The Daily Worker Newspaper, December 17, 1926, Page 6

Page Six / THE DAILY WORKER THE DAILY WORKER| Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO. 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Il. Phone Monroe 4712 SUBSCRIPTION RATES 8y mail (in Chicago only): By mail (outslde of Chicago): $8.00 pe ear $4.50 six months | $6.00 per year $3.50 six months 50 three months $2.00 three months —_—_ Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER, 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, —_——— J. LOUIS WILLIAM ...Hditors BERT MIL Business Manager , 1923, at the post-office at Chi- of March 3, 1879. —_—— Entered as second-cla cago, Ill., under the a Advertising rates on application, SST Em 230 Concealing Election. Results in the United Mine Workers Che Lewis machine in the United "Mine Workers of America is hot going to let the membership know the results of the election until it has had the fullest opportunity to fix the ballots to suit its | purposes. This is made clear by a dispatch from the home of John Uy ARTICLE I, By WILLIAM F. DUNNE, SERIES of recent events indicate | in an unmistakable manner that | a new systematic and well-organized | offensive against the left wing in the | trade unions has been launched. | The tone of the capitalist press, the socialist press and the official trade | union press leaves no doubt as to the | intentions of the forces for which they | speak. All are united in asserting that ‘the Communist menace” in the trade | unions must be destroyed. In the tone | of these articles there 43 nothing new,! but in their volume ‘and intensity there is evidence of a method, mutual understanding and ‘termination that shows this campaign to be of' sufficient intensity to mark it as a new phase of the struggte in the American labor | movement between the “worker-em- ployer co-operation” policy and the | policy of class struggle. _ | there Is a more open combination It will also be shown that the tensified attack, centering first on left wing, are (1) the desire of the ganizations which the capitalists unionism who ate trying to rally gram of immediate and necessary Lewis and the headquarters of District 12—Springfield, Tlinois. ‘he dispatch states that the results of the district election will not ve known for si weeks and that it cannot be stated when the results of the election in the international union will be made public. This means that the Lewis machine will claim election by an overwhelming majority from’ now until the convention of the U. M. W. of A. next February, altho it is well known that Lewis has been ted by actual ballots cast in every election since he took office. The results of the election in 1923 have never been furnished to members of the union, tabulated local by local as_ the, constitu- tion provides. The Lewis machine rules by reason of control of the anion offices and treasury and the support of a small minority of the mémbership. , The “Save the Union” ticket headed by John Brophy issued a leaflet before the election instructing its supporters to send in the results of the election in their local unions, and all violations of ‘he election rules, to the office of The Coal Miner, Box 8, Springtieldy lil. This is the surest way of ascertaining an approximate estimate of the results of the election and if this is done in a systematic man- ner it will make much more difficult the manipulation of the vote} by the Lewis machine. \ The progressive forces can build up such a strong case against ihe corrupt leadership of the union by securing the vote of local unions themselves that their fight in the convention will be that of a} majority against a usurping minority. e The “Save the Union” bloc must prepaxe in this way and by use of their methods just as effectiye,to combat the drive that will be made against it with the purpose of crushing it and stamping out ruthlessly, as is being attempted in the needle trades: unions, all opposition to a policy of “efficiency” unionism as a substitute for defe f Mais is not to say that all the ele- ments which support one side or the other are fully conscious of the | »olicy to which ‘they give allegiance. | The contrary is true and in general | t may be stated that only conscious | reactionaries of the type of Lewis | (United Mine Workers), Woll (vice-| president of the American Federation | of Labor), Sigman (International | Ladies’ Garment Workers), under- | stand the full implications of the right | wing position, and only the Commun- ists and the workers closest to them realize that the struggle is actually one for the maintenance of the trade unions as weapons of the working class, | long period of unemployment HE drive against militant unionism | Which preceded @he strike and the unionism took on ‘new force with |tTemendous profits which the Amert- the settlement