The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 17, 1928, Page 1

CLOAKMAKERS VOW TO BACK STRUGGLE FOR REAL UNION ) 1am DAILY wonkER Fronts, | DAILY WORKER FIGHTS: FUR THE ORGANIZATION OF THB UNORGANIZED | “rons cavonranry | THE 40-HOUR WEEK | FoR Atavon ranry | A LABOR PARTY Eatered as second-cinas matter at the Post Office THE DAILY WORKER. at New York, N. ¥., under the act of March 3, 1879. | wnat ary | AL CITY EDITION Vol. V. No. Tie. Publishing Anseciation, Ime., 38 First Street, New York, N. ¥. Published daily except Sumday by The Nationa: Dally Worker NEW YORK, THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1928 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Im New York, by mail, $8.00 per year. Outside New York, by mail, $6.00 per year. Price 3 Cents TRACTION BARONS BEHIND AL SMITH SLUSH FUND DONOR OF $70,000 ADMITS HE OWNS THIRD AVE, LINE City-Wide ~ Protest on) Huge Fare Steal Governor Al Smith was yesterday linked directly to the fare steal now being put over on the city when evi- dence brought out at the investiga- tion of contributors to his campaign disclosed that a number financial backers were directly or in- directly interested in traction com- panies. Following undenied charges made yesterday ‘that considerable of Mayor Walker’s reported $287,000 income last year was earned on I. R. T. stock, the full picture of Tammany com- plicity in the fare staal and the still greater subway deal now _ being planned is rapidly coming to light. Force Admissions. William F, Kenny, multi-million- aire traction agnatem and contractor who has made a “gift” to the Smith campaign fund of $70,000, was forced after some questioning by members of the Senate Investigating Commit- tee to admit that he is the owner of thousands of shares of Third Ave. Railroad stocks. William H. Todd, wealthy ship- builder, and another large contribu- tor to the governor’s. fund by which the big financial interests hope to purchase his nomination and there- after perhaps his election to the pres- idency, testified that he and Gover- nor Smith with. an eye to additional campaign funds had sought a confer- ence with John J. Raskob of the Gen- eral Motors Company on the latter’s return from Europe recently, _Todd sought tg minimize the sig- en place. he said. “The governor and I went down the bay on my yacht to greet Raskob on‘ his return from Europe,” Todd ad- mitted after some questioning, “but we didn’t go aboard the steamer.” Raskob is vice president and the chairman of the finance committee of the General Motors Company, a Mor- gan concern; he is also vice president and member of the finance committee of the Dupont Company, recently con- solidated with the Morgan interests. The Morgan banking interests control the Interborough Rapid Transit Com- * pany and its related companies. The governor’s open connection with the big bankers of the Morgan group, long charged, have now been. disclosed by his own immediate friends. Todd admitted that Raskob had indicated he would contribute to the governor's campaign fund but re- fused to admit that any more recent conference had taken place or that such a contribution had been secured from the Morgan firm. Kenny, who is the owner of thou- (Continued m Page Five) LABOR AROUSED AT KUN'S ARREST Release to Be Demand- ed at Union Square ‘Union Square will be the scene of a monster demonstration Saturday at 1 p. m. of thousands of workers owho will gather demand the im- mediate release of Bela Kun, leader the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919, now held prisoner in Austria. The mass meeting is part of a world-wide movement that has been launched in a effort to save Kun from the certain death ths awaits him if he is turned over to the fascist gov- ernment of Hungary.. Thousands of “Tt was only a greeting,” leaflets are being distributed thruout} New. York City calling upon the workers to demonstrate against the |, Hungarian terror and to prevent the murder of Bela Kun. . Speakers will address the demon- stration in rotation from three plat- forms, erected so as to reach every section of the crowd. Among those who will speak are Jay Lovestone, James P, Cannon, William W. Wein- stone, Juliet Stuart Poyntz, Carlo Tresca, Richard Moore, John L. Sher- man, Nicola. Napoli, Louis Koves, Robert