The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 16, 1928, Page 1

Haverhill and Buffalo Workers Defend Paper Against Government Attack THE DAILY WORKER FIGHTS: FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNORGANIZED FOR THE 40-HOUR WEEK FOR A LABOR PARTY THE DAILY WORKER. | Entered as secund-citne muse ar tue eos Office at New Xork, N. ¥., under the act of March 3, 1879. [ FINAL city | CITY EDITION Vol. V. No. 39. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In New York, by mall, $8.00 per year. Outside New York, by mail, $6.00 per year. NEW YORK, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1928 Publish’ First Street, Association, Inc., 33 Published dally except Sunday by The National Dally Worker New York, N. ¥. Price 3 Cents S.LABOR DEPT. ADMITS PERMANENT JOBLESS ARMY ILLINOIS MINER MILITANTS WANT NATIONAL MEET 150 Delegates Adopt ‘Action Program BULLETIN WASHINGTON, Feb. 15. — In- vestigation of conditions in the soft coal fields of western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, now gripped by strikes, was approved unanimously today by the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee. It was decided to have the in- quiry conducted by a sub-commit- tee which can make a first hand inspection of mining camps. Immediate, action will be sought in the Senate. * * * (Special to The Daily Worker) SPRINGFIELD, Iil., Feb. 15. (By mail), —150 delegates from all sec- tions of District 12 met in Belleville Sunday and adopted the program of the Save the Union Committee en- dorsed by the initial conference in Pittsburgh some weeks ago. The Illinois conference, the third of a series of district meetings organ-| ized by the Save the Union Commit- tee, took up both district and national problems of the Uni.ed Mine Workers. Support Strike. Sentiment for 100 per cent support of the striking Pennsylvania and Ohio districts was unanimous as was the opinion that a grave error had been made by the Illinois district in sign- ing a separate agreement. The con- ference was also unanimous for the Jacksonville. contract, and. against..a_ wage cut. Endorse National Conference. After adopting resolutions to fight for the maintenance of the tonnage rates wih a differential as a means of maintaining wage standards in spite of the introduction of high-speed machinery, demanding state relief for the thousands of unemployed miners, the conference voted unanimously to call upon the Save the Union Com- mittee to issue a call for a national conference of progressive miners at a date to be set. Cheer Ziegler Defendants. “The Coal Digger,” the national paper of the Save the Union Commit- tee was endorsed and suppor: pledged to it. An outstanding feature of the meeting was the spontaneous and en- thusiastic response to the mention of the Ziegler case in which Henry Cor- bishley, former secretary of the pro- gressive miners committee, and three other militants have been framed up and sent to Joliet penitentiary with the aid of the Lewis-Fishwick ma- chine for insisting on the enforcement of the Jacksonville contract and the (Continued on Page Two) ARGENTINA QUITS HAVANA CONFAB HAVANA, Feb. 15.—Reports that Dr. Honorio Pueyrredon and other Argentine delegates to the sixth Pan- American conference would not at- tend further sessions of the confer- ence, coupled with the announcement that Dr. Pueyrredon had resigned as head of the Argentine delegation and ‘as ambassador to Washington, were further substantiated today when the Argentine delegates failed to appear at this morning’s session of the Com- mittee on Pan-American Union Af- fairs. With the Argentina delegation ab- sent the committee was able to give an impression of unanimity to the proceedings of the conference, altho the withdrawal of the Argentina delegates was considered as making the conference even less effective than heretofore. The Argentina dele- gates have been solid for low tariffs and against the right of interven- tion, and it is believed here that they ld resign before carrying out the order from the government in Buenos Aires to sign the Pan-American con- vention. ACT ON MC NARY BILL, WASHINGTON, Feb. 15. — The MeNary farm relief bill was reported favorably by the Senate Agriculture Committee today. SOVIET EXPOSITION CONTINUES. The’Russian exposition, 119 W. 57th St. will continue until Saturday, it was OLS. Marines Goad Nicaraguan Workers Thru Jungle From the coffee, cacao and banana plantations, from he mines and the} rarbors, clad often | n rags and carry- | ng nothing but | heir rifies or the | machete they use n their labor, the Nicaraguan work- ers tramped north to swell the ranks of the army of in- dependence under General Sandino in its struggle with the United States marines. A small group of disarmed captives at the muzzles of marine guns is shown. ——$_—____—__--—-® S. aa Party Members Must Report for Duty at Headquarters Today All members of the Workers (Communist) Party are instructed ; by the district executive committee to report at 11 a. m. today at 108 E. 14th St., for ge wank Party work, BUTCHER WORKERS ELECT LEFT WING Progressives ves Win Full Control in Union In spite of the fact that the elec- tions in the Hebrew Butcher Work- ers Union were held in the building of the right wing Jewish Daily For- ward, the elections resulted in a com- plete viciory of the left wing. The terroristic