The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 9, 1927, Page 6

Page Six THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1927 | Professional Patriots } | (Continued from Yesterday), } Other “patriotic” activities of the Legion have been to oppose amnesty for federal and state political prison- ers, convicted solely for expressions of opinion during | the war; anti-radical prpaganda in the public schools through contests for prizes for essays against radicel- ism; codperation with the United States Bureau of Edu cation im an anti-radical chauvinistic program for Ameri can Education Week in 1924, and legislation restricting immigration “in order to promote Americanism. It was largely on the restrictionist immigrant policy that Samuel Gompers, George L. Berry, and other A. F. of L. leaders made common eatse with the Legion. They were one, of course, in their anti-red drive. The Legion occasionally got out of hand in labor struggles, however, some of the local posts acti iding with the emplyers, one of them in New Jersey actually organizing a strike-breaking railroad crew in the switchmen’s strike of 1920. But the labor chiefs overlooked these unofficial | lapses for the support of the Legion in their common | drive against aliens and radicals. Legion in Passaic. The most recent strike-breaking effort of the Legion occurred in saic, New Je in the winter and spring of 1 The local Legion Post opened a “relief store” to discourage picketing by giving food to workers | who stayed off the picket line. The Legion also joined | with the mill owners in helping to drag the Communist red herring across the trail of the strike issue. John Thomas Taylor, legislative agent of the Ameri- can Legion in Washington, acting as the treasurer of | an organization of chemical manufacturers, has been | leading the publi ainst the treaty to prohibit the | ; use of poison g: Representative Theodore | ” Burton of Ohio b against him and sug gested an inquiry ties. On Friday, Janu ) ary 21, 1927, Representat' Hamilton Fish aired the| whole matter very effectively, making the further | charge that it was Taylor who forced the Legion resolu- tion against the treaty through in the 1926 Convention. Local Organizations. | Of the few local agencies the only one which carries | on extensive and continuous public work is the Better | America Federatien of Los Angeles. It is particularly | strong in propaganda by the spoken word. It maintains a staff of salaried speakers which it furnishes to Rotary, BOTTLING UP. VESUVIUS? The Fascist Charter—Will It Suppress The Class Struggle? __ Lion, Advertising, Kiwanis, and similar clubs, as well as to women’s clubs, schools, and Americanization | classes. One of its speakers, Mr. Harry F. Atwood, in one of his lectures stated that “the curse of this country | is the open mind” meaning, of course, tolerance toward | 1.W.W.’s and trade unionists. Another speaker was | Baroness de Ropp who lost her property in the Russian Revolution. Other speakers for the Federation dressed in the customary stage garments of Uncle Sam have! gone forth on the streets to carry the light of the Con-} stitution to the people, In addition to its speakers’ bureau, soap-box depart-| ment, and incessant pamphleteering, the Better America has organized many subsidiary committees operating | under various names to carry out its purposes.* An article in “Better Schools” published by the Better Schools Committee of Citizens and Teachers of Los Angeles some time ago characterizes this practice of | the federation: | ment? The charter is a hybrid mixture of general statements, good intentions} “So hateful are the policies and methods of this grouP|and a few injunctions and is, more-| * reactionaries that they find a frequent change of|over, by no means an official legal | » necessary. When their hypocrisy and fraud is/act, but merely a declaration of the! cvered under one name they shift to a new one.!“Great Council” of the fascist party, | Some of the many aliases under which this group has/in which both employers’ organiza-| i its identity and motives are: The American Pro- | tions and the fascist monopolist trade e League, the Association for the Betterment of | ynions are represented. Public Service, the Commercial Federation of Cali- | fornia, the Associated Patriotic Societies, the Taxpay- | ers’ Association, the People’s Economy League, the Tax; . — sos Bs Investigation and Economy League; and now, having | (2voted to ~ laying down be ey worn out all the old masks, they are appearing as the | P™incip a organisation. eet Committee of One Thousand, and the Committee of Ten | Corporation as State” This clause ‘Thocennd.” ‘ jstates that Bay hero beware is x : eS jorganism which in its aims, life and| eae Be ‘Shee lepapes ed nanny epic agra