failed to bring the two par- ties together in agreement, This is the third case before the new rail board to go to arbitration, The best way—subdscribe today. Note the wonderful popularity of Alexander | borne in mind. workers will trust them and follow them, Only those who understand and apply Marxian and Lenin- istic principles can hope to be trade union leaders of the highest type. ; * Page Five HOLD MEMORIAL FOR HAYMARKET MARTYRS NOV. 11 L Ly D. to Sponsor the Commemoration (Continued from page 1.) tense, unfair ruling by the judge aua constant incitement against them by the capitalist interests. It was never discovered who actually threw the bomb, and Governor Altgeld of [lMnois later completely ‘exonerated them all of having any toniiéction with the bombing. Pioneer’ Association. The Pioneer Aid and Support Asso- ciation, composed of interested in- dividuals and trade unions of Chicago, has been at work for years to keep alive the memory of these valiant la- bor fighters, It has also erected the beautiful monument to the Haymarket martyrs which stands at the grave in Waldheim Cemetery, and it has kept fresh with flowers the last resting place of the dead. The annual memo- ial meetings which it holds will bey held this, year in, collaboration - with the Internationals Labor Defense. James P, Cannon, Secretary of the I, L. D. will speak, . With him will be Emil Arnold, president of Painters Local 275 of Chicago and one of the active spirits of the P, A. and S, A. who will speak in German. Mathilda Kalousek, Secretary of the Czecho- slovak section of the I. L. D. will speak in the native tongue. An ex- cellent ‘and appropriate musical pro- gram has been arranged for. ees New York Workers Continue Fight For Sacco-Vanzetti, NEW YORK, Nov, 2.—Workers of New York, ardused by the Tecent ac- tion of Judge Webster Thayer, of the Massachusetts supreme court, in re- fusing to grant Sacco and Vanzetti a new trial despite the overwhelming evidence which proves their innocence, will again demonstrate their sdlidarity with the two Italian labor fighters on November 18, 1926 at the Madison Square Garden, The meeting is being arranged by the Sacco-Vayzetti Con- ference, and Elizabeth Gi@ley Flynn, national chairman of International La- bor Defense will be the main speaker. Others prominent labor and progres- sive leaders will also spéak. The respite gained by Sacco and Vanzetti up until now has been se- cured toagreat degree because of the determined demonstrations of -solida- rity by workers throughout the world, Thaworkers of New York will join in this international movement and. join their voices in the demand for life and freedom for Sacco and Vanzetti. Philly To Have Debs Memorial. PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 2.—Workers of Philadelphia will pay tribute to the memory of the rebel Eugene Victor Debs on November 7th, 8... m. at the Philadelphia Labor Institute. Among the speakers will be James P. Cannon, national secretary of International La- bor Defense, and J. O. Bentall, one of the active workers in the Passaic textile strike. The meeting is being held under the auspices of Interna- tional Labor Defense, ufon the na- tional committee of which Debs served since its formation. LABOR COLLEGES OPEN. A number of labor colleges an- nounce opening of the 1926-27 terms. Brookwood Labor college at Katonah, N. Y.,is in full swing for its 6th year. The Sefttle Labor college began its 5th year Oct, 3. The Work People’s college of Duluth will open again Nov. 15. Commonwealth college at Mena, Ark., started its 4th academic year Oct. 17. 3 Many central labor bodies thruout the country are also conducting glasses for worker education, ie lle etme itoenniens peasant dy In the first case the workers tend to look more to the Usually they dramatize their hopes, aspirations, and The left wing must carefully cultivate and develop, the : Kk strong, dynamic personalities who are capable of inspiring Though such leaders may make a hundred mistakes the | the unorganized masses in the struggle. The problem” of developing the strongest qualities of such individual lead- But in developing such a body of militant leaders a | ership must occupy our close attention. menacing danger exists in the tendency of budding left wing trade union leaders to lose themselves in the maze of every- day detail work and to neglect to give themselves the neces- | individual leaders, but especially a firm and well-organized sary theoretical training. This must be checked at all costs. | group leadership. Whether the left wing is actually in control of a given strike, or whether it is a minority force seeking to influence the general course of the strike, it must pursue a policy of combining in the Trade Union Edu- - Grour Leapersnip An effective strike strategy demands not only strong