The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 4, 1928, Page 1

THE DAILY WORKER FIGHTS: FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNORGANIZED FOR THE 40-HOUR WEEK FOR A LABOR PARTY THE De Entered ax secu os Uaer ue Ly WoO ander the act of March 3, 1879. tue Mone Uifice at New York, N.Y. KER, FINAL CITY EDITION Vo. V. No. 2. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In New York, by mall, $8.00 per year. Outside New York, by mail, $6.00 per year. NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1928 PUBLIS Published daily except S HING CO., 33 First Street, New day by The DAILY WORKER York, N. Price 3 Cents MORE MARINES SHIPPED TO NICARAGUAN WAR WORKERS SUFFER IN COLD; FIFTY DEAD, 3 IN N.Y. Strikers, Seamen Also Among Victims One worker was found frozen to death on a bench in Roosevelt Park | here and two ochers died similarly | huddled in doorways in New York’s first zero weather of the year. One or two of the three men pre- sumably were among many turned away from the over-crowded lodging houses and public shelters, where hun- dreds sought protection. The number of similar deaths and the extent of the suffering among the workers of other centers through- out the United ‘States are indicated by meager despatches on this phase of the cold wave reaching Nev: York yesterday and last. night by capi- talist press services. “Prosperity” Pictured. Knowledge that working men have been frozen to death on the streets of New York and other cities brings home forcibly the conditions of life in the United States which President Coolidge and the employing interests are daily attempting to conceal with prosperity propaganda. The worst suffering was found among the hundreds of thousands of unemployed, very many of whom lack fuel or food or both. Suffering is known to be partic- ularly keen in many districts where strikes are being ‘conducted ugainst further attempts by the employers to reduce the workers’ standard of living below the breaking point, not- ably in the mining regions of Penn- “sylvania, Onio and Colorado. Death in the Park. “unidentified man about 65 ‘old was found dead in a sitting posture in Roosevelt Park, at Mul- berry and Bayard Sts., by a passing patrolman. Death was diagnosed as due to exposure. Jube Tyler, an 80- year-old Negro, was found frozen dead in a doorway at 241 W. 29th St. A watchman earlier had seen him’ warming himself at a bonfire in the street. ’ Albert Gallagher, 55, a Belevue Hospital gateman, overcome by the cold while on his way home from work at 5 a. m., died in the door- way at 288 Avenue A, where he lived. Others Frost-Biiten. Others, almost all of them unem- ployed and without money, were treated at hospitals or public shelters for frozen hands or feet. Suffering was felt even as far south as Georgia, where many like- wise were unprepared for the sud- den cold. One dispatch in particular indicates the severity of conditions there. Under a Marietta, Ga., date- line it tells of a broken back suf- fered by L. C. Hames, a motorman, when his passenger interurban trol- ley car crashed into an empty car near that city. T. G. Hudson, an electric company worker, was killed instantly. Two other persons were killed and Hames may die. The wreck was due to the freezing not only of the brakes of the car but of the mechanism of the signal lights. & Pilot Forced Down. This dispatch, like all others of its ind, does not tell of the less spec- r effects of the cold suffered thousands. of workers and their in their thin-walled homes in wind-swept streets and high- ways and railroad yards and rights- of-way. ” ‘4 From Dubois, Pa., comes word that Harry G. Smith, employed as an gir mail pilot, was forced down in a blinding snow storm in Clearfield (Continued on Page Two) ‘QUEENS HAS NEW $1,000,000 GRAFT Comptroller Charles W. Berry yes- terday said he would “investigate” the charges of William Bullick, di- rector of the city affairs committee of the New York county republican committee, that the city of New York is selling water in the fifth ward of Queens borough to a private com- pany for $15,000, which is being re- sold for more than $1,000,000 an- ~ nually. Bullick declared that despite the Serena of 800 taxpayers the city was lowing its mains to be tapped by the Long Island Water Corporation. jSend in Greetings For Special Early Workers (Communist) Party units, labor and fraternal organ- izations and individuals are urged to send their greetings at once for the special fourth anniversary edi- tion of The DAILY WORKER, which will be published Friday, Jan. 13. The anniversary issue will con- tain special articles describing the growth of the only national labor daily. DEMAND SECRECY FOR SHADY DEAL WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (FP).