The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 5, 1927, Page 6

Page Six THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1927 Let the United States Pay | The Huge Debt It Owes} To the Soviet Government) By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL, eum government at Wa n, whether of Wilson, or Coolidge, ha: ly maintained for | with a straight ningly sober face, would be no recogni the Soviet Union n debts were recognized and paid. Robert Lansing, in a letter of the treasury, repeate nd 0 y of state, his way: before any other government | shall confer with you fully | as to the best me ing for the recognition by such government of the inde dness incurred by the rovisional Russian government to the United States.” - ry of the treasury, McAdoo, President Wilson, and the lroad brotherhoods, who ini- 1918, little more than tw ion, o recognize any t agrees to debt reco; It was former secre’ the son-in-law of the lat political darling of the r not sian go The “debts,” fox 4.meri worke y, was that th ». mey that the U: i seks to collect, was ney¢r loaned te the Soviet nt, or advanced to it in any form. In fact, it was used to finance various oil wars an ntion movements that had for their object overthrow of the Soviet government. * * ® The facts, with much additional information that luminates the attitude of imperialist America tow: working class Russia, came to light in the investi tion conducted by the U. S. s e judiciary commit- | tee, acting under a resolution Senator Reed, of | Missouri. The findings of the committee were based entirely on official data taken from the files of state and treasury departments, These documents reveal an amazing series of trans actions between th Washington government and Boris Bakmetev, who came to be known as “the ambassador without a government.” This Bakmetev, befri left Russia the representativ the American imperialism of the Kerensky re gime. He not been in Washington long, however when Ke defeated by the Bolshe Revolution. time made no differen the late president, Woodrow Wilson, and his state partment. In spite of the protests of the Soviet g¢ ernment, the United States continued to recognize B: metev as “the Russian ambassador,” at the same tim« deporting Ludwig Martens, the representative of thc Workers’ and Peasants’ Government. * * * The anxiety of the United States government to col lect its fake “debts” from the Soviet government wa only rivalled by its energy in squandering on Bakmete mon raised in “war taxes” paid by American workers. Great Britain’s policy in liquidating Russian assets uader her control after the fall of Kerensky is set forti in the senate document in an official treasury memo- randum on Russian finance and contracts, dated March: 1, 1918. The memorandum was drawn up by the ther assistant secretary of the treasury, Norman H. Davis. het (Bakhmeteff’s financial attache) inform me that, substantially, all Russian purchases made her prior to our (the United States) entry into the war witl funds advanced by the British government, were mace through J. P. Morgan and Company. “One contract for 35,000 tons of barbed wire, whici is now being delivered, was placed through Morg on behalf of the British government, and the Brit government already has. disposed of approximately 10,- 000 tons of this barbed wire to our War Departmen: AND IS APPLYING THE PROCEEDS IN REDUC TION OF RUSSIAN OBLIGATIONS HELD BY GREAT BRITAIN. “Mr. Ughet also informs me that the Britis ernment, with the consent of the Anglo-Russ' s committee, is disposing of all materials purchased thru Morgans with British funds and applying the pro: in reduction of Russian obligations held by Great Bri- tain. IT WOULD SEEM, THEREFORE, THAT TH BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS LOOKING AFTER INTERESTS VERY WELL IN THIS RESPECT.” * * * British finances at that time were in a very bz condition. The king’s treasury needed every farth it could get its hands on. The treasury at Washing: was in better shape. The senate committee reports that the United States, like Great Britain, could have stepped in when the Kerensky regime fell and recovered a large part of it “advances” to Bakmetev, but President’ Wilson and Sec- tetary of S e Lansing ordered that payment on the debt to this government, totalling $11,000,000, out of the fund held by Bakmetev after the fall of the Ker- ensky regime “BE DEFERRED,” so Bakmetev mighi keep up “the Russian embassy without a government. At the same time, however, payment of interest on obli gations held privately in this country was approved Another victory for Morgan, A total of $187,729,750 was “advanced” in cash t: Bakmetev as “the diplomatic representative of the Ker. ensky prov nal government. When these advance: were begun the Kerensky government had $11,000,00( to its credit in the National City Bank of New York. In addition $13,000,000 more realized from sales of property belonging to the Kerensky regime. This made an aggregate of $211,000,000 over which Bak- metev had control, with the consent of the United States government, * = * The