The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 29, 1927, Page 1

THE DAILY WORKER FIGHTS: FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THB UNORGANIZED FOR THE 40-HOUR WEEK FOR A LABOR PARTY Vol. IV. No. 91. T SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In New York, by mail, $8.00 per year. ROT SIRE DAILY ean cre WW Entered an second-ciass matter at the, Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 8, 1879. Outside New York, by mail, $6.00 per year, <e Published Daily except Sunday by THE DAILY WORKER PUBISHING CO., 33 Firat Street, New York, N. ¥. FINAL CITY EDITION Price 3 Cents i ARAN SARI ee VINO on cclekcusccn. dese Lalu > Candin ad canndlcndenlat.o 8 oul a SR NEW YORK, FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1927 Current Events By T. J. O’Fiauerty. te spring the thots of people often turn to revolution. There is some- thing in the balmy air of this beauti- ful season that churns the blood and makes men and women hunger for things they haven’t got. It is the season of revolt and rebellion, Even the staid. membership of the church of England is in revolt and a vio- lent civil war is raging in the ranks of that organization. The bone of contention between the two factions is the revised book of common prayer. * * A’ the 128th annual meeting of the Religious Tracts Society presided ever by the archbishop of Canter- bury, a man started the commotion by resolving that the king should be asked to reject the “popish prayer book.” The din became so intense that the archbishop tried to stop it by calling on the loyal section of the audience to sing “All Hail The Power of Jesus” but Jesus was as powerless in the situation as a fly in a cyclone. Finally the archbishop had the inter- rupters thrown out on their ears and the meeting proceeded with its task. eet we AMUEL GOMPERS in his adopted country. The city of Calumet, Illinois, named one of its public schools after him. A large tablet bearing an inscription will be) Here is part of the blurb—a quotation from a! placed on the school. fourth of July oration delivered by the departed prince of labor fakers: “America is not merely a name. is not merely a land. @ country. America is not a sym- bol; it is an ideal. The hope of all the world can be expressed in the ideal—America.” And gua, the Philippines and China. It is not surprising that public schools! should be called’ after this loyal ser- | ' 12 KNOWN DEADs__.:*: in the a¥ticles by Charles we vant of American jimperialism. in enasede ; IT is not yet certain that mayor Walker will reject the alleged offer to head a baseball league at a salary of $100,000 a year, provided it is of- fered to him. “Jimmy” is beginning to feel the sting of public criticism | for his failure to observe regular hours of labor in city hall. The mayor | is usually on the job when celebrities arrive to receive the keys of the city. | But his known fondness for light en-! tertainment does not sit lightly on the | chests of the dignified and newly- | respectable leaders of Tammany who want to give their hitherto odorifer- | ous organization a thoro fumigating so that the voter from the alfalfa re- gions can vote for “Tammany Al” for president without having to drop his ballot in the box with a sterilized pincers. et ae Cae SMITH is winning a well-deserved reputation for spon- taneous wit and humor. Al Smith sayings are now competing for popu- larity in Pullman smoking cars with Chauncey Depew jokes. The gov- ernor called on Calvin Coolidge in the Biltmore Hotel and suggested that the president do anything he pleased in the city provided he took the pre- caution not to get caught. Al laughed at his own witticism and the presi- dent was not able to stop laughing until caught in the act by a camera, * * * é 'T is hard to predict what effect the grinning presidential countenance may have on the voters. Perhaps these was jesuit cunning behind Al’s wise crack! Coolidge’s serious fol- lowers may misunderstand the reason for the happy face after encountering | such a nationally-known wet as Al Smith. “He's not the same old Cal any more” they will say. Those puri- tans resent the presence of a smile on their president’s face as much as the stout-hearted lads from Hell’s Kitchen would resent seeing their be- loved Al pictured with a sober coun- * * * RESIDENT Machado of Cuba is re- , ceiving the kind of a welcome a our big business men that such a viluable servant of Wall Street is entitled to. Machado is glowingly praised in a New York Times editor- ial. It seems that Machado stated that he hgs “no friends and no relatives” meahing that he was not padding the government payroll with members of his family and his poor relations. But the president does not have to bother, He gets those little amenities taken