— Disclosure that the American dele gates to the Sixth Pan-Americar Conference, opening January 16 at Havana, will demand that all com- mittee sessions of the conference be secret, has been made at the Pan- American Union. This proposal wil be “yessed” by the Cuban govern- ment and will be vigorously opposed by the Argentine delegates, who seem to have the support of a majority of | the South Americans. Inasmuch as sessions of committees of the League of Nations are held in the open, so that the public and espe- cially the press may hear the debate on each question, the demand of the Coolidge administration for star- chamber sessions has made a bad im- pression on Latin America. Would Put Lid on Debate.’ This impression is strengthened by the fact that President Coolidge is to make a triumphal entry into Havana harbor on an American bat- tleship, and to deliver the opening address. His purpose is to obscure their insistence on the publication, day by day, of the actual proceedings in debate between the spokesmen for the United States and the spokes- men: for the* frightened, cowed or de- fiant nations beyond the Rio Grande. At least, that is their present view. A notable delegation of American writers on international affairs will be present in Havana, and it already appears impossible that Hughes, Kel- logg and Fletcher, with or without the help of Morrow, will be able to carry out the program of concealing from the peoples of the world the moves they may make to suppress criticism of the conquest of Nicara- gua, Haiti and the Dominican Repub- lic and the past invasions and other aggressions against Mexico. Pi ttsburgh Calls tor Miners’ Aid PITTSBURGH, Pa., Jan. 3. Pittsburgh labor showed its solidarity with the striking coal miners of Penn- sylvania, Ohio and Colorado by a stir- ring demonstration here on Saturday nigh: . Over 500 workers heard the’ story of the struggle now being waged by the strikers, as told by their leaders. Plans for immediate relief were laid at the meeting. Tony Minerich, a striking miner from District 5, Pennsylvania, told of CARLOAD SOUP; 5,000 LBS, COFFEE EASES SITUATION Donations Will Defeat Danger of Plagues By A. S. | PITTSBURGH, Pa., Jan. 3.—A new and terrible menace to the strikers’ ranks is sweeping through the bar- rack settlements to which hundreds of additional families are being driven every week by the coal barons. Pneumonia and flu and all the dis- eases of malnutrition find easy vic- tims in the hungry, thinly clad men and women and children crowded to- gether in their small, unsanitary boxes of rooms, icy-cold this sub-zero weather. They are close, too, with | many people in a small space, and the | fumes from coal oil lamps. | There is no money for doctors or | medicine, and many doctors will not | attend strikers without pay, and many | company doctors (the only ones avail- | able in some mining tewns) refuse to attend the families of union men un- der any circumstances today. Last of Many Evils. Starvation, cold and now disease— famine conditions deliberately created by the coal companies for a great | army of workers, to break down the | iron rank and file resistance to the | open shop or to get the strikers away | from the mines or to kill them off. A Little Relief. The New Year’s shipment of the Pennsylvania-Ohio Miners’ Relief Committee following the Christmas shipment of last week, eased up the situation in the camps that. could be ‘overed, and aroused hope among the miners that they may not have to go on fighting alone in the year that has just begun, as they had to fight through the greater part of 1927. But (Continued on Page Two) NICARAGUA WAR PROTEST HERE The meeting of the Workers (Com- munist) Party tomorrow evening at Irving Plaza, Irving Place and 15th St., to be addressed by M. J. Olgin, William F. Dunne, H. M. Wicks and Committee of Philadelphia, will not only protest against the barbaric exe- cutions of thousands of Chinese work- ers and against the break in relations of the Nanking government and Soviet Russia, but will also protest against American imperialism in Nicaragua. The meeting is not only part of a nation-wide program of mass