tactics of the right wing, such as calling in squads of gangsters who not only voted but who tried to prevent legitimate union men from voting, helped the bureau- cratic officialdom very little. The majority on the most vital body in the union, the executive committee, ‘was gained by the militants. In ad- dition the chairmanship of the union, as well as the vice chairmanship was won, Only One Right Winger. The only important post the right wing was able to retain was the of- fice of paid organizer. H. Korn, the $125 per week official still holds on to his job. It is clear, however, that with tne final control in the hands of the executive board his power will |be considerably restricted. Members of the union declared that the union will now force the paid official to do more organizing work, In an executive board that consists of seven members the left wing suc- ceeded in getting four seats, with an additional one in the chairmanship of the board. The newly elected vice Philadelphia Leaps to Fore in Sub Drive; Connecticut Rival Philadelphia is rapidly forging into first place in the drive for sub- scriptions which is bringing thousands of new readers thruout the United States to The DAILY WORKER. Sixty-two new subscriptions have been handed in by the Philadelphia comrades during the past seven days, and this represents only a fraction of those which have been collected and will be received later, they report. The sub-collectors promise scores more which they will remit within the next few days. ~Comrade Leo P. Lemley, The DAILY WORKER agent in Philadel- phia, has made a thoro job of the g aa for, pe. ge ed ds of copies: of The , KER have been distrib- uted free within the last week. The result of the drive to date, exclusive of the new subscriptions, shows a greatly increased sales from the newsstands. * Connecticut Drive Develops. The campaign for new subscribers to The DAILY WORKER is progress- ing rapidly in Connecticut, also, where Anna Hi it is organizing the drive that is bringing in dozens of new subscriptions every few days. With the assistance of the district office, and the district organizer, Comrade Siskind, a strong campaign for subs is developing in the Connec- ticut territory and the workers there promise still bigger results in the near future, FUR THUGS OUT ON HEAVY BAIL Magistrate John V. Flood in Jef- ferson Market Court fixed bail on 5 of the 6 right wing thugs who as- saulted Max Fineman, a fur worker. Due to the long criminal record of | Alex Fried, the sixth, he was held till a higher court might fix bail. All six were held on bail for the grand jury yesterday after a number of witnesses declared that they had seen Fineman attacked with knives by Fried and the others. Alex Fried is the leader of the right * * Hearing on Bill Opens Today Thousands of organized workers of Greater New York last night started what is expected to be a country-wide labor protest against the step back to involuntary servitude. This morning under the auspices of the American Bar Association, 42 West 44th Street, a hearing will open on the plan to draft a national chairman of the union Max Teitel- baum will act as board chairman. Eli Werner, a left winger, was elected as the president of the union. Teitel- baum, the vice chairman was also elected to serve as one of the three trustees of the organization. A laughable feature of the elec- tions took place after the.balloting was completed. Korn, realizing: his. defeat, asked the left wingers not to count the votes the same night, pleading that he was tired, He gen- erously offered to lock the ballot box into the safe of which he had the combination. He even offered to give someone a key to the ballot box. “We will count them tomorrow,” said he. He was highly indignant when his sincerity was questioned. Those terrible lefts simply insisted that he lose his sleep. have succeeded in wrecking all .union- ism in the industry, in their attempt thew Woll, A. F. of L. chief, had ap- pointed him to this post in spite of the Hoh hes 8 is re te aah a crim- record not for union activity but for jewel: burglary. ‘: By T. J. O’FLAHERTY. PITTSBURGH, Pa. weeks from the district office of the United’ Mine Workers. of America, KILLS POWER TRUST. PROBE. WASHINGTON, Feb, 15.—The sen-. ate tonight, by a vote of 46 to 31, adopted an amendment by Senator Walter F, George of Georgia to refer the power trust investigation to the federal commission. This is equiva- lent to killing the investigation, the trade commission is an agency of great trusts. on the verge of literal starvation, The operators hope that the men cannot bear to see their children go hungry much longer and that they will be forced back to work on any terms. There is no use denying the fact that hunger is threatening to ac- complish what deputy sheriffs and Policemen have . not ly wing forces in the furriers’ union who! ito displace the militant leadership of | the Joint Board Furriers’ Union. Mat- | anti-strike law, which if passed, will have.the effect, it Be been pointed out, of comp “thé la- bor movement to the control of the courts and the power of arbitrators. 