The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 20, 1930, Page 6

*’age Six DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, 950 ATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1930 See ! VOTE COMMUNIST! 7IGHT FOR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE A The ‘Detroit Elections | | Whole Families, Beat Their Way in A Lesson for the Whole Party “With fres listed ld the old wa % JOSEPH BILLIN . Negro Auto Worker Candidate for Governor of Michigan stealing many of them, the bosses’ clection board was generous enough to grant us the amount of three thousand five hundred and eight votes. But this is not the major impor- tant thing in estimation of a Communist elec- tion campaign. Of course the number of votes count, but the most important problem is how much did the Party succeed to utilize the elec- tion campaign to organize the workers in the struggle under the banner of Communism as well as the building of the new revolutionary trade unions. This is the major object. In our estimation of the election campaign we must also take in‘consideration the ability of y to break through the wall, which ts between us, as the leader of the and the masses of the toilers of this as well as smashing the yet existing strong bourgeois illusions among the workers. This:must be primary tasks in the examin- ing of our election campaign. Issues in the Campaign. Due to the acuteness of the present eco- nomic crisis, due to its permanent character, the increase of unemployment, and the worsen- ing of the standard of living of the American workers, the: prosperity talks of 1928 were en- tirely absent. The bosses know that the needs of the hour require the use of all kinds of fake remedies instead of the repetition of the pld prosperity bunk. Unemployment was therefore the major issue which the bosses’ candidates capitalized during elections in or- der to have control of the city administration, which on one hand is used as means of in- come and the most important, used to crush the ‘resistance of the workers against the un- bearable conditions. The bosses as clever politicians capitalized the motion of the masses, which was set into through the activities of the Communist Party in leading the workers in struggle against un- employment on March 6th as well as after March 6th. The chief demagogue, Murphy, ily through his ability of utilizing this dis- who. was elected as mayor, succeeded primar- satisfaction of the workers and through all kinds of fake promises of unemployed insur- ance as well as his promises of immediate relief. r The whole movement around Murphy was backed by the entire fascist machine of the city of Detroit, beginning with auto manu- facturers, American Legion, the Hearst inter- ests, the A.F.L. and the leadership of the socialist party. It was primarily these fascist elements under the leadership of the auto bosses who desired to control the city admin- istration in view of the wage cutting campaign which is now sweeping through Detroit. De- spite the open backing of Murphy by all the enemies of the worker's, Murphy succeeded to carty a large working class vote through his ability of raising demagogically the most vital issues confronting the workers of the city of Detroit as unemployment, race discrim- ination and even police brutality. This could be evident primarily by the fact, that wherever we carried a large number of votes, Murphy overwhelmingly defeated his op- ponents. Our Shortcomings. It is true that our Party during the elec- tions has carried on a vigorous agitational campaign, raising correctly five major issues confronting the workers: wage cuts, unem~- ployment insurance, Negro equality, police “error, and the attack on the foreign born. Ti Unemployed Insurance was especially fea- vared, nevertheless we could not make an in- road into the workers of this city and bring them under our leadership. The key to this question lies in the method of our work. First our slogans, while they were correct, have still remained the slogans of the Party and not the slogans of the work- ers, It was something handed to the workers and not made the property of the workers of our city. This was for the simple reason that our slogans were still disconnected with the every day life of the workers, and wete not dramatized enough to convince the workers that we are the leaders against unemployment and wage cuts. Let us analyze point by point. We raised the slogan of wage cuts, brought concrete examples of wage cuts in the Briggs ing ag The inabil- Auto Workers’ Union te workers in strike made the workers think are , but what has > the Communists proven ts have kes orge could slogan, therefore, was the workers to vote f the kind ad reen done that th called ¢ too abstract ough their leadership wa or st ove yet th i d ino ing of the really ot been vulgar real facts have con- ally link the build- nions, unless and strike against dership of gainst wage » but what Party, but th that unless revolutionary up } we ani an withou tual organi Chrysi orkers? An- to our ist of stencil real meaning, muar situauon prevailed in connection wit tne unempioyment insurance vill. ‘the arty as a Who.e makes now a simuar nus- take, Wnicu Wwe must correct immeuacey, We 2 satisiled wita popularizing of our Social urance bill, U forward our ie and expect that on th we re, and are basis ot our good bill the leadersmp over tne unem- ployed workers automaueaily. We have totlowed the same path, and we have learned a lot. specially im ths period, when unemployment is getting tense, stoose- yelt m New York, Murphy in vetrort and other takers in every city Will aiso speak avout un- employment insurance m order to counteract our Vur duty theretore is not only to speax avout the insurance, but dramauze unem ment, organize demonstrations tor immeaiate relict, and lead the workers in struggle tor bread, raising it to a higher poli- tical level and exposing me time the fake measures of the aemagogu: We failed in this during tne election cam- paign. Let's take the situation in Michigan. 