The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 31, 1927, Page 1

The Daily Worker Fights: For the Organization of the Un- organized. For a Labor Party. For the 40-Hour Week. Vol. IV. No. 66. LT THE DAILY WORKER. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In New York, by mail, $8.00 per year, Outside New York, by mail, $6.00 pe NEW YORK’S LABOR DAILY FINAL CITY EDITION Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at New York, N. ¥., under the act of March 3, 1879. r year, NEW YORK, THURSDAY, MARCH 31,1927 <a Published Daily except Sunday by THE DAILY WORKER PUBISHING CO., 33 First Street, New York, N. ¥. Price 3 Cents TWO MINE DISASTERS AS DRIVE ON UNION STARTS Torn Bodies of Chinese Workers Strew Nanking U. S, and British Warships Pour Five Hundred Tons of Shells Into Crowded Streets (Special To The DAILY WORKER.) SHANGHAI, March 30.—The horrible details of the Nank- ing bombardment, when American and British ships poured over five hundred tons of shells into the crowded streets of the de- fenseless city, have just reached Shanghai. That the object of the bombardment was to smash the Na- tionalist drive and not to rescue a few missionaries was clearly indicated by the reports received here. The American command shelled not only the right bank of the Yangtse in order to, “clear a path” to the warships in -the harbor, but also the left bank of Current Events By T. J. O’FLAHERTY, OMMENT made by Will Rogers on Americans in China is original enough to be worthy of reproduction here. He says: “Any person that will stay in the middle of a civil war for six months and don’t. know enough to even send his family out, it won’t.do much good to rescue him. You bring’him back home and he will) run right in front of a Ford. We had to shell that Chinese town to let our people know it was time to come out and be rescued. Yours for home mis- sions.” * * * HY does not the United States send missionaries to Japan? Is it because the Buddhist darkness in which the heathen souls of the Japan- ese are enveloped in less spiritually deadly than the Confucian. pall that hangs over the souls of the Chinese? Or is it because Japan is able to meet the bibles of the christians with the bayonets of the Shintoists? It is in- teresting to note that while the guns of the christian British and Ameri- cans were snuffing out the lives of peaceful Chinese the guns of the heathen Japanese were silent. Yes, it is quite evident that our missionaries are needed in the Orient. * * HE United States is chock full of atheists, agnostics, evolutionists and other “criminals” that need the spiritual medication of preachers that do not happen to be on the inside of a hoosegow for forgery, rape, murder or other crimes common to a chris- tian society. Why is it that John D. Rockefeller, Gary, Morgan and others keep a tight hold on their purse strings when appealed to for funds to save the souls of our native damned? Is it because saving souls does not pay spiritual dividends only when the saved can be induced to put their necks in the profit-making yokes? “We are willing to wager our hat, a good one in its prime, that the “heathen” Chinese could go to the devil without let or hinderance if they happened to live in a country that was not blessed with untold mineral wealth, * * * * ENITO MUSSOLINI ordered a number of officers that were blinded in the world war restored to full pay and active service “so that the younger generation may see that Italy is profoundly grateful.” This is more than the poor blinded vic- (Continued on Page Two) the river, where the Nationalist troops were pushing on against Pukow. The shot and shell from the American guns in the harbor opened a free passage for the Shantungese, who were attempting to leave the city. Kill 7,000. The imperialist guns swept the crowded streets of the city. killing and maiming 7,000 non-combatants who had flocked from their houses to greet the victorious tionalist troops. Shells from six inch guns ripped open the match-box houses in the workers section; while inflamma- tory missiles started countless fires throughout the city. Thousands Homeless. When the bombardment was over the torn and mutilated bodies of thou- sands of poorly-clad workers lined the streets. Maimed men, women and | children squirmed in agony while the | flaming walls of their burning houses | fell.about them. Thousands were Yoreed from their homes by the flames, and wandered about the city search- ing for scraps of food. The brutality of the bombardment has stirred Chinese throught the coun- try. Huge meetings are being held in cities thruout the Yangtze basin to. protest the slaughter of 7,000 peaceful Chinese citizens in