The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 21, 1928, Page 6

Page Six ‘THE DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, MONDAY, MAY 21, 1928 THE DAILY WORKER) "XN THE FATHERLAND OF ALL WORKERS Published by the NATIONAL DAILY WORKER PUBLISHING ASS'N, Inc. Daily, Except Sunday 83 First Street, New York, N. Y. Cable Address SUBSCRIPTION RATES Phone, Orchard 1680 Dalwork By Mail (in New York only): Mail ( of New York): $8.00 per year $4.50 six m 8 ) per year °%3.50 six months $2.50 three months $2.00 three months. Address and mail out checks to THE DAILY WORKER, 33 First Street, New York, N. Y- ROBERT MINOR WM. F. DUNNE “ntered as second-class mail at the post-office at New York, N, ¥., under the act of March 3, 1879. Emergency District Conventions The coal miners of many districts of the United Mine Work- ars Union are mobilizing their forces for the emergency district conventions which are soon to take place. These emergency district conventions are, each and every | one of them, events of major importance’ to the entire labor move- ment. Each can be made a tremendous step toward the emanci- pation of the mine workers from peonage to the agents of the coal operators in the Miners Union, and in this way each can be : canes a long stride toward the saving of this great Union and rebuild- ing it into an even more powerful organ of our class than any Union has ever yet been in this country. The coal miners cannot avoid the struggle. There is no turn- ing back. John L. Lewis and his many lieutenants in all districts are determined now on the destruction of the main body of the Union and plan to preserve only what small fraction can be re- tained in the form of a semi-company union with which to trade with the operators for the benefit of their own salaries, expense accounts and side-money. tion of the Union, and open-shop slavery face the mine workers | as long as they bend the knee to Lewis, Fishwick, Fagan, Hall, Cappelini & Co. or to the Brennan crew in the anthracite districts, Only the complete rooting of these “mine guards” out of the Union can save the Union. Only by beating Lewis & Co. can the oper- ators be beaten. On to the emergency district conventions! Clean: out the rats! Workers, everywhere, redouble your help to.the striking | mine workers! Send all contributions to the National Miners Relief Committee, 611 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. Everywhere the mine workers are fighting like hell and starv- ing while they fight. Their fight is the fight of the whole work- ing’class. Help them generously! Help them quick! The fight on the picket line must not slacken while they fight to regain con- trel of their Union from the agents of the bosses. The New Hero The capitalist newspapers are fascinated by a new hero. it is a man who lives by the profession of killing human beings for the capitalist state. They discovered Robert G. Elliott, professional executioner for the state governments of New York; New Jersey, Pennsylva- ma and Massachusetts, at the time of the electrocution of Ruth Snyder by this man, for the State of New York, a few months ago. At that time the gutter press of the capitalist class held up the professional killer as a queer duck who had an easy and some- what enviable way of making a living with slight effort. But later the play of news upon this human butcher brought to prominence the fact that his was the hand that turned on the electric current for the murder of Sacco and Vanzetti. This fact becomes prominent in the news because the “respectable” home of the fiend is the scene of an explosion. Now Robert G. Elliott becomes the embodiment of an ideal. At first his way of making a living was tolerated and ad- mired in the spirit of the idea that capitalist society knows only one business after all—getting money. But now, since the cap- ‘italist papers spread the rumor that the blowing up of the human beast’s home was in retaliation for the part that Elliott played in the murder of Sacco and Vanzetti, the beast has leaped to fame as the representative of a social ideal. The belligerent tone of New York newspapers in publishing this rumor shows that they ‘feel they are defending their hearts’ ideal—the human killer who | is associated with the direct act of snuffing out the lives of work- ing class martyrs. When it can be associated with legal formulas expressin will of the ruling class, murder becomes an ideal of peculiar fas- _ cination to the bourgeois mind and the minds of the prostitute- journalists that serve capitalism. “After all, there is only one business, and that