4n order to present a bill for a referendum you must by the requirements of the law present nine mont rlier petitions with about 150,000 sign lf the signatures are col- lected now will come up next No- we Wl assume siogan, av the e ares. the bill | vember, the workers know it, they want bread now, immediate relief. We overlooked this en- tirely and limited ourselves to mere agitation of the bill. The bill in itself without strug- gles for immediate relief, has no concrete value for the workers. The championship for immediate relief, through all fake and dema- gogic methods was left in the hands of Mur- phy, and as a shrewd politician utilized it to strengthen the illusions among the workers. We still did not acquire Bolshevic methods during an election campaign. Our past still hangs on our presence, We copied the election method of the bosses’ parties, the socialist par- | ty and forgot entirely that our major tasks are in the shops by connecting up the imme- diate demands of the workers in the shops and factories with the political demands of the workers Yes, it is true we held many shop gate meetings, talked in the front of the factories, but this is not suffieient. Fac- tory gate meetings are only supplements to the inside factory activities through our shop nuclei, shop committees and factory contacts. We desired votes, votes can be gotten in the precincts, therefore concentrate in the residen- tial neighborhoods. It has made our Party Campaign abstract, disconnected from the shops. Party Made Headway. Despite the above weaknesses our Party had in this election campaign tremendous achieve- ments, which can not and should not be over- looked. There is a danger that looking upon the amount of the votes, the achievements should be overlooked. But this is as danger- ous as overlooking mistakes. The Party learns from its mistakes and achievements simultan- eously. To negate achievements means not to see the vitality of the Party, means pessimism, which is the germ of opportunism and sec- tarianism. Our Party was put on the map, as a poli- tical factor. The mere fact that we succeeded 4 PHIL RAYMOND Candidate for Congress in the 6th Congressional Dis Detroit, Michigan in taking over ideologically a few meetings organized by the bosses’ candidates, shows the sentiment of the workers. The dramatiza- tion of evictions ta a certain extent and ac- tually succeeding in taking in the furniture of evicted Negro families into the houses was one of the concretizations of our struggle in behalf of the unemployed. The mere fact that a bosses’ controlled Negro newspaper, was compelled by pressure from below, to admit and state that the Communists are the only ones who are actually fighting for Negro equality, shows the moods of the Negro work- ers in the city of Detroit, The mere fact that Raymond pulled more votes than the bosses’ candidates, Bowles, Smith and Engel, in certain districts shows the beginning of a definite orientation of the ALICE YONIK Candidate Sec'y Sta: of Michigan DOMENICK FLAUANI | Candidate for Congress, N. J. 9th Congressional District The Issues F acing the New Jersey Workers By DOMENICK FLAIANI (Communist Party Candidate for Ninth Con- gressional District). A quarter of a million workers are now nn- employed in New Jersey, walking the streets | in vain looking for work. The factories and mills now operating most of them at part time are consuming the very life of the working men and women through the terrific speed-up system. The conditions of the past few years are a memory, with the bosses savagely cuiting down wages, lengthening the hours of work, taking young workers and women workers to replace adult male workers. New Jersey has been the scene of militant struggles of the working class especially in the last year, have we witnessed the militancy of the workers in their determination of struggle against the brutal conditions imposed upon them by the ruling class. The ruling class knowing the significance of this year’s election in New Jersey is carrying out its plan of-fascist oppression of workers and of war preparation. New Jersey is an important center for prep- aration for the coming war where the largest war industries of the country are concentrated, where powder and poisonous asses are manu- factured. Territorially states, New Jersey ranks sixth in manufactur- ; ing as to value of products and number of establishments. and seventh as to number of Wage earners and value added by manufacture, Nearly one-half million wage workers are em. ployed in the trustified industries. Petroleum refining ranks first according to the value of product. The manufacture of silk is next. Smelting and refining is third, motor vehicles fourth, chemicals fifth, foundry and machine shops sixth, electrical machine appar- atus and supplies seventh. Textile and electrical industries employ the greatest number of work- ers. > é What are the chief issues facing the workers in the New Jersey industries? 