2000 Protest. Over two thousand workers last night: attended a mass meeting at Manhattan Lyceum, to protest against the move. The meeting was an initial move in a country-wide la- bor’ demonstration against the pro- posal, Wm. Z. Foster, national Secre- tary of the Trade Union Educational League joined with Ben Gitlow, mem- ber of the Central Executive Commit- tee of the Workers (Communist) Party and other speakers in de- nouncing the bill as a move to en- slave the workers. Officials Surrender. Foster pointed out that the scheme, favored by the employers, the open shoppers and anti-union forces, has been launched at just the time when the labor officials have surrendered and when the drive of the employers has reduced the miners unions to a mere skeleton. At this moment the move is intended to make secure what the employers have already gained. Gitlow urged the mass protest of all the workers in the country to de- feat the combined efforts of the em- ployers and the labor officials. John |J. Ballam, local secretary of the \ "Trade Union Educational League pre- sided. \No Punishment for R.R. Officials, Is Report, HOUSTON, Feb. 15.—Railtoad. of ficials of the Southern Pacific ‘will not be punished for violating an in- Junction issued against them through the efforts of officials of the Brother- hood of Railway Clerks, in the opinion of observers here. Judge J. C. Hutcheson before whom the case is now pending has given these officials until Monday to promise to be good thereafter. In the meantime the damage which the railroad-has.done in breaking up the union remains unremedied. ., succeeded in doing. Relief must be Feb. 15.—] sent immediately to help hold the Having received no relief for two! the strike line intact. | A Miner Writes. Here is an excerpt from a letter the striking miners of Parnassus are| wrung from a striking miner who has “| battled for eleven months against the coal operators thugs: “We have not received any relief now for two weeks and there is lots of our families on the verge of starvation. There were two families come to my place on Sunday evening and asked me if I could not give them a piece of bread to keep their children alive. And I \ WORKERS PROTEST ANTI-STRIKE LAW |handed down yesterday by Supreme %= ri I. R.T. Injunction Plea Denied; | Traction Organization Legal The Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employes and the American Federation of Labor legally may now organize the traction workers on the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, according to a decision Court Justice Isaac Wasservogel in the application by the Interborough to restrain the Amalgamated and the Federation from organizing efforts. The injunction if granted would have outlawed the existing unions from the New York traction lines. In the decision, finding on every point for the union, Justice Wasser- vogel wrote: “Where an employe} abandons all right to leave the service of his employer, whereas the employer reserves practically eitire freedom to discharge him, there is no compen- sating consideration. e Organization Promised. At the headquarters of the Amalga- mated, Continental Hotel, the decision ;was hailed a “great victory.” “We are confident,” the union said in a statement, “that the organiza- tion of the Interborough employes will/now proceed at once.” The officials of the Amalgamated who have been working with the Tam- many controlled labor officialdom in the city have been criticized for fail- ing to work out any real organization program and for having practically (Continued on Page Five) WIDE PROTEST ON COLO. DECISION By WINIFRED R. MOOERS (Special to The DAILY WORKER) DENVER, Colo., Feb. 15.—State- wide protest has arisen over the re- port on the Orr case which Governor Adams yesterday forwarded to Secre- tary of State Kellogg. Orr, a strik- ing miner and a British subject; was held for seventeen days in various southern Colorado jails last No- vember without charges, and on his release was taken into the country jand severely beaten by state police. | Upon receiving protests, Secretary Kellogg asked Governor Adams to in- vestigate Orr’s case, and after two months Adams has sent a report which is reported to have white- washed the state police from all charges of the beating off Orr. To Protest Transfer A parents’ committee will again this morning to present their objec- tion to the proposed transfer of the children of Public Schools 19 and 50 of Brooklyn, MINERS FACE FAMINE IN PENN. TOWN Starvation Doing What Coal Cops Couldn’t; Relief Urgent divided what little I had in the house among them, as I have been fortunate enough to get four days work in the Murphy works. But just as soon as they found out I was a miner they discharged me. They had contracted with the Pennsylvania Railroad and they got strict orders not to hire striking miners or their contract would be cut off of them on January 25, 1928.” Workers who realize what the appear before the board of education} Jobless Workers to Meet at Manhattan Lyceum Tonight A mass meeting of jobless work- ers will be held at 7 o’clock to- night at Manhattan Lyceum, 66 E. Fourth St., under the auspices of the New York Council of Unem- pinged: Important questions will he taken up at the meeting. =.” MILITANTS AGT ON “WORKER” APPEAL Set Example With Large Contributions One week ago the Plenum of the Workers (Communist) Party issued its appeal for the working class .to come to the aid of The DAILY WORKER which the American cap- italists and their henchmen are threatening with extinction. Today scores of letters containing contribu- tions are pouring into