The Daily Worker Newspaper, December 31, 1927, Page 2

perity Is Myth WASHINGTOD oolidge prosperity is a myth ‘three months, i See Less Business. C Dec. 30.—Senato Reed Smoot of’ Utah, one of the Mel Ton-Coolidge old guard, admitte SHOOT PROPOSES: TAX PAYERS Admits Coolidge Pros- | d tha by The office of Secretary of the! Treasury Mellon announced in con-| nection with the proposed tax cut of | $290,000,000 that business next year Would probably be lower than this much less. Hence the facts tefute the administration bunk prosperity. Advocates Sales Tax. \ 4 Smoot advocates a sales tax of one | Per cent which would be added to the | This, ac- | Price of all commodities. year so the returns from taxes would of life about eording to Smoot, would increase the | revenue at least $1,600,000,000 if all | | corporation and income taxes were re- | Pealed and only the tariff remained. ‘This would benefit those billion- | gires and others of the plutocracy | ind force the masses to pay all the | enses of the government that sts only to perpetuate the rule of | small section of society over all the +280 of the population. _ OIVERS RISKED ; TO RAISE WRECK © st, | ’NCOPROVINCETOWN, Mass., | eic-"We will open the hatch -rmits,” said the commander ‘tseue flect flagship today, \, /@ivers were completing the bor, Divers Suffer. } Two surgeons, “the Faleon, whete they will heir headquarters for the the =a \ cafes \ ‘ton, D. C. g 5 Pat divers call “the bends.” or an hour or two. diver who was rescued a wee required two men to break the i of his accident under water. “Ruler of Cal’s Navee.” of six men who died after 40 é 3 : Provincetown. an expert diver, to come and gi mt rt” advice on the “rescue natural death. f Action Optional. take some action upon attorney, however, ‘gine room tomorrow if the weather “tunnel under the gun of the S-4, now at the bottom of Provincetown Har- | specialists in dis- jeases that affect) divers, arrived in town today and. ere transported to} »/ They are Dr. Edward R. Noyes and Dr. G. H. Mantin, both of Washing- Both medical men fear a disease | j) the limbs of the man who has! “Sgen brought to the surface, and} orees him to endure terrible pain Michaels, the that had knotted his legs at the time The officer in supreme charge of the salvaging operations on the S-4, and of the attempts to save the lives Dee. of the of the while second make time It ties | k ago, | eramp ad- | Vocating that action on the tax reduc- | tion bill be postponed for at least | | boom for him which has made some} | candidacy of Seer "THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1927 oolidge’s Senator Would Establish Federal Sales Tax to Burden Consumers | | i} — ee hoy Huge Queens Sewer Graft Wrecks Workers’ Homes ‘WHEELER WOULD PROBE POLICY OF IMPERIALISM | Wants Investigation of Concessions WASHINGTON, Dec. 380. De-| }nouncing the imperialist course of | the Coolidge administration, Senator Burton K Wheeler of Montana, de-' elared that the policy of using |“American troops to protect Ameri- |can dollars abroad” will foree the United States to build the largest! |mavy in the world. | Wheeler, who was vice-presidential candidate on the LaFollette third} | party ticket in 1924, is himself guilty, | of aiding the Coolidge program, inas-; | much as he was one of the senators who voted to place the United States | into the world court, the back-door to} the league of nations. Supported Reaction.. { Wheeler, one of the so-called pro- gressives, lines up with the most open imperialists on vital issues in the! ‘senate and than introduces resolu- , tions couched in radical terminology for the purpose of maintaining the il- lusion that he and the rest of the so- called vpposition bloc will fight against imperialism. Wheeler announced that he would press for adoption of a resolution calling for an investigation of Amer- ican concessions abroad as soon as the senate reconvenes. | ey ‘Blackmer Won’t Talk About Teapot Dome Oil Graft; Dodging Fine WASHINGTON, D. C., Dee. 30. — Harry M. Blackmer, one of the oil magnates who refused to obey the subpoena of Judge F. L. Siddons that he appear as witness in the Fall-Sin- clair Teapot Dome case, will bring legal action to remove the attachment made by this judge on $100,000 of his property, on Friday of next week. Hundreds of workers and small-sal- aried people face the loss of their box-like bungalows as a result of the | incompetence that made is possible for the Queens borough president and his satellites to cash in $29,500,000. Picture above shows Mrs. Henrietta Siemers in back of her home, regard- ing typical conditions in Queens. Be- low is an example of the unfinished sewers that are spreading filth and disease. F Read the Daily Worker Every Day! MELLON CONTENT WITH GASH RULE WASHINGTON, Dec. 30.