means of resistance is more important | Al pusiness men. The same article describes ind” tha Indivkinala’ “ob ceguansal “The constitution of the ae pitt pes Seg pataoulnte Seal eoiter sail ecutive committee of nine mem rs who elect of: OR ate anit whieh “iu entirely em- employ the manager, direct all policies, and control dis- | podied ta tha Dandie athea, Kaakew (a bursement of all funds. A majority vote of this com | on yaaa abies bg eel ‘echnical mittee rules Hence all policies, appointments, and dis- \ week fis eceeat ‘aboe-<is pagar bursements of funds are in the hands of five men, The | duty andl da anche te tines: deatke Ea: membership has no voice nor vote in the policies of the| trol.” rf | organization nor in the expenditure of the money. A Puither pub pareeban sweeten VP ne of pe beer ita Petia shige died bs sy \“trade union organization is free”! It | Geeendes snd vere dantedan ae eg ne lis ped a piclayeay Li sore. be) The chief effort of the Federation has been the cam- Hag li yh eis dreaphers sede paign against the I.W.W. which has put California first fom the right to represent the in- eho ee eae and vigorof ity prose- | terests of their members, both before ye aise aeinchepiec Z jthe state and before other trade A. S. Lavenson, vice-president of the large Capwell | union organizations. They alone have | Department Store in Oakland, and a director of the | the right to conclude collective agree-| Federation, voiced the sentiments of the organization: | ments binding on all and impose com- “The biggest thing that the Better America Federa- | pulsory dues. tion has done is to get the criminal syndicalism act on| Having thus established the unal-| a Lagi and e keep it ee nan the efforts of |terable freedom according to fascist jose who are trying to repe: standards of the trade unions, the| “I believe in free speech provided the speaker is hon-| charter goes on to explain the mean-| est and intelligent. But the men who listen to these | ing of the collective agreement which radical agitators are not competent to pass on the stuff'|it appears is nothing but an expres- | they hear. I recently made my ffrst visit to Europe. |sion of the solidarity existing between We must realize that our government is very young in |labor and capital, since in the agree- comparison with those of Europe. They have learned | ment “the conflicting interests of em-| some things over there. Popular government is still|ployers and employed are reconciled only an experiment.” and their submission to the higher) interests of industry achieved.” These phrases, which may be boiled | down to the simple fact that the work- ers and employes ought to work not, for their selfish interests but in the |higher interests of “industry” (i. e., the employer’s pocket) while the em- | ployer answers for his actions only to| the state (i. e., to himself) are re-| The Corporation As State. | The first clause of the charter i The Federation was also vigorously opposed to the release of federal political prisoners and, after citing the speeches of Debs and others, it asked in one of its weekly letters, following President Coolidge’s action in freeing all the remaining wartime prisoners: “Is it any wonder that right-minded Americans should feel that reasoning is rapidly reaching the limit?” The real purpose of the Federation is further revealed in a speech made by Senator J. M. Inman of California, |) 4, a er ae bla | speaking from the floor of the state Senate: A esha, we te stem of equal-| “We see the Better America Federation at work using | ity High wands: Inbar anal capital. | what control it possesses to serve the special interests. | “4 otioy point to which the fascisti Under a false title, which would seem to indicate that the | tribute vast fmportatice:ds* the ens erganization is aiming to make American citizenship and pression in the ehastan. of something | better national life, we find it being used openly and between a desire and’ an order that| actvely in trying to aid these corporate interests in all employers’ and labor Organizations | their endeavor to evade just taxation.” , Describing the backers of the Federation the same Sy dat thee cascbers cleotide epee, Haciated: . om them. All agreements must contain| “These gentlemen are typically of the reactionary clauses dealing with standards for type, representative of ‘Big Business’ and ready to serve discipline within enterprises, with the big special interests in so primitive a form of special length of probation period for newly-, privilege as evasion of just taxes.... They simply | engaged workers, with methods and want big business to be free to engage in unregulated rates of wages and with working and unbridled exploitation of the people of our state.” hours. Their Propaganda In Print. The