The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 30, 1930, Page 4

Seen § } Roy Published by the Comproaaily Square, New York C Addrest anc Page Four cks tc MAY DAY INLATIN AMERICA * By JORGE PAZ. ng a new May the date co ‘oclaim est agai conviction, a d persecutions of the right to the will ultimately ¢ the capitalist But this F: alism and of str eets, aplete he achieveme teris months 7 capitalis as a consequence struggle, the de and the war n where the and raw starvation, ready in general some state strike i onstrations in regions that were long , demonstration because of the death of le Mariategui), Latin America thro period as 1919, but with a difference: most of t ies there is now a Comm exis , a condition which did not nist Par 1919. The most distant ri jungles of Latin Amer , the most remote a always had an up- rising on the t of May. But, due to the backward economy of these countries, the anarch: gave a lamentable impr to the First of May: a day of mourning, a day of weeping for the victims of reaction. Today the workers’ organizations of Latin America, under the direction of the Confedera- cion Sindical Latino Americano, orientated on vi trade union policy, has for the first time coordinated the uprisings of the workers and the poor peasants. For the first time in more than 40 years, in which this day has been celebrated, the Latin American proletariat has centralized the direc- tion of the revolutionary movement, for the First of May. The 20th of March. The 20th of March, unemployment y, Te- sulted in so ries for the proletariat in Latin Amer In Colombia, in the city of the workers rose in demonstration unemployment and to de- mand work or wages. The Colombian gov- ernment, of course, did not give either. Col- ombia is under the heel of U. S. oil interests and these companies do not want to give them | Medellin, to protest aga ¥. Telept ne., dally Pun Co. In St except Su i 7-8. Cable n Square. New the Daily although the is here in New new president, York, in an ef- the leading the ave led them, bless wo Party t nd them in their x Party where the while the hich pretends to be a section of the Commu- International, placed o les in the path of the strategic retreat of the Colombia prole t. Medellin gave the real and con- crete measure of the radicalization the masse; Hearing that the unemployed were dairies, groceries, butcher shops, etc., increasing m of workers flocked demons Whalen of Medellin, mand his soldiers ag: a real revo ered silitis” that died real lity, of raiding an ever to the The chief of police, the Mr. when he went to com- was becoming tack of “ton- ntly, (In he he was shot.) The wife of one of the almost in: workers who was declared that her t the Communists went to see if he his wife and their se none of them Did the siege nch the mutiny? rst of May will answer this question. st portant sector of the Latin ‘iat is now Cuba. The work- ‘acing a pitiless strug- of General Machado, perialism. kers Federation of Cuba, st the “tyrann American demonstrated its intention to bloody Machado rty, ha ht, despite the decree of suppres the National Workers Federation of Cuba. One of the slogans of the First of May is the legali f the Federation, freedom of speech, pi and assemblage, legality of the Communist Party, and of the Young Commu- nist L low wages, living conditions of the workers and peasants of Latin America will be attacked in the mass demonstrations on the streets of Latin America on May Day. The strikes of the 10th of January and the 20th of March showed the growing radicalization of the workers, and their determination to fight. The Ma cipally aga’ y Day fight will be directed prin- aindt American imperialism, and in South America, likewise, against British im- peria In the United States, the struggle of the workers against American imperialism will give effective support to the fight of the working m es in Latin America in their struggle against American imperialism, On this May Day, more than ever, the unity of the fight of the workers in the colonies and the workers in the imperialist countries, comes into the forefront. complete influence of the Commu- | Servicemen and Ex-Servicemen, Unite with Workers May Ist t this time when the fascist vet- er organizations are mobilizing the ex- servicemen to struggle against their own proletarian class brothers on May first the following editorial written by our great leader Lenin is of paramount interest. This appeal was written after the overthrowal of Czarism and a few months before the vic- torious workers revolution. In the United States as well as in Russia the interests of the soldiers and ex-servicemen lies with their own class. Soldiers and ex-servicemen! Do not line up with the exploiters, the ca talist class.. Join the workers in the fac- in the strikes and demonstrations on ns’ Izmalov.. 