meet- ings being held in defense of the Soviet Union, whose citizens have } been summarily executed by the coun- ter-revolutionaries, but is also part of an international movement for de- the heroic bat les on the picket line, fense of the Chinese revolution and cont tte bruteilty af tite aod and iran pudliosy””’ nexrniies? from tia gangsters af tire undexwanlil, and iinparted into the mining c@anpa ta spomad ternor.” Geatings with.duta and shot guna, vaitts upon mines’ homes and mom (Continued. an. Page Two) + of the Soviet Union. The meeting will protest against | sending more marines to Nicaragua, which is under the domination of American bankers supported by the bayonets of the American marines, according to Workers Party spokes- men, Queens Sewer Graft Records Stolen; Buckner is Surprised Investigators of the Queens Sewer graft charges were startled yesterday by news of the burglary during the holidays of the Awjxa Corporation, of Islip, L. L, in which vas. quantities of records pertaining to sewer con- struction work in Queens were stolen. The Awixa Corporation handled ap- proximately one-fourth of the $16,- 000,000 sewer work in Jamaica, which caused the opening of the present in- quiry into the graft which totals $29,500,000. Emory R. Buckner, special counsel for Justice Scudder in che latter’s in- vestigation, said’ he was “much sur- prised” by news of the robbery. He saw no reason, however, why he should participate in the inquiry into the disappearance of the papers, and said he would leave that up to the S3rtfolk County authori.ies, Among the Awixa’s most substan- tial contracts was one for $638,766, obtained by assignment from. the Highway Improvement and Repair Company. It was for the laying of x 5,478 feet of’ six-inch precast pine at $110 a foot. Ii is charged that the cust of the job should have been $30/ a foot. The Awixa obtaingd another $404,- 000 contract from the Riverdale Con- struction Company and was the low- ae bidder at $762,967.43 on a third job. A. sweeping investigation of the governmen, and affairs of New York City may be demanded of the 1928 session of the state legislature by republican party leaders. Encour- aged by revelations in the sewer in- quiry, republicans express hope that ample material for next year’s mayor- alty campaign against Tammany Hall would be furnished by such an inves- tigation, The willingness of Governor Smith \o press action against Borough Pres- ident Connolly, of Queens, is attrib- uted to the fact that Connolly is a member of the McCooey fattion of the New York democratic party, riv- als of Tammany. P. T. Lau of the Hands Off China | “HOMES” FOR MINERS; STRIKERS FIGHT FOR UNIONISM Increased Miners’ Rehef Needed as Sickness Spreads HEROIC DEFENSE OF ARMIES LED BY MINE WORKER Baffled Invaders Bomb Villages of Peasants The coal barons are continuing their terroristic eviction campaign in an effort to drive the striking miners back to the’eeal pits. Pic- ture (abé¥e) pis An example of “home” lifejist thé improvised bar- racks” where the families of the minérs are forced to live. {There is no water, no light, no sanitary ar- rangements, and ko coal for these 4 zero days. . Pictuye,(helow) is f a picket sta- tion on Seiine field in Avella, Pa. Here-the miners gather to call on the strikebreakers to be men and join the union. ColoradoMiners Fake Wage Offer DENVER, Colo., Jan. 3 (FP).— Unanimously rejecting trick of small increases in pay offered by the Colo- rado Fuel and Iron Company and the small operators in the southern part jof the state and all the operators in \the northern part except the Rocky |Mountain Fuel, which had previously |given a small increase, the striking jcoal miners over the week end voted jto stay out on strike until state min- ing laws are enforced, especially re- garding pit committee and check weighmen. Renew Picketing Mines. The militia and the state police met |with new resistance after making two more arrests, which resulted in renewed picketing in Fremont County and Colorado Springs. The Northern Colorado Fuel and Iron has increased pay a dollar a dav since the strike and the miners gi. the strikers full jeredit for this victory. Operators Divided. The strikers are greatly encour- aged by the break in the ranks of the operators and the confession that they |have broken the state laws by one |operator, Merle Vincent, representing the Rocky Mountain Fuel, owning the infamous Columbine mine. Celebrate Release of Men. Meetings are being held in the northern field celebrating the release of Adam Bell, victim of the Colum- bine massacre, and Frank Palmer, victim of the militia’s attempt at ter- rorism. A hundred strikers are still in jail at Trinidad wth thirty-three convicted on framed vagrancy charges and twelve acquitted. The miners are standing firm, confident of greatest victory in Colorado’s long bloody his- tory. ‘ soa te iw «Ute CONGRESS PEERS INTO S-4 DEATHS WASHINGTON, Jan. 3.