Nan- king. More than 150,000 crowded the streets of Shanghai in a huge pro- test meeting Sunday. Groups of workers bore huge placards in Chi- nese, Russian and English calling upon the workers of the world to help them combat imperialism. Denies Kuomintang Split. Denying a split in the Kuomintang when interviewed by newspapermen after the meeting, Chiang Kai-Shek, Nationalist general, declared that the party is united in its present strug- gle. Replying to a question regard- ing his attitude towards Communists, Chiang said, “The Nationalist move- ment at’ the present stage is the means of achieving revolutionary ends. Therefore, consider all partiy cipating in this movement, regardless of their political faith, as members | of the same party.” Chiang bitterly scored imperialist powers for the | French Colonial Troops Fraternize with Chinese Nationalists at Shanghai BULLETIN. SHANGHAI, March 30.—French colonial troops from Anam, on guard at the French concession line at Sicawei Creek, fraternized with groups of Chinese Nationalists and permitted three separate groups to come into the French settlement for propaganda purposes... They carried away the heavy iron bar- rier gates. French imperialists are appealing. for American and British marines as guards. Dubinsky’s Gang Framing Up On Feltman Innocent Cutter Arrested; Released On Bail | The policy of frame-up by which the reactionary officials of the Inter- national Ladies’ x i Garment Workers’ Union are attempting to intimidate the membership of the cloak and dressmakers’ unions was continued yesterday with reBrisals against Mar- tin Feltman, member of .Cutters’ Local’ 10, who was arrested on a framed-up charge brought by Will- iam Lubellski. He was accused of taking part in an assault at an hour Motor Accident May Keep Ford Off Stand Reed Cross Examines Sapiro | To Prove Extortion DETROIT, March 30.—The head- lights in the Sapiro million dollar libel suit against Henry Ford today were the earnest attempts during cross examination of Sapiro by Jim Reed, to show that the wheat king ex- ploited farmers, and the announce- ment by Ford’s lawyers of the acci- dent to their client. “Drove Alone” Their formal statement issued the trial reads as follows: “At 8:30 p. m., Sunday March 27th, a Ford coupe driven by Henry Ford and occupied alone by him, was forced off the south drive of Michigan at River Bridge, and plunged down a | Ford states that he was forced over | the embankment by aiear which came | upon him from behind as he emerged from the driveway of the Ford Lab- of daze or unconsciousness, Mr. Ford walked with difficulty several hun- dred feet to the gate keeper on his estate who summoned Mrs. Ford. “Dr. R. D. McClure, chief surgeon mediately ealled and remained with the injured man until Tuesday night, when he was removed in an ambulance Avenue a few feet east of the Rouge | steep embankment into a tree. Mr. | | oratories at Dearborn. After a period | Kill Eight in Illinois; en Die at Cresson. sviets. The ts are lo- Dust and Gas Explosion Buries Alive 380 Wher colony Afterwards Escape; Police Sent For a Coal Miners Mourn The Death of Comrade C. E. Rothenberg AVELLA, Pa., March 30.—At a | mass meeting of coal miners held | here resolutions were adopted | pledging support to the Workers (Communist) Party and extending honor to Comrade C. E. Ruthen- berg, leader of the American Com- | | munist movement, who recently pbs ine att reads in part as fotows: “the BACKGROUND OF THE COAL MINING SITUATION tismct entire working class should by al means remember the last words of Ruthenberg, ‘Let's fight on!’ There should develop a spirit of solidarity not only among Communists but others as well.” LR.T. Workers Get Fake Wage Raise ‘Yellow Dog Union Used As Mask For Fare Increase . | A definite move in the direction of higher fares for New York and an ‘effort to make the “Brotherhood” of 1. The Jacksonville contract (so-called because negotiatedatsin is at a joint meeting of coal operators and union representatives tn war Jacksonville, Fla., 1924), expires at midnight tonight. een de- | 2. It provided for a basic wage scale of $7.50 for men works lead- ing by the day, tonnage rates for contract coal digging and loafi chants ing and fixed working conditions. accept 3. Following the signing of Jacksonville contract, describedtllitary as the basis of stabilization of the industry which had expand | tremendously during the war period, the coal operators in, 2 | union fields began a systematic campaign to starve oi — ave- | miners by widespread shutdowns extending over periods MiMi". |three months to two years as in the Illinois field. Violtt—— |the contract working conditions in the mines still operatin |eame common. | 4. Expansion of operations in the non-union fields of We. | Virginia, Kentucky and other sections was undertaken with the result that today non-union tonnage totals about 70 per cent of all production. 