W. Dunn, Hugo Gellert, Em- mery Balint, Antonie Wechsler, Gus- tav Mayer, S. Biederman, Mailech Epstein, J. O. Bentall, Martin Abern, |. _D. Benjamin, Bert Miller, Paschal Cosgrove and M. A. Taft. of “Smith’s | | New Bedford Militant Joseph M. Cabral, above, is one of the outstanding figures in the strike of the 30,000 textile workers that is tieing up the New Bedford mills. Cab- ral’s stirring speeches in Portuguese have helped to keep up the strong spirit of the. strikers, many of whom are of that nationality. The picture is by courtesy of the New Beatie frat ing Standard. STRIKE! “GREET WEISBORD neem, Thousands To Hold Huge Mass Meet | NEW BEDFORD, Mass., May 16— |Elaborate preparations marked by ‘tremendous enthusiasm, are almost completed here, for the welcoming ito New Bedford of Albert Weisbord, "leader of the Passaic textile strike of 1926. Weisbord will address a mass meeting of strikers tomorrow, ar- ranged for him by, the Textile Mill Committees. The sentiment expressed by the strikers gathered at the North and South End strike halls of the Textile Mill Committees, makes it apparant that this will be the largest mass meeting yet held since the 30,000: tex- tile workers began the struggle against the ten per cent wage cut. The meeting will be held on some of the largest lots obtainable here. Weisbord is scheduled to arrive here today, but it was not learned whether his stay will be extended for any period after the mass meetings. In addition to the 58 fine cotton goods ‘manufacturing mills — closed down by the strike, there-were two silk mills which dlso: a dto cut wages. Yesterday the Old Colony Silk Mills capitulated to the strikers and announced that the wage cut order had been rescinded. The settlement was reached stter } con- ~ (Continued on ened on Pape Will Present Drama _ For Miners’. aes e Village Youth,” a four-act play in Yiddish, will be given by the Dorohitcher Dramatic Group at. cd Ukrainian Theatre, on 6th~-St., be tween Second and.) Third: next Saturday eveni ‘The'-proceeds of the performance will= : to: relief of the strilsing- miners :Dorohitcher Drai revently: affiliated with: Rrciiig Relief Committee, has. any. talented actors eo er this’ performance. The “Sandro the edirection of A. Sant Workers Bookshop Now Open at “Red Center”. ~The Workers Bookshop has opened mporary quarters on the Second floor of the New Workers Center, 26-28 Union Square. Books, pampb- SPEAKERS AT BIG.S CLOAK MEETS RAP SIGMAN AMNESTY Fake Scheme Exposed | by Hyman, Borochowich| With an enthusiasm seldom} equalled sin the history of \ needle trades workers mass gatherings, 4;500 | cloak and dressmakers here, crowded to. capacity Cooper Union and Web-| ster Hall yesterday and unanimously | decided: to fight the union-destroying cliques of Sigman and Schlesinger un- til they have regained. union condi- ternational union officialdom. National Conference of the progres- sive delegates locked out of the con- vention of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union in order to bring to the New. York membership a report of the continued intentions of the bureaucrats to fight against unionism in the industry. Pass Resolution. The speakers were Louis Hyman, | manager of the Joint Board, Joseph Borachovich, Sasha Zimmerman, Rose Wortis, J. Levine, manager of the! Chicago Joint: Board, and A. Lutsky,} progressive delegate from the Los Angeles local. Harry Berlin, of Local 10, was chairman. The speakers at the other meeting in Webster Hall were: Ida Rothstein, | from Chicago, I. Goretsky, I. Weiss-| berg and Saul Shelly, chairman of the Committee of 50. The following resolution was unani- mously adopted: “We, the cloakmakers and dress- makers, assembled at mass meetings in Cooper Union and Webster Hall, that .we,...: rkers,... who ce devoted years of our lives to the building of our union so that it may serve as an instrument in defense of our interests, will never submit to the domination of the cliques who jointly with the bosses have converted our tions. in the shops. and rebuilt the} union shattered by the reactionary In-} The meetings. were called by the | DRIVE TO OPEN BARS OF WALLS Facts of ‘Arrest, Trial| Made Known I, W.