charter refrains from the es- An examination of the propaganda put out by the|teplishment of minimum wages in| professional patriotic societies shows that it is practi- spite of the derands of the fascist | cally all directed against radicalism—from Communism labor unions. Wages are to be fixed to public ownership of public utilities. It also shows by agreement with the respective or- the connection of these societies with open-shop employ- ganizations, and in case of it being ers and privileged business interests. It merely re-en-| found impossible soeome to ah il forces the basic facts as to the motives and control of | ment, by a labor court whose ave these organizations. Much of it is highly emotional, Y The Italian Labor Charter _ By RAMINGO. | In the very heat of the political reaction and economic at- | tack on the working class Mussolini has presented Italy with a} “Labor Charter’ which the fascist press extols as a document} of far greater impertance than the “Declaration of Human} Rights” of the French revolution, as the beginning of a new era in the relations between labor and capital. What is there new or remarkable in this “historical” docu- | The most superficial acquaintance with the “Labor Charter” | will show that there is nothing specially new or remarkable in it. | jerisis and their effect on the cur-) ‘lished on the 21st of April, sometime | |on the workers the strict and “inten- i bp 1 de- even passionate, and therefore full of exaggeration, dis- ey Map db aegis ny mands according to cost of living, in- tortions and mat Gs cok, dustrial potentialities, and labor pro- 'o be continued) ductivity.” Further follow words of ise 1 ' K 1 ‘isdom from which the bourgeoisie is | at liberty to draw its own conclusions, | with regard to the present economic | crisis: “The results of the industrial | rency must be divided fairly among} all the factors of industry” (i. e.,} among workers and employers). In the official text of the charter, pub-| after its appearance in many papers, this clause is omitted, The charter generously acknowl- edges the right of workers engaged on night work, or at least those not working on the ordinary night shift, to raised wages. A minimum rate for these raised wages, has, however, not been established. Silence is maintain- ed on the subject of overtime pay, it being evidently considered that the | supplementary 10 per cent established by fascist legislation is quite enough for the worker. The charter enjoins j ive” observation of working hours, while the employers receive no rec- ommendations on this score. Strange to relate the charter says not a word about the eight-hour day which is formally supposed to be practiced in Italy and about which the fascist never lose an opportunity, in season and out of season, to boast. This clearly shows the fascists’ intentions with regard to the establishment of a standard working day. Here follow a series of injunctions which have long ago been included in practice in collective agreements and are nothing new: The Sabbath rest, the payment of piece-work in such a way that they represent an addition to the worker’s normal pay, the right of workers to a few days’ annual holiday after not less than a year’s work (how many, the charter does not say), the tight to full discharge payment, ete. The employer has the right to fine, discharge for a certain time, or dis- charge without any payment workers infringing the discipline and “normal course of industry,” according to gravity of offense. Conflict commis- sions in enterprises or any sort of. labor representation for the solution of conflicts and the defence of the workers’ interests in the localities are, as is well known, not recognized by the fascists, Labor exchanges, according to the charter, will be under the authority of the corporation. The employers are given absolute freedom to choose from those registered in labor ex- changes, with one “small” limitation quite in keeping with fascist right to work, They are bound to engage first of all members of the fascist party and fascist trade unions according to their party and trade union status. ‘The Charter as the Prelude to a Fresh Attack on the Working Class. Such is the famous labor charter, the last word of fascist demagogic technicology. The publication of this charter does not ease the position of the working class by a single jot. Rather may it be regarded as a prelude to a fresh After Nanking The Chinese situation continues to be the focal point of political developments today despite the gravity of the situation created by the action of the British government in precipitating a rupture with the government of the U.S. S. R. The main reason for the action of Great Britain is her defeat in China at the hands of the Nationalist government which