Letters From Our Readers Venezuelan Prosperity. Editor, The, DAILY WORKER. Dear Comrade: The Central Union Trust Company.of New York City, by way of conclusion to its report of June, 1926, upon financial and eco- nomic conditions in the Republic of Venezuela, is, bless its Rotarian heart, So neat,’ summary and hopeful! Let jine quote some of it: “Under the slogan ‘Work and Save’ and aided by the recent developments of the oil fields of the country and the unusually high prices for coffee (Ven- ezuela's chief export), the country: is now passing thru a boom never be- fore attained in its history. Since the present administration. went into Dower in 1909 the government has been showing an important surplus in its budget, reflected ‘in a healthy re- serve of gold’ accumulated in the vaults of the Banco de Venezuela, the government depository. Over 3,000 kilometers of ‘gdod roads are under construction, linking the most remote inhabited areas of the republic with the seaports and the capital. The economic life of Venezuela is funda- mentally sound, and the condition of the country fs excellent.” Cake and hallelujah! Alas, all this economit sweetness somehow seems to stick only to the uppér crust ‘Jayer.of the social crust. After the administration (which, mind you, has been in power since 1909, and intends, dear me, never to say the word, “die”) has had its hog's share;. after: the villainous rabble of bootlickers, whether in the post of profound statesmanship or sanctimo- nious blackguardism, has had its mul- tiple tongue in the honey; after all this revelry, what remains? Why, just this: On the 24th of July General Juan Vincente Gomez (who in 1909 became and still continues to be the adminis: tration) decided to celebrate his birth- day, and to the limit. By royal decree he created a new college, the Colegio Monsenor Jauregui. The generosity of’a Gomez knows no bounds. The director of the college was to receive some. twenty-odd dollars a week as salary; the sub-director, fourteen or fifteen dollars; the professors, under obligation to work ten hours a day, were to be paid four munificent dol- lars a week, and the porter, that il- literate bearer of burdens, was to make merry on, well, sir, on two whole dollars a week! This, of course, will not keep the Central Union Trust Company from continuing in its neat, summary, and hopeful way. Fraternally yours, Martin Feinstein, English Secretary, The Venezuelan Labor Union. Hall, the Queen! The Editor: Our captains of industry are acting giddy over the arrival of Queen Marie. The jaded ladies are vieing with each other who shall have the honor first to Kiss Queen Marie’s hand. Who is this Queen Marie? Queen Marie of Roumanian is the representative of the most reactionary and corrupt gov- ernment of Europe. She is the head of the most brutal army of white guardists, Her ministers are blood- thirsty hounds, her husband an idiot, her son-in-law a brigand, her son a drunkard and good-for-nothing bum. This smiling siren was, we pre- sume, well informed that our capital- ists are not merely hard-boiled eggs, but in their leisure hours they can be pleasure-loving salacious playboys, and that her smile will surely wit, Workers! Watch the, performance of the capitalists. It is important for every worker to know, not what the capitalist says, but what he does, We all shall know of what stuff the bosses ‘are made, for we will have to deal with them. Pauline Gatringer, New York City. backbone of the strike: the battle. and learn their lessons. and flexible in its policies. for power in the unions, before, during, and after strikes. It must work consistently for the building up of an ener- getic and capable trade union leadership, defeating on the one hand, tendencies towards a merely opportunistic scram- Los Angeles, Cal., Oct, 9. Editor DAILY WORKER. Dear Sir: Enclosed please find $1.00 in support of your great fighting pa- per, The DAILY WORKER, loved by the worker, hated by the parasites, combination of capitalists and co-reli- gionists. Mr. Editor, this is a sad city for any worker to enter in search of em- ployment. I have been here now two months and in that time I’ve worked by @ mere chance five weeks in a very small factory for a very small wage of 35 cents per hour. Even tho small the wage, two of the staff were laid off two weeks since and since that time I've been walking the streets in vain looking up any kind of work and thousands of others likewise. The free employment agency every day is overflowing with stiffs. I've seen men by the thousands grab jobs that paid $15 per week, And it is sad to-relate the nature of the want ads seen in the daily yellow press: “Man wanted, to work in apartme: house for his board and room.” If that doesn’t look Uke" the days of cha 1 slavery, the workers are nearing t minimam. The worker has only hir blame; that’s the state of affairs you will always find where the open shop predominates. As a word of caution to the workers in all.other states, please have them keep away from California, except they want to come and commit suicide by starvation. The cl 2 is O. K., but you can’t live on the climate. Yours very truly, WM. QUBALY. P. S8—If you think this short note would @ benefit to aid the worker, please Mave it published.