The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 8, 1927, Page 6

t THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1927 Students of the First Moscow University Show Keen Interest i in America By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL. MOSCOW, U. S. S. R. (By Mail)—When hundreds of thousands of workers move thru the streets of Moscow in a May Day Demonstration, it may be asked how such an outpouring of the masses is organized and directed. It is very simple. The fountain sources of the demon- stration are the places of work, The marchers gather where they toil as builders of the new social order. Thus one section comes along. It is that of the Pravda, the central organ of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The employes of the Comintern (Communist In- ternational) building march together. But the great battalions come, of course, from the shops and factories. The time and place of every section of the ¢ Parade is mapped out with Red Army milita the time to assemble, when to start mov streets along which to proceed to finally join with the great human flood pouring across the Red Square be- fore the Kremlin. The parade does not break up, how- ever, once the Red Square has been passed. To permit this would result in an uncontrollable human jam in one section of the city. Instead the workers march in or-| derly array back to the starting place, back to their places of work, where they disperse. Church Holiday Is Abolished. May ist, this year, came on Sunday. But Monday, May 2nd, for that reason was also a legal holiday thru-| out the Soviet Union. The workers decided to take off Monday, thru the actions of their organizations, at the | same time, however, voting to work on August 6th, which | has been recognized as a religious holiday. This year,| however, August 6th, is stricken from the map as a holiday. The workers enjoyed instead an extra May Day.|sSorters implicated but the rest of the! This switch in holidays was being explained to me as| I stood watching the procession of workers move by in| the Red Square. But the explanation was interrupted | cided to call a meeting for Wednesday, | by a student from the First Moscow University who/|June 15th, to discuss the whole situa-| \Chester Textile Workers in | Strike Ferment | CHESTER, Pa.—July 7.—Chester |has awakened from its Rip Van Win- {kle sleep. The slaves in the mills |have patiently suffered wage cuts for a number of years. the bos: had ceased to look upon the workers with even the little re- }spect one usually associates with the {profit seekers. Anything was good enough for the “hands” who made the fortunes for the textile barons. | OnF {most arr take t millionaires decided to ice off the already dis- |graceful wages of his worker Trv- ings Worsted Mill place—Mr, Irving the blatant Babbit. The work- ers came to the mills usual and found to their great indignation that another 5 per cent wage cut was be- ing enforced. 100 Percent Speed-up. The workers in the mill are mostly ;/ young boys and girls many of whom receive a wage of $10.00 for TWO WEEKS work with an average wage of $11.00 per week for the whole mill. The little children in the mill range from 12 years upwards. The speed- up system is 100 per cent efficient; the conditions are hellish, toilets be- ing particularly obnoxious, The last wage cut was too much. The wool-sorters decided to protest and were met by the bosses with the usual class collaboration dope of, “Come and see me on Monday and we will discuss the question.” Monday came and the workers went to see the boss. They were refused a hear- ing and all were fired at the end of \thgashift. There were only 17 wool- workers were very bitter about the left-handed action of the boss and de- So much so that} y, 10th of June, one of the’ | UNEMPLOYMENT concerned demanded that substantial bail be impgsed—and it was to, the tune of $2000.00. At no time in the history of Delaware County had such terrible bail been imposed. However the meeting had been wanted “the American comrade” to come and make a/tion in the mill and support for the| Well advertised and the bosses were speech for them at 12 o’clock. It was then 11:30 o’clock. The student, a Russian, spoke to a Finnish comrade who} knows both Russian and English, and so I got the re- quest and agreed. On the minute I was taken away on the promise that T could return as soon as I had finished giving my greet- ing from America. A Chinese comrade, who had been to the Brussels Conference and had later addressed huge anti-imperialist demonstrations in Germany, came along with us. We worked our way thru the throngs, getting out of the Red Square near the Sobakina Tower. Then we had to break thru the line of march that was coming up alongside the Alexander Garden, that now covers the Neglinka Rivulet, which is conducted thru a subter- ranean conduit and hidden from