made by the New York |C2" capitalist class has at its fis- Joint Board of the I. L. G. W. U. with | Posal for aiding ts various sections the Industrial Council of Manutac-|in their conflicts with the workers, it duveba. |still remains true. that the greatest The twenty-five weeks’ strike result-/Weakneses of the union was the ed in the union making some gains, | (roncheras ents, of the right wing ac ‘ (the 42 and 40-hour week, an increase | in the minimum rates of pay, guar-| The Amalgamated Clothing Work- antee of 32 weeks’ work, etc.), but the | ers’ officialdom, in_ contrast to its union also sustained some losses | previous unstinted aid in I. L. G. W. (right of the bosses to reorganize | strikes, ga” . a paltry $25,000 to a shops with 35 or more workers). ist development, i. e. Its present The more *sucei mate result. the utmost the new offensive of VEN it we give such factors as the | strike which has cost more than $100,- From the beginning, the! stguggle of |000 per week. the union was for the elimination of | ITH 20,000 workers locked out by the jobbers, but it was unsuccessful | the jobbers, the right wing in the in its efforts. The jobbers demanded |, ,eqie trades eat ‘Diisy. To its ald the same settlement terms as’ the ..me the officialddém of other unions fighting unionism. Another Victory for the Peoples’ Armies With the fall of Hangchow in Chekiang province to the peoples’ army, Sun Chuang Fang is left only with the eastern fringe of Anwhei province in which Nanking is situated and Kiangsu prov- ince with its seaport of Shanghai. % The troops of General Feng are advancing now from the north and west and Sun Chuang Fang cannot move southward without leaving his rear open to attack from the Feng forces which- will soon make a juncture with the southern army. The joint offensive of Chang Tso-lin, Wu Pei-fu and Sun Chuan} appears to have collapsed, together with the plan for a loan of! $50,000,000 from British interests whose security was to be the/ custom receipts of the port of Shanghai. The advance of the peoples’ | armies towards Shanghai and the sympathy of the mass of the | / manufacturers; the union refused this in which the left wing was showing and the jobbers locked out the work- | strength—the United Mine Workers of bpiesd | America and the United Textile Work- HE strike was nominally a joint | ers, 16 ‘ effort of both the right and left) A conference of tride union officials, wings of the union, but was actually | attended by Vice'President Woll of conducted by the left wing leadership|the American Federation of Labor, ofthe New York Joint Board in the | was held in New’ York during the face of sabotage from the right wing |week of November! 28, Plans were elements In New York and from the|made at this meetifig to start a new international officials of the union | offensive against the Communists and headed by President Sigman. ~ Thejthe left wing in the trade unions. right wing was insistent on the ac-; HE next week. a.conference of of- ceptance of the findings of the com- ficials which claimed to represent issior Go it arr igs Ack adeelreep edd cti' Bsighe |35 unions was held in the Rand school. tf ths rds, } ~ in other words, it was in favor Of | ruts meeting did thtes things: compulsory arbitration under the ‘ auspices of the state government con-| 1. It adopted a manifesto calling because of this negleot, of other fundamental factors, can bring nothing but disaster to the labor movement. jul” this policy is, i. It receives from the masses now, the more disastrous will be the ulti- The Communists and the organized left wing therefore are fighting the battle of the whole working class when they resist to capitalism which, In the period of Imperialism, minor exceptions the whole bloc of trade union officialdom. trolled by Tammany Hall. The stubborn attitude of both the manufacturers and the jobbers, who put up the fiercest resistance in the Chinese population of that city for the peoples’ government, make ‘history of needle trades struggles, is this kind of security worth just a little less than the proverbial tinker’s dam. Imperialism is at its wit’s end in China. It must either prepare a gigantic joint offensive against the New China or confess defeat and make the best terms possible. Imperialism’s internal conflicts make a joint offensive impossible. The mass meeting held two days ago in Hankow, attended by 00,000 people, at which Borodin, Soviet Russian adviser to the peoples’ government, was the principal speaker, holds no comfort ‘or the imperialist powers. It is a guarantee that the masses of the Chinese people look to the Soviet Union for guidance and that they haye the fullest confidence in the friendship of its workers’ and peasants’, government, Of all the great nations, the Soviet Union alone has no sdifish motives in China. The