5. Employment in the union fields reached a high point last summer and fall only as a result of the shortage in the world markets created by the British strike and the storing of coal by operators and consumers. |of the Henry Ford Hospital was im-| the Interborough Rapid Transit Com- pany appear as a going concern are seen to. be the reason for the 5% ins crease in pay announced yesterday. | Positive evidence of the basis of the when the time clock record of his|to the Henry Ford Hospital where | increase is found in the letter said shop shows he was at work. Feltman has been an active work- er in the union for the past seven years, and. demonstrated his, loyalty during the last strike in spite of the {he is: now undergoing treatment. There has been a minor operation. | “Because of the lawsuit now in pro- | gress and the .mavyjdable and un- | founded inferences’ that may be| orders of David Dubinsky, czar of|drawn, the facts were withheld from |to have been sent to Frank Hedley, | president of the I, R. T., and read at |the last meeting of the board of di- rectors... ‘The letter, purporting to have been written by M. J. Mangan, {secretary of the “yellow-dog” com- 6. As a result of the bad conditions there developed in the union a strong left wing movement which, in addition to certain internal reforms, demanded a militant organization campaign in the non-union fields as the best method of strengthening the union. | 7. National strikes were waged by the United Mine Workers jin 1919 and 1922. The 1919 strike was outlawed by a federal injunction. qnd.called.off.hy President Lewis, who issued. a.state- | ment saying that “we cannot fight our government.” the cutters’ local, which discouraged many cutters from picketing. Since the illegal expulsions of four locals of the International, Feltman has been openly and publicly threatened by Dubinsky because of his stand in favor of the Joint Board and the rights of the ousted members. Mem- bers of the Legal Committee, of the Joint Board, who have investigated his case declare it a clear case of frame-up in which Lubellski, the complainant, has been used by. the Dubinsky gang to “get” the innocent cutter. | Out On Bail. | Feltman was released on $5,000) bail by Judge Silverman in the sixth district court, for a hearing on April | 1, Five pickets were arrested at the instigation of the industrial squad as they were picketing the shop of Slarlen and Kauffman, 327 West 36th} street this morning. They were Sam Kugler, Mary Shore, Bertha Seid, Mary Leyne and Anna Greene. Po- lice testified that one of the girls had shouted “scab” when the industrial | squad brought up a scab to go to work in the shop, which was called bombardment of Nanking. The flag of the General Council of Trade Unions was hoisted in the Chapei (workers’) district yesterday afternoon before an enthusiastic mass of workers, * » Raids in Peking. PEKING, March 30.—Chinese po- lice today appealed to the principals of the Peking schools for aid in ap- prehending Nationalists, who they (Continued on Page Two) Read The Daily Worker Every Day MASS DEMONSTRATION OF \ A‘\ymass demonstration of women had belen arranged by the Unity Com- mittee \pf the Needle Trades to be held on Wednesday, April 6, in Cooper Union. Women! dressmakers, cloakmakers, furriers, an\d wives of union men will meet to disjeuss the defense of union men now serving long terms for their activities in the recent strikes of cloakmakers and furriers, and to or- ganize to carry on the fight against union breaking tactics of the reac- tionary right wing. Speakers at the meeting will in- clude Juliette Stuart Pointz, Fannie Warshafsky, Kate Gitlow, Rose Wor- tis, Lena Chernenko, Gladys Schecter, Ben Gold, and Louis Hyman, In commenting upon the calling of the meeting, Rose Wortis, member of the Unity Committee declared “The demonstration of the women is most ‘important, since women have played OF NEEDLE WORKERS IN JAIL FOR PICKETING WOMEN FOR DEFENSE such a prominent role in building up the needle trades union. We are call- ing not only women who are working in shops, but also women who are working in the homes, The wives of workers took an active part during the strike, going to the picket lines and supporting the struggle in every way. Now that Sigman and Schact- man and their agents are attempting to smash the union and nullify all the gains which the struggle achieved, the women must enter even more actively into the struggle. They