—Reports that Secretary of the Treasury An- drew W. Mellon would be a candi- | date for the presidency in 1928 have | been denied by Mellon himself. The headway in Pennsylvania is inter- | preted as a move in opposition to the etary Hoover. The New York Times today char- | actey s as “absurd” the possibility ; of Mellon becoming a candidate. | though no definite reason is | for this , it is known hours’ ‘suffering in the forward compart- is Admiral Brumby, stationed ’ Brumby knows so little about sub- Salvage that he allowed one ibaugh, a garage keeper at La- | when the masses of workers are be- a » to answer a telegram sent y Brumby to him by accident, the impression that Shambaugh was under ive him ” work _ for a day or two, while being royally ined by the naval officers the Newspaper men discovered lontinued from Page One) and that the presentment will rosey Hyde, foreman of the Grand | “deleared that since a present- | hhad been returned it was incum- ‘upon the district attorney's of- it. The immedi- said that such action was op- Gordon later announced that , aints against Sinclair, Day and Burns Questioned. William J. and all books and records complaint charging conspiracy was made to bring him jury. Duffy, 26-year-old children were exploded. Their in the :uins of the died in a lt of burns. t would be allowed to die with pation of the bond in nine months. Sherman testified and were forced to of the to de- feat the ends of justice, but the war- tant for his arrest was held in abey- ee and has never been served. No before R, 3 CHILDREN DIE. NGSTOWN, Ohio, Dec. 30.— mother fatally it home, when a kero- bodies house. Duffy, an uncle of the chil- hospital yesterday as Every Day! | real basis is the fact that Mellon, a multi-millionaire banker and iron and | steel magnate, head of the aluminum | trust and open shop coal operator, | would be “unacceptable” at the time |of deepening economic depression | ginning to hold the capitalist class responsible for the rising unemploy- | roent. | . Two of a Kind.- ALBANY, N. Y., Dee. 30.—The | State Conference of Mayors, in ses- | sion here with its strong Republican | majority has unexpectedly gone over | to the Al Smith program of power | development hitherto strongly op- | posed by the Republicans. In some quarters this fact is interpreted as | meaning that both old parties have now composed their “differences” and * * U.S. Steel Anti-Labor ances Not to be Changed by Morgan J. P. Morgan’s appointment as, of trade unions in steel and other in- chairman of the board of directors of | dustries, Saposs says that Morgan the United States Steel Corp. will not | gave his approval to the management change the labor policies of that mam-|of the subsidiary companies who moth industrial organization. Since} crushed the strikes of the Amalga- the elder Morgan brought the steel | mated Assn. in the steel and tin plate trust into being in 1901 both father | and other divisions of the industry in and son have insisted that no recog- | that year. nition be given to any trade union. ; ics tdise The Morgans, not the Garys, were me Highly Significant. " the real power in U. S. Steel from the | _ William Z. Foster, who led the big beginning, it would appear. The New | 1919 strike, said that Morgan control York Times gives this away in a news | W@8 never admitted in the past so far article accompanying the story an. 8 he knew. ‘I regard the statement nouncing Morgan’s appointment. The | 8 highly significant,” he said, Times s that it was the father, J.| Light on the labor policies insti- P. Morgan, who set the policy of | tuted in the plants of the steel cor- no recognition of the unions when the | Poration after 1901 is shed by John corporation was formed. Coming ‘ Andrews Fitch in his “Steel Worker, from the Times this statement bas'| one of the volumes of the Pittsburgh meaning, for the Times so frequently | Survey. Fitch tells of a ruthlessly en- serves as an unofficial spokesman for foreed open shop, together with an the larger powers of Wall Street. | SPionage system that made -every Lauds Open Shop. worker suspicious of his neighbor. As J. P. Morgan, Jr., the present head |to the corporation’s stock-selling-to- |of the international banking house, employes system he quotes the state- continued to advance the open shop| ment of a worker who says that the principle in steel. Labor men reeall | big wage cut of 1904 was adjusted in his cable from London to Judge Gary, | the various departments in accord- September 22, 1919, the day the steel | ance with the sums invested in stock. strike began. It read: That is the workers’ stock purchases “Heartiest congratulations on your showed certain savings from their stand for the open shop, with which | W@ges, and the cut took up such sav- I am, as you know, absolutely in ac- | ings