1. Unemployment is the burning problem facing hundreds of thousands of New Jersey workers. In Newark alone over 75,000 workers are today walking the streets in a hopeless quest for jobs. Evictions of jobless workers is today the lot of many thousands. 2. An intense rationalization, speed-up pro- cess is going on in the industries, According to the State Chamber of Commerce Bulletin, the number of industrial establishments decreased 26 per cent between 1919 and 1925, the number of wage earners decreased 16 per cent and wages dropped 4 per cent. While on the other hand the total value of products increased near- ly 30 per cent within the same period. And within the years 1925 up to now, this process of Jess workers, greater productivity per wasker and less wages, has been continually going on, | Wage-cuts, lengthening of hours of work, throwing out men and employing women and | girls, part time for thousands of workers, are all indications of the worsening of the living and working conditions of the New Jersey workers. 3. With tens of thousands unemployed, other thousands on part time, the bosses have at- tacked the workers along the consuming front —are raising the cost of living, the cost of the essential commodities and of transportation. The price of milk and other food products have gone up in this garden state, In many work- ing class districts rents are being raised. The public utilitics of the Wall Street bankers, are itching for more dividents, in spite of the fact that their past earnings are tremendous. 4. The housing conditions of the working people of New Jersey are rotten, Especially is this true of the houses tiat the Negro work- ers are forced to live in. a workers towards their party. The ability of our Party to activize about 75 per cent of our membership and enthuse them during the elec- tion campaign is a step forward in our activi- ties, especially when there still exists a ten- dency among our membership about the use- lessness of revolutionary parliamentayism, be- cause we have no chance of being elected. The seeds of our eight months’ activities have brought fruits in establishing of our Party as a political factor. Over a hundred thou- sand workers have been personally approached during this campaign, and this means some- thing for our future struggles which are in making now. Murphy is elected, He succeeded for a while to fool the workers with promises of bread and relief. This was evident the day when Murphy expected to take over office, ewhich was temporarily blocked by Bowles, the work- ers actually came out to city hall to get bread, Murphy’s promises will result as usual in po- lice clubs. The workers will learn and see his “promises are deceptions” and coupled with the fourth of the smallest | 5. Especially bad are the conditions on the women worke The now famous case of the radium poisoning of women workers, in which the whole apparatus of the boss state was called into use to fight their demands for compensation as they lay dying is now well known throughout the count Pp In the dye houses of ‘aic, in the silk mills of Paterson, the bosses know no limits to the exploitation of the women workers. 6. The thousands of Negro workers in this state are doubly crushed under the burden of unemployment, jim-crowism, the conscious fostering of race riots by the authorities. The bo: ’ parties are raising fake issues, in an attempt to blind the workers. Prohibi- tion is made ove of the outstanding issues by all the bosses’ parties. Having the ideal candidate (Mr. Morrow) how do the capitalists go about concealing the real issues vital to the workers? Several years after the passing of the Vol- stead act it was discovered that as a para- mount fake ue, prohibition promised great potentialities. Mr. Morrow has already spent over $60,000 in his campaign. He brings forward the is- sues of more efficienny, more rationalization, One of the issues in Morrow’s election cam- paign is that he will Be a good representa- tye and also that he is the father-in-law of Lindbergh. Simpson, the candidate of the democratic party: has not come out with any concrete issues even though he is in a demagogic way raising the unemployment issue, The “socialist” party, with its candidate, Harry Jasper, has come out with the petty bourgeois issue of “Public Ownership” of this and that, and with the demagogie phrase of “A Full Pay Envelope Now,” “At least $50 wages at work or play.” What is the history of the candidates in this election campaign of New Jersey? Taking the outstanding candidate of organ- ized capital, Mr. Dwight W. Morrow, as the choice of Wall Street, combines ideally all the necessary qualities of an imperialist-fas- cist statesman who hails from their top ranks. His banker-imperialist qualities are being proudly enumerated in his campaign, His part in the last world war was so con- siderable that Dawes wrote, “Dwight W. Mor- row was a man who, without accepting a military position performed work of great military and economic value to the A.E.F. and to the Allies.” In 1925 he was elected chairman of the aircraft board and drafted the military air- craft policy for American imperialism, As ambassador to Mexico he firmly cemented the relations between Wall Street and the petty-bourgeois fascist government of Mexico | and tried to smash the Mexican labor movement whose fight menaced the profits of Wall Street. He ordered Rubio to declare the Communist - Party of Mexico illegal. He ordered the breaking off of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the Mexican govern- ment, The role of the A. F. of