must take a leading part in the movement to free the imprisoned cloakmakers and fur- riers, and save the union for the mass of the workers.” The Anti-Saloon League yesterday sent out an appeal for $300,000 “to make it possible to extend the full isle of prohibition in the Empire tate.” on’strike by the Joint Board because of the employers’ refusal to recog- nize the business agents of the Joint Board. Members of the industrial squad demanded the arrest of the| girls, police said. They were all re-| leased upon payment of a $2 fine by Judge McKennery in Jefferson Mar- | ket Court. | Postpone Goretzky Case. The case of Joseph Goretzky, man-| ager of Local 35, before Judge Rosal- | sky in general sessions, has been postponed until April 8. The Sigman gang has been particularly anxious to incriminate Goretzky in some framed-up charge, since he is man- the public although communicated to the court Monday morning. “Today, however, it developed that the newspapers had somehow ob- tained information, and a statement is issued.” Sign Painters Will Go On Strike In Jersey Unless Men Reinstated By PAUL STEUBEN (Worker Correspondent) JERSEY CITY, March 30.—Fear- ful of the increasing strength of the Sign Painters’ Union, Local 1127, of Hudson county, the O’Melia Outdoor Advertising Co., has been discharging members of the union. At a shop meeting held last nght, at which every worker in the firm’s employ at- tended, it was unanimously decided to strike unless the company rein- stated all discharged men at once. The O’Melia Co., has a monopoly of national outdoor advertising in Hudson county. Tomorrow night a committee of the workers will pre- sent their demands at a meeting of the employers of commercial sign painters. , Jersey City Central Union Will Organize Hotels, Restaurants JERSEY CITY, March 380,—De- termination to begin the immediate organization of the 2,000 hotel, res- taurant, and lunch room workers of Hudson County marked the meeting of Central Labor Union at its last Committees will be appointed in ager of Sigman’s own local, the Pressers’ No. 35, who have repu- diated Sigmanism. Huge Flour That a gigantic merger of the leading flour mills of the country has been formed was. revealed in a suit filed in the Supreme Court yes- terday by Kenneth H. Bristol against John H. Dahn of the Clifford-Dahn Corporation. Over 10,000 Killed In Nanking, Claim Of the Shanghai Koumintang More than 10,000 were killed in Nanking when that city was re- cently shelled by American and Brit- ish warships is the substance of a cablegram received by the local branch of the Kuomintang from the Shanghai branch of that organiza- tion, Merger the very near future, and the pro- gram of unionizing these workers will be started with vigor. Assur- ances of support from the entire labor movement of Hudson County were received in this organizational work. Dawes Leaves Panama; Thinks Treaty Is Real Reason for His Visit PANAMA, March 30.—-Vice-presi- dent Dawes has left Colon for Ha- vana. Altho his visit to Panama was ostensibly made for non-political rea- sons, it is suspected here that it had a good deal to do with the rejection of the American treaty by the Pana- ma Cor . The Panama-American treaty made Panama the virtual pos- session of the United States, permit- ting the U. S. to use Panama as a military base in war. itead The Daily Worker Every Day: | pany union, requesting the increase, | 8. The coal operators are demanding a revision downward of jand suggesting a two year contract | the basic wage scale contained in the Jacksonville agreement. Cua ee x hee ctl 9. President Lewis has discarded the established policy of Puke Ulla A tak, a national agreement based on the central competitive field— |” "The hand_of B. L. Quackenbush, z. | [Uinois, Indiana, Ohio and j western Pennsylvania—and an- |R. T. lawyer, is seen by leaders of |”ounced that the Policy Committee is ready to sign district agree- |the subway strike last summer in the | ments. phrasing of Mangan’s letter, which) 5 ; eae od Lott oe leontains a reservation to the effect | 10. This policy is in direct contradiction to the decisions of | those of its employes known to be} |that “if prior to the termination of |the two-year period of the present | rate of fare on the Interborough lines | quest, or in any agreement made herein, shall be urged by the com of a further readjustment of wages based upon such increased fare.” The present increase is given, ac- cording to Hedley, only to “members This is a further indication, of the serviceability of the fake “union” in playing the role of the company. | Cut Wages. | In 1921 the workers on the Inter- | borough lines were asked to submit of