in future. cord. I believe American principles! The Amalgamated Assn. which has of liberty deeply involved, and must | jurisdiction over’ most of the steel win if we all stand together.” The | workers, though with only a negligib- 12-hour day, as well as the open shop, !ly membership today, was once a pow- | was, at stake, in that strike. erful organization, The loss of the The Times story that it was the famous Homestead strike in 1892 was elder Morgan who set the anti-union | its first disastrous blow, and the for- lare ready to give away the peoples’ | power resources. BUY THE DAILY WORKER AT THE NEWSSTANDS! policies of U. S. Steel when the cor-| mation of the U. S. Steel Corp. in poration was organized in 1901 re-|1901 its next great misfortune. The | ceives further confirmation from Dav- | steel corporation, grouping together id Saposs, who for years was a pro- | former independents, massed employ- fessional investigator into the history ers’ strength against the union. Victims of Disease, strike has broken out among the 200 ers of the National Lead Battery Co. N. J., due to the insufferable condit Harold Barclay, a young progressive er, organized the strike. forcing the men to work 9 hours dail The work is highly hazardous to healt! lead dust. Acid fumes destroy clothi dustry. They also seck a 44 hour we a half for overtime, and double pay holidays. in daily overtime and Sunday work, f wages are paid. clothing is also being asked. Interviewed by a DAILY WORKER declared that 130 out of 200 men are 130 BATTERY WORKERS GO ON STRIKE NORTH BERGEN, N. J., Dec. 30.—A spontaneous For a mere 40 cents an hour the company has been acid fumes which permeate the place. ; lead poisoning have resulted from the air laden with Twenty-one dollars is the average weekly wage. The workers, who are seeking to obtain affiliation with the A. F. of L., demand an increase to 55 cents per hour, which is the minimum wage elsewhere in the in- An inhuman’ speed-up system has resulted Adequate protection to health and ) Long Hours, Low Pay, Revolt at Last eting the plant enthusiastically, despite police orders, | Barclay cited the case of John Barton, of 824 34th | St., North Bergen. So seriously has Barton been af- fected by breathing lead acetate in the foul air of the National Lead Battery plant that he has been laid up at home for 3 weeks. Yet when he reported the case to the company doctor, the latter refused to let the poisoned worker stop work, telling him he was all right. Lead poisoning is one ofthe most fatal industrial dis- eases known. The workers claim that scabs are being imported by night from out of town. An offer was made to the men of 5 cents more an hour, which did not include the taking -back of Barclay, the militant leader, This offer was scornfully rejected, The National Lead Battery Company is a Minnesota firm which has recently settled in North Bergen, after first coming to Kearney, a neighboring town. A strike there is said to have caused the firm to move to a place where worse conditions could be maintained. The pickets are wearing their acid burned clothes, and carry signs stating: “This is what happens after a few days,” are winning much public sympathy, despite lyinr lersey papers, — unorganized work- of North Bergen, ions in the plant. Jersey City work- y, 7 days a week. h due to sulphuric Many cases of ing in a few days. ek, with time and for Sundays and or which ordinary reporter, Barclay out, and are pick- BATTLING MINERS NEED CLOTHES Embree’s Story Epic of Workers’ Struggle (Continued from Page One) the sheriff's force. And a lot of thugs were brought in from El Paso. “These ‘vigilantes’ made the rounds of the places where the strikers were living. They took us out of our beds. And then they waited for the first arrivals on the picket lines.” Left On Desert. Embree told how the strikers were herded into cattle cars, taken across the state line into New Mexico and left on the desert. “We were without food for over thirty-six hours,” he said. Questions across the table took Embree back «several years to the time when he was working in the copper mines of the northwest in 1908. Embree was sent to Alaska by the Western Federation of Miners to edit the “Industrial Worker” at Nome. No Romance. “I stayed there, working as editor and organizer of the union, four years,” he continued. “The paper had many strong supporters among the workers. They made mariy sacrifices for it. Many of them felt that it was responsible for completing the organ- ization of the miners of Nome.” Embree described the terrible con- cition of the workers in. Alaska at that time. “Talk about your romantic yarns about the Klondike!” he said. Embree spent two years in the gold fields but did not try prospecting. No Gold—No Food. “Half of those who came had to go back