L. in this elec- tion campaign is very significant. Apart from the declaration of Mr. Green at the Atlantic City Convention of the A. F. of L. on the 2.75 per cent beer, the New Jersey A. F. of L. openly supports Mr. Morrow. The Communist Party is the only Part which is coming to the forefront of the work ing masses with their burning needs and de mands, The Comunist Party in New Jer sey ‘has proven its leadership of the work ing class through the participation in all the struggles of the workers against the exploit- ing ruling class. through struggle under the leadership of the Communist Party, A Lesson For the November Elections, The Detroit Party has learned a lesson, and will utilize its new experiences and correct its shortcomings during the congressional and gubernatorial elections, The chief lesson of our Party is to giye flesh and blood to our slogans, to overcome the organizational weak- nesses, to build shop committees and the Auto Workers’ Union, to free itself from the old socialist methods of election work, to con- centrate on the shop and factories and will also learn that the election campaign is not something separate but closely connected with all the campaigns of the Party. Let the other districts and the Party bene- fit by our experience, while there is still time for the November elections. the doubled energy of the Communist Party in leading the workers in struggle and expos- ing Murphy, the workers of Detroit will turn their resistance in revolutionary channels and see that the only way to get anything is VOTE COMMUNIST! Box Cars in Anaconda’s State Montana, known as the Tr like all other sections of this co ing exploited by the profiteers. sources of the state are owned by capitalist absentee-owners who drive Montana worl ers to the limit and pile up profits for themselves. It is evident that the conditions of the workers are getting worse, as the population of the state has decreased very rapidl, ‘or some. time past. Anaconda has put thru two wage cuts of 10% each. Farme as well as industrial workers have been the vic- tims of the profit system. Capitalist r tionalization and the speed-up system are responsible for the large armies .of unem- ployed. Entire families are beating their way in box cars, roaming from place to place in the search of employment and food. W. ers by the thousands live in the jungles like wild anima and by far in worse conditions than the former savages who once roamed the state. Copper Trust Controls Government The Montana Development Association, the political well as the open-shop mia- chinery, organized by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., and the Montana Power Co., for the purpose of controlling the entire state politically and industrially. Every newspa- per of any importance is either owned or controlled by these two blood-sucking organ- izations, who have misled the people of this section against their own interests. Since the Daily Worker has exposed the capitalist treachery, the workers of this state have awakened and joined the Communist Party in large numbers. Workers and Poor Farmers Support Communist Party From the interest taken by the workers in the Communist Party State Convention which was held at Bytte on Aug. 5th, it looks.as though there is a rebuke in store for the capitalist political parties which is composed of gun-men, gambling-house proprietors, shyster lawyers and curb-stone real estate sharks who only serve the master class. Only the Communist Party platform offers the workers and poor farmers a program which includes the extermination of the profit sys- tem. It points out that the Smoot-Hawley tariff does not and cannot relieve or prevent unemployment; but by maintaining monopoly prices it increases the misery of the unem- ployed. The State Central Committee of the Com- munist Party is sparing nothing in this cam- | paign which will get before the toiling mass¢ well | th the workers’ program . Ella Reeve Bloor, nown Communist orator, is assisting in e political campaign, as well as the have been chosen by the L. WRIGHT Dist. Org. of Dist. 18, Butte, Mont. Cardidate for U. S. Senator WILLS convention, such as Willis L, Wright, nominee for United States Senator. Edward Mack Wood, nominee for Rail Road and Public service Commissioner and others. Every city and hamlet will be visited by speakers and organizers who will appeal to the workers to make the election campaign a battlefield for the struggle in their living interests against the profit interests of the bosses. Party’s Demand Some of the outstanding demands in this campaign are “Social Insurance” for the un- employed. “Hands off China” and the with- drawal of the United States Marines from Nicaragua, Haiti, Cuba and the Philippines. The immediate and unconditional recognition of the Soviet Government, and the defense of the Soviet Union, and many other demands for the benefit of the workers as a whole. In view of such a program the campaign com- mittee urges every class-conscious worker to assist morally and financially in the effort to build the Communist movement. Send all communications and financial aid to the Communist Party, Box No. 31, Butte, Montana, The Election Campaign in Colorado The primary election is drawing near and | | what a sight for the workers to behold. What a farce the whole campaign is. At the present moment the attention of the voters is held by W. H. Hodges and George H. Shaw, both con- tenders for the republican nomination for the U. S. Senate. The usual amount of buncombe has been spread over the front pages of the kept press. Both candidates are for the “peepul.” It has been a whirlwind campaign from the very beginning. Seemingly it is a bitter right, marked by charges of fraud and graft and by bitter personal attacks.