Soviet government, when it came into power, im- mediately disavowed Bakmetey. The Workers’ Govern- ment, thereupon, should have fallen heir to the $211,- 000,000. The National City Bank received cabled in- structions from Russia not to honor orders from these former representatives. Nevertheless, with the consent and protection of the Wilson administration, Bakmetev was permitted to continue in charge of the huge fund and use it in the wars on the Soviet Union, The com- mittee investigation further disclosed: “Some interesting facts about the . + Manner in which Russian affairs were administered by this gov- ernment are shown by the fact that the war depart- ment of the United States government purchased from the ‘provisional Russian government’ (Kerensky) after its fall munitions which had been contracted for by that government to the extent of $11,000,000. “Instead of paying that $11,000,000 into the United States treasury and crediting that sum as a payment on the Russian loan, the $11,000,000 was paid into the National City Bank to the credit of Mr. Bakmetev.” . * * The purpose of course of American imperialism was to support Bakmetev in the aid he was giving to the (Continued on last column) 4 | THESE SIX COMMAND AMERICA’S CHIEF IMITATION OF THE FASCISTI First photo of newly elected chieftains of veterans’ organization, snapped after their election in Paris. Edward Spafford of New York (third from left), who was unanimously elected commander of Legion, with his five vice-presidents who were elected at the same time. By JACK O’HARE. Today in the struggle enth month over a hundred thousand!camps to ride empty coal and box-} companies. striking miners and their families, at)cars over the country trying to find| the miners means living in tented three hundred thousand human! work somewhere with the hope of colonies. are suffering want and pri-|being able to send a few pennies|ter months means additional misery miners, But this lea: beings, vation and are on the verge of star-|home with which the family would) and be able to buy food. But in most) their wives and children. cases even this fails and every day|is only the beginning of the evictions. In many mining camps children are| one can see miners coming home with| With the help of the courts of Penn- ffering from the lack of proper} stoic faces to be greeted by hungry | sylvania the coal operators haye is- jsued a blanket injunction which will | evict many more hundreds of fam- ilies to freeze in tented colonies as long as the miners refuse to accept Partial Starvation. of food and their parents not; families. ng enough money to buy clothes} or books to send their children to} school. Driven From Homes. Reports are coming from Russell- Because the officials of the! ton, Pa,, to the effect that 300 fam- suffering among the Must Miners Starve? ?miners’ union refuse to organize ajilies are being forcibly evicted from campaign for relief which would help| their. homes and are compelled to great bituminous; the striking miners a little, many) leave their furniture to be sold for now entering into the sev-| miners are forced to leave the mining| the payment of back rent to the coal Evictions at this time to The fast approaching win- Fighting Pugsand Fighting Miners By MICHAEL HARRIS IT him in the belly button!” “Knock his block off!” “You got the stiff down Jack, keep him there!” “Knock his guts out Gene!” “Bang away on his eye, it’s bleeding and you’ll soon have him blinded!” On hundred and fifty thou- sand maniacs, raving, yelling, clamoring for action, thirsty for Interestingly watching two in- dividuals trying to batter each other into a state Millions of people listening in the radio, waiting to hear the voice of the ouncer relate each move of the contestants. here and there, scanning the newspapers, which prominently displays news of the “big fight,” nd has put all other news in the background in or to arouse public interest in this spectacle. Children excitingly discussing the fighters, and dis- puting with each other the prowess of the two men. entire ration enthralled and interested in an event which on outside surfaces appears to be a natter of life or death. This, ladies and gentlemen, is America! This is sness. the land of liberty, art, culture and prohibition. This . is the land which offers the greatest opportunity o the foreign-born. You doubt us, eh? Look at what we offered to Sacco and Vanzetti. Look at what we offer to all other fighters of the working class who dare to raise their voices in protest inst our system of society. Look at what we offering to the other foreign-born workers in mines, steel mills, factories, and other indus- s. This is the land of milk and honey. This is land where money is plentiful, and where you find plenty of it in the streets. If you doubt word look at the two and a half million gate at he recent ten round dance at Chicago. Where else can you get workers to donate their hard earned pennies to a spectacle, which stops them from thinking of their miseries, fills the cof- ers of a capitalistic gambler. enriches the