well-financed propaganda of the imperialist press in China has uot been able to conVince the Chinese masses to ) the contrary. The tremendous mass welcome accorded Borodin is also a id gaurantee that the Chinese masses do not intend to stop with the conquest of their country from the imperialists and militarists, ‘pnt are moving in the direction of the socialization of land and in- dustry and complete liberation of the masses from economic and political oppression and the burden of a feudal eulture, These are gre days in the, Far East. They are great days for the world revolutionary movement, The alliance between the liberated workers and peasants of the Soviet Union, the working class of the imperialist countries and the colonial masses, is in process of formation, When the working class in the imperialist nations is, moving as rapidly #s are the Chinese masses at present, the doom of impertalism will be sealed. ‘ —— “AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY.” | death house at Sing Sing prison, is i at — | worth while, the best of the twelve ) “an American Tragedy,” Theodore Pscpnes which constitute the play, Dreiser's much talked of novel, drama- Morgan Farley, gives a remar)ably tized by Patrick Kearney, is now play-/| fine performance as Clyde, The same ing at the Longacre Theater, New|can be sajd of Miriam Hopkins, as York City. Sondra, Katherine Wilson, is adeqwate As I have noi read the book I am/as Roberta, nA not in @ position to compare ft with When we consider the amoufit of a result of their knowledge that they had powerful allies inside of the union —the right wing leadership. The at- tacks of the bosses upon the Commun- ists and the left wing is proof of this. |upon the labor movement to extermin- ate the Communists. “ 2. It formed a permanent organiza- |tion calling itself the “Committee for | the Preservation of the Trade Unions.” | 3. It arranged for a larger confer- ence to be called a “General Trade |Union Conference,” to which all junions in New. York are invited to send three delegates and which is to Introduction. : HE purpose of these articles is to show by documentary evidence, { whose authenticity no one can impugn, that the campaign against all progressive tendencies In the labor movement which was launched at the A. F, of L. convention In 1923 has entered a new phase In which than ever before of the trade unlon officlaidom, the capitalist press, the employers and the government. main motives which prompt the In- the Communists and second on the capitalists to suppress all struggles which Interfere with the development of American imperialist pros- perity and elther destroy the trade unions or forcethem to a general dead level of docillity, (2) the desire of the trade union officlaldom to force on the unions a polloy which will make of them the docile or- will accept, (3) the desire of both the capitallste:and their labor agents to drive the Communists out of the unlons and) destroy their influence in the labor movement because they are the most conscious and best organized exponents of fighting all workers for struggle on a pro- demands. Finally, these articles will show that the policy of the trade union officlaldom, of which the latest attack on the left wing is a logical re- sult, Is based on one phase, and one phase alone, of American capital- temporary upward swing, and that e. the more endorsement the combined forces of American Include with some —W. F. D. jee held Tuesday, December. 21, in Beethoven Hall. . HE manifesto is too long to reprint here, -but the introduction de- nounces the Trade Union Educational League as an integral part” of the Workers (Communist) Party. It re- cites a number of alleged Communist misdeeds and states that the Furriers and Cloakmakers’ unions in New York have Communist leadership. | “iis “Call to Action” concludes wi The time has come when the preservation of the trade unlons de- mands the expulsion of these ele- ments from offices and control. The unions must remain free from outside domination and from the in- terference of all political parties! Individually every worker ‘may fol- low any religious or political creed, but the unions must remain inde- pendent of all. We therefore call for war upon Communist disruption. We call for all workers in ail unions to unite against the internal enemy, the dis- rupter, who is destroying the unions for the benefit of the ‘external enemy, the capitalist. It is a com- mon fight for all workers who be- lieve that their protection lies in the preservation of their unions. The division between the Com- munist adventurers and the trade union movement shall be definitely established! There shali be nothing common between these irresponsible elements and the trade unions. The labor movement shall lend no assistance to any undertaking which, directly or indirectly, shall