—A con- gressional investigation into the S-4 submarine disaster appeared certain today soon after congress gets back on the job. It seems probable that there will be an investigation by a special committee representing both senate and house rather than by one of the standing committees. The navy department was requested today to take extraordinary precautions to preserve the last records of the vic- tims of the S-4 tragedy. Representative Me¢Clintic (D) of Oklahoma, wrote a letter to Secretary TRACTION MASS MEETING TO TEST POLICY OF A. F.L —— In Injunction Fight A mass meeting of the workers of the Interborough Rapid Transit Com- pany and the Brooklyn-Manhattan Rapid Transit Company will be held tonight at the New Harlem Casino, 100 West 116th St. for the purpose of continuing the drive to organize the traction workers of the city. Officials of the Amalgamated As- sociation announced yesterday that a large turn out is expected. Other trade unionists, as usual, are invited to come to the meeting and to do their part in helping the organization of the workers whom the traction companies now hold bound by the company union and the “yellow-dog” contract. “5 Look for Militant Policy from Woll. Announcement was made that the be Matthew Woll, vice president of the American Federation of Labor, who it is expected, will announce the future policy of the Federation in regard to the injunction issue facing the labor movement. Hitherto, while statements have been made to the effect that the A. F. of L. would fight the injunction to a finish, no definite action has been taken Another speaker at the meeting (Continued on Page Five) Show Down Has Come) principal speaker at the meeting will} Nicaragua War Disquiets U.S. The Nicaraguan situation is ex- pected to be one of the central issues jat the Pan American conference which opens at Havana January 16th. The conference will be attended by Calvin Coolidge, Chas, E. Hughes and Secre- tary of State Kellogg and Col. Lind- bergh will fly there for the opening sessions. Despite this dramatization of the conquest of Latin America by the colossus of the north, and altho most of the delegates at the confer- ence will represent governments in Latin America set up or maintained by the United States, it is expected that a few of the delegates will make at least some protest against murder of Nicaraguans by the United States mayines. Reports from various Latin Ameri- can countries indicate that the latest attacks on the little army of liberals under General Sandino has aroused a storm of protest thruout Latin Amer- ica. ‘ An attempt has been made to in- fluence the Mexican government not to take the lead or to take part in protests against American atrocities in Nicaragua. The Brazilian, Argentine, and Uru- guayan delegates to the Havana con- ference arrived in New York City on board the steamer Western World yesterday afternoon. The South American delegates will learned. The delegates will sail for Havana on January 7th. BUFFALO, N. Y., Jan. 3. — The young workers of the Millay Hosiery Shop here have downed tools and are striking for decent living conditions. The strikers are 9 per cent young workers; 100 boys and 150 girls. The ‘Mrikers are all members of the Full Fashioned Hosiery Workers’ Union which is conducting the present strug- gle. The Young Workers League is actively participating in the strike. Long hours, from 70 to 74 per week, no vacations, a fining system thru which the workers were fined from $1 to $10 per week for being late or for turning out imperfect work, the bosses’ refusal to recognize the union and an excessive speed-up sys- tem were the primary causes of the strike. “We were so tired from the Wilbur, urging that water-tight com- partments of the submarine be sealed to prevent the records from floating away when it is raised. long hours and the terrible speed-up,” said the secretary of the union, “that we were unable to go out at night for some recreation.” © Youth Strike Breaks Out in Buffalo