-W. prisoners at Walla Walla, | Wash., Defense have addressed a letter “to all labor and friends of labor every- where” calling upon the working masses to organize a mass protest movement to effect their release and their return to the ranks of the labor movement. Every labor organization is asked to go on record for the fol- lowing resolution passed unanimously at its last meeting by the Seattle Central Labor Council: Labor Council Acts. “Be it resolved by the Central La- bor Council of Seattle and vicinity assembled in regular meeting that we join in an application to Roland H. Hartley, governor of the state of Washington, for an _ unconditional | pardon in behalf of Eugene Barnett, Bert Bland, 0. C. Bland, James Mc- Inerny, John Lamb, Loren Roberts and Ray Becker, and that the secretary is hereby instructed to sign such an application on behalf of the council and to notify all af- filiated unions of the adoption of this resolution with the request that they concur therein.” After Eight Years. After eight long years the attention jof the workers is thus again riveted | upon the Centralia prisoners confined SEATTLE, May 16.—The Gentealial through International Labor} Brit Smith,| | bosses, organization into a company union jin the State Prison at Walla Wall. and desire to reduce the workers of |AS a result of the recent visit of our trade to submissive slaves of the James P. Cannon, national secretary ‘of International Labor Defense, to the | Centralia prisoners and an agreement | between the Centralia publicity com- |mittee and the I. L. Ds, there is a revival of activity in behalf of these Repudiate “Convention.” “We repudiate the fake Boston con- vention and their fake manifesto, in- tended to perpetuate the diseredited cliques in power. We brand it as a new scheme to trick the members out | {long-neglected workingclass fighters. The prisoners are serving sentences | of not less than 25 nor more than 40 of their fundamental right to a demo- | cratic administration of the affairs | of their union and to keep them un-| der the iron heel of the cliques’ dom-! ination. “We give our fullest endorsement | to the National Organization Com- mittee, which is aiming to unite all the constructive elements in our, union in an effort to mobilize the | mass of the workers throughout the | entire country in order to rebuild our Poli ce Friterdar e With union and re-establish our union cee} Coorg’ | Reception oe ager cae on per Ot Oe Two) ‘AMERICA’ AUTHOR “We call on the National Organiza- | tion Committee to begin immediate preparations for an organization Despite attempts’on the part of po- drive to unionize the thousands of lice to hamper the reception, hundreds workers who had been forced into of New York workers at the Workers open shops as a*result of the war Center, 26-28 Union Square, last brought upon us, and to mobilize the} jnight accorded an enthusiastic wel- workers. in the union shops to re-es-\come to David Gordon, 19-year-old tablish. union” conditions.” member of the Young poke See The so-called. amnesty decision, |WmiSt) League, who was released on passed at the convention na the union | Tuesday after serving one month of a GETS BIG WELCOME wreckers still in session in Boston, announced that Communists would be permitted to reenter the union, but would never have the right to run for office: This fake resolution fools nobody, an announcement from Joint Board office states: “It is clearly understood by the masses of cloak and dressmakers to be a declaration that the war against them will be continued.” The militant delegates (Continued on Page Three) ithree-year sentence in the New York Reformatory for writing the poem, “America” in The DAILY WORKER. An obvious attempt to interfere with the welcome was made with the aid of the police, when fire engines were called to the Center on a false alarm, and police prevented the work- ers from entering the building for some time. “Gordon was severely ill as a result (Continued on Page Two) IS BEGINNING Herd Women Furriers Into Patrol Wawi. Twenty-eight women furriers have been sentenced to serve from 10 to 15 days each at Welfare Island for picketing during the 1927 strike. A like number of the men also received sentences. Many of these workers will lose the jobs they had found after months of unemploy- ment and their families will be hard hit as a result of these sentences. The picture shows the police herding the women workers into the “Black Maria.” WORKER-PEASANT ARMIES PUSH ON Japanese Imperialists Rush More Troops LONDON, May 16.