care of by others. A few days ago ‘we commented on the appointment of Machado’s son-in-law as Cuban repre- sentative of the Chase National Bank. ‘Who owns Cuba anyhow? The Chase National Bank et al or the people of Cuba? * * * HEZ= is a funny yarn, not meant to excite hilarity, The fiction is be- (Continued on Page Three) is a dead prophet who is not without honor It! It is not merely | so do not! think the peoples of Mexico, Nicara-|discuss the rumors of peace in the FURRIERS PACK’ THREE HALLS IN LOYALTY RALLY Ovations for Gold and Acquitted Members Condemning the actions of the manufacturers as a violation of the union agreement, pledging the fullest confidence in the Furriers’ Joint Board and whole-hearted support to its leaders, thousands of fur workers crowded Cooper Union, Manhattan Lyceum and Webster Hall last night to give a mass welcome to Ben Gold, manager of the Joint Board, who was freed last Friday from the Mineola jail. It happened that the workers also had an opportunity to welcome A. Antonofsky, M. Rosenberg and A. Wortuns, three workers who were acquitted yesterday after a trial in the Bronx County Court on a charge of assaulting the right wing stool pigeon, Morris Katz. An ovation greeted Gold when he arrived, and the cheering broke out }over and over again as he, stood |silently watching the enthusiastic | greeting of his fellow workers. Hen- ry Uterhardt, one of the attorneys) for, the union during the Mineola} trial, stood next to Gold and when he !rose to speak he, too, was greeted j with cheers and wild applause. The mass meetings were called to j (Continued on Page Five) 6 DYING, TOLL OF BRIGGS FIRE DETROIT, Mich., April 28.—One by one the flame-seared victims of the} Briggs Manufacturing Co. explosion and fire are dying. | Five days after the wrecking by a| |double explosion of the “fire-proof” main building of the Harper Avenue | plant, a total of 12 are known to be dead, Six more are dying by slow | stages in hospitals. The recovery of | an additional group of five is not cer- | tain. Worst In Industry. | And only today city and company | officials began conducting the first | systematic search of the ruins for the jbodies of several workers who have | | been missing since the disaster, the ‘worst in the history of the automotive lindustry. Brick and twisted steel in | some places were heaped 30 feet deep when highly explosive materials in the huge paint shop blew up last Sat- urady morning. Th wreckage has re- mained too hot for easy removal until now. Will Not Pay For Some. | The bodies of several workers may have been entirely consumed by the fire. Others may not be recognizable. The company will benefit from these circumstances, since they will effect the question of compensation. The company in this connection also will benefit from the leisurely pace of the official investigation into the cause of the fire, since publiicty is always influential. The high-pressure daily papers, in their fashion, are already tiring of the story. Anyone who has worked long in De- troit or worked even for a short time in the automobile industry here knows of the Briggs Manufacturing Co. It is probably the most notorious of the low-wage plants. Conditions in the company’s plants and the standard of living forced upon its employes by its | wage level have been all but unbear- | able. Its product is. automobile bod- les. The ventilation and ‘entire general system in the paint shop was such }that the breaking of an incandescent bulb or a tiny spark caused by some other accidental means might have set off the huge store of explosive ma- terial that was used on the floor. The air that the workers breathed was charged with explosive fumes. They worked in air that was dripping with the spray of a highly combustile lac- quer. Heavy vapors of this kind cloud- ed along the floor. ' Two or three workers injured in the Briggs blast spoke of having notice sparks shooting from a small overhead light. Then ran, shouting to others. Before they had (Continued on Page Two) ¥ CIVIC FEDERATIONIST FIGHTS PLUMBERS ‘Big 4’ Expose Brings Smith Reply WOLL ASSOCIATE ON FIRING LINE QUIZ INTO GRAFT OF INSURANCE 1S NOW LOOKED FOR Follows Wire of Editor | of Daily Worker Governor Smith, following the re- ceipt of a telegram from William F. Dunne, editor of The DAILY WORK- | ER calling his attention to the abuses exposed in its articles on industrial | insurance, replied as follows: | “My dear Mr. Dunne: The governor is in receipt of your telegram and he has directed “me to refer it to the State Super!ntendent of Insurance, di- recting him to give immediate atten- tion and consideration to it, and to| write you regarding the subject men- | tioned. Signed George B. Graves.” | Additional evidence tending to show | that the articles by Charles