917) the meeting of the Petrograd, April 23, 1 (Delivered at Regiment, IOMRADES, Soldiers! The question of the government structure is now the order of the day. The capita ists, in whose hands the government power now is, desire a parliamen- tary bourgeois republic, ic, a form of gov- ernment in which there is no czar, but in w! the rule will remain in the hands of the capi- talists who will govern the country by means of the old institutions, namely: the police, the bureaucrats, the standing army. We desire a different republic, far more suited to the interests of the people, far more democratic. The revolutionary workers and soldiers of Petersburg have overthrown czar- ism, and have cleaned out all the police from the capital. The workers of all the world look with pride and hope on the first vanguard of the universal liberating army of the working class. Having begun the revolution, it ne- cessary to strengthen and continue it. We must not permit them to reestablish the police All power in the government, from top to bot tom, from the most wretched village to each ward of the Citty of Petersburg must belong to faa Soviets of Workers’, Soldiers’, Farm Labor- Workers! Join the Party of Your Class! Communist Party U. S. A. 43 East 125th Street, New York City. I, the undersigned, want to join the Commu- nist Party. Send me more information. Name ... Address .....0.scccsecemcees Vit. .csseeee RMOMIOD jo 00050 seb dccveveresss ABCs see Mail this to the Central Office, Communist Party, 43 Bast 125th St.. New York, N. Y, » and Peasants’ Delegates. The government power must be united local soviet whether stituent ora a Cor matter. ers’ cen’ these in ye the does not name There must be no police; no bureaucrats, who have no responsibi to the peo who stand over the people; no standing army, cut off from the people, but only the people armed from head to foot, united in the soviets—i they who must run the government. who must establish the necessa’ they whose author il nit only be obeyed, but also respected, by workers and pesants. Only this power, only the Soviets of Soldiers’ and Workers’ the can—not in the inter- nor in the bureau- Delegates, ests of land-holders, cratic manner—solve the great question of land. The land must not belong to the feudal owner's. The land mst be taken away at once by the peasant committees from the land- holders; they must see to it that the raising of grain is increased in order that the soldiers at the front may be better supplied. All the land must belong to the whole people, and this consummation must be realized by the local Soviets of Peasants’ Delegates. In order that the rich peasants—themselves capitalists— may not hoodwink the farm laborers and the poorest peasants, it will be necessary either to compound, unite, or fuse with them, on the one hand, or erect our own Soviet of Farm Laborers’ Delegates. Do not permit the police to be reestablished; do not permit the government power or the | control over the government to pass into the hands of bourgeois officeholders not chosen by election, and irremovable and paid on a bourgeois scale; unite yourselves, weld your- selves firmly together, organize yourselves, trusting no one, depending only on your own intelligence and experience’ and Russia will be able to move with firm, measured, certain steps toward the liberation both of our own country and of all humanity, from the yoke of capital as well as from the horrors of war. Our government a government of capitalists, is continuing the war by reason of capitalist interests. Like the German capitalists of all the other countries are waging a war only for a division of the profits of the capitalists, for world rule. Hundreds of millions of people, almost all the countries of the earth, have been dragged into this criminal war. Hundreds of billions of capital have been invested in “pro- fitable” concerns, bringing to the peoples death, hunger disillusionment, barbarism, and to capital scandalously high, insane profits. In order to free ourselves from this frightful war, and to conclude a truly demoeratic peace based not on force, there is only one way pos- sible: the transfer of all the government power to the hands of the Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Delegates, The workers and the poorest peasants, who are not interested in the preservation of the profits of capitalism, in the conquest of weaker peoples, will be able _ truly to bring about that which the capitalists merely blabber about—naniely, a conchision of the war with a lasting peace which shall assure liberty to all peopies without excepiion. pes York, | time. Baily Central Orman of the Communist ae ot the U.S. A. edrecnIPTION RATES: By mail everywhere: One year $6; six months $3; two months $1; excepting Boroughs of Machettan and Bronx, New York City, and foreign, which are: One year §8; six months $4.50 By FRED ELLIS Draft Program of