is, getting money,” we hear them say—‘‘but this man symbolizes an ideal.” We will have no part in encouraging stupid illusions to the effect that the working class cause can gain anything from blow- ing up the homes of its class enemies, and especially not in an attack upon an insignificant if picturesque viper of this sort. Such actions do not lead even in the direction of working class ‘emancipation, but are, when deliberate, expressions of confused ‘individualism having nothing in common with effective revolu- ‘tionary theory and tactics of the working class. ; History shows that, not conspiratory individual terror, but the organized strength of the masses is the force that will merci- Jessly and effectively overthrow and crush the entire hangman ‘class, not merely the petty killers who turn switches on electric chairs. j There is no room here for pacifism. The proletarian state will execute as ruthlessly as may be necessary to prevent the rising again of the exploiters. History is the history of class struggles—struggles which always have been violent and which will be violent until the end of these struggles through the vic- _ tory of the working class and the merciless breaking and suppres- ue sion of the capitalist class. Any plea for the working class to be entle in this struggle would be a betrayal of the workers. But working ,class state when it rules and shapes the world to its s will never create or idealize professional killers. “The idealization of the professional executioner, the expert e electric chair, is normal and logical for the capitalist sys- id its priests and jits editors. The continuous decay and disintegra- | | | By Fred Ellis ‘Outlaw Profit --- ‘The Only Way ‘To Outlaw War By SCOTT NEARING. Many well intentioned folks are | talking volubly about the outlawry | of war. | What an idea! As well talk about outlawing April ;mua on the soft dirt roads of south- jern Illinois. T» get rid of war? Where does war come from? During the past three or four hun- jdred years, the business men of Eu- |rope, America and Japan have been growing steadily more powerful. | Their wealth has increased. Their incomes have grown immensely, jespecially since the invention of ma- | chinery. The richer these business |men became, the more they put into war. . The world war which ended in 1648 was a small affair. In 1763 and 1815 two more world wars ended. They were much bigger and much more costly. Then came the world war of 1914- 1918. Deaths by the tens of millions; property losses in the hundreds of billions. The business men had never been so rich; profits had never been so great; war preparations had never been so complete; losses had never been so fearful. 3 . | Since the war of 1914-1918? More attention is being centered on military preparations and more wealth is being devoted to military purposes than at any previous peaca "| time in history. Outlaw war? What an idea! Outlaw business-for-profit, — the maker and chief gainer from war,— and war will go as a matter of course. By STIRLING BOWEN. (Continued from Previous Issue). |. a eh was getting along in years. He was only average height, too, in an organization in which big men had been outstanding, not by accident. So he held his head at a defiant angle. He hdd been fear- less. In anger he seemed merely more deliberately ruthless. He lived in a movement where anger was never entirely absent from action and where ite often grew into rage on a mass seale. The effect on his vocal cords of speaking at open air meetings in all kinds of weather, together with the sharpening of his wits, his cun- ning, year by year, caused a barking or snarling note to be in his voice when he attacked an opponent or an inimical idea. One of them was wearing a brown raincoat with the collar turned up. The other was wearing two sweaters, a light gray V-neck sweater and over it a heavy dark green coat-sweater. The coat sweater was unbuttoned and hung loose and open. Mulcahey found nothing, after all, to worry about. The whiskey had im- proved his spirits. He began look- ing around the room again. There were several large photographs of fighters on the walls. There were portrait photographs of Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey and three unusu- ally clear pictures of the Jeffries- Johnson fight. And on the back bar directly in front of Mulcahey when he stood facing his whiskey was an en- larged snap-shot of Udell standing with a rifle in the snow beside the carcass of a deer. Without ever having commented on it Muleahey had observed this picture of Udell casually several times. It had been in the place