—Chiang Kai Shek, commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang armies, has yielded to Japan’s demands regarding the Tsinan-fu “incident,” according to a Central News dispatch from Hong Kong this afternoon. <i e * TOKIO, May 16. — With the Kuo- mintang troops, commanded — by Chiang Kai-shek, pushing their way toward Tientsin, the Japanese Cabinet decided at a special meeting to des- patch additional troops to China. In the expectation that fighting will take place*near the Manchurian border the Cabinet made tentative plans to di- vert part of the third division from Nagoya, now on its way to Shantung, toward the Manchurian border. . * * (Special Cable to Daily Worker) MOSCOW, March 16. — Gains for Communist-led worker-peasant, troops thruout southern China are described in reports received here. The towns of Ninyuan and San- yuan in southern Hunan have been captured, while worker-peasant troops have taken the town of Lanyuan, 75 kilometers west of Nanking. All po- litical prisoners were released and all police disarmed. On May 18th, worker-peasant troops attacked the town of Tchutchan in Henan. * * Strike in Canton . VANCOUVER, May 16. — Virtu- ally every Japanese mill and factory in Canton has been closed down as the A tase on Page Three) . = MINE EXPLOSION IS FIERY CYCLONE | “Some One’s » One’s Got It,” Miners Say When Thud Tells of Blast By ED FALKOWSKI. (Federated Press). M etrm hae Pa., May 16.—Miners at work in their breasts heard a sudden thud that seemed to jar the entire mine. Loose coal broke off from the roof, falling to the “ground. Timbers groaned. Miners instinctively sought shelter under a secure roof of timber, waiting. “Someone’s got it,” they whispered. In the gangway it was different, A miniature cyclone rolled up the dark ‘stretches, carrying sprags, stones, carbide cans in its train. Wise mules straddled their legs and pulled in their ears. Drivers hid behind cars. For the moment, every living thing thought only of dear life. And everyone thought the same thought: “Someone's got it.” SOMEONE did, Three were caught in the gas explosion at Lansford colliery. They were burnt almost. to the bone. Oliver Rottet, Joseph Ghenetts and Jacob Ogustakik are in the hospital at the point of death, Two others, less seriously burnt, are at their homes. A gas explosion is over in a few hot seconds. A slight spark out of a safety lamp, or a sudden release of a gas pocket, may cause the ex- plosion. A hot purple-red glare, a dull thud, a burning sensation, a shriek, the smell of roasted human flesh are followed by a crew of res- cue men who enter the smoking breast to collect the human left- overs. pte every hole and heading and manway and gangway and slope and tunnel, the same sinister news travels from whisper to whis- per: “Someone's got it.” After it’s all over, there’s the vague wonder: “Who'll be next?” | rebel | Brooklyn. | Anti-Imperialist |Hold Anti-- Imperialist Meet in B’klyn Tonight Paul Crouch, the American work- ing class youth lea ler, and Socrates Sandine, beether of the Nica van leader, wid +: the princip-l | s at 4 mass me-ting tonight at Royal Psiace Hall, 16} near Broadws iy | The meeting will be hela under the auspices of the All-America League. Manuel Gomez, secretary of the league, will| be the chairman. Crouch recently returned from the Soviet Union. BOSTON FUR LOCAL CALLS FOR PEACE Asks Conference to Re- build Union Unable to endure any longer the | demoralized condition of the out of} town locals of the International Fur Speed Plans for Nominating Convention |] linois. Elects | Centralia Prisoners Appeal to U.S. Labor DISTRICTS MAKE READY TO SEND OFF DELEGATES State: Candidates Plans are rapidly being matured { | for the opening of the National Nom- inating Convention of the Workers! | (Communist) Party at Mecca Temple, | | 183 W. 55th St., where one of the} | most historic gatherings in the his-} tory of the American labor movement ; will convene on May 25. No single} gathering in the past has ever! | brought together on one platform so} of | many. representatives so many | varied elements of the American | workers. | Scott Nearing, prominent Commun- ist. will be a leading speaker ‘at