include the Communists. It shall be war to their finish. Down with Com- munism! Long live the trade unions! HB “Call to Action” ts signed by|this direction. the following trade union officials: Abraham Beckerman, Manager, Joint Board, Amalgamated Clothing Workers; Louis D, Berger, Manager, Neckwear Makers’ Union; Samuel A. Beardsley, President, District Counctl, Jewelry Workers’ Union; Morris Fein- stone, Secretary, United Hebrew Trades; Rose Schneiderman, Women's Trade Union League; A. I. Shiplacoff, {International Pocketbook Workers’ Union, So much for the organizational preparation for “war’—it is the word | used in the “Call to Action”—against the Communists and the left wing in the needle trades, HE needle trades press plays the same note, The Advance, official organ ofthe Amalgamated, ‘devotes its whole’ edi- torial page to the Cloakmakers’ strike and says: What has happéned since the be- | ginning of the cloakmakers’ strike and what Is happening in the Cloak- makers’ Union now Is but the in- evitable outcome of the way in which the Communist Party plays trade union politics. It is the in- evitable outcome of the initial sacri- fice of industrlal ‘policy to politics. “Justice,” official organ of the In- ternational Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, likewise devotes its whole edi- | torial page to the strike and the right wing offensive. Speaking of.a circular | sent to all members of, the union ex- cept known Communists and left wings by the General Executive Board, “Justice” says: It appears at a moment when our members, stunned by the terrific blow they have received as a result of the outcome of the cloak strike in New York, and boiling with in- - The New Drive on Militant Trade Unionism dignation over the terrible misman- agement of the strike by its Com- munist leaders and directors, are searching for an answer to this calamity which has befallen their orgafization and are seeking light and guidance that. would lead them out of the morass into which the political. adventurers have dragged them, The searching analysis contained in the G. E. B.'s statement supplies this light abundantly. It lifts: the curtain over the New York . cloak-./ makers’ tragedy and exposes merci- lessly the hypocrisy, insincerity and blatant incompetence which its principal actors, the Communist camarilla, have displayed from the first day they became the masters of the destiny of the 35,000 cloak- makers involved in it. bere stage having been set for an ‘= attack all along the line it needed only some rank and file camouflage to allow the officialdom to appear as savions of the union, A farcical ‘tin- vestigation” was held by the General Executive Board of the I. L. G. W., the board then met in solemn session and passed a resolution ordering the regu- larly elected members of the Joint Board strike committee to surrender their positions and turn over. all books and property to the G. BE. B. Local union executive committees were removed from office and all posi- tions filled by appointment by the G. E. B. But the new offensive of reaction is | not confined to New York or to the needle trades and its official press. It was planned as a nation-wide move- ment and it is developing rapidly in (To be continued.) Liquidating the British Empire By SCOTT NEARING. MPERIAL statesmen, meeting in London thru the past few weeks, have been Hquidating the British em- pire, There was much conjecture as to the exact form which this liquida- tion would take, The report on Im- perial Reorganization settles the con- troversy, Four Forces, Four great driving forces have been shattering the British empire during the past quarter century. They were able to operate with pecul- far deadliness because of the scatter ed nature of the British empire and the varied economic levels occupied by its different untts, HM firs, of these forces was the rivalry of competing empires: not- ably Germany, Japan, France, Bel- gium and the United” States,. The second was the move for dominton in- dependence, The third was the na- Uonalist movements and nationalist sumed the character of bargaining among equals, The dominions were providing men and money, wholesale, for the prosecution of the war. They therefore, as a matter of course, de- manded the right toy be heard on mat- ters of common concérn. War Brought Crisis, io situation for,the empire, to that time British industry and British bankers had been able to sup- ply the demands of the dominions and the colonies for godds and for capital. While the war wag ‘on both goods and capital were needéd at the front and the outlying portions of the empire were fuced with gw choice between buying their goodg. outside the em- pire, making themepn the spot, or go- ing without. The, result was a shift in the purchases, of the Canadians, who turned to the, United