crooked balloting and the other well-known devices utilized by em- ployer-worker “cooperation,” the pro- | posal was snowed under. The cut lwas effected nevertheless, however, | plosion, at least ten are still below, unaccou with the active assistance of Pat Connolly, president of the company brotherhood. As a result of a threatened strike jin 1923, 5% of the cut was returned to the men. Since that time the men have been working under the worst conditions prevalent in this city, and | | wages have ranged as low as $21 per), | week, | Workers Restless. | Indication that officials of the com- pany union are aware of much un- |rest among the workers on the In- | terborough is revealed by the fact |that the present increase is an- nounced two months before the pre- sent agreement between the brother- hood and the company expires on May Ist. 3 Buying Heavy In Wall Street. Secretary Mellon's optimistic views on the money market and business conditions brought about a flood of buying of high grade securities in Wall Street yesterday and the de- mand for stocks continued up to the close. Bible In High Schools. ALBANY, N. Y., March 30,—The commissioner of education today ruled that hereafter high school stu- dents shall receive academic credits toward graduation for study of the bible. BUY THE DAILY WORKER AT THE NEWSSTANDS |the Indianapolis convention which went on record as being op- | were increased, nothing in this re-| | posed to any “backward step.” | * * * (Special To The DAILY WORKER.) HARRISBURG, Ill., March 30.—Eight men were killed today pany as an objection to a discussion | in an explosion of Mine No. 2 of the Saline County Coal Company |here. The explosion was believed to have been caused by the ‘igniting of a gas pocket by an open flame lamp. | All available doctors and ambulances were pushed to the mine of the Brotherhood of the I. R. T.”|from here, and the mine rescue team from El Dorado was sent |to the disaster scene, to locate the bodies of the men. | The gas pocket was said to have been about fifteen feet from |the face of the entry. CRESSON, Pa., March 30.—About 400 men were today en- jat South’ Fork, near Grafton. dead. The explosion was one of unusual violence, and wrecked the small com- pany office several hundred feet from the entrance to the mine. At first it was thought that none of the work- ers below ground could possibly have escaped, and state police were brought in to keep the grief stricken families away from a roped off area around the mine entrance. These po- lice had been kept in readiness at | nearby barracks to suppress any , Strike activity in this district, but were brought out and used to intimi- date the wives and children of the victims in the accident. 4 The known dead are: Daniel Me- single; William Connelly, 34, single; and John Shedlock, 40, who leaves a wife and six children. All were resi- dents of Ehrenfeld mining “camp. The other Head have not been taken out yet. Unionists Warn. Union miners in adjacent territor- ies point to the overwork, the rush, and deterioration of safety provisions in the Ehrenberg minéS as a condi- tion likely to become normal in all mines if the present union-smashing drive of the operators is successful, Company Pleads Ignorance. The Pennsylvania Coal and Coke Company has issued from Cresson a statement that its officials neither know what caused the explosion, nor how many men were at work in the (Continued on Page Two) Coughey, 41, single; John Fresko, 30, | to a voluntary 10% in pay. In spite| tombed in a terrific gas and dust explosion at the Ehrenfeld mine Although 380 of them have es- |caped from their living grave, thru other passages into the mine ‘than the main entrance, which was entirely wi'ecked by the ex- nted for, and probably BRITISH MINERS PREPARING FOR ~ NEXTFIGHT | HIS is the third of a series of three articles specially written for The DAILY WORKER by Louis Zoobock, who recently finished a study of the situation in the British mining industry. While the miners have suffered a stunning defeat due to the (reachery of the right wing leaders their militaney is still strong jand they are preparing for another tussle with the mine owners and the capitalist yovernment.—Ed. * . Artiele TIL. By LOUIS ZOOBOCK. Miners Think of Next Time. There is no doubt that at the pre- sent time the miners are on the bot- tom. They have been compelled by the united forces of the government, jcapitalists and treacherous leader- \ship of the general council to accept dictated and unjust terms. But will they endure these terms for long? Will they wait until these forced “agreements” expire? All signs point to the contrary: the miners (Continued on Page Three) wt