view. * * * Russia’s Oldest University. The buildings of the First Moscow State University are not far away in the Mokhovaya, shortly after it branches off to the left from the beginning of the Tver- skaya. The buildings are to be found on both sides of Herzen street, This is the oldest of the Russian Univer- sities having been founded in 1755, due to the efforts of the scientist, Lomonossov. The building of the old uni- versity, at the northern corner of Herzen Street, was erected in 1817 by Gilardi in the Muscovite Empire style. On the building is a tablet bearing the inscription, “The task of science is to serve mankind.” In front of the old University are two monuments, erected by Andreyev in 1922, one to the revolutionary thinker, A. Herzen, and the other to his friend Ogarev, who were both students of this university, The new university occupies the southern corner of Herzen Street opposite the “Manege,” formerly a riding | school of the cavalry section of the ezarist army, which has now been turned into a garage. On the corner wing of-the New University we find the inscription, “Science Belongs to the Workers,” which was put up after the revolution. In front of the new university is a monu- ment to Lomonéssov, professor at this university, erected by Ivanov in 1876. Anatomical, anthropological, geolog- ical and geographical museums are attached to the uni- versity. Next to it in the Mokhavaya Street is the build- ing of the University Library crowned by a dome (this library contains about 400,000 volumes). ’ * * . Scene of Horrible Massacre. In October, 1905, a great concourse of over 150,000 people gathered on the Square between the University and the Riding School, on returning from the funeral of Bauman, a murdered revolutionary. This crowd was fired on by the czarist police, a horrible massacre re- sulting. But today the youth of the workers and peasants are attending the First University of Moscow. It is theirs and they were anxious to get a greeting from the com- rade from America. There were thousands of them gath- ered here, waiting their turn to start off in the May Day | Parade. One of the students mounted the portico be- fore the main entrance, which blazes with crimson bunt- | ing, May Day slogans flashing everywhere. Quict pre- vails. But it is quickly broken as I am presented as a member of the Central Committee of the American Com- | munist Party and the editor of its Central Organ, The DAILY WORKER. What faith these workers, peasants, students of the Soviet Union have in our American Com- | munist Movement! What interest they show in it! The ‘applause grows and the Student Band breaks into “The International.” I reviewed at some length the grip of the capitalist reaction upon the educational system in the United States, upon the lower schools, the colleges and the uni- versities. I told how the youth of America were being militarized in the schools, making them pliant instru- ments of the Dollar Imperialism. But I also pointed out some of the hopeful signs. I told of the participation of students in various strikes, especially in New York City, where they had been jailed on the picket line, along with the striking workers. I told of the expression of radical views in practically every student conference held. * * * Greet Students of U. S. Great applause greeted my statement that a large del- egation of students was planning to come to the Soviet Union this summer:from the United States, I urged the First Moscow University students to get in touch with | them, so that at least some of them might return to the| United States as good revolutionists. I pointed out the role of the students in the Russian revolution, the part | the students are taking in the present Chinese revolu-| tion, and pointed out that we, too, in America were grad- ually winning allies for the workers among the students | in American universities. Thus, I pointed out, that our American Communist Party was struggling against cap-! italist-controlled education and for Workers’ Education, | knowing that with the downfall of American capitalism, | the doors of America’s universities would only then be| thrown open to the working class youth of the cities and the land in our country. This great student mass listened attentively and ap- (Continued On Fourth Column). Y oft | wool-sorters. Pat Devine was called in by the |Chester Textile Committee to handle |the situation. Leaflets were printed |for the meeting and three workers |sent to distribute them. The police | were on the job and arrested the work- jers on the charge of disorderly con- |duct. Workers who saw the arrest | were shocked to see the arbitrary ac- | tion of the police against workers who | were merely calling a meeting. Many jideas about democracy, free speech, jete., were shaken and showed them- | Selves at the meeting that night. For practically the first time in years the