- I say seemingly, be- cause right after the primary election, the hatchet is buried, both of these tools of capital- sism will shake hands and combine in an on- saught on the activities of the ommunist Party which is the only party making an issue of the problems which are confronting the working class. Hokum. For weeks the newspapers have been herald- ing the merits and demerits of the opposing candidates. Eac hone has been attacking the other as in the pay of big corporatfon interests. Yet it is a known fact that both of them are in the pay of the same corporation. Shaw is general counsel for the Pubile Service Co. of Colorado and Hodges, the opposing candidate, is under retainer by the same company. Bitter as the fight is. the campaign has been left without a major point at issue. Noth- ing concerning the welfare of the working class has been touched upon. Not a word about unemployment. On the contrary, the news- papers lately have been proclaiming that here in Colorado there is very little unemployment. By faked fiures they are trying to make us believe that the country wide depression has not affected us. This in spite of the fact that thousands of workers every day are pounding the pavements in a vain hunt for jobs. Work- ing men and women are actually without food and.are forced to beg from house to house for something to eat. Hundreds are\ begging in- dividual store keepers for any kind of an odd job just to get a meal and a flop and yet the newspapers are trying to picture Colorado as an oasis in the desert. Not a word during the whole campaign about unemployment insurance, aliout old age pensions, Senator Phipps who has been in the senate for twelve years and made his’ millions in -the steel mills of Pennsylvania is retiring in favor of Hodges. Is it any wonder that Hodges in his campaign has nothing to say about the miserable working conditions in Colorado mills, about the long hours and terrific speed up system in use.? Not a word from either of the candidates about the deplorable conditions in the coal mines, not a word about the inhuman workirg conditions of the beet workers, how whole fam- ilies, man and wives, and children of tender years are working in the fields from sun up to sun down for a mere pittance. The sight of the hovels they live in would make anyone sick at heart. “Ail” Money Flows. In order to cover up and make the workers forget their miseries, prohibition is being made the main issue. Both candidates are wet and both are trying to get the dry vote. Bitter personalities are being indulged in over activ- ities of the Anti-Saloon league. The Rev. A. J. Finch. head of the anti-saloon league is also president of some wild cat oil company. The candidates who buys more of his wild cat oil company stock gets the support of the league. Just now Hodges has their endorsement. As is usual in their fights between them- selves vast amounts of mone yare being spent. Although the Colorado law pecifically limits expenditures of a candidate to $5,000, many times that amount has been spent by each one. Startling revelations are predicted when the senate appoints its committee to investigate these huge expenditures. We know what comes of these investigations. It is evident that under the capitalist system a seat in the seiate is worth all the money that can be pent to obtain it. So much for the Republican Party. On the other side of the fence we have the spectacle of the Democrats putting forward among their candidates, Edward P. Costigan, a progressive, who uses left phrases to fool the wrkers into voting for him. Just now he is promising everybody everything. One of the fake labor papers in backing him states “on the great issues of the day, unemployment, farm-relief, tariff and power. he is with the people.” i But there is the rub, the people to Costigan is not you and I, the down trodden working class. As attorney for the Rocky Mountain Fuel Co. he had nothing to say about the massacre at one of their mines, the “Columbine,” when the workers were on strike for a living wage. He favors some kind of a bonus for the beet grwers assciation but has nothing to say about the extremely poor pay of the beet. workers, His backers claim that he-is a born gentleman. , What the workers want to represent them in Congress is not a born gentlement but a work- ing man who understands their needs. Costi- gan is a liberal who would like to patch up the rotten ystem in its most festered spots. But as rotten as the system i, he i for it. Besides backing Costigan for Congress the American Federation of Labor is boosting Governor “Bil- Adams to succeed himself. The same | Governor Adams who called out the militia in the coal strike to shoot down the workers in cold blood, Nothing to Offer The workers of Colorado. thhe Poor tenant farmers of Colorado are beginning to realize that the two maor parties have nothing to offer them. The battle amongst themselves is only to throw sand in the eyes of the workers. The Communist Party is the only party fight- ing on the political field and the industrial field for the sole benefit of the working class. Our Candidates fr office ate making a strong political campaign and judging from the re- sponse of the workers, we expect to make the lackeys of big business fear for their soft political jobs, |