Hosiery Shop A picket line is being maintained despite the bad weather and the now but this is only a bluff as they are all inexperienced and production is less than 10 per cent of normal. The strike has been peaceful until last week. Now the bosses are more desperate and are resorting to all! kinds of intimidation, visiting the strikers’ homes, hiring imported thugs | to beat the pickets with the help of) the police and are applying for in-/ junctions against picketing. Two) young strikers have already been ar- rested for distributing literature. The announcement by a member) of the Young Workers League at a) mass meeting of the strikers, that the League is supporting the strike and has already arranged « social and dance for the benefit of the young strikers was received with loud applause. | Havana Tools: be entertained by the Bankers’ Club, | 120 Broadway on January 6th, it was | WASHINGTON, 3.—One thou- )sand marines will leave soon from the east and the west coasts of the United States to ree force the pres- forces in Nicaragua, secre- |tary of the Navy Wilbur announced ithis after | Brigadier General Rufus H. Lane of |the marine corps left New York today \for Nicaragiia, the Navy Department zed, on what officials describe pection trip..” ch of additional armed forces to Nicaragua was accompanied by the opening of a defensive cam- paign by supporters of the Mellon- Coolidge Kellogg government who anticipated the growing resentment against the murderous campaign against the national liberation forces. ; One of the most notorious of the congressional lackeys of Andrew W. |Mellon, Thomas S. Butler, chairman jet the naval affairs committee of the jhouse of representatives, announces | that he will confer with Major Gen- jeral_ John A. Lejune, head of the marines. Butler said: | “Tf want to know how the marines jare running things down in Nicara- |gua. I want to know and I believe |the country wants to know why our \good men are being killed by out- |laws in ambush.” Wants Larger Force. Representative Fred tainetay sada eonabitae ee of the housé naval affairs committee, unable. to concoct anything vicious enough to say against the defenders |of the independence of Nicaragua pil- |laged some of the bombast of the [late Theodore Roosevelt and bellowed |that the armed forces of the United | States must “get Sandino, dead or jalive.” Both Butler and Britten ad- |vocated additional forces to be sent |to make war on the Nicaraguans, Wheeler Joins Chorus. | Among the democrats who joined |the anvil chorus demanding blood and iron in Nicaragua was the late jeandidate for vice president on the |La Follette ticket, Senator Wheeler |of Montana, who charged that in- | sufficient men were on hand to pro- | tect American lives. * * WASHINGTON, Jan. 3.—The Lib- eral armies under General Sandino have tured the tables on the United States marines and their reactionary | Nicaraguan allies. The relief column rushing to the aid of the United | States forces which attacked the Lib- eral army under General Sandino has |been cut off and is sending frantic radio appeals for re-enforcements, the navy department has announced, The message which was signed “Gunner Sergeant Brown” begs for water and hospital supplies and adds jthat re-enforcements are “urgently needed.” ‘One lieutenant in charge of the detachment has been killed, an- other wounded. The number of rank and file dead is as yet unknown, * * * MANAGUA, Jan. 3.—Detachments of marines and native guards are be- | ing rushed to the aid of United States forces which succumbed to General |Sandino’s successful strategy and | have been surrounded and cut off by | Liberal troops on the Sapotilla ridge. Airplanes are being made ready and (Continued on Page Two) * PRIEST CHARGED morale of the strikers is excellent.) There are about 50 scabs in the shops} _ WITH BIG STEAL The expenditure of $2,100 in “stamping out Bolshevism” in his church was cited as a defense last: night by Rev. Mr. Podhorecki, priest of the Greek Catholic church, 22 E, 27th St., who is charged with ap- propriating $8,450 of the institution's funds for his own uses. Podhorecki, charged with grand larceny, was yesterday brought before Magistrate Gottlieb in Harlem court. Other ingenious explanations of- fered by the padre involved an alleged expenditure of $1,000 for entertaining a visiting archbishop, and $2,900 for meetings aimed to persuade his flock to subscribe to Liberty loans during — the late war. 4 1