enjoys the benevolent neutrality of the Soviet Union and the active support of citizens of the U.S. S. R. The following article by the editor of The Commun- ist International, N. Bukharin, on the Nanking mas- sacre and the strategy of the imperialist powers in China should be read carefully with a view to using its analysis of the Chinese situation as a key to unravel the news that is purveyed in the daily press by the capitalist liars stationed in Shanghai and Peking. It is well to add that The DAILY WORKER has correctly diagnosed the Chinese struggle and our ability to do this is chiefly due to the correct informa- tion and political direction supplied by the various statements of the Communist International on the question.—Lditor, . * * 8 Gio British censorship is doing everything in its power to prevent the masses from learning the truth about the destruction of Nanking, and it must be admitted that so far the censor has been very successful. In Great Britain, during the first days after the massacre of the defenceless population of Nanking, the general public was under the impres- sion that some sad incidents had taken place, that there were some victims on both sides, and that the Americans and British suffered most. Evidently, however, the ruling class of Great Britain are not convinced that the versions which they have circu- lated to justify their brutal and unprecedented erime will meet with the sympathy of the broad masses of the population. They are using the short period at their disposal, before the secret becomes generally known, in preparing the country to re- ceive the news about the breaking out of hostilities on a-wide scale: The moulding of public opinion along these lines began the first day after the occupation of Shanghai by the national armies. The time that elapsed be- tween the Shanghai victory and the Nanking bom- bardment was utilized to convince the country of the need for more decisive action and more violent methods against the victorious Chinese Revolution. There is hardly any necessity now to prove that the Nanking program was carefully prepared. It was not expected. The most convincing document in this connection is the appeal of the Shantung clique circulated in Nanking on the eve of the bombard- ment. The Shantung clique, which is in permanent contact with the imperialists, wrote in their appeal the following: “The Great Powers will not permit that Nan- king be captured by the Canton forces. The occupation of Nanking will signify its destruc- tion. The guns of the battleships are all turned towards the town.” The Shantung predictions came true. The occu- pation of Nanking actually led to the destruction of great masses of the population and of some thickly populated sections of the town. The guns of which the Shantung clique spoke, actually brought death to Nanking; this gunfire will be recorded in history as the beginning of a new great war. The military situation supplies the strategical ex- planation for the destruction of Nanking. But this explanation is not sufficient alone. The military aim could have been achieved without the violent des- truction of a Chinese city. The character and ex- tent of this pogrom mark the Nanking bombard- ment as a reprisal for the taking of Shanghai, as an attempt at military hostilities on a big scale in order to stem the progress of the Chinese revolu- tion. The British press started the political prepara- tion for the military attack on the Chinese Revolu- tion during the first few hours after the Chinese victory. This preparation was carried on brutally, cynically, and in an organized manner. The British press called things by their real names. 2 The Shanghai correspondent of the “Daily Tele- graph,” is the well-known Ashmead Bartlett. On Monday, March 21, at 2.80 p. m., he sent a cable to this paper about the looting and atrocities per- petrated by the Canton forces. He consoled his compatriots, however, with the information that an emergency situation had been declared in the for- eign settlement, joyfully emphasizing that there are 1,500 American sailors among the foreign forces who will help to restore order. A few hours later he sent another cable declaring that there are no civilians in the foreign settlement, as all have donned military uniforms. He added that there are 20,000 people of various nations in Shanghai sur- rounded by 1,500,000 “mad Chinamen.” Ashmead Bartlett even described the sentiment of those foreigners. Here is what he wrote: “At night our immense front is patrolled by small groups of soldiers behind barbed wire, hoping against hope that someone will attack them, for really the strain of keeping back these armed hordes by peaceful persuasion is becom- ing intolerable. I cannot imagine that any other troops would have shown the