this! | great political demonstration of the! | Communist Party, while Tom Rush-! ton will speak for the auto workers, Senator Charles E. Taylor for the farmers, Lovett Fort Whiteman for the oppressed Negroes, and others will represent the miners, the textile workers, etc. In addition, many of the outstanding Party leaders will speak, including Wm. Z. Foster, Ben Gitlow and Jay Lovestone who will Bg as chairman. It is planned to have the convention, | which will be continued at Central Opera House after Saturday morning, elect all committees before the end of | the first session. The second session | will be given over to the opening ad- | dresses of the delegates to be fol- {lowed by a report of the Program Committee. This will be followed by the debate on the platform and its final adop- | tion. It is believed that the conven- tion will be able to proceed to nom- | inations before the end of the second day. ei BOSTON, Mass., May 16,—The | Massachusetts State Nominating Convention of the Workers (Com- munist) Party will be held at one o'clock, May 20, at 93 Staniford St., Boston. All Party units must send! two delegates to the convention. In making the announcement of the; State Nominating Convention, the dis-' trict office of the Workers (Commun-! ist) Party pointed out that thousands of textile workers are on strike in New England while the strike move- ment threatens to envelope the whole! state in the near future. Thousands in both the shoe and the textile indus- (Continued on Page Two) Workers Union, due to the war car- ried on against the New York mem- | bership by the national officials, the membership of the Boston Local 30, unanimously passed a resolution pro- | posing measures to rebuild the union | to its former strength. The resolu-| tion, which follows, was sent to the) press and to the General Executive | Board of the union: “Whereas, the number of open shops is growing bigger and bigger | not only in our locality, but in every other locality of the fur manufac- turing and fur dressing and dyeing industry, and “Whereas, the spreading of these open shops is breaking down the pow- er of our local unions, cutting our wages to the bone and generally | bringing in worse conditions in the | union shops, and the international is | weakened and made helpless by the internal fights that have been car- | ried on in the New York locals and in other locals for the past year, and “Whereas, because of these inter- nal- fights between the International and the locals, the International is spending all the money and energy instead of using them for organiza- tion purposes and for strengthening the locals, and “Whereas, the bosses are taking advantage of the fight in the union | and are breaking down the wages and the union conditions. “Be it therefore resolved that we, the members of Local 30 at the meet- ing held on May 14, 1928, hereby call upon the International Sub-Commit- tee of the General Executive Board at once to call together a special con- ference of local representatives for (Continued on Page Two) TALK ON AT MEET. OF AMALGAMATED Adolph Held Boasts of | Bank’s “Progress” (Special to The Daily Worker) CINCINNATI, 0., May 16.—The convention of the Amalgamated) Clothing Workers’ Union completed) its second day with the organization) |of numerous committees for handling, | of the convention’s business. Previous; \to this the delegates listened to ad- dresses by the heads of the various; locals thruout the country, and to the, ispeeches of Adolph Held, director of the Amalgamated Bank, and two col- | lege professors. 3 Held’s message consisted of a reci- tation of the strides made by the |Amalgamated Bank in the banking field. He lengthily detailed several innovations inaugurated by the Amab- {gamated Bank, which, he declared, “compelled many banking houses in this country to follow our lead.” In High Society. After announcing that “while the greatest riot of speculation that ever | bank kept its feet solidly on the ground,” Held ended with the proud declaration that the officials of the Amalgamated Bank had been invited to address the next national session of the American Bankers’ A: Despite the boast of Sidney man in his report yesterday that was no left wing in the A. GC, (Continued on Page Two) | swept this country was going on, our _