of honor in full view on the back bar since the previ- ous hunting season. Udell came along by Mulcahey with his bar rag about this time wiping up the bar with a careless wide rotary motion. “Whereabouts was that taken, Dell?” Mulcahey asked, ‘“——that picture of yourself with the deer?” “Canada,” Dell said. “Canada?” Mulcahey asked. “Yep,” Udell said. Mulcahey had been through Canada | | z the | Buffalo and incidental necessary ex- | smaller pieces of money were gone} {voll for the small watch pocket in his! | Muleahey surveyed the. bar room, his. Mulcahey stood now in his rain- coat and brown felt hat in front of the bar at Udell’s saloon facing his glass of whiskey, having just come from the editorial room of the news- paper. He had already had one drink. The fingers of one hand were around the glass on the bar be- fore him and his other hand encircled a glass of water that stood beside it. Erect and alone he waited for the warmth of the first drink to spread a little farther inside him. The space along the bar was all taken but there was plenty of elbow room. Everybody in the place was a working man. At least ever;body was of the working class, generally speak- ing. Yet a certain two of the patrons were what were known in the West as hi-jackers. When three patrons next to Muleahey walked out these two re- mained next inline to the left of him... They stood at the end of the bar beside’ the shelf on which the plate of free cheese and bowl of crackers stood. After his third whiskey Mulcahey’s and he took out the $20 bill which MeFee had given him for his fare to penses. If he behaved conservatively. there would be plenty for the ticket and for food for a couple of days for his son who was to remain in New York. Udell served Muleahey’s whis- key, took the yellow-backed $20 bank note and gave Mulcahey a $10 note, nine singles afd a half-dollar in change. It» made a fat little bank pants, In an impulse of caution Mul- cahey l@oked ‘around but no one ap- peared to have seen him put the money away. } There was no one to talk with, so unfinished article at the newspaper office, his trip to Buffalo and his son} in the Third Avenue room being never entirely out of his thoughts. He observed the two men on his left at the end of the bar, Glancing into the mirror over the back-bar for a fuller look at their faces he con- cluded they had been watching by the same means. When he looked in their direction the one nearer him had the appearance of having shifted his eyes straight ahead quickly. For this reason he kept on looking at them in the mirror, The two men_ stood shoulder to shoulder, their elbows on the bar, slowly revolving their beer glasses around and around on the bar before them with the finger tips of both their hands. APPEAL TO U. S. WORKERS AGAINST JAP IMPERIALISM The Chinese bourgeoisie during the past few days both at home and abroad pretend to be excited about the Japanese imperialistic mass- slaughter in Shantung. Why should great influence on the Chinese situa- tion. If Japan insists on permanent oceupation of the Shantung province a clash between the two imperialist countries is inevitable. The arrival ‘loyal servant of the United States they be excited? Did they not betray the revolutionary elements of the Na- tionalist movement? Were they not responsible for the mass-slaughter in Nanking and Shanghai? Bourgeoisie Pretend Excitement. Now in order to hide their treach- erous acts they pretend excitement in order to fool the Chinese masses. We have seen the fruits of their ex- citement before. Just as his prede- cessor, the representative of Chinese feudalism, Yuan Shi Kai, accepted the famous “twenty-one demands” from Japan in order to gain the title of emperor, so also will Chiang Kai Shek unquestionably accept other famous “twenty-one demands” in order to realize his own ambitions. His pres- ent. loud shouting that “we will fight the=-Japanese to the last man” is merely talk to fool the masses. The Chinese- bourgeoisie do have cause for excitement, Japan does not seem to appreciate the price already paid by Chiang Kai-shek to gain her‘favor. It was a big price paid with the blood of Chinese workers and peasants; with the blood of Com- \munists; as well as the blood of civil- jans of the Soviet Union, which is the | first country to voluntarily give up he unequal treaties, When such a \price is turned down there is indeed ‘cause for excitement, , ‘ Chiang Wall Street Tool. | Because of the fact that Chiang Kai | Shek made a ruthless sell-out in the incident of the Nanking bombard- ment, the Japanese imperialists could not trust his