sporty s who “know how to pick ’em,” and provides »me winter coal for the cheap politicians. This is the land of the most-interesting and educationai Pictures of the contestants displaying their onderful condition. Articles by the fighters on y you can live a healthful life and attain the ame condition by clean living, exercise, plenty of fresh air, ete. What, you don’t agree? What are you kicking about? Look at the exercise you receive in the shops, mills, mines, offices, ete. And also look at the vacation you receive during a period of unemployment, so that you may not go stale by too much exercise. Look at the ventilation in your shop or home. Plenty of fresh air, but don’t inhale too much of it. In another arena a far more interesting and bigger battle is being waged. The arena is the mining sec- tion of our great country. On one side of the ring ies and gentlemen, we have the coal baron. He is a great fellow, with a powerful built, and with arms that seem as if they could break you in two. In his corner ere the reptile press, militia, gang- sters, courts, injunctions, police, churches and frame- up system, On the other side of the ring we have the coal miner. He does not seem to be as power- ful as his opponent. In his corner are very few seconds. They are the weak militant press and a few honest labor leaders. Both contestants issue statements before the battle. The coal baron says that he must have more profits, He also says that he is ready to put up a stiff battle to get these profits, and that he will have to begin by slashing the wages of the miners. > The miner says no wage cut. He also states that he cannot exist with the wages proposed by the cperator. There goes the bell! The fight is on! The coal baron leads by declaring a lock-out. The miner fights back by a general strike. The coal operator begins to use the knowledge and power of his seconds. There is something rotten about this fight. The arena is empty of spectators and there seems to be a laxity of interest. Our curiosity is aroused and we decide to investigate. Sure enough we find out the reasons for the lack of interest in this great struggle. We notice the coal baron consulting his chief second, the subsidized press. We look into the char- acter of this powerful second. The coal operator has bet an enormous amount of money on the out- come of this battle, therefore he is determined to win it by hook or crook. He is going to resort to uy ne foul tactics in order to win, so he has made sure that there are no spectators to witness the affair, or sympathize with the miner. Therefore he has made sure that his chief second, the subsidized press, is full of pictures with bathing beauties, divorce cases, columns of news about the lunatie act at Chicago, but hardly a word about this great struggle, the outcome of which concerns the very existence of the miners, their wives, children and families. As the fight progresses we notice that the coal baron is bringing his seconds into play. He uses gangsters to beat the miner. He uses the courts to evict the miner from his home, and to serve him with injunctions, to prevent him from protecting his job by peaceful picketing. He also enlists the aid of the courts and police to frame the striker on false charges. He shoots down the striker with the aid of the militia and gangsters. He imports scabs with the aid of the government to break down the morale of the striker. He uses the church to get the miners’ mind off the battle, by poisoning his mind with superstition, and a promise of a future paradise So much for the coal operator. Now let us see how the miner is faring. The battle is prolonged and due to the tremendous resources of his oppon- ent, he is slowly getting weak. Courageously he endeavors to fight back. But. the attack is being centered on his weakest spot—his stomach. Starva- tion is beginning to set it, and he finds himself in a weakened condition. The militant labor press and his few honest labor leaders are weak themselves, and cannot give the miner much aid. But ho, what is this? John L. Lewis, their president, actually playing into the enemies’ hands. Not a word out of him for the relief of the miner. Betrayed by their own chief. Despite this treachery and tremendous odds he faces, the miner still continues to fight de- termined to win. Two men battle for physical supremacy and a na- tion goes mad. Three hundred thousand coal miners battle for the right to live, and the fight goes on practically unnoticed. This, ladies and: gentlemen, is America! a what the master proposes. Federal Judge Schoonmaker has ruled evicted miners shall not have bond. But why must these human beings suffer the misery and the pangs of hunger? Have they committed a erime or something? No, the min- ers are just demanding a living wage. They refuse. to ‘accept a drastic, slashing cut in their present meager wages and to meekly submit to the complete rule of the coal operators’ domination which is that of the mon- strous tyrant existing in America to- day. All this suffering is because the coal operators persist in their