States for many of the goods that had formerly come from Britain, In Australia, South Africa and Canada, the war de- Up HE war created)an acute econom-| italist systems of their own, and de- manding the right to set up tariff walls and to take other measures necessary to protect “home industry.” ‘T was this line of development that led the South Africans, immedi- ately after the war, to put a duty on |boots and shoes in order to keep out British “competition.” It was the same line of development that led the South African premier, Mr. Hertzog, to go to the Imperial Conference of 1926 with the demand that the domin- fons have a “black and white” guar- | antee of their independence. The economic independence had al- |ready been established. It only re- mained to recognize the fact in a formal way, RTHUR Balfour was chairman of the committee that had’ the mat- ter under advisement at the confer- ence. His report is°a masterpiece of British statesmanship, He does not protest or complain. He faces facts: revolutions in (he British colontes-und | mand and the high prices, led to the! "Every self-governing member of the spheres of influence, the labor movement—abroad, as ¢m- bodied in the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Proletarian State; and at home as exemplified {n the general strike and the mine strike, Britain Felt Secure, Bon years ago the British do- minions were part and parcel of the British empire, Had any serious Tho fourth was} establishment of numerous home in- dustries and to the rapid expansion of those already established. In the same way the dominions, and particu. larly Canada turned to the United States for capital, Discovered New Sources, Thus, when the war was over, the dominions had found other sources from which to purchase goods, and empire is master of its destiny, In fact, if not always in form, it is sub- Ject to no compulsion whatever.” “Wquality of status sa far as Britain and the dominions are concerned is the root principle governing our im- perial relations.” ’ The British empire is not founded on coercion, Balfour argues: “Free institutions are its lifeblood. Free co- of the dominions may make {ts own treaties, And in general “legislation by the parliament at Westminster ap- plying, to a dominion, would only be passed\ with the consent of the do- minfon concerned,” Canada Closer to U, S, | Bessitesid economic interests still hold the dominions and the British empire together. It is worthy of note, however, that the economic interests which bind Canada to the United States are stronger than those which bind Canada to Britain. The senti- mental attachments to the mother country remain. Beonomically Can- ada is far to the United States than to Britain. India is specifically ‘excluded from the provisions of the report. It re- mains under the India Act of 1919, Face Desperation, ) boston rulers find themselves in # desperate situation. The World War broke them economically and fi- nancially,. The mine strike had wrecked their weakened economic structure, ‘The dominions came to the Imperial conference | with-well-formu- lated demands for independence. There was no alternative, The Brit- ish accepted the decree of economic evolution. Thus is the British empire inform- ally dissolved, insofar as the domin- jons are concerned. What will hap- Soe serene en CS RMS CUR saan S (Copyright, 1926, by Upton Sinclair.) She put her arms about him, but he hardly knew she was there, so cruelly was his spirit wrung by the vision of Paul in Jail. And he, Bunny, running away from the trouble, loafing about and pretend ing it was a “vacation.” He that thought he understood the social problem, and had an ideal, at least a glimpse of what was kind and fait. He broke loose from Vee’s arms and began to pace the floor, storming, half at himself for a ret- egade, and half at the dirty crooks that ran the government of Sar Elido county, and stole the fund: that were supposed to keep the jail \y clean and feed the prisoners. Bunny was twisting his hands together in his misery, and Vee watched him, startled; it was a new aspect of her Bunny-rabbit, that she had thought so sweet and soft and warm! “Listen, dear!” she broke in, sud- denly. “Stop a minute and talk to me quietly. You know, I don’t know much about these things.” “What is it?” “How can you be sure that Paul hasn’t broken any law?” s “Because I know him. 1 know all his ideas. I’ve talked the thing out with him trom A to Z—all about this strike, and how it’s to be han- dled, the importance of getting the men to stand as a unit, how every thing else must be subordinated to that. That's what he’s been doing, and that’s why Verne has thrown him into jail.” “You're quite sure Verne has done it?”, “Of course—he and the rest of the operators’ committee. What are those officials in San Elido but Office-boys