allegiance to their in- terests, Japan and the United States are carefully watching one another. One does not trust the other. A would naturally be regarded with sus- picion by the Japanese. The so-called North expedition of the Chinese Na- tionalist Army means the extension of American influence into the Jap- anese sphere of influence. That is why Japan could not trust Chiang Kai Shek. She preferred to retain her old tool, Chang Tso Lin. We must understand that the pres- ent Chinese situation is not only a fight between the feudalist. generals, Chang Tso Lin and the counter-revo- lutionary bourgeoisie Chiang Kai Shek, or merely a fight between Jap- anese imperialists against Chiang Kai Shek. There is another reason un- Mulcahey observed that Udell did not seem to know them. He won- dered if they saw his $20 ill. at Tsiang Tao of an additional divi- sion of six submarines from the U. S. to reinforce the division of five American destroyers stationed in that port, indicate that the above asser- tion is not groundless. United States imperialism is determined to keep Japan off its “sphere of influence.” The Chinese bourgeoisie in its num- erous betrayals have proven incapa- ble to cope with the situation. They have always been the tools of imper- ialism. Chiang Kai Shek, as head of the Nationalist party, sold out to the United States during the Nanking bombardment, and nothing -will pre- vent him from selling out to Japan. The workers and peasants are the only ones capable of driving the mili- tarists and imperialists off Chinese soil. The workers and peasants must turn this war of imperialists into a class-war against the forces of reac- tion both inside and outside of China. ‘Then and only then can the workers and peasants of China be free from foreign and native exploitation, During recent events the workers and peasants of China have proven that with the leadership of a revolu- tionary party they mean to take con- trol of affairs. At this moment the workers and peasants have control of: Swatow. The peasants on the lower! valley of the Yangtze Rivers are in active revolt. = Appeal To American Workers. Our organization as the supporter of the Chinese workers and peasants’ revolution appeals to the American working class. Our fight is not only for ourselves here or in China, but our interests are identical with the interests of the American working class. We are facing the same ene- my. The same. capitalists .who-in their imperialist aggression policy exploit the colonial and semi-colonial peoples exploit you at home. Only thru the unity of our forces against our common enemy can we win, We in China must work to turn the Chin- ese militarist war into a Chinese class-war, while you in America must work against capitalist aggression and military intervention in China, With the solidarity of the workers and peasants in the imperialist coun- tries we will win our fight to estab- leh the Workers’ and Peasants’ Gov- ernment of China. Demand the immediate withdraw- derlying this struggle and that is the struggle of United States imperialists. against Japan, which is having a ti al of all military forces from China, Demand “Hands Off China” for all more than once. |He had been in the harvest and in the woods. He con- cluded that the name Canada for Udell represented the out-land be- yond the frontier. It was like saying, “Qut west,” or “Up north.” He thought of some of the camps he had been in and of organization work of other days. He was getting old. The two men at the end of the bar were reaching frequently for cheese and crackers between sips of beer. Soon the one with the raincoat took some change from his pocket and counted it carefully. Afterward he laid down two quarters on the bar. “Fill these up,” he called to Udell, pushing forward his glass and indi- cating the other glass with a nod. Udell took the two glasses to the tap at the center of the bar. the old-timer down here?” the man in the raincoat asked the other. “He put a ‘twenty’ on the bar a minute ago.” The other looked at Mulcahey in the mirror. Udell put the two glasses of beer down in front of them and took up the 50 cents. He ought to be good for a couple of drinks,” the man with the rain- coat suggested. Both looked at Muleahey guardedly in the mirror and smiled. It was now nearly half past eight. Mulcahey was thinking of his article, the trip to Buffalo and the boy who was waiting for him in the room. He finished his drink, said good-night to Udell and walked to the door. But- toning his raincoat around his throat, he stepped outside. Their eyes on the mirror, the two men-at the end of the