patience ours have displayed.” The author adds to this work of art in describing the hopes and despairs of the British that: i “It is certain that there will be disagreeable incidents during the week.” Oe See, We have taken only a few passages from these cables published in the “Daily Telegraph,” of March 22nd. Two days later we find a more definite communication in the “Times.” The correspondent of that ponderous publication does not spare any coloring in describing the chaos prevailing outside the foreign settlement. He describés the revolu- tionary Shanghai workers as hooligans and bandits. The correspondent knows that the “Times” is re- garded in Great Britain as a government organ. That ‘organ is accustomed not merely to discuss but also to command, and the correspondent commands Bei Shun Shi to put down the Shanghai workers in 24 hours, with the methods applied by his pre- decessors in the struggle against the Chinese Revo- lution. This command ends with the ultimatum: “If he permits terrorism to continue”’—by ter- rorism he evidently means the General Strike —“it means that he is either . party to it, or is incapable of controlling it. Within the next: 48 hours it will become evident whether there is a reasonable chance of a peaceful outcome.” (To be continued.) SEND IN YOUR LETTERS The DAILY WORKER is anxious to receive letters attack on the working class. For it|from its readers stating their views on the issues con- is the peculiarity of fascism to mask | front every fresh criminal idea aimed) velop a “Letter Box” against the interests of the workers | interest to all members with a smoke-screen of declarations. 4 ting the labor movement. It is our hope to de- ent that will be of wide The DAILY WORKER cack +h-sounding | Send in letter to “The Letter ‘a4 - DAILY WORKER, 39 First Seaak ew eck Ons. WITH THE oune /K.. ‘Wonk A STUDENT CHIRPS UP By STUDE. That college students can expect nothing from so-called “liberal” col- lege presidents has been proven by | the latest action of President Robin- son of the College of the City of New | York in his action in removing from | the curriculum the alternative course | to military training, civilian drill. The course in Civilian Drill was offered as an optional course to the military | drill course after» some strenuous campaigning on the part of the stud- ents for removal of the despised Mili- | tary Science’ and Tactics work. Now| the “pacifist,” “broomstick” drill has | been abolished on the flimsy pretext that “facilities to give the course are | lacking.” The history of the situation | is worth reviewing, to see the hypo- | crisy of the administration of this Tammany-owned seat of “higher learning.” | * * * | On Armistice Day, 1925, a blistering editorial on the merits of the Military Training course was carried in the of- | ficial college organ, the Campus, under the editorship of Felix S. Cohen, This was followed by a mass student agitation against. compulsory military training in the colleges that threatened to assume nationwide pro- portions. Censorship of the college newspaper. was then instituted and no mention was made of the martial course for a period of about two weeks. Nevertheless, pressure of agi- tation finally forced the president. of the college to lift the ban and a few weeks later found a poll of the stud- ent opinion being held while a refer- endum of parent opinion was being taken, the results of which showed that the overwhelming attitude of the students and parents was vehemently against having compulsory military drill in the college. * ° * It was then that the faculty de- cided that its whiskers and dignity had blown too long in the lusty breeze of student opinion and that the pre- rogative of deciding whether the students should be drilled’for cannon- fodder or not belonged to its all- knowing self only. Well. . .the mills of the gods grind slowly but oh so surely. And it takes a lot of oil to make the Tammany Hall grist-mill grind. The faculty considerations dragged for seemingly endless aeons until, almost a year later, it was an- nounced that there would be an alter- native .course offered for incoming freshmen, namely the Civilian Drill Course. ‘ Now examine some crude subter- fuge, o ye deluded believers in capi- talist democracy and, bourgeois liber- alism, The Civilian Drill course was of- fered to the incoming class a few days after they had arranged their programs, causing many of the first- year men to take the Military Science and Tactics (which had already been neatly fitted into their schedules) in- stead of going to the trouble of changing their. programs for the al- ternative course. Secondly, the classes for the Civilian Drill course were held at such times that it would have meant a severe sacrifice for most students to have taken