workers of Chester gathered together |to diseuss the question of struggle. Enthusiasm was at a high pitch. | Especially the young workers were against any worsening of their con- ditions. In view of the fact that a majority of workers had not come to the meeting it was decided to call | another meeting for Friday night. Leaflets advertising the meeting | were printed and Devine went to the | factory gate with two others to dis- | tribute them. The workers did not | wait to be given the leaflets, they literally rushed to the distributers | and asked for bundles of them to take | into the mill. Don’t Want Another 1908. Suddenly three men jumped at De- | vine and helt! him until the usual | convenient protection came on to the | scene. As the policeman came for- | ward one of the scissorbills urged him | to use his club—he did not however. |The other workers were arrested | simultaneously with Devine. On the | way to the police station the captain | of police met the party and went al- | most crazy. “Had you any trouble?” | he bawled. “Yes”, said one of the | assistants of law and order, “from this e here”, pointing to Devine. | “Did you use your clubs?”, he barked |and was very obviously disappointed | when told no. “We've got to be sey- | ere on these birds”, the captain then | said. “We don’t want another 1908.” | (1908 saw a big traction strike that | was only settled after the company | had been bankrupted, the town tied |up completely and the militia cailed | in to repress the workers.) The police station was all excite- ment when the prisoners were march- jed in. Foul language was bawled at the prisoners. Talk about Russians, | Jews, ete. etc, predominated until | the officers asked for names. Patrick | Devine, the first name given seemed | to upset the balance of the guardians of the law who were mostly Irishmen | themselves. After that things were |not so bad. |. Even the hard-boiled cops were | surprised when the judge mentioned |the bail, A lawyer from the mill | wondering what to do. Before the | workers left the mill that night they | were given a lecture by the super- |intendant and then—invited to a free | ice cream party. Nothing like it had | ever happened in the history of the | mill; an ice cream party by Mr. Irv- ing, the toughest old nut in all Dela- ware County. Why was it given? The only answer was “to keep the | workers away from the meeting.” the hypocrisy of the whole affair. At the meeting about 120 workers | were present of whom 70 were from Irving Worsted Mill where the trouble was. Reports came to the meeting that only 60 workers had gone to the ice cream party. Before the meeting opened some workers told the chairman that a few foremen and the superintendent’s side-kick were at the meeting — and ; they would like to put them out. The chairman opening the meeting scored the bosses for their actions | and asked their representatives at the | meeting to leave the hall. “If this were a Chamber of Commerce meet- ing no outsiders would be allowed in and they are not going to be allowed here either”, he said. |; ,Not one of the erstwhile stool- | pigeons made a move. A stranger | rose and said he was here on a special } mission and would like a talk with |the chairman. This was allowed; dur- |ing the conference it transpired the | stranger was the personal representa- | tive of the Mayor of Chester who had | sent him there to get a report. Cred- entials were shown and he was al- lowed into the meeting. No Spies Wanted. The chairman then urged the spies who were present (he had not men- tioned names) to have courage and leave the hall. After a few seconds silence one foreman and then another stood up and asked leave to make a statement. They were told they were only small meat and would be dealt within due time; the big cheese was still hiding. After another appeal during which the bosses were, again scored heavily the superintendent’s |man “Friday” — who by the way is his intended son-in-law — gallantly rose and asked leave to make a state- ment. The chairman demanded that all three leave the hall—and go to the iee cream party where they would | be more welcome. The leader ap- | pealed to the Mayor’s representative | for permission to remain in spite of | the chairman’s ruling but was turned | down on the ground that the chair- |man was the supreme authority yn- less the meeting decided otherwise— |and the meeting was unanimously | behind the chairman. | (To Be Continued). | | i Houses of Parllament, with inset of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. A i Every half-intelligent worker saw) | UNEMPLOYED “STUFF” By JENNIE PINCUS. | The place is crowded. “Stuff” we are called by em- ployers as well as the agency. “What stuff have you got for me?” a boss wants to | know. | “A couple of waitresses, chambermaids, all-around |help; look them over.” | Ve sit there on benches and chairs, while