The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 25, 1927, Page 6

Page Six THE DAILY WORKER Published by the DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING CO. 83 First Street, New York, N. Y. Phone, Orchard 4928 SUBSCRIPTION RATES By mail (in New York only): By mail (outside of $8.00 per year $4.50 six months $6.00 per year $ (0 three months 00 three ew York): .50 six months nonths Address all mail and make out checks to THE DAILY WORKER, 33 First Street, New York, N. Y. “J. LOUIS ENGDAHL ) r WILLIAM F. DUNNE j*° BERT MILLER,....... ... Editors -Business Manager Entered as second-class mail September 21, at the post-office at Chi- cago, Ill., under the act of h 3, 1879. eS Advertising rates on application, Japan’s Changed Policy in China The DAILY WORKER recently published an editorial which called attention to the pronouncements of Foreign Minister Shide- hara of Japan on the question of relations with the Soviet Union and China. The minister declared that Japan would not interfere in the domestic affairs of China and also expressed his govern- ment’s appreciation of the friendly relations that existed between | the Soviet Union and Japan. | Recent developments in China have not detracted from the significance of Shidehara’s statement. Japan has refused point blank to accede to Great Britain’s request for joint action against the Chinese revolutionary armies. It is reported that Japanese representatives are holding conferences with the Cantonese with| a view to recognition. | A Moscow dispatch by Walter Duranty to The New York) Times, states that a steady rapprochement between the Soviet/| Union and Japan has been noticeable in the past few months and | that Japanese representatives are now in Moscow conducting a series of important economic negotiations with the Soviet govern- ment. Timber and fishing concessions are the main objects of this economic discussion. It is now apparent that Japan has drawn the financial props from under the anti-Soviet militarist, Chang-Tso-Lin, whose com- parative inaction in recent months was no fault of his. Japan, according to Duranty, considers Soviet friendship in Northern Manchuria and Siberia more valuable than Chang’s. 6 Japan’s decision to throw in her lot with the Soviet Union's policy of friendliness to China and the right of the Oriental peo- ples to determine their own destinies, to use the substance of a phrase that rolled pleasantly off many a tongue in the days of| Woodrow Wilson, is due to stark necessity and not to a change of | heart on the part of the Japanese imperialists. Ever since the Washington Arms Conference when England ditched the Anglo- Japanese alliance in return for concessions from the United States in the matter of naval supremacy, Japan felt her isolation keenly. | Her present orientation towards the Soviet Union is impelled by | the same consideration that drove Germany into signing the Rapallo treaty with Russia. Both are marriages of convenience. While the Soviet Union has observed her treaties with all powers scrupulously, it is idle to believe that a Workers and Peasants’ government and an imperialist power can avoid diplomatic irrita- tions since one power is committed to a policy of exploitation of the masses and the other, the Soviet power, is in existence to build a system of society where all exploitation will cease. Regardless of the fact that an understanding between Russia and Japan is one between governments at pole ends socially, at the present time such an arrangement cannot fail to exert a de- cisive influence on the Chinese situation. It practically completes the front-of the Oriental peoples against the western imperialists. It is no accident that Admiral Clarence Williams of the United States Asiatic fleet has fifty-five warships at his command with full power to use them as he sees fit in the Chinese situation. The presence of such a large flotilla in Oriental waters is at least as much of a threat against Japan as against China. * The Oracle Has Finally Spoken. Ever since the most recent invasion of the rights of a Latin- American country by the United States government and the threat of war against Mexico by the president, we have patiently awaited an expression of opinion on the question from~William Green, head of the American Federation of Labor. While radicals, liber- als and even bourgeois congressmen and senators were leaping into print with criticisms of the government policy, there was not a lor working to build peep out of Mr. Green. Finally the oracle has spoken. Writing in the current issue of the American Federationist, Mr. Green, with all the unctious- ness of a baptist