right away,” he said. “The camps were miserably overcrowded and thousands were facing actual starvation all the time. It’s strange how many people have fool ideas about conditions there during that pe- riod.” Periodic jailings in various sections of the United States have been the only reason for Embree’s periodical inactivity in the militant labor move- ment. He has heen arrested on charges ranging from “trespassing” to violations of the war-time “espion- age act,” always in connection with the struggles of the workers. Embree couldn’t remember just how many times he had been arrest- ed during the past 30 years but he mentioned several vindictive senten- ces meted out to him bv judges in the service of labor-hating corpora- tions. His last experience with the courts resulted in a long prison sen- tence, “That experience.” said Embree quietly, “was a good example of the kind of inteerity the bosses and their courts practice. I had been working as business ménager of ‘The Butte Bulletin.’ Bill Dunre was the editor the paper then.” Imbree said that in May. 1920, he had gone to Wallas, Idaho, to ap- pear as a witness for a fellow-worker on trial for criminal svndealism. “That cure was a grim joke,” Em- bree said. “When I went as a wit- ness the district attorney told me he wouldn’t molest me. But after I had testified IT was locked un for being a member of the J. W. W. And he charged me with violation of the crim- inal svndicalism law too. “Felix Yavonoviteh, the fellow worker T was witness for, was put on trial, But before the thing was over he committed suicide by slash- ing his throat with a razor. He was a miner, 26 years old. Lead poison- ine had got him and his brain was affected.” Cets One to Ten Years Embree said he was kept in jail for several weeks before being re- leased on bail. Later he returned for trial at Wallas in 1921. “Sure I was convicted,” Embree said in answer to a question “Of the fifty-three veniremen called, only two were workers. And, of these two, one of them testified seabbed in every strike for 15 years. The other prospective juror -was a foreman of a road gang working for the mining company. But he seemed too dangerous for the district attor- ney and he was peremptorily chal- lenged.” The Present Strike. Embree was sentenced to serve from one to ten vears at hard labor that he had| The Pennsylvania - Ohio - Colorado Miners’ Relief Committee, 799 Broad- way, is gathering clothing for the miners and their families. This prob- lem is now added to that of hunger, cold and evictions, Photo taken in relief office shows “Flaming Milka” Sablich, here to ad- dress a mammoth labor meeting at Central Opera House next Monday, sorting some of the clothes contribut- ed by New York workers. Proko Wul- Negro Porters Make Critic Change Tune By HARRY KLETZKY. CHICAGO, (FP) Dec. 30.—In- creasing strength of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters: as a labor organization and as a factor in the development of the Negro race is re- vealed in the sudden change in at- litude toward it by the Chicago De- fender, a big Negro newspaper. This is the opinion of those who are close to the fight of the brotherhood for recognition and power. The Chicago Defender was recog- nized until last month, as the mouth- piece of the Pullman Co. in southside Chicago, the Negro district. It has constantly upheld the Pullman Co. in its attempt to prevent organiza- tion of the porters and it has con- tinually ignored the work of the brotherhood. On Noy. 19, after 2 years of this policy, the Defender ap- peared with a leading editoria) eulo- gizing the brotherhood, its aims and officers. Circulation Threatened. This shift in policy followed a mass meeting of Negro workers and com- munity leaders, called by the brother- hood, when the Defender was openly denounced for its attitude toward the labor organization. Not only the prestige, but the circulation of the paper was threatened because of the great strides made by the porters’ organization. a Its editorial on Nov. 19 says: “After a careful survey and review of the determined and lawful strug- gle of the Pullman porters, led by the brilliant and fearless A. Philip Ran- dolph, over a period of 2 years, the Defender herewith announces its de- termination to fight with the porters, Admitting that “there has been considerable criticism pro and con the attitude of the Defender on the movement to organize the Pullman porters” and that “it is felt by some that the Defender is opposed to the porters’ efforts at organization,” the | editorial says: “We wish to definitely register the fact that we back and favor the right of the Pullman por- ters and maids to organize into a bona fide union of their own choosing, untrammelled by the Pullman Co.” | at that time and was in the state peni- tentiary at Boise, Idaho. for three, | years and seven months. 