Yale Har- rison have stimulated action toward an investigation of the methods and | the enormous illegal profits of the “Big Four” is seen in the visit of an‘ operative of the State Department. of | Insurance to The DAILY WORKER | and his request for copies of The, DAILY WORKER carrying the ar- ticles in question. Investigation Demanded. The DAILY WORKER’S telegram | to Governor Smith read as follows: | “We believe the facts so far is- | Harrison and now running serially in | The DAILY WORKER and syndicated | to five other labor papers with cir- culations of over 150,000 are prima | facie evidence of and furnish the basis | for the need for the most searching investigation of the so-called “Big Four” industrial life insurance com- panies. “Over 150,000 citizens are reading | these articles which have created a sensation and something resembling a panic in insuranec circles. We urge an immediate appointment of a com- petent committee to conduct such an investigation through public sessison, | where policyholders may be heard, | and the publication of its findings at | the earliest possible moment. “We are sure that the findings of | such a committee will substantiate the charges made in the Harrison ar- | ticels an@ form the basis for much! needed corrective legislation fn this field. Signed, William F. Dunne, edi- tor, The DAILY WORKER.” CALL MILITIA TO HELP DROWN OUT LOUISIANA POOR BULLETIN. NEW ORLEANS, April 28. — The state militia is firing at all moving objects in the river tonight following a theory that trappers and farmers will try to prevent by force cutting of the levee. Secre- tary Hoover’s guards claim that three shots were fired at them . * . NEW ORLEANS, La., April 28.— Flood stricken New Orleans and Louisiana returned to a war time basis today when John M. Parker, former governor, took up his duties as “dictator.” State engineers made final prepara- tions today for the blasting of the Levee at Poydras, La., ten miles be- low New Orleans, The crevasse is expected to carry off sufficient water to reduce the level at New Orleans at least thirty inches. “Very material relief will be af- forded by the Poydras opening to all points south of Baton Rouge and there is therefore practically no cause to fear trouble below that point,” Major Holcombe said after a careful study of river charts for the last 24 hours. The Poor Flee. But while wealthy, modern, busi- ness-like New Orleans, the port of second largest commerce in the Uni- ted States, is cheerful over the pros- pect that it will not get its ware- houses wet, nor the winter homes of (Continued on Pace Two) EIDLITZ, PAL OF MATTY WOLL IN CIVIC FEDERATION, New York Plumbers’ Union? Builders’ Association of New York. “fellow” of the Fine Arts Society and which he belongs: and Delta Upsilon. Such is the boon companion of Eidlitz Civie Federation. DIRECTOR OF BOSSES’ OUTFIT, BANKER, CLUBMAN Who is Otto M. Eidlitz, pal of Matthew Woll in the fight against the A member of the executive committee of the National Civic Fed- eration, Eidlitz is president and director of one of Manhattan’s biggest building firms, Marc Eidlitz & Son, Inc., 4 East 42nd St. Eidlitz, who is no small potato in financial circles either, is a trustee of the Bank for Savings, and director of the Commonwealth Bank, the Mutual Bank, and the Colonial Assurance Co. Reachirig out into other fields, Eidlitz is director of Bear Tractors, Inc., and the U. S. Mortar Supply Co. Back in 1903-05 Eidlitz was chairman of the board of the Building Trades Employers’ Association. He has also been president of the Mason To round him off as a polished gentleman, Woll’s partner in the Civic Federation has gone in for real leisure class decorations, including and the American Museum of Natural History. Eidlitz lives right up in swelldom, at 787 Fifth Ave. When he tires of his Fifth Ave. home, he can sink into the chairs of these clubs, to Chelsea Plantation, South Carolina; Laurentian, Canada; Cornell, Aldine, Transportation, Liederkranz, New York Athletic, Engineers, Lotos member of the Metropolitan Bureau Matthew Woll, acting president of IMPERIALISTS URGE CHANG RAID CHINESE-SOVIET UNION RAILWAY Chiang Smashes Workers’ Meeting; Kills 3; War | jn Field With Nationalist Forces HIGHLIGHTS OF 1.—Imperialists in effort to stigate confiscation of Chinese Eastern Railway, partly owned | and controlled by the Soviet Union. 2.—Chang Tso-lin executes 24 captured in raids on the Soviet | scale if won would apply to all Union embassy compound. 83.—Resume business in the Japanese concession at Hankow| after assurance from Eugene Chen, 4.—Nationalist troops and forces of Chiang Kai-shek clash’ o¢ Manhattan and the Bronx to avoid| near Kiukiang. *5.