—W. Q. Mules and Fouls. To The DAILY WORKE Comrades: I am sending you a few lines from this the greatest slave state in the Union, here where the people work like mtiles 364 days in the year and vote like fools on election day. A few of such attended a reception to the “New Messiah” that has made his appearance, It is our old enemy W. B, Wilson. A number of us of the workingelass were curious to know what he proposed to d6 for our class as there were men of diff@ent shades of political belief we had hongd for some constrictive advice for unifica- tion. What did we get? His poetic soul was torn by the thou that there are too damn many socialists and bol- sheviks and if he could have his way they would all be consigned to the nethermost depths. That was all he talked about, He is linked up with all the reactionary movements, Granny quilting parties, the W: C. T. U. and the like. Poor old Bill, I see a sad ending for him. He can’t make his exit any too soon to suit us moderns. The mining situation. has improved slightly here. Scabbing on the Eng- lish miners is a wonderful business producer, seemingly approved by the unions. I am sending you a little change: send me a bundle of The DAILY WORKER and may your burdens soon grow less. Yours truly, Henry Dondery, Expedit, Pa. Prosecute Bootleggers WASHINGTON, Nov. 2—The su preme court today’reaffirmed its po- sition that separate prosecutions for the same violation of liquor laws may be maintainéd in both federal and state courts. The Louisiana Suprenie court’s decision in the appeal of Doras Herbert was affirmed. Judge Van Devanter, reading the opinion, said the court had previousy held the federal government did not alone control the fleld of Mquor law prosecutions, Prosecutions on a feder- al charge, he said, was no bar to Prosecution on a state charge. Upon it falls the burden of educat- ing, encouraging, and inspiring the masses, of fighting off the many enemies, internal and external, of the strike, and of performing the bulk of the multitudinous detail work of The organized left wing must make a scientifie study and application of strike leadership. fully every mass strike or other movement of the workers It must study care- It must be courageous, militant, It must know how to struggle ble for union office, and on the other hand, the ultra-leftism which looks upon all office holders in trade unions, whetlfer good or bad, as parasites and grafters, Tt must combat the anarchistic conception that the workers need no leaders and that union officials shall serve ‘not more than one term—an illusion cultivated by the I. W. W. which has effectively prevented the growth of a real leadership in that body. approaching strikes. Tt must colonize with militants those industries and plants entering into strike conditions which are not producing leaders capable of handling the It must know how to practice the principles of demo- cratic centralism: that is, while keeping a firm grip.on the, phages. There is the basic question of group leadership, and then the subsidiary question of individual leadership, Let us approach the subject thru the latter phate, > The future great task of the left wing lies primarily in mobilizing the thasses of the now unorganized workers and leading them into battle against the employers, And it fs : Iwo at, Tofavunsir Ta i exactly in this work among the unorganized that the great-) Y est demands are made upon individual leadership. Leading ‘The present-day leaders of the trade are cut of |strikes of ee OAT ey tlaripltned workers is quite’ of these bodies as possible the actual strike one pattern in their colorlessness and » They are|a different matter ing strikes of the unorganized. place. This organized left wing must be the steel o-ssbges Vin smperesppee eae ‘ wg : ‘ cational League and the various other types of left wing organizations, for relief, defense, etc., and knitting together an effective group leadership, all those militant elements willing to conduct a real struggle: , This, of course, requires as much preliminary organiza- strike sitnation and preserving an iron discipline, at, the, same time,maintaining close contact with the ma and securing is support for every moye thatris made ayeh an organi leadership must act as areal general staff, i conceiving and working out its problems largely in the sense of military Strategy. (To be continued) * k * SEA