N. M. U. for the Anthracite The 5-Year Agreement is coming to an end. The hard-coal miners now face the problem of working out a new agreement with the coal operators. Every rank and file miner must give some thought and consideration to the events of the past 4 years, examine carefully what has taken place during the course of the |5 Yr, Agreement that was signed by Lewis and his henchmen after the bitter 6 months strike of 1925-26, Lewis and the Company-Union, fascist, U. M. W. A. hailed the sellout called the 5 Yr. Agree- ment as a “great victory” for the miners. It was a victory—but not for the rank and file. It was a great victory for the coal companies. During the life of the 5 Yr. Agreement, the operators have realized great profits. The miners have realized—wage cuts, speedup, un- employment, increased accidents, lengthened hours, general worsened conditions, and a smashing of the Union. Conditions in the Anthracite Fields What are the conditions in the hard-coal fields at the present time? Are the wages earned by the miners the same that they were 4 and 5 years ago? Absolutely not. Every miner knows that a whole series of systematic wage cuts were put across by the coal com- panies. Every miner knows that his. wages have been considerably reduced. Very few miners are today being paid for dead work, The rates per car loaded have been reduced in most instances by about 50 per cent. Tonnage rates have been decreased. Yardage prices have been cut, and in many mines, the yard- age basis has been abolished. Consideration time is practically non-existent at the present The miners must now pay for their | tools, must buy their own jack-hammer and drills, must pay for the compress-air for the jack-hammers, Miners are being docked for dirty coal. In the report of the Secretary of the In- terior of the state of Pa. Mr. Woodward, (Noy. 22nd 1929) it is seen that for the year 1928, anthracite miners hai received a total of $239,555,100 in wages. For the year 1927, hard-coal miners had earned $255,853,100 in wages. This means that there was a drop of $16,298,000 in the wages of the miners in one year. No doubt the drop for .1929 was even more than in 1928, The hard-coal miners are being speeded up more and more. The brutal speedup systeni is daily sapping up the life and energy of the miners. The coal operators are increasing pro- duction of anthracite coal at the expense of the life, limb, and health of the miners. Miners are told that they must produce 5 cars a day instead of 4 as previously produced—for the same price (case of the W. Ridge Coll. of the Scranton Coal Co). The output of hard-cva) for 1929 was near the average for the 10-year period, nevertheless it was produced with 15 per cent less working-time. This means that the miners were speeded up so,much the faster. At the same time, as a result of the brutal speedup, and failure to install safety devises, accidents in the ~‘»s have increased consider- ably in the last period. The introduction of new machinery in the mines, the loading machines, under eutting de- vises, conveyors, ete, means throwing thou- sands of miners out of jobs permanently. Un- employment and part‘al employment are rapid- ly on the increase thre~hout the anthracite. Some collieries have been and are closed down for 2 and 8 months. Most miners are lucky if they put in 2 days a week work. This means terrible suffe ing for the miners and their fam- ilies. Disers»’oyment, and part time work means that the miner cannot pay his rent or bills, cannont feed and clothe his wife and | children. It means misery and suffering for | the miners. | ‘The hours of actual working time that the miner puts in have also been increasing. Whereas formerly a miner was able to make his shift in 5 1-2 to 7 hours, in many mines the miner must put in the full 8 hours. Um- pire Gorman, of the Conciliation Board, has ruled that it is a violation of the agreement for a miner to stay less than the full 8 hours in the mine. The coal companies do not yet dare to enforce this ruling everywheres, but after Sept. Ist--if Lewis succeeds in selling out the miners again—the coal operators will ruthlessly enforce this decision. This will mean an increase of 1 to 2 1-2 hours for every’ miner in the anthracite. In the anthracite, the contract system is in full bloom. This contract system is the curse of the hard-coal region. It means a division of the workers into contractors and laborers. It means greater exploitaton of the anthracite miners, and bigger profits for the companies. | The contractor system means the bribery of a small section of the miners at the expense of the great bulk of the men. The operators use the contracing system in order to enslave the miners still more, and it must be expected, that the companies will use this contract sys- tem more than ever before at the expiration of the agreement, The coal operators seek to ‘ evade all responsibilities for working-condi- tions, wages, ete., by the use of the middle-man —the contractor—who also gets his share of the profits created by the toil of the miners. | Bigger mergers of the largest coal com- panies are on the order of the day in the an- thracite, and are taking place more frequently. In 1928, seven of the large anthracite compa- nies owned and controlled between 75 to 80 per cent of all anthracite mined. And some of these 7 companies have already merged. The coal companies are closely interlocked with the big railroads that run through the anthracite with the Erie R.R., the D.L, & W. etc.) and with the most powerful financial interests of Wall St.