the boss looks us over. He picks out four men, who look strong {enough. “I want two more. Get me two more, so I can | be off.” | The boss of the agency asks him to be patient. He'll jget him all the help that he wants. Soon the hotel | keeper bursts out impatiently, “Can’t you get me two {more hands? I’m busy.” “What d’ya want—shall I make ’em for you?” \eral laughter. Soon two more are found, for “stuff” in the human slave market is not lacking. We sit and wait. Young and old, men and women, coming, going, waiting, waiting, waiting. We sit there for hours, days, weeks, and wait. Some are less patient than others. One gets up to go. The boss of the agency stops her. “Don’t go. We’ll have something for you in a minute.” A minute! Ah! how long that minute is. My eyes wander. I look at the people. groups, talking and laughing, but with an eye on new- comers for prospective employers. They tell each other of their experiences with bosses and customers. In most eases they lie as to wages and hours of work, and they know they are not telling the truth to each other. One waiter with “swell” hotel experience will tell his hearers that last season he made two thousand dollars; that he had one of the best rooms to sleep in and that he was treated with the greatest respect by employers as well as guests; he even went on outings with them, and the girls would beg him to come and dance (only he knew his “place” and always refused). I smile as I hear this story. I have heard such stories before, and afterwards seen these braggarts in action. Working like slaves, they are busy from early morning till late at night. When the work is over (which is never before nine or ten and often eleven at night) they go to their “best” room in a damp cellar beneath the hotel dancing parlor. Again my eyes wander. A woman with a face that tells of suffering, a face with lines of pain and hatred written all over it, whose every line and wrinkle shows Gen- life of a woman should be brightened by love of children and life, she sits there, and waits. “Why don’t you place me somewhere, anywhere?” she a place? What’s the matter, can’t you wait?” is wait. Why don’t you bury me, so I wouldn’t be both- ering you, waitsng and waiting all the time.” She is a cook—ready to stand at the hot stove, burn her hands and arms; ready to work from dawn to setting sun. But she is not wanted, she is old “stuff.” The First Peasant University. The White-Russian Soviet Republic is richer by one more cultural institution. On the 1st of May in Gorky, in connection with the White-Russian Agricultural Academy amid a throng of peasants the first Peasants’ Sunday University of the U.S. 8. R. was opened, It has been decided that the professors of the Aca- cemy shall give free lectures at the University. The scientific workers of White-Russia have taken upon | themselves the task of supplying literature to the Uni- versity. The Direction of the Agricultural Academy have offered laboratories, demonstrative institutions, etc., for the use of the University, The White-Russian peasantry are deeply interested in the new University. A whole host of requests have been received at the \university for admittance, many being from the local peasants, At the First Moscow University. | (Continued From First Column), plauded vigorously. But the First Moscow University has become a workers’ university only thru long effort and great sacrifice. It is said that the huge czarist rid- ing academy was purposely built on the other side of the streets to cow the students, who might show any signs of revolutionary inclinations, into submission. It is sufficient to say that during the October (Nov, 7,.1917) Reyolution there was hard fighting for this building. The vestiges of the damage then caused were only effaced by renovation undertaken in 1924. On the wall of the “building opposite the Troitzkiye Gate, there is a tablet, fixed there by the order of the Soviet Government, with ‘the sentence of Cicero, “When Socrates was asked what country he came from, he answered: ‘The whole world is my native country’ ”. On the corner of Mokhavaya and Vozdvizhenka is a bas-relief representing a revolu- tionary fighter with the inscription, “Let Us Break Off With the Old World!” Here are surroundings indeed to spur the oppressed, even in America, to new and greater struggles. Some are in| a lifetime of struggle, of beating against the iron wall| of economic necessity. And now at middle age, when the | cries. “I must live.” “What do you think? Can I make! “Yes, wait. That’s all I’ve been doing for the last two months | By ALFRED BACKMAN yes years ago the Mesaba Iron Range (so-called for its enormous deposits of iron ore) was known to the outside world only for its great pine and tamarack forests and iror !mines. Thousands of workers flocked to the northern corner of Minnesota, St. Louis County, to seek employment in the mines