bar watched him go out. “Let’s get some of that ‘twenty’,” the man wearing the two sweaters said. “ sure,” the other said. doesn’t need all that money.” Simultaneously they drank off their beer and went out the door where Mulcahey had gone out. Udell’s saloon was on a corner and Mulcahey had* used what was really the side door. It opened on a side street. e It was raining. When the two hi- jackers reached the sidewalk, they saw Muleahey several yards away through the rain walking with his head turned: slightly against the cut- ting wind that was blowing at an angle across the street. The wind and rain had virtually cleared the street of pedestrians. Motor traffic wert mostly by another thoroughfare. Psrt way up the block “Mulcahey stopped, surveyed the surroundings hastily and then turned into an open- ing between two buildings. This pas- sageway went by the name of a street but it was really an alley. « guess he got caught short,” the man in the raincoat said. “That’s as good a place as any to talk the bastard out of a piece of change,” the other said. About 50 feet up the alley Mulca- hey was looking around for a place out of sight from the street. Over- taking him, the two confronted him. {It was quite dark but they had not ‘lost sight of him except for a mo- ment. They: knew it was Muleahey by his coat and hat. Farther up the alley was:a small light burning in the rain over a warehouse door. A little “notice “He light came faintly from the street. Slanting on the wind the rain came straight up the alley with increasing force. Startled, Mulcahey faced the Mulcahey --- A Story of Twenty Dollars The man wearing the raincoat said insinuatingly: “How about a couple dollars for a good warm dinner, dad?” “You wouldn't want to see two men, go hungry on a night like this, would you?” the other said right after him. Mulcahey judged from the way they talked they were both a little drunk. Mulcahey was feeling his few drinks, too. He hesitated. The man in the two sweaters became angry. He reached out for Mulcahey’s coat lapel and jerked him forward. “Let’s have it now,” he said. “We didn’t come here for conversation.” “We know you've got it,” the other said. Somewhat befuddled Mulcahey de~ cided they must have seen his $20. Having spent all he could possibly spare and still buy his ticket to Buf- falo and at the same time leave enough with John for food in his ab- sence, he could not afford to offer them even $5. McFee had given him nearly all the money in the treasury. These things he realized confusedly, yet certainly. He cursed himself for being there. If he had been entirely sober he might have reconciled him- self to handing over the money or bargaining for a split. Instead he was enraged. The muscles of his jaws tightened. His teeth shut tight. Then the man in the raincoat hit him in the face and knocked him down. The back of his head hit with a loud crack on the rought pavement. A brick jutted up just at the point where his head hit. Mulcahey lay~ still with his skull fractured by the fall. The one with the two sweaters leaned over and unbuttoned Mulea- hey’s coat. Going through Mulcahey’s pockets, he failed to find the money at first but finally found it in the little watch pocket, He slipped Mulcahey’s tightl¢ rolled bills in his own pocket, The other stood by watching the alley entrance, “We'd better get him out of the way a little farther,” the one who had taken the money said. “We'd better not leave him right here.” Somewhat accustomed to the dark- ness they made out a door a few feet away and dragged and carried Mul- cahey to the step leading to it. When he didn’t stir or moan at being moved, the two remarked about it. “He isn’t dead is he?” the man in the sweaters asked. “Hell, no,” the other said. “He's Irish. You can’t kill an Irishman by knocking him down.” The man with the raincoat started away. ‘Come on,” he said, “Just a minute now,” the other said. “You’ve got a raincoat. Why shouldn’t I have one? He leaned over again and slipped Mulcahey’s raincoat off his arms, roll- ing Muleahey’s motionless form half. way over. He put Mulcahey’s rain- coat on, pulling it snugly around him. self, The other laughed. ‘You haven’t got any heart at all,” he said and laughed again. “Oh, he doesn’t need this coat,” the man with Mulcahey’s coat said. “The old bastard is asleep anyhow.” Mulcahey’s felt hat was left lying right side up on the pavement where he fell. A little pool of rain formed in the depression in the crown. Mulcahey was dead. 7 They left him propped up in the doorway somewhat out of the rain, at least out of the full force of it, and | 4