—Chiang smashes workers’ demonstration at Kingwan, |plumbers is part of the campa: | ciation. % | in Brooklyn from being raised before the war.” ployers’ Association and a pro | Civic Federation. |L., and leaders of the sinister {dent of the National Civic Fed | channels. The plumbers’ struggle, which is likely to throw out of work 100,000 jother workers in allied building trades, promises to be a hard fought one. International Secretary Burke, of \the plumbers, characterized the ac- |tion of the bosses as “diabolical.” “Tt is the first time that a general jlockout of this nature has occurred Lin the building trades in New-York.” “IN LOCKOUT OF 10,000 UNIONISTS |Otto Hidlitz Backs Up Boss Norman of Building Trades Employers Association” Frank admission that the present lockout of over 5,000 ign to break down labor organ- lization in the entire building trades was made yesterday by C. |G. Norman, president of the Building Trades Employe S$SO- “Tf we are successful in preventing the wages of plumbers .” Norman declared, “it will be the first serious check to increased building trades wages since | Backing Norman is Otto M. Eidlitz, a director of the Em- minent member of the National Matthew Woll, vice president of the A. F. of forces seeking to drive militant left wing workers from the trade union movement is acting presi- eration. This group exists as a |liaison body between reactionary labor officials and financial in- lterests anxious to guide the labor movement into reactionary ‘SAVE MADEIROS TO TESTIFY IN a Seu secse VANIETT CASE TODAY’S NEWS | Refusal of the bosses even to dis-/ . $ provoke U. S. S. R. to war, in-|cuss the situation was the result of Workers Continue the demand of Brooklyn plumbers for | Demand Freedom a $14 day, a $2 increase. According to the city-wide agreement, the $14) (Special To The DAILY WORKER.) s6t 4 | BOSTON, April 28.—As a result of jplumbers’ locals within ntti ee th | world wide protest and the advice of jane courts were recrul In the) Frank A. Brooks, chairman of - the aid of gages spe reese yesterday | state parole board, Governor Fuller morning when the effort of the union |... granted a third reprieve to Cel- the lockout by suing for an injunction es ig? granu onda rg ‘he resulted in postponement of the €P- | nated in the job for which § tO | plication until May 5. ieilling three. . The declaration of Norman, the 6.—British guns sweep Chinese. i" pei mel head of the employers’ association 7.—If the United States refuses to join Great Britain in new that 700,000 men in the building note to Nationalists, France will do likewise, Foreign Office an-| trades would be affected by the lock- nounces. out was given the lie by union men, e who stated that this number was un- ‘. + duly exaggerated in order to inflame PEKING, April 28—Chang Tso-lin, Manchurian war lord, | public pect pa against the plumbers. instigated it is believed by the imperialist powers, intends to take They asserted that the number could over complete control of the Chinese Eastern Railway on May in the most Mipaiees = situation hardly Ist, it was learned today. The Chinese Eastern is a joint Sino-|"*ch more than | pee. Plumbers’ Helpers Out. Russian enterprise. { " “We are partis ecatnat ‘the lock- Chang’s move is regarded as an ef- System Breeds More * * * Vanzetti have been condemned to die July 10. Madeiros’ third reprieve ex- |pires on July 10. rf | Fuller held up action until the day jbefore the Portuguese slayer was to go to the chair for the Wrentham |bank robbery. | The governor’s reliance on Brooks {for counsel on the Madeiros reprieve | strengthens the belief here that he | will appoint Brooks sp sioner to repor ease. According to a report spon- |sored by Federated Press several |days ago, Fuller was said to have |out of the plumbers; we are also fort on the part of the imperialist Criminals Than Ever striking against the miserable condi- powers to goad the Soviet Union into | tions in our own.trade.” This state- war. The powers had previously in-| stigated Chang’s raids on the Soviet embassy compound. Executes 24 The Chinese-Eastern’s daily receipts have just reached the record figure of 261,000 gold rubles daily. That the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics will retaliate by diverting traffic around the Amur route to Vladivostok is certain; what other action will be taken upon this latest outrage is un- known. Chang Tso Lin has put to death by execution twenty-four Chinese Com- munists who were arrested in the U. S. S. R. embassy here a fortnight ago, according to a statement made by Senator Hiram Bingham of Connecti- cut, who today had a conference with Chang Tso Lin. Bids For Foreign Support Senator Bingham, who is here as the guest of American Minister John Van A. MacMurray, has visited Chang Tso-lin. Chang, who is making a bid for an American subsidy, told Senator Bingham that he “intended to protect American property” in the region un- der his control as long as he was able to do. Senator Bingham is examining the documents seized by Chang in his un- precedented raid on the Soivet em- bassy compound, It is believed Chang is making alterations and interpola- tions in the documents in order to secure foreign support on. the basis of a “red scare.” . . . Resume Business In Hankow HANKOW, April 28.