or logging camps. Few, if any, at that time dreamed that about twenty-five years hence, one would see in the same territory hun. dreds of ‘fine dairy farms, thousands of acres of the finest clover and timothy fields, wide stretches of |“mah made prairie land” with valu. | jable hords of dairy cattle. \ One wonders when traveling in this peculiarly developed region how man transforms whole countries, even} |states, into a modern habitation for himself. These farmers at one time} were employes of the various mining } jor logging companies. Due to the {seasonal and unhealthy form of em- MESABA RANGE AND ITS INDUSTRIES to organize their own stores for the simply reason that there were no stores within their reach, so the co- operative idea was the logical solu- tion. These co-operative — associa- tions answer every requirement of the farmer. There he buys his farm machinery, flour, feed, etc., in a word, every commodity he and the family require. All these various stores have formed an organization, called the Mesaba Range Co-operative Federa- tion. The members of the federation jconsist of boards of directors ana managers of the co-operative stored. This federation meets once or twice a month to discuss joint buying, joint pienies and business matters of vari. ous kinds. About twenty associations have thus far taken active. part in the work of the federation. ‘This or- ganization in some respects resem- bles a farmers’ union. Co-operative Creamery. Th the course of a few years of jployment, hundreds of veteran min- ‘ers and loggers, in their declining | years, were forced to move out of / this industry. The mining and rail- | way companies, who owned all the | land, were also interested in deposing | of their stump land to the miners at} a comparatively low price. The ti |ber being cut awdy, the wi worthless to the former ow very distinct and radical chan; |have taken place in this particular in-| |dustry if this vast number of men jhave left it to take up farming. | Fewer Jobs. | Upon careful investigation of the ‘mining industry, we find that about a@ score of years ago, the mining in- dustry needed a much greater num- |ber of,men than at the present time. |All the ore was brought to the sur- face by means of shafts (or vertical tunnels) as an average man would call them. Consequently this method of ore production required a tremen- dous amount of labor power, and the production was slower and costlier. A Change In Production. | As we look at the mining industry today, we see but few shafts-or tun- nels. We only find great open pits measuring a mile across and hun- dreds of feet deep, reminding an ob- server of some canyons in the west- ern Rocky Mountains. Huge steam or electric shovels sinking their iron jaws into the bowels of the earth, and a network of railroad*tracks are built throughout the pits with strings of ears rumbling and puffing in every direction. These giant shovels filling fifty-ton cars in a few shovelsful, each train of cars moving slowly ac: cording to the requirements of the shovel operator. We do not see men working with picks and shovels, as one imagines a miner would. A miner today on the Mesaba Range is- either a track worker or a steam shovel operator. Thus thousands of workers were deprived of a job as a miner av the advent of these modern machines of production leaving~ only a few |dozen men at the machines producing ;more ore than several hundred or a | thousand did before. | ~ During these years, the lumber in- |dustry was developing equally as |rapidly as mining. Millions of acres of the finest pine forest at one time covered the entire range. The log- ging industry developed with great strides. Armies of men emigrated every fall for the wiriter season’s log- ging. Small industrial cities like Virginia and Cloquet, developed, de- | pending largely on the sawmills and pulp-mills. Today one can travel within the radius of fifty to seventy-five miles lof Virginia or Hibbing and not see an acre of virgin timber anywhere. This industry which once employed tens of thousands of workers has been practically wiped out of exist- ence in this territory. Barren stretch- \es of stump land resembling a desert greet the eye of the traveller whe wonders where the millions of feet of timber has disappeared. Gradu. ally this land is being cleared by |hard working farmers who were com- |pelled to resort to farming for a liv- ing. This particular “back to the farm” movement in this district was not voluntary by any means. On the contrary, the struggle for existence drove the industrial worker to take a step toward that which seemed to insure him and his family a more | permanent home. Farming Industry. Like a huge mower, the logging in-’ dustry had cut away the timber, leav- ing the stumps and rocks blazing in the sun, resembling skeletons in the wake of a hord of vultures. Later the ex-minern and logger arrived