the course. Thirdly, and most important for stud- ents of City College, who come from or small-merchant-class families, for the Military Training course the uniforms were supplied by the U. 8S. Army, free of charge; for the Civilian Drill uniforms—eoncern- ing which, incidentally, there is a strong suspicion of graft—there was a charge of about seven dollars—de- terrent sufficient for a poor City Col- lege student. Add to that the fact that the few remaining students were sweated so viciously that it became the popular saying among the few hardy souls that dared to take the course that “This would be a good course in Civilian Drill if only the instructors would treat you civilly.” Finally, when you realize that most} of the work was a modified form of military drill, with wands instead, of guns, military parading, psychology of hand-to-hand combat by individual wrestling matches, etc, you get a full bird’s-eye view of what this hypo- Crouch Leaves Jail June 1 WAS SENTENCED FOR REVOLU- TIONARY ACTIVITY. Paul Crouch, who, together with Walter Trumbull, was sent to jail in April, 1925, because of revolutionary activity in the American Army in Hawaii, was released on June first. He has served his term in Alcatraz Prison, California, since that date. Aleatraz is notoriously one of the worst jails in the country. Paul Crouch was the organizer and leading figure of the Hawaiian Com- munist League, whose objects were to improve the conditions of the sol- diers in the army and also to endeavor to liberate the natives from the yoke of American imperialism. Altho it could not be shown that they had in any way violated any laws or army regulations, Paul Crouch was sen- tenced to serve 40 years in jail, Wal- ter Trumbull was sentenced to 23 years imprisonment and other men were dishonorably discharged from the army. This brutal procedure aroused such a storm among work- ers and farmers, and among the sol- diers, that the government was com- pelled to commute the sentences to 8 years for Crouch and 18 months for Trumbull. The usual reductions for good behavior enabled both of them to leave prison somewhat before the terms expired. : We extend our heartiest greetings to Comrade Crouch. We welcome him into the revolutionary movement. The work he began in Hawaii will be con- tinued. The example he set will be followed by thousands of young work- ers. The sacrifice he made for the movement will not have been made in vain. , We have learned that it is contem- plated to arrange a national anti-im perialist, antiwar tour for Comrade = a Labor Sports Press Service Pro Wrestling Shown to Be Completely Corrupt. Professional wrestling has com- ‘monly been regarded, even by the most unsuspecting elements of the sporting public, as the most dis- honest branch of the athletic busi- ness. From time to time facts have leaked out tending to show that the mat game is undet the complete con- trol of a trust that manipulates the bouts and the wrestlers, shifting vic- tories and titles about in accordance with the best financial deals in view. But definite public evidence to this effect has been lacking. And now has come out. * The exposure has been me one Reid, who has been on th of the mat game for years. critical farce of acceding to student opinion means. Finally comes this last bit of brazen effrontery, “that the course will not be offered to the incoming freshmen class Recaune. of limited facilities.” * The situation is now squarely up to the students of City College and the students of the other colleges of the country. They may let themselves be bulldozed into taking the military training courses; they may let them- selves be psychologized into making good cannon-fodder; they may lay down their lives for the holy cause of dollar diplomacy. y Or instead, they may fight with their great weapons of student organ- ization and agitation.. And in their struggle they will realize more and more that they are fighting no pe- culiar situation but that they are struggling against a whole social sys- tem, one of the inevitable conse- quences of which is bloody, youth-de- vouring war, » veals that for the last 6 title has been tossed abo- Strangler Lewis, Joe Stec laus Zzbyszko, and Way as per the direction of t of the trust. Reid recoun erous bouts that were fake the numerous double-crot took place. Significantly « papers are handling this with the utmost brevity. T writers know on what side the is buttered. NEW YORK. ATTENTION. This Sunday, June 12th all units of the Young Workers League will go together in a city-wide hike. Each unit will meet at 8 a, m. at their res- pective headquarters from whence they are to meet the crowd at South Ferry at 9 a, m, The Sport Commit- tee has arranged an appropriate pro- gram for the occasion. -|Sacco and Vanzetti Shall Not Die!