—Measures for the resumption of business in the Jap- anese concession were taken at a joint discarded the idea of naming a spe- , m cial commission to investigate the A special census made of eleven | ment by sg mas: peerei is case. Instead, according .to the labor coe ateay aalai 9 cee ee umbers'|news service, Fuller is to name institutions, including Sing Sing, un- | der the state department of correc- tions, shows that there are altogether 9,967 inmates under supervision of Helpers, hides followed by the declara- | Brooks as his special representative polar ara tay. nay tea |to go over the evidence and report to as the helpers are concerned. | Br % * s ; , rooks is said to have been im- the department. Bis ebiep Fin Maga Gavan | Pressed with the confessions signed This is the largest number ever a8-| are now fortifying the ‘pattle of the|PY Madeiros practically implicating sembled under the management in|plumbers. Their campaign of organ- | the Morelli gang, of which he was @ the state of New York, or in any|ization has become more intensive member, in the South Braintree job. + since the lockout order of the boss | esterday Brooks was closeted with other state in the country. the Portuguese slayer in his cell in | plumbers. 4 etree" a The most underpaid workers ballon house at Charlestown State the trade, the plumbers’ helpers who; To date not a word has come from have been receiving $4 a day are de-| 2 a i manding recognition of their union,| the American Federation of Labor re- of the Japanese Chamber of Com- merce, a delegate of the Hupeh Labor Union, a delegate of the Kuomingtang, a labor department delegate and a conference Saturday attended by the Javanese vice-consul, representatives delegate from the Ministry of For- eign Affairs. It was decided that the Japanese shops and factories would all resume business on April 27th. The Govern- ment and the General Labor Union are taking full responsibility for afford- ing protection. Chen Assures Foreigners Forty-five imperialist gunboats re- main in the harbor with their guns trained on the city, despite the small number of foreigners here and the pledges given by Eugene Chen, Na- tionalist Foreign Minister. Chen has repeatedly requested foreign business men to tall over the situation, assur- ing that their lives and property are safe. A special police force, equip- ped with an armored car, has been formed to maintain order in the city, he said. Purge Party With the settlement of the party question, purging the party of all re- actionary elements, the government now is turning its attention to the economic question, particularly its relations with labor. The government (Continued on Page Three) rate. Expectant Mother Joins Husband in : Effort at Burglary Her husband jobless, Mrs. Agnes Dalton, 20, joined him in burglary yesterday in order to get enough money to provide for an expected ) baby. They were caught jimmying the door of an apartment at 396 Brook Ave., the Bronx, according to police who claim they admitted two recent robberies. Both are held on charges of burg- lary. After sleeping in subway stations for two nights from lack of funds, Blanche Speaker, 19, and Mildred George, 18, who came to New York to become Broadway stage stars, were held today for return to their homes in Mayfield, Pa, Read The Daily Worker Every Day a 40-hour week, and a $9 a day wage | questing action of any Sort for Sacco |and Vanzetti. Although the gover- nor’s office has received thousands of {communications from local unions in every section of the country, the high | officials of the Federation have not |yet designed to notice the case offi- cially. Sacco and Vanzetti are preparing | statement for Governor Fuller so |that a formal appeal may be placed before him. They have objected: strongly to attempts by their coun- sel, Attorney William G. Thompson, to have them sign a plea for pardon, with the implication it bears of guilt. A statement which asks simply for whatever justice Massachusetts may see fit to dispense is to be signed by the two workers. Fuller’s Statement. Governor Fuller, in reprieving Madeiros, issued the following ex- planation: “While as yet no formal petition has been presented to me asking executive consideration of the cases of Sacco and Vanzetti, I have reason to believe that at some time in the (Continued on Page Two)