—Morgan and Rockefeller interests. "hese mergers are consolidating huge trusts which represent a great force against the miners. The results of these mergers are: a) greater exploitation of the miners b) more wage cuts c) speedup d) introduction of more efficient machinery into the mines e) larger number of miners being thrown out of the in- dustry. The anthracite coal companies are directly connected up with the government machinery in the. state and city, as well as nationally. The government apparatus is being used more frequently against the miners who resist the | onslaught of the opperators. Just as was the case in Illinois, where the companies used the state militia against the striking miners; so will the c@p] barons in the anthracite use the state troopers, the national guard, the police, the courts, injunctions, tear gas. bombs, and machine guns against the hard-coal miners. The operators and their government agents will always threaten the large number of for- eign born anthracite miners with deportation, registration, finger-printing, in orler to terror- ize the foreign born workers, and in order to kill their militancy. It is the duty. of the | miners to prepare now to resist these gover- ment attacks, to resist the terrorization of the foreign born miners, to organize all nation- alities of miners; and to establish real unity and solidarity amongst the hard-coal miners. What is bringing on these worsening condi- tions, these wage cuts, etc? It is due to the fact that the anthracite industry, as part of the coal: mining industry as a whole, has been in a serious crisis ever since the ending of the last ON TO THE STREETS ON To the Men and Women Workers in the Chemical and Art Silk Industries—To the Papermakers and Sugar Workers of All Countries Comrades: On May First the streets belong to the work- ing class—that is the slogan of the Red Inter- national of Labor Unions. Capitalism is twisting and turning in the throes of a heavy crisis such as has not been known for long years back. The realities of life have dealt the knock-out blow to the legend of capitalist “prosperity” and the theories ad- vanced by the turncoats and the Right oppor- tunists concerning capitalism’s stability. Efforts are beg made, with the direct assistance of the social-fascist trade union offi- cialdom, by the capitalists to transfer the con- sequences of this crisis to the shoulders of the workers, In chemical plants everywhere, in the factories producing explosives and poison gases, the most refined methods of ratior\Jiza- tion and super-exploitation have becon» a common feature. Steadily, bit by bit, your already miserable wages are being cut down, while you have to work nine and ten hours a day. Employed and unemployed! On this May First demonstrate your will to further develop the struggles of the masses against capitalist rationalization, for the maintenance of the unemployed, for the 7-hour day and the 6-hour day in all harmful occupations, for higher wages, for suitable protection of labor, besides special labor protection for women and young workers, for the full maintenance of the vic- tims of accidents in workshop and factory which have become such a regular occurrence, in the chemical industry especially. Desperate efforts will be made by the social- fascist T.U. bureaucracy to paralyze and weaken any First of May manifestations. The International Committee of Propaganda and Action calls on you to prepare in organized fashion to give the setback to these social- | MAY FIRST! fascists, to down tools in all plants on that day, and to march out in joint demonstrations with the other workers under the fighting slogan of the Mass Political Strike. Rally around the First of May Committees; organize your Work- ers’ Defense Sections. Organized and Unorganized! The class battles lying ahead demand the fullest consolidation of the ranks of the pro- letariat. Join the Red trade unions and rally to the revolutionary trade union minority movements of the workers in the chemical and kindred industries. On May First the proletariat of the U.S.S.R., including the chemical workers, the paper- makers and sugar workers will march out in their