the “WORK- ER” office witnessing to the loyalty of the militant American workers to their paper and their determination to save it from the organized attacks of its class enemies, “We are sending you a check for $65,” writes one group of workers in Haverill, Mass. “to defend The DAILY WORKER. We realize that the reactionaries will use everything in their power to crush The DAILY WORKER but we also know what} The DAILY WORKER means to us and we promise to do everything in| our power to defend our paper. We) call upon all militant workers to fol- low our example.” “Enclosed you will find a check for $32,” writes another group in Buf- falo, N. Y. “We know it is small but tho the comrades are eager to donate, many of them are out of work. But} if every unit will do as well as this (Continued on Page Two) JOBLESS HUNGRY IN MANY STATES THRUOUT NATION Reports Show Crisis in Unemployment WASHINGTON, Feb. 15. — The department of labor today in a state- ment on unemployment conceded that the United States now has a minimum of 1,000,000 permanently unemployed. “Tt is estimated that this number of persons is idle annually, for one rea- |son or another, in normal times, even in‘ periods of prosperity,” a spokes- man for the department is quoted as saying. * * SAN FRANCISCO, Feb, 15—An unprecedented wave of unemployment has swept over San Francisco and the Bay District. Over 100,000 are unemployed in the district. Fifty thousand are looking for work in San (Continued on Page Two) TURN AWAY 1000 AT | BOWERY MISSION Not Enough Food to Go Around While James A. Hamilton, state la- bor commissioner, and representatives of several picked charity organiza- ( | tions of New York were complacently ” | continuing their survey of the unem- ployment situation yesterday after- noon more than 1,000 jobless work- ers, most of them in overalls, were turned away foodless after waiting several hours with about 1,500 other jobless workers for e piece of bread and a swallow of coffee at the Bowery Mission, near Delancey St. Hundreds Turned Away. Two blocks away at Hadley Rescue Hall 300 out of about 500 went away at supper time just as hungry as they had come because the mission could not take care of them. The Holy Name Mission near by closed its doors after 250 workers had been fed, leav- ing around 300 others hungry. Mass Meeting Tonight. A mass meeting of the unemployed workers will be held at Manhattan Lyceum, 66 E, Fourth St., at 7 o’clock tonight under the auspices of the New York Council of the Unemployed, it was announced yesterday. Important questions will come up for action, ac- cording to John Di Santo, secretary. Arrest Unemployed Workers. A survey to determine the source of the homeless and jobless workers who have sought admission by the thousand at the Municipal Lodging House is also being made by the city. Many of these workers have been ar- rested while applying for shelter and summarily sentenced to the worke house. In the state and city surveys an effort to minimize the seriousness of the employment crisis is being made, according to the New York Un- employment Council. E. B. Patton, director of the buream | of statistics of the state labor depart ment, yesterday estimated that 200,- 000 were out of work in New York City. He characterized the situation as the worst since 1894. Wicks Talks To Unemployed. Umbrella Workers Call) Hundreds of unemployed workers Strike Against Cut A shop strike was yesterday de- clared by the United Umbrella and Handle Makers’ Union against the Famous Umbrella Co., 34 E. 21st St., in opposition to a wage cut which was ; ‘introduced by the firm on Tuesday. Yesterday, M. Pearlman, senior member of the firm sought to arrest seven pickets of the union who were marching before the entrance to its place of business. As no charges were made by Pearlman, the pickets were released by the police officer who had taken them into custody. Secretary I. Glass, of the union, an- nounced that the employers in the in- dustry were seeking to take advan- tage of the growing unemployment by enforcing wage cuts. “Strikes will be called wherever such an attempt will affect union workers,” it was an- nounced. winning of this strike means to the American trade union movement (Continued on Page Two) Picketing will go on at the head- quarters of the Famous Umbrella Co. until the wage cut order is revoked, union officers stated. filled every corner of the Workers’ Club, 101 W. 27th St., yesterday af- ternoon in an unemployment demon- stration under the auspices of Section 2 of the Workers (Communist) Party, The assembled jobless workers voted to join the New York Council of the Unemployed. H. M. Wicks, representing the Workers Party and The DAILY WORKER, was applauded when he explained that the Workers Party was the only organization with en adequate program for the relief of ‘the hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers in the industrial districts, Wicks assailed the treatment of the jobless workers of New York, forced to wait for hours in the rain and cold in front of religious missions for a meager dole of bread and a few drops of watery coffee, and constantly: threatened with arrest. Demand Instant Relief. John DeSanto, secretary of the New York Council of the Unemployed, also addressed the jobless workers, de- scribing the program of the couneil Julius Friess was chairman meeting. }