on the scene and developed practically all this into tillable soil. During the last two decades of back breaking +\toil, these stumps and rocks have \gradually disappeared from view. ’ |Borty after forty has been cleared jand rick soil is found under the debris of focks, old timbei and underbrush. This pioneer farming industry finally developed into dairying, which in turn brought about the creamery industry. Several small creamery companies have sprung up throughout the Iron Range. : Co-operative Movement. Farmers throughout the range have organized co-dpetative stores in prac- tically evéry community. The far- mers were compelled to establish these through the force of necessity. Often one was told when talking to. the existence. of the Co-operative Federation, cream buying and selling was ofien discussed. These delibera- tions brought a plan to establish a ceniral butier-making plant. After ~ several meetings about a year ago, 2 small commitiee was placed in charge of a survey of the entire range coun- |try and its cream production. The survey showed that these és-opera- | tive stores* handled several thous- and gailons of cream weekly, which is shipped out to various creameries in Virginia, Duluth and Hibbing. The outcome was that at a meeting, two months ago, a conerete step ‘was taken to organize a new institution called the Mesaba Range Co-opera- tive Creamery Association, embrac- ing the several thousand farmers liv- ing in the northern half of St. Louis County. An organizer was employed for one month, who would cover the entire district. Meetings were held in each community. Shares were is- sued for sale and share-seiling com- mitiees were organized in each of the }20 to 25 different farming localities within the Mesaba Range Country. The combined Mesaba Range Co- operative “Creamery Organizational Committees met at Virginia Monday evening, June 27th. The organizer's report was heard and discussed. New life and enthusiasm was evident throughout the meeting. Nearly half of the needed sum for building the creamery is already in sight. Far- mers left for their respective homes with a feeling that a new step in the co-operative field has been taken in this territory. An institution of their own is being born, which in the future will take care of all their farm pro~ duce co-operatively. sThis will in time do away with the. private pro- fiteer, who today is burdening the al- ready over-worked farmer every~ where. This organization will be patterned after the 400 Co-operative Creamer- ies already in operation in the North- west. Farmers have finally realized that through Co-operation, it is pos- sible to efficiently fight the private owner and competitor and through their own co-operative organization, receive the full value of the products that he produces. To wipe specula- tion, adulteration, and 4ll forms of exploitation off the face of the earth and in the final analysis transform all production from the private owner into the hands of those who produce. The farmers throughout are keenly interested in establishing their own Central Co-operative Creamery. They saw the rapid development and suc- cess in their own local store organi- zation, which proved to them the logic of Co-operative effort. The Co- operative in each community is the center of ail social activity. There the farmers and workers meet to dis- cuss their daily problems, and that is where the Mesaba Range Co-opera- tive Creamery Association was act- ually born. There one finds its roots and foundation. Here the producers discuss their marketing problems, and the necessity of all the producers join- ing hands and uniting against the price fixers, speculators and all the elements, who are today taking a lion’s share of the farmers’ products. Here we find the farmer urging his neighbor to join this gigantic move- ment of the Producer, and become a builder of the Cooperative Common- wealth, a tee % National Educators Hit At Military Training SEATTLE, July 7.~--Denouncing state anti - evolution laws, the Resolutions Committee of the Na- tional Education Association 'was on record today against legislative in- terference with course of study in public schools, The resolutions committee also criticized the maintenance by law of certain required subjects, as compul- sory military training and compul- sory physical education. ° The educational value of the mov- ies was discussed in the visual in- struction department sessions. “Leaving films out of teaching is like dropping the verbs from lan- guage,” Ernest L. Crandell of Naw York City told the visual instruction group. “Children are going to learn through the film whether we wish it or not—therefore, we had better take hold of the situation and use movies: in our formal instruction.” Minneapolis was named. the 1923 the farmers, that they were forced Convention City. 4 READ THE DAILY WORKER EVERY DAY LS iti *