deacon scratching the back of a generous sup- porter of his church; declares that: The American Federation of Labor has long advocated the reference of disputes arising be- tween nations, which do not involve honor or sovereignty (em- phasis ours—Ed.) to arbitral tribunals for settlement.” This could have been written by the most subservient cap- italist flunkey in Wall.Street. “Honor or sovereignty!” Did any nation, not governed by a set of lunatics, ever go to war for any- thing less altruistic? Of course Coolidge and Kellogg can easily convince Mr. Green that there is nothing to arbitrate between the United States and Mexico, that American prestige and American honor are at stake both in Mexico and Nicaragua. That the officialdom of the American Federation of Labor (honorable exceptions will be gratefully recorded), is part and parcel of the ruling capitalist political machine is as clear as crystal. While Green and his yellow “socialist” allies are busy waging war on the radicals in the trade unions, Wall Street and its gov- ernment are waging war on the semi-subject and subject peoples of South America and the Orient. GREAT MASS MEETING OF STRIKERS 1 ) By ROBERT DUNN. UNDAY, January 23, 1927, Al- most a year since the Botany walked out. I have just come from a meeting in Ukrainian Hall. Bot- any workers, Forstmann workers, Gera workers—hundreds from each mill—singing, shouting, listening ‘to speeches, A long, slippery walk from their homes, but they are here to listen to union men telling them about unionism. To hear Gus Deak read the list of the union workers who are to return to work at the Botany tomorrow morning. A few are called back every day. Speeches by United Textile Work- ers’ union organizers Starr and Re- gan, speeches about the fakery of the company union and the impor- tance of picket lines in front of the Forstmann gates. The workers lis- ten with both ears, just as they used to listen to Weisbord and Gurley Flynn, They applaud with enthu- siasm, Yes, this must be about speech No. 1000 they have heard since last January, For they have been fed on speeches, at least about 3 a day, sometimes as high as 6 or 8 at a meeting. And they’re not tired yet, of speaking, or striking, a union that will last. WORKER comes back stage to tell us that the Fortsmann com- pany agents were flying around in motors yesterday visiting the work- ers, begging them to come back to work. The season is coming on fast; the trade is picking up; Botany is working fuller and fuller, Forst- mann is, worried in spite of his faithful but unskilled strikebreakers, He needs back those competent spin- ners who a few nights ago voted to stay on the picket line till they get a union recognized. Yes, the Forst- mann company agents are promising the workers that a stout police escort will be furnished those who return tomorrow. “Two cops for every scab,” says an informant. That ought to be enough to show him the way to the mill gate—if he wants to return. Mr. Forstmann has plenty of cops to provide for just such purposes. He has the cossacks of three boroughs at his disposal. But still he is worried, Spinners refuse to accept the terms, or the escort. , .. So the Slavic-Hungarian-Italian workers listen to their 1000th speech on unionism. Who has not been there to speak to them during these twelve months? ND of course the workers will also remember the birds who got on the payroll of the mills to break their morale, discredit leaders, cre- ate dissension, develop scabbery and sow defeatism. One specimen of this type was the celebrated Robert THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1927 After One Year of Striking at LOCAL A. F. of L. SUP PORTS PASSAIC STRIKE J. O'Brien, emissary of the National Security League and a professional anti-radical. This. is the chap who dresses up like Bill Foster or Trots- ky in order to scare the Rotarians; after which he tears off his Bol- shevik stage whiskers to the accom- | paniment of a song and dance about | spread of the Red Menace. O’Brien went to Passaic. O’Brien got money from the mills, the exact amount I do not know. Something in the thousands. O’Brien issued a jour- nal in which he promised to expose the wicked redness of the American Civil Liberties Union, Volume 2 of this. sheet did not appear. O’Brien helped the police make the raids on the United Front Committee, Out of his clumsy imagination grew the charges against Albert Weisbord. He told the police and the prose- cutors on what grounds he thought the indictments — still pending — against Weisbord should be based. He invented the speeches about the Moscow’ gold—speeches which the Honorable Senators from New