demonstrations whose slogans will be the victorious construction of socialism, the per- formance of the Five-Year Plan within four years, the complete collectivization of agricul- ture, and the “liquidation” of the rich farmers as a class. The campaign in favor of launching a cru- sade against the U.S.S.R, and the fierce race in armaments, especially in relation to chemical warfare, that is going on among the imperial- ists must be the signal for the mobilization of all the forces of the world working class in defense of the U.S.S.R. On May First it is for you to demonstrate with particular vigor against the fascist and social-fascist inspirers of imperialist war and the idea of the crusade against the Soviet Union. Out on to the streets! Organized and Unor- ganized, in your firmly welded ranks move for- ward to the final onslaught upon the triple alliance of the capitalist state, the employers’ federations, and the fascists and social-fascists! No imperialist war! Against the prepara- tions for chemical warfare! Defend the Soviet Union! International Chemical Workers Committee for Propaganda and Action. world war. It is due to the shrinkage of the home and foreign markets, and to overproduc- tion of hard coal. It is due to the cut-throat competition between the different groups of operators throughout the world. All kinds of substitutes are being used to replace coal. The campaign against Russian coal that is now being conducted by the operators and their agents is being done for two purposes: 1.) As part of the attack against Workers’ Russia in trying to prepare the miners for war. 2.) As a means to bring a cut in wages by yelling about the “competition” against Rus- sian coal, which is mined according to these liars for 17 cents a day by Russian workers. The Russian miner receives 65 rubles a month ($32.50), work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week; gets a months vacation with pay, pays little rent, gets free passes for the railroads and the best theatres, ete. The miners must be on the watch against these schemes to cut wages, for the very same tricks were used by the IIli- nois operators in 1927, except that they yelled about Kentucky coal and not Russian coal. The operators are trying to overcome the growing crisis in the anthracite industry at the expense of the miners. The coal compan- ies want to reduce the cost of production by paying less wages, speeding the miners up more; so that their profits can continue to grow. In this policy of trying to overcome the crisis at the expense of the miners; the operators are very ably assistel by their pals and agents—the UMWA officialdom. Position and Role of the UMWA. Every miner must ask: What has happened to the United Mine Workers of America? What is the UMWA doing to protect me? Is it at all concerned with my working conditions? The UMWA in the course of the last f years has undergone a complete change. It i: no longer in any way, shape, or manner, the union of the rank and file. It is no longer the militant union that was once the backbone of the American labor movement. Lewis and his machine, have seen to it that the UMWA has been turned into a company union. The UMWA is an agency of the coal operators. It serves the companies now, and not the miners. The officialdom of the UMWA use fascist methods against the militant rank and file miners. Every semblance of democracy has been. stifled and killed. Militants have been slugged, victimized, threatened, and expelled. The UM WA works hand in glove with the operators against the miners (recent case in Tamaqua). The local grievance committees have been de- prived of all power, and the only “recognized” power is the Conciliation Board, which serves the operators, and which is the graveyart for all miners grievances, Lewis’s role, and that of the UMWA, is to see that the policy of the operators is carried thru without the miners offering any resist- ence to these policies. When spontaneous strikes occur because of grievances, the UM WA rushes to order the miners back to work on the ground that “You can’t violate the agreement.” While it is alright for the coal companies to violate the agreement, it becomes a crime according to the UMWA for the miners to fight for their rights ani interests. The UMWA betrays the miners daily, and are pre- paring one of the Blackest betrayals this Fall |—when the agreement expires on August 31st. The UMWA under John L. Lewis’s mis- | leadership have steadily sold out the miners. | In 1922, Lewis saw to it that the soft-coal miners were separated from the anthracite miners by signing two different agreements. At the same time, Lewis left 100,000 miners in the coke regions in the lurch. In 1924, Lewis expelled 12,000 miners from the UMWA in the anthracite because they dared to fight | against intolerable conditions in the Pennsy { mines. In 1925-26, Lewis and the UMWA