4 | Upon his release he went immedi- | ately to Butte, Mont., and then went on to Colorado to help lay the be- ginnings for the present miners’ struggle. Embree is 50 years old, A college graduate, he specialized in physical science, economics and history, SMITH HAS NO REPLY TO SEWER FIXING CHARGES Whitewash for All in Scandal Boasted Gov. Smith yesterday was mum on the charges that Queens politicians are openly boasting that all officials involved, from the goyernor himself to Justice Townsend Seudder have been “fixed” on the outcome of the an into the $29,500,000 sewer sean- al, _It is pointed out that the ostenta- tious. appointment of Scudder, who had been endorsed by the Citizen's Union, was a slick political move on the part of the governor: who is ac- tually the head of the Tammary Jfall gang,’ of which Connolly, the accused politician is a member. ae Smith in Background, Just now Smith is keeping cofiven- iently in the background and making a orave attempt to keep his shirts clean from the present noxious. sitna- tion in Queens borough. With “his. candidacy. for the presidency nracti- eally announced, his message to the legislature is advertised as his “stand” on the various issues which wil! drive sharp political bargains. Meanwhile complaints about the.in- competence of the construction of th Queens sewers and the danger of an epidemic are continuing to flood the offices of the “investigators” of the huge swindle. : At the same time Emory ’R. Buek- ner, former U. S. district attorney and at present in charge of presenting the facts of the huge graft yesterday was speculating whether or not he had sufficient evidence to bring Connolly up on charges at a public hearing be- fore Justice Scudder. i Two more “experts” were yester- day added to the terrifying group hired by both sides in the scandal. They are William H. Burr, formerly a professor at Columbia University and E. J. Forte. They are corfident- ly described by Max D. Steuer, high- priced trial lawyer for. Connolly, as being “the best engineers in the coun- try. : Queens politicians, meanwhile, de- pended upon Connolly’s reign for ex- istence, are open in their declarations that there need be no fear, that the auiz will have any dire results for those loyal to the Tammany wigwam. i ieee eae WHITE PLAINS RED TAPE. WHITE PLAINS, N. Y,, Dee. 30.— The Republican majority of the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County | yesterday eliminated two important committees. The functions of the | Committee on Parks .and .the Good Roads Committee were turned over to |the Budget and Appropriations Com- mittee. It is believed here that this will make for much more redtape. > U. S. CLAIMS SHOALS. WASHINGTON, D. C,, Dec, 30.— The Wilson Dam and the nitrate | properties, as well as other struc- tures around Muscle Shoals, belong to the United States government, de- clares Assistant Attorney General Parmenter, discrediting the claim of the State of Alabama to . Muscle Shoals. | DEATH FOR FREEDOM DASH. BALTIMORE, Md., Dec. 30.— Charles P. Carey, who attempted to escape his life sentence .and-. killed Alfred H. Walker, a penitentiary guard in his unsuccessful dash, wi sentenced to death today. SICK WORKER DROWNED: ROCHESTER, N. Y., Dec. 30. + While at work here, Peter Dalle, 40, was seized with an epileptic fit and fell head first into two inch deep pud- dle of water, and was drowned. LECTURES AND FORUMS | AT COOPER UNION (8th ST. and ASTOR PLACE) At 8 o’Clock SUNDAY, JANUARY ist NO MEETING, TUESDAY, JANUARY 3rd Mr. W. B. CURRY “Sir Isanc Newton.” FRIDAY, JANUARY 6th - THE PEOPLE’ S INSTITUTE | Muhlenberg Branch Library (209. WEST 23rd STREET) At 8 o’Clock } MONDAY, JANUARY 2nd Dr. HELEN D. LOCKWOOD Tools and the Man—The Misery of the Wealth of jons: Mra, Gaskell and Galsworthy.” ; WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4th Dr. SCOTT BUCHANAN Mathematical Thought—“Geom From Shapes to Figures.” THURSDAY, JANUARY 5th DR. E. G. SPAULDING | Mr. EVERETT DEAN MARTIN The Psychology of the American Public—“Liberal Thought in Amer- ica. From Koger Williams to the ‘intelligentsia’ of the 20th Century.” ADMISSION FREE. Open Forum Discussion. Questions People Expect a Philoso- pher to Answer—“Cum Mind and | Body Interactt” SATURDAY, JANUARY Zth Dr. RICHARD. P. Me! Some Questions for Pilate—“Philos- ophy and Its Predieaments: What Is ‘Honor Sacco, Vanzetti Sacco and Vanzetti are listed to- day by the nation as the heroes of 1927. They are honored “for the calm, uncompromising spirit in which they faced a frock-coated lynching.” Read the Daily Worker Every Day SUNDAY, JANUARY 1st 5 P, M—Lecture Dr. G, F. Beck—“Ocdipus Sophocles” ——Am. Int, Church. 7:15 P. M, E. 8:30 P. C.F. M.—-Forum . Calyerton—“Selence o suetal Struggle.”