The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 7, 1927, Page 8

An East Side Incident It was a warm spring day. The sun was beaming down upon all with a gay refulgence. The venders of fruits and vegetables on the lower east side of New York were about rather earlier than was their usual wont, adding an oriental touch to the already pleasant oriental weather. Fruits and spices from the South and Far East were sold here. Dates and figs and nuts and pine- apples wafted up their fragrance to a rising multi- tude ready for work. The quaint cackling of the venders—the pleasant—yes, pleasant aromas of ex- otic delicacies made one forget that this would soon be a reeking bedlam of noise and congestion and stink. The carts were lined up against the curb; each one being made to-look as attractive as possible. Only those venders who had a special privilege from the inspector could get a permanent station for his cart against the curb. Those who hadn’t this privil- ege (by virtue of a few bribed dollars) had to “keep moving” whenever so ordered by one of the blue- uniformed, brass-buttoned, red-necked defenders of the law. aut oa e * bd Shapse was a bearded old Galician Jew. He couldn't quite see the sense in. giving away money just for the privilege of being stationed. He’d rather ply his trade on the move, anyhow. If busi- ness was dull in one place he’d move on—relying on the little signs to tell the price while he’d merely shout “apples, apples”’—the pronunciation of which luckily being the same in Jewish as in English. His cart this morning was well filled with apples; each one of which sat back on a down of fluffy tissue paper. Some sold for one cent, others for three cents and the largest and most succulect sold for a nickel. Those nickel apples were always ad- ministered to with an extra brush of the already shining sleeve. It was yet too early to shout out his wares. Housewives were just barely being seen on the streets—and it was from them—and not from the occasional passerby that one earned a living. The sun’s rays striking the blood-red apples set up a BRONX WORKERS SPORTS CLUB By I. KURLAND. One of the most exciting and lively games ever played in the Bronx was held at 4 o’clock on April 24th, at Crotona Park Soccer Field. The first team of the noted Bronx Workers’ Sports Club, “The Red Jerseys,” played the first team of the Bronx Sports Club. This match, in which the two best selected teams of the Bronx participated, gave a real thrill to the spectators whose number exceeded 600 and most of whom came to see the “Red Jerseys” play. The audience displayed ‘enthusiasm and interest in the game and appeared to side with the Bronx Workers. In spite of the fact that the score of the game was 2—2, the Workers’ team outplayed its oppon- ent in the technic of the game and skill in handling the ball. The first half of the game passed with the right half of the Bronx Workers scoring a goal from a penalty kick. During the second half the Bronx Sports scored a goal from a corner. A few minutes later the right out of the Bronx Workers scored the second geval, which was accompanied by a long applause and cheers lasting for about three minutes. Two minutes before the end of the game the Bronx Sports scored a second ball, which was illegal according to soccer rules. The Branx Workers con- sented to that goal because they do not play for the sake of scoring only, but for the sake of sports and good sportsmanship. Consequently the score was 2—2. The last issue of the “Soccer Weekly” has sus- pected that International Stars participated in the game on the Bronx Workers team because the play- ers did make a very good impression. A successful dance given by the Bronx Workers’ Sports Club on April 9, was another factor which helped to make the organization known in the Bronx. In spite of the short existence and other obstacles which the club had to overcome in its process of organization, the affair proved to be a tremendous suecess. Over three hundred and fifty young work- ers were present. Many sports and other organiza- tions came in a body. The organization tried to accomplish the follow- ing three tasks thru the dance. 1.—To acquaint the Bronx working youth with the organization. 2—To enrich its treasury and thereby put the club on a firm financial basis. 3.—To acquaint the visitors with our idea of sports on a collective basis as opposed to the usual prac- tice of the system of stars, The latter was well explained by a member of the club, who in a few words outlined the aims and purposes of the Bronx Workers’ Sports Club. radiant reflection. The five cent apples were again dusted off—one was taken up, blown on and rubbed severely against the right sleeve. “Apples, apples”—faintly—just. to be prepared for the later rush, Shapse gave voice to his calling. “Apples, apples”—Some one kidded him about his desire to capture all the trade. He felt extremely happy. He lifted his left index finger and burrow- ing through the matted beard to his chin he would slowly pull strands of yellow-gray hair therefrom. A pleasant feeling. He liked it—and it. was only when Shapse’ was happy that he did that. * * * The city began to hum. Trucks honked their way through the narrow, push-cart lined streets. Wives —short, squat, amiable—with their large buying bags made their appearance on the streets. In cre- seendo-like fashion the voices of the hawksters be- gan to make themselves heard. “Three pounds little women for a quarter,” some robust wag in Yiddish bellowed forth. “Apples, apples”— Onions, carrots, dates, beans, spices, figs, pota- toes, watermelons, bananas—a