Jer- sey’ delivered in Washington. He planned and plotted an uncommon amount of deviltry in Passaic where he still keeps his residence, commut- ing thence’ in @ focomobile to shock the Kiwanians with fantastic yarns about the “lesson in revolution.” HUMBING thru the official jour- nal of the Oklahoma Employment Association the other day I came upon this item in the March, 1924, issue; under the title “Jack O’Brien Again. Active”: “A letter from the Michigan Man- ufacturers Association states that Soap Box’ Jack O’Brien is again busy, this psing a fraudulent endorsement the letterhead of the Michigan Association and at- tempting to raise money for a so- called Constitutional Defense League, which league claims to fight radi- calism. In a bulletin to his members John J. Lovett, manager of the 4 Michigan Manufacturers’ Associa- tion urges no funds be contributed jto Mr. O’Brien’ or a solicitor ynamed Hanson, or anyone connected with this so-called Constitutional Defense League. It is stated that funds which have been collected in the past have been used for purposes other |than those for which they were ob- | | tained.” But the Passaic millowners didn’t | know this when O’Brien rushed to | Passaic to save the workers from “revolution” last January. If these millowners want to be economical they should at least keep track of |the professional shake-down men who |follow militant labor organizers |from place to place in order to cash in on the bosses’ fears and uncer- |tainties. But perhaps they would have hired him anyway. After all he is an expert in flagwaving, pat- riotism, and constitution defense for the breaking of strikes. The Pas- |saic Prussians probably thought they |needed that kind of an expert last |January, -And O’Brien could give) |them a hot line about the strike hej |helped to break in Buffalo for Mr, | Mitten of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit, and of the help he gave to the anthracite mine owners when they had Pat Toohey arrested in Scranton a couple of years ago, and |of his affiliations with various | Chambers of Commerce. The man has an exceedingly, slick line, He looked good to the Passaic. bosses. It was only later that he began to bungle things. He is now said to be off the payroll, But enough of stoolpigeoning for the present. Except to say that the unsettled mills are still busy trying to. bring in strikebreakers. They also use a certain kind of person to help weaken morale, Witness the advertisements in the Philadelphia Bulletin some weeks ago, “Wanted— Investigator, female, experienced. | One who can speak Polish and Slav- Passaic ish. State age, experience and re- ferences.” A person was sent to ap- ply for this job. and was informed that her duties. in Passaic would con- sist of talking to the striking work ers in an effort to persuade them to return to work. HE Botany mill has settled and the workers are! going back very gradually. run. into the rival “union” that got under way’ while they were out on strike, mittee, woman striker to sign up with the union that takes no dues, calls no strikes, and causes no “trouble” she received the reply—“Me no wan. company union, Me want A. F, ot L. Me stick to real union,” This ter- rible heresy probably grew out or the “lesson in reyolution” that Wets- bord was teaching them and that the U. T. W. local has been teaching them these many, months. Not so bad at that. A ‘thousand speeches against the company union. The re- sult—‘me stick to the real union.” 1 propose that the A. F. of L. im- mediately lay down that assessment they voted at the last convention to fight company unionism. That they send a good chunk of the fund at) once to the Passaic relief stores, That will do more to kill company unionism than anything I can think of at the moment, The Botany company union must now be fought on the inside, just as the Forstmann “assembly” must now be fought on the outside. And the Botany management will certainly put up a fight, After all, some of their labor advisors and welfare managers are men who formerly worked with the International Auxil- iary Co.. famous labor spy corpora- tion. They will not give in to union labor unless they are forced to by a fighting union on the inside. That fight remains to be fought, but the | prospects are not so bad if the spirit of the Botany union workers is any sign, pe se main points to remember now are: 1—The strike is not over in four of the mills. 2—The police are still active. One worker on the Gera picket line was arrested the other day for laughing. 3—Workers are hungry. 4—Relief stores must be kept full of beans, black bread and spaghetti. 