for the oil men? Before Verne came in there Dad ran that county, I’ve seen him pay the money with my own-eyes, and more times than one.” is “And you don't think they may have evidence that Paul has beew conniving at violence?” “| don’t know what evidence they’ve got. Verne as good as told me he had spies on that bunch, and I don’t know what those spies may have planted—and neither does Verne know, for that matter. That's one of the damnable things about it. Another is—you see that charge, ‘suspicion of criminal syndicalism,’ What they call ‘criminal syndical- ism’ means that you advocate over- throwing the government; but you notice they don’t arrest you for that —they afrest you for ‘suspicion’ of it! In other words, you advocate some idea that some ignorant cop or some crook in office chooses to think may be dangerous, and then they throw you into jail, and there you stay—the courts are crowded, and they can Keep you a year with- out trial or any chance at all.” “Oh, surely they can’t do thay Bunny!” “They're doing it right along. 1 know fellows it’s been done’ to, They put the bail high on purpose, so that workingmen can’t get it. And they think they're going to do it to Paul Watkins, the best boy friend I ever had, the straightest fellow I ever knew—yes, by God, and he went to Siberia and served in that war, and came out sick—that boy was as tough as a hickorynut before that, a country fellow, sim- ple and straight, and with no vices. And this is the reward he gets for his services to his country-—-by Je- sus, I'd like to see them get me to fight for a country like that!” » — Bunny had to dash a tear out of his eyes, and he began to pace the floor again, and stumbled against a chair, Vee’ put her arms about him and whispered, “Listen, dear, I know some people that have got money, and I may be able to help you. Leave it to me for a few hours, and don’t say anything to Dad about it—what's the use of wor- rying him to no purpose? If I can arrange it, he’ll be able to tell Verne that he knew nothing about it, and that'll be so much better all round.” She went off, and a couple of hours later came back. Bunny was to wire Ruth that neither he nor his father could do anything, but a friend had taken an interest in the case, and the money had been de posited with the American Bonding Company, and their office in Angel City wolild obtain Paul's release. Bunny said, “How did you do It?" and she answered, “The less you know about it the better, I know somebody that owns some real es- tate in Angel City, and hag a salary coming to them, and employers that e anxious to keep them happy and contented.” Bunny said it must have cost a good deal, and he ought to pay it back, and Vee said, “Yes, it cost. and you're going to operation 1s its instrument, Every dominion 1s now and must always remain the sole judge of the extent of this cooperation.” Following out these general lines of pen to the large investments of Brit- ish capital in these dominions is now & matter of negotiation, just as tho the funds were invested in any other foreign country, And thus is the pro- 4 the play, Yet, | feel that an attempt] detail that hag to be covered, one can| suggestion of Independente been made has been made by the producers to} say that it is @ fairly good attempt al}ai that time it) would have been sort of jazz up the story to give ft a] bringing Dretser's novel to the stage.| scoffed at, in London, as foolhardy, more popular e)peal, The courtroom ff the moviftg pictures. wore not] Even up to they boginning of the , which has great possibilities, | limited by the stupld censors, ft would] World War the dominions were re- capital, But most important of all, they had developed their own produc- tive system to the point where ft could supply many pf the local needs, The imperia) con! e that met in love and affection, | you “can start right now.” Sho flew to “he covered her with “Kisses, and it was like an orchestra at went surging up in their ’ ‘A is In \Cwhteh ts foreign to all] be the best meang of portraying «| garded as an essential part of tho em-| after the war refieted this situation |POllcy, the governors general in the |coss of capitalist disintegration pro-| Tt is an extremely unset \y ' procedure in New Yorkestate,|story of the magnitude of “An Amer-| pire, and were trBated accordingly, very clearly. ‘The ominions were no|tominions are shorn wf all coercive ceeding, with the h empire (un-| to have a ftole , | takes place, The fol-| ican Tragedy.” During the war,-however, a change jonger economic colonies of Great|POWer. The kingsbecomes the titular|til the war, the world capt chu tee ( t scene of the play, the “Sylvan A, Pollack. [took place. Imperial conferences as-| pritain, They wate developing cap. {end of each of the dominiona, Mach |taliet unit) the ohfef victim, (Cot Bi eee ef 4 - I