phrenetic desire for bigger profits for their coffers. And what isthe American labor doing to help the miners in their present struggle? It is a shameful page in the history of the American labor movement, the way the offi- cials of the A, F. of L. and the min- ers’ union are conducting the miners’ strike. The A. F. of L., speaking for some 3,500,000. members could and must be rallied to the support of the miners in the present tremendous struggle. The question of relief should have been organized many months ago, but due to the indiffer- ence and incompetency of the pres- ent leadership of the Lewis regime, this question as well as the general ers. fitness and treachery of these lead- conduct of the strike shows the un- Rank and File Must Act. The rank and file of the miners’ union everywhere must demand that district and national relief organiza- tions are set up. The organized la- bor movement . must immediately come to the aid of the’ miners, If the coal operators are able to smash the miners’ union, the most militant section in the A. F. of L., then the drive to destroy the rest of the labor movement in America will be the next order of the day. Against this the workers fight by coming to the aid of the miners’ union in the pres- ent struggle. ‘ Shift Flour Mills to Southwest By HUGO OEHLER | 1) tates he ta with its spring wheat area is slipping in the race of the mill owners in the production of flour and in place Kansas City and its winter wheat section with its vast mushroom growth of elevators and mills is pushing to the front. The mills in this territory have ground out over 38,000,000 barrels of flour of last year’s crop, the largest pro- duction recorded in this new giant that is racing for supremacy in the industry of “Bread”. * * ue increase in production of wheat in the winter wheat section, the steady growth and consolidation of the financial forces in control has witnessed side by side the expansion of the elevators and mills with Kan- sas City as the pivot, Over 6,000,000 barrels of flour increase over last year has been recorded and reports say that the winter wheat growers are putting in a bumper crop for the coming harvest. The production of Kansas City territory for the year ending is over 11,000,000 barrels more then the northern United States cen- ter and the record output exceeds that of the north in its best year. * * * H hse competition and struggle of the millers of the world’s wheat is reflected in the long struggle of these two group centers in America and the shift of the center to the south is a battle that has lasted decades _ with every economic and financial and | political weapon worthwhile used. At the start the North with the ad- vantage of water power and trans- portation and the salable spring) | wheat against the South’s handicaps in freight rates Turkey wheat with markets limited contributed to its advantages. * * * ‘pet with the recognization of the ;~ quality of hard winter wheat, the lobbying and the change of rates to parity basis enabling equal competi- ‘tion as well as the consolidation of the most influencial groups of Kansas [City _territory and the agrarian | scissors of the northwest has sharp- ‘ened the struggle and has given the | Kansas City section the advantage. * * * HE consolidation of the mills in the United States and the increase of the output has gone hand in hand with the elimination of those con- sidered a drag by the upper groups. ‘In the Kansas City district in 1910 | there were 225 mills compared to 160 in operation today. In the Minnea- polis territory in 1910 there were 487 and today 268. The change has been toward consolidation and elim- ination as well as a struggle be- tween the two mentioned groups with the objective condition on the scales in favor of Kansas City. Women Workers Equal to Working Men In U.S. S.R.) Unions; End Illiteracy] | DRAINING OF MARSHES. The People’s Land Commissariat in White Russia is completing a big piece of work in the Orshunsk district where 7,850 hectares of marshy land is being drained. Local peasants take an active part in this work and have organized 30 cartels in connection with it. INCREASE OF CARGO TRAFFIC ON SOUTHERN RAILWAYS. In August, cargo traffic on the southern railways ex- ceeded on an average 10,500 wagons per day i. e. an increase of 16% since August last. The transport of corn cargoes has greatly increased (a 65% increase in the August plan), transport of corn this year having exceeded last year’s transport by 80%, In the begin- ning of September 1,810 wagons per day were loaded with corn, PEASANT MUTUAL AID IN SIBERIA. There are at present 5,280 peasant mutual aid so- cieties on Siberian territory. Mutual aid centres have been established in 52% of the populated districts which could be reached. Peasant mutual aid societies have about 1,200 enterprises, most of them small ones: mills, smithies, etc. They have sown an area of 25,000 des- siatines. High class seed is generally used. The seed store is growing and the grain store is now estimated at 200,000 poods, Aid of three kinds is given to poor peasant farms: (a) material—loans, grants and other financial help; (b) labor—gathering in the harvest, the carriage of fuel, building of dwellings, ete.;.