5—The job must be fin- ished, a Julius Forstmann has written a letter to a mediation committee. He talks about no discrimination, but forgets this is a fight for union and for collective bargaining. Julius has taken the, first step tho; he must be made to take the second. The sea- son is opening, He needs workers, He must take that step. He will take it if relief, lots of it, goes to Passaic, The job must be finished. MONSTER PARADE THRU PASSAIC PASSAIC STRIKERS’ CHILDREN GREET UNION “Breaking Chains” (A Review—By Leon Blumenfeld) “Breaking Chains,” which. was viewed at a private performance re- cently, is a celluloid document that is destined to create a distinctive furore both in cinematic and labor circles wherever and whenever exhibited. The initial New York public per- formance is slated for Sunday, Feb. 6, at the new Waldorf Theatre, on West 50th Street. Incidentally, it will be recalled, this house was used for the showing of another workers’ film, “The Textile Strike in Passaic.” At this procedure, the Waldorf screen is likely to become the sole and exclusive medium for the culture of the public’s knowledge of condi- tions in the striking and revolting areas, sundry labor and radical move- ments, and other events in conjunc- tion with the doctrines of organized and unorganied labor as witnessed the world over by the omnipresent eye of the moving picture camera. This new picture, needless to state, is of uncommon interest and splendor. For want of another expression we shall term it a dynamic and awe-in- spiring production. If you intend con-" centrating. optically, and even spirit- ually, “Breaking Chains” will dissolve the cockles of your heart; you will laugh at the proper moments, but in the main, it is meant for all seriou: ness—the brutal variety that the s' lent and dormant proletariat yearns for. . In the beginning we see unfurled scenes of Petrograd in 1917, a: few months prior to the termination of the ezarist regime. Men behind t! barracks, bombs bursting hither a thither. and God knows who thev’ going to hit. A little girl is prepar- ing supper for her dad who is on the firing line. He comes home. Before he is seated to eat a scanty bowl of broth and a piece of stale bread, a colleague calls him back to the bar- racks. That is the last the little girl ever sees of her father. It is a pitiful situ- ation and. is well executed. This is accomplished on the, style of a pro- logue. Natascha Konus in the role of the child rendered a performance that was marked by its flawlessness and likewise for the unfortunate father. “Breaking Chains” depicts condi- tions in Russia before the Soviets took it over. Simultaneously, the life of the White God is brilliantly por- trayed. Sufferers, and suffering, greed, hunger, liberty, licentiousness, and so forth. all presented before you. For once the spectator is offered a product that doesn’t strive for the conventional and hackneyed love or melodramatic themes. The film pos- sesses dramatic sequences, fire and passion that is rarely, if ever, brought out in the average motion picture. Some of the most celebrated actors in Russia, where “Breaking Chains” was filmed, have significant roles. ‘A. Ktoroff, who enacted the part of the son of an aristocrat who later turns spy to secure a valuable casket of jewels that is hidden in a mansion that was once the living quarters of the aristocrat. Your blood will elevate to the nth degree looking at his in- human tactics. W. Erncoloff-Boros- din, characterizing the wealthy fath | er, is capital, cinematically speaking. Katja, as a young woman, played by W. Popoff dis: all the charm and beauty that can be anticipated from such a character. HAIL TO LENIN, HAIL TO THE DAILY WORKER! By FRED ‘HARRIS. Workers of the Revolution, rally to the speaker’s call, twenty thousand, here assembled hear of Capitalism’s fall. William Weinstone, strong and fearless, Louis Engdahl, brave and bold, speaks of Russia’s fight for freedom, with the bright flag’s scarlet fold. Comrade Engdahl, quite emphatic, mentions, so that all can hear, that the gov’ment of THIS Union, will be Soviet in the near. Says: ‘“The WORKER will do battle ‘ ‘gainst the fakers’ schemes and plots, that The WORKER will unmask bold, with journalistic rods. Bill Z. Foster, quite as ever, tells in few, brief, marked words, that the might of org’nized Labor conquers soldiers’ guns and swords, Comrade Olgin, New York’s favor- ite, eulogizes Lenin’s deed, * mers in this country must. be freed. Nearing said; | “The’ Workers’ Daily pierces Nicaragua’s mist. Buy the Worker, read it daily; boost its real subscription list.” Ruthenberg, the well-known lIpader, Workers Party secretary, spoke of necessary tactics to main- \tain the “Worker” here, says that workers, slaves and far-|_ Freiheit’s chorus gave us music, long the INTERNATIONAL rang, others rendered STENKHA RASIN and the Volga Boatmen song. If I'd tell it all in detail what transpired here this night, pages would be filled with wonders, stories to your heart’s delight. Be it mentioned here just briefly, that the workers’ fight is on. The DAILY WORKER, now in New York, leads the cause, till we have won. % * * eng Written at the Madison Square Garden Lenin Memorial meeting.