medley of fruits and vegetables—each had their selling representa- tive here crying forth the mouth-watering virtue of each concomitant with the meagerness of the price. “Apples, apples”-— “Keep moving there. ner!” The sensation of a prod in the small of the back. Shapse looked up scared. He motioned with his hands for his mightiness in blue to allow him just to finish his sale. The prodding became a little more intense. “Come on, get a move on——.” Shapse nodded his head and smiled affably. “Yeh, yeh, yeh”—-in soothing apologetic inflection. Couldn’t the representative of the law see that he meant to move on just as soon as he finished the sale? Shapse felt just a bit nervous. The balancing stick would not come out as it usually did. He was conscious of a multitude of eyes staring in his direc- tion. A small crowd had gathered. : Come on, get off the cor- THE CHINESE “REDS” SPEAK By HENRY GEORGE WEISS. Now by the turmoil you have made With murderous greed thru cen- turies, Now by the blood upon your blade, We rise against your tyrannies. © bring your workers to these shores Where Vanguards of The Dawn await To tell them only peace endures When Working Men control the State. Come, let your toilers breathe the air Of Communism blowing free; We'll send them back—O never fear! To strike a blow for liberty. It will not be our alien feet, It will not be our foreign cries That thunder down your damned elite When, bathed in blood, the System dies. But English hands all rough with toil Shall wield the blades and point the gun When surging from the mills, the soil, The task of Labor is begun. And gaunt Americans shall seize— Americans by right and worth— The cause of all their miseries And trample it into the earth. And “Nordic” hands shall raise the Red Victorious Banner to the sky, By Labor’s world-wide unity! And yellow, white, and black be wed DS, By MAX GELTMAN “Snap into it”—— The stick came loose—and dropped to the ground. Shapse held on to the cart with one hand while he lowered his body to reach for the stick—. The police- man’s stick which had been beating 2 slight tatoo on the edge of the cart suddenly thrust itse!f for- ward and-—at first slewly, then a little faster the cart went reeling down the avenue till it voered in crazy fashion and hit up against the curb. Ap- ples went flying in ali directions. Some of the crowd laughed; others were but mildly concerned while some muttered strange oaths that even the foreign ears of one of New York’s finest couldn’t misinter- pret. * * * Shapse stood up slowly—very slowly. His eyes became glazed. As if in the distance he could see a line of round red apples rolling slowly down the ear tracks. Ile made no effort to go after them. It was like a dream. A sad dream from which he wished to awaken. A bitter feeling filled his soul. Directly in front of him he could make out a gar- gantuan apparition in blue. The people were crowd- ing in. Rage, bitter rage, the rage of one caught in a trap came over him. A passing street car clanged its way through the mob and pieces of apple flew in all directions. A babble of voices and an old man trying to think. “Come on”—that gruff, hatefui voice again. Shapse lifted his head and his jaundiced face stared up into the red cor- pulent face of. the policeman. Hate—blind rage— and Shapse gathered the mouthful of saliva which had been choking him and he spat fully against the well stuffed. uniform in blue. * * * For almost two months Shapse was missed in the markets of the east side. When he came back, his gait was. slower—his apples were not as assiduously looked after as before—no more did he shout “ap- ples, apples”—. His eyes were ever on the qui vive for one of those blue-uniformed, brass-buttoned, red- necked defenders of the law. THREE REVOLUTIONS IN ONE (Continued from Page Three) Hankow was captured the workers organized in unions won their demands after a brief strike by reducing the working day from 16 hours to 10 and 12 hours per day, and raised their wages from $1.50 to $3.75 per month. This is a tremendous gain for Chinese workers. The capitalists within the Party do not like it. But the workers in alliance with the peasants compose the essential force of the revolu- tion, hence the workers must be retained at the * expense of the capitalists. Party Goes Toward Left. Thus gradually the Kuomintang party purges it- self of the exploiting classes and becomes the party of the producing masses whose interest lies in their emancipation not only from the military bandits, not only from the imperialist robbers but their in- terest lies in overthrowing their own native capital- jst class and administer the land and its riches for the benefit of those who toil and produce all wealth by applying their labor power to their natural en- vironment. Workers of World Must Aid China. The workers of the world owe a duty to their Chinese comrades in their struggle against tremen- dous odds. Because they are fighting the battle of all labor. The capitalists know this very well, this is why they stand united, ready to let loose all forces of destruction to devour the Chinese masses and drown their revolution in blood, Every workers’ organization should pass the ‘reso- lution adopted by the English Independent Labor Party. Not only that, but organized labor must demand the withdrawing of the warships from Chi- nese waters and the recognition of the Hankow Na- tionalist Government. If this is not done now then each worker who remained silent in this hour of crisis will be responsible for the world slaughter the Imperialist Powers are preparing now. .