(c) juridical—legal ad- vice, procuration of remission of taxes, etc. PEASANT WOMEN IN COMMITTEES OF RURAL MUTUAL AID SOCIETIES. In 1923 peasant women constituted only 8% of the membership of such committees, In 1924-25 (according to statistics) re 40% of the total number of such com- mittees 10% or 8,000 of their members were peasant women, whereas in 1926-27 (according to the same statistics) the number of peasant women elected to these committees exceeded 20,000, There are 5 peasant women in the central committee, 88 in Gubernia and regional committees, 483 in uyezd and district committees, 1,242 in volost committees and 15,532 in village committees. There were 5,000 peasant women in the auditing com- missions of these mutual aid societies. There are at present 14 peasant women in the Pres- idiums of Gubernia committees mutual aid societies compared with 4 in 1924 and 7 in 1925, Aid given by these committees was as follows: throughout the U. S, S. R. to 547,000 peasant farms in 1923-24, to 966,000 in 1924-25 and to 1,310,000 in 1925-26, Farms managed by single women, widows and orphans constitute about 80%, Moreover, these mutual aid committees have also as- sisted children’s institutions, hospitals and schools. In 1925-26, the number of such institutions was 15,794, The number of women chairmen of village committees of mutual aid societies was: 280 in 1924-25 and 818 in 1926-27. The number of women chairmen of volost mu- tual aid committees was 4 in 1924-25 and 44 in 1926-27, Of the number of poor farms co-operated by commit- tees of mutual aid societies 30% are farms managed by single peasant women. U. & S. R. WORKERS PROTEST AGAINST THE TREACHERY OF THE GENTLEMEN OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL. The mass of U. S. S. R. workers are indignant at the General Council's break up of the Anglo-Russian Trade Union Committee. The Leningrad Gubernia Trade Union Soviet has addressed a letter to the British workers se- verely condemning the policy of the leaders of the Brit- ish trade union movement, The news of the break up of the ARC has now reached the provinces and has aroused a storm of protest and indignation. Resolutions passed at sessions of a number of trade union administrative boards in the Kiev district (Ukraine), declare that the General Council betrayed and brought to nought the heroic struggle of the miners and that it continue to betray the British working class for the benefit of the British bourgeoisie. One of the resolutions contains the following state- ment: “Over the heads of the yellow leaders we will con- tinue to struggle for unity in the trade union movement of the world.” The Plenum of the trade union Soviet together with the active workers of the trade unions of Nizhny, Sor- movo and Kanavino (Volga district) and the Norwegian Workers’ Delegation protest against the treacherous ac- tivity of the trade union leaders who have broken up the ARC. The Plenum declares that the proletariat of the U. S. S. R. will continue the struggle for unity. Unity will be achieved over the heads of the reformist leaders. ’ EQUALITY OF RIGHTS OF THE LANGUAGES IN UKRAINE, The Ukrainian, U. 8S. 8. R. government has approved new laws declaring that the languages of all nationali- ties peopling Ukraine enjoy equal rights. All the de~ Faw / crees, by-laws and regulations shall be issued in Ukrainian and Russian languages, The more impor’ governmental acts must likewise be issued in tl tional minority languages, way In all the schools the Russian language is recognized as compulsory in the sane way as the Ukrainian lan- guage and culture. Proceedings in court shall be in the Ukrainian language; to assure the interests of national minorities there shall be organized special national divi» sions or benches of the court, The new law also embodies measures for promoting Ukrainian culture, All the Ukrainization work is placed in the charge of the All-Ukrainian Central Commission for Ukrainization under the chairmanship of the presi- dent of the Council of People’s Commissaries of Ukraine, Let the United States Pay the Huge Debt It Owes | to the Soviet Union (Continued from 1st column) counter-revolution in Russia, This is better shown by the fact th fter the fall of Kerensky, Bakmetev was recognized epresenting first, the Kolchak govern- ment, and then the Wrangel faction, both enemies of the Soviet power. na- * Ci . Instead of trying to/collect its fake “debts,” that con- isted of money originally paid out to the enemies of the Soviet Union, the United States government should be forced to reimburse the Workers’ and Peasants’ Government, to the extent of hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars for the damage done and the lives it sacrificed in the effort it helped finance to over throw Workers’ Rule, It is on that basis that the Amer- — ican working class should force recognition by the — American government of the Union of Soviet h rt ae a