worked hand in hand with the operators during the course of the strike in the anthracite, while the rank and file was fighting bravely and starving. He then signed the infamous 5-year sellout. In 1927, Lewis and the UMWA be- trayed the soft-cual miners in Penn-Ohio-Ind. ete. and destroyed the conditions of the Jack- sonville agreement by his policies. | The UMWA is actually destroyed in the soft- | coal field. From a membership of over 350, ; 000 miners, the UMWA has dwindled down to a skeleton of its former self, and hasn’t got | more than 125,000 in its ranks. The bulk of , these are. to be found in the anthracite. The reactionary, fascist officialdom will go the full length in accepting anything and everything the operators offer, in order to keep the good graces of the anthracite com- panies. The hard-coal miners must make a determined and courageous fight against the fascist UMWA officialdom whose sole interest in the miner is collecting his $1 dues and $2.00 each month in assessments. At the present time, a new group of so- called progressives has been formed in Illinois under the leadership of the corrupt, company- agent, $25,000 a year Peabody Coal Co. man —Farrington. Fishwick—another one of the agents of the Peabody Coal Company, who is as corrupt as any of them, is also a “leader' of this new movement. Howatt, Hapgood and Brophy are lined up with the crew of fakirs, Howat—when the fight became hot—jumped on the Lewis band-wagon for a $250 a month job. Brophy went into business—and quit the fight against the Lewis machine. Hapgood is a spineless creature—who swings with the wind like a weathercock. These people want to “reorganize” the UMWA, and shift the trea- sury for themselves. These social-fascists are very dangerous enemies of the miners because of their use of progressive phrases. The miners in the anthracite must be on guard aga these elements. The hard-coal miners must fight ruthlessly against all those who support Farrington and Fishwick in any man- er whatsoever. Tasks of the Rank and File—Fighting Demands of the National Miners Union. What must the rank and file anthracite miners do? The first and foremost task is to prepare to defeat the Lewis sellout. The miners must prepare for strike on September 1st. No honest rank and file miner need suffer from any illusion that he will get any increase in wages—or better conditions—or even the pre- sent standards—without a struggle. The miners must begin to establish Rank and File Committees of Action in each and every col- liery. The Rank and File Committees of 4 :tion must take in all miners regardiess of whether they are UMWA men, NMU men or un- organized. The Committees of Action must assu;1e leadership in the mines. It must prepare tie miners for strike on September Ist. It mui‘ serve ‘as a strike committee of the rank ar} file. It must work above the heads of the UMWA misleaders, and under the direct leadership of the Rank and File Union—the NMU, At the same time, the Committees of Action must fight now for the immediate de- mands of the miners even before September 1st. The Rank and File Committees must be- come the basis for the Union in the mines, The rank and file must begin to build and strengthen the National Miners Union—the militant, fighting Union of all the miners. The NMU is preparing to call a national general strike of all miners on Stentembe: 1st, in support of the anthracite miners, an} for one national agreement for soft and hard coal fields (as well as metal). The NMU proposes the following program of demands for the anthracite miners: 1.) $8.80 basic, minumum day wage for aw miners and laborers. 2.) $8.80 day wage for all outside men, 3.) 6 hour day and 5 day week, 4.) Abolition of the contractor. 5.) Unemployment Insurance, and old age pension. 6.) Abolition of the Conciliation Board, and all class collaboration schemes. 7.) All tools to be supplied by the company free of charge to the miners, 8.) No discrimination against young and Negro workers—Equal pay for equal work. 9.) Rigid enforcement of all safety laws. 10.) Against the speed-up system. 11.) Organization and recognition of rank and file pit committees of the National Miners Union, and full mine control and job distribu- tion by the rank and file committees. 12.) No child labor in the mines. 13.) 2 weeks vacation with pay. 14.) Installation of sprinkler system for eli- mination of dust. 15.) Full sanitary conditions in mines. Demands for the machinists and helpers in and around the mines will be considered at the Conference of the NMU. Miners! Prepare for struggles! Build the Rank and File Committees of Action! Ovvsnize into the real militant rank and file miners union—the NMU and fight for your demands and interests! Strike on September 1st! Fight for better conditions—higher _ wages—shorter hours—un- employment insurance! National Miners Union—Anthracite District