— FRED HARRIS. The DAILY WORKER is. now on all news stands around New York. As they go back “they | This is the ‘company com- | When a forelady asked a} XI. | There has been during the press ent century a new universe opened | up to knowledge—the subconscious mind—and many strange things are told about it. It is accustomed ‘to | make determined efforts to have its own way; and sometimes when it is balked it will go to such lengths as to make the body ill, A jealous wife will suffer nervous collapse, a quite genuine case, thus | retaining the attentions of her hus- band; and so on through a catalog of strange phenomena. But the Freudian theories, not being con- | sistent with Methodist theology, had not yet penetrated into Southern Pacific. So Bunny was entirely un- suspicious when it happened, just after his graduation, and before he set out with Gregor Nikolaieff, that Dad came cown with a severe at- tack of the flu. Of course Bunny had to postpone his leaving, and was able to find all the trouble he need- ed at home, There were several days when it was not certain if Dad would live; and Bunny felt all the remorse that Vernon Roscoe had foretold. Also he faced the alarm- ing prospect, he might have to take over control of all those millions of Dad’s money! The old man pulled through; but he was very weak, and pitiful, and the doctor warned his family that the flu was apt to leave the heart in bad condition, and he would have to be guarded and kept from shock. Down in the deeps of Dad there must have been a merry chuckling, for now it was impossible for Bunny to go away, The father clung to his boy’s hand like a child, and Bunny must sit and read to him the sad and tender story of the young Lord Siddhartha. Had Dad said something to Vee about the plot, or was it a telepathic contact between two subconscious minds? She came frequently to the house, and was so kind and sympathetic— the wild elephant in Bunny’s spirit was tied down with a million silken cords. And then, when Dad was able to be about, and to sit on the porch in the sunshine, his shrewd con- scious mind started work, and pres- ently he had a scheme. “Son, I’ve been thinking about your problgm, and I realize that you have a right to express your ideas. I’ve been wondering if we mightn’t work out a compromise, and let me help.” “How, Dad?” “Well, you might have some money that you could use in your own way, and wouldn’t feel you were taking from mine. Of course, I wouldn’t feel it was right to help you do anything that was against the law; but if there is some kind of education that isn’t for violence, why, that would be all right, and if you had an income a thousand dol- lars a month that you might use for such propaganda—would that help?” A thousand dollars a month! Gee whiz! Bunny forgot the standards of his own class, according to which a thousand dollars a month would not keep a string of polo ponies or a small racing yacht; he thought according to the standards of the radicals, to whom a thousand dol- lars a month meant a whole labor college or a weekly paper! Nothing was said about Bunny’s staying at home, but he understood that the offer was a bribe; he would have to administer the fund! He yielded to the temptation, and hastened to phone Rachel+he had a job in sight for her! He invited her to lunch; and all the way as he drove to the place, his busy» mind was flying from scheme to scheme. Rachel would remain secretary of the “Ypsels,” and be paid a salary for her work, the same as she would have got as a social worker. The young Social- ists would hire a larger hall, and would publish a weekly paper, aimed at the high schools and colleges of Angel City. Bunny was now free from the promise he had made to Dr. Cowper, not to make propaganda in Southern Pacific. And he was going to make it, you: bet! The students of that university and all.- others would learn something about modern thought, and about the la- bor movement, and about Socialism, and—well, not too much about Com: munism, of course, because Dad would call that violence, and it might be breaking the law! (To Be Continued Tomorrow.)