The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 4, 1930, Page 4

Published by the Com: Page Four 18th Street, New York Address and mail all ch: prodaily Publishing Co., Inc., dai City, N. ¥. Telephone Algonquin 7 -7. Cable: except Sunday, at 50 East “DAIWORK.” 's to the Daily Worker, 50 East 13th Street, New York, N. Y. Dail Central Org HELP. THE GERM AN METAL THE ‘BOSSES’ WATCHDOG WORKERS STRIKE! JOINT DECLARATION Of The Trade Union Unity League and Workers Internationa Reief on the German Metal Workers Strike INCE October 13th, 140,000 German metal workers are on strike in Berlin. The gov- | ernment arbitration imposed a wage cut of 8 per cent. At the same time, it was proposed to introduce part time work in a number of work shops whereby the unemployed situation hhad been considerably aggravated. While the reformist leadership of the trade unions and the social democratic lackeys of the government did everything to retain the metal workers of Berlin from their strike-move- ment, the workers followed the call of the lead- ers of the trade union opposition and started their action a nst the resistance and open ‘al of the reformist, social fascist bureauc- > racy. The 140,000 metal workers not only opposed the 8 per cent wage cut, but immediately arew up the following demands 1, Against every cent of wage cuts 2. For the 7 hour day and 40 hour week. 3. Twenty pfennig wage increase. 4. Equal pay for equal work for women and youth. 5. Bread and work for the unemployed. The attempts on the part of the officials of the metal workers union to sell-out the workers, ‘was answered by the striking metal workers in Berlin by closer solidarity and increased strike action. The great battle of the Berlin metal workers was from the beginning, subject to all attempts of disintegration by the social reformists who were in permanent secret conferences with the government, the minister of labor, and other fascist agents of the bosses. They agreed on October 20th to the proposal that the arbitration imposing 8 per cent wage cut reduction shall be cancelled and a new arbitration proceedure started with the aim to impose a 4 or 5 per cent reduction. ‘This attempt of discrimination and treacher- | ous policy of sell-out was unanimously rejected by the whole fighting front of the striking metal workers. “ ‘Then again on October 28th, confronted with this revolutionary upsurge on the part of these metal workers, the reformist leaders of the metal workers union agreed to the proposal that the arbitration shall be postponed and the work immediately resumed in all workshops. This was nothing also but another scheme to break down the heroic struggle of those striking metal workers and, on the basis of this, force upon | the workers the new proposa! of the govern- ment reformist leadership of taking a referen- dum among the organized section of the work- ers who are on strike. It must be understood that many thousands of strikers are not members of the metal workers union and, according to the proposal of these officials, these thousands of workers who are nized and part of the revolutionary wing, would therefore be deprived of participating in the referendum. In view of this, the officials of the metal workers union expect to receive a sufficient amount of votes to force their treach- erous program of sell-out upon these strikers. Whatever the outcome of the reformist referen- dum might be, it is clear that it is proposed be- cause of the obvious refusal on the part of the masses to give way before the onslaught of the metal bosses. The strike of the metal workers in Berlin | against this 8 per cent wage cut is not an isolated thing in itself, but part of the growing revolu- tionary movement which is developing in all fields of German industry. | On the first of November, the collevtice agree- ment will expire in the basic industries of Berlin, and 500,000 workers will be confronted | with the wage cut and closing down campaign of the bosses. This gives the present metal workers struggle an unlimited political perspective. If the Ger- man metal workers will be able to continue to fight, they will not only defeat the attempts to reduce the already unbearable conditions to absolute starvation, but they also will face the attack of fascism in Germany with a sweeping revolutionary offensive of the workers, the poli- tical importance of which will reach far beyond the German frontiers and will become a land- mark of the revolutionary upsurge in the inter- | national movement. This strike on the part of the 140,000 metal workers is a challenge of the fascist Bruening cabinet to force upon the workers in Germany the Young Plan of Wall Street. The metal workers made a start and they will be followed by increased revolutionary mass movements on the part of the German working class. The T.U.U.L. and the W.LR. therefore, calls upon the American workers to support with all fellow workers. The workers of the United States must see that the struggle of the Ger- man workers is their own struggle, in fighting unemployment, wage cuts, and the whole system of rationalization. It is, therefore, necessary that in evry trade union, in every factory and workshop, commit- tees of action, and in solidarity for the German metal strikers, will be organized to help the German workers in the present and coming struggles. Program of Action. 1, A committee of action shall be created in every industrial center. The committee shall be composed of representatives of the T.U.U.L. district center, of the metal workers industrial possible effort, the struggle of their German league, of the W.LR., and if possible, represen- | tatives of the biggest workshops in the most | important working class localities. The com- | mittecs are to call immediately, mass meetings to popularize the significance of the German | metal workers strike and the revolutionary con- flicts which are developing all over Germany against the fascist ruling class. 2. A conference shall be called for the earli- est possible date in order to bring the solidarity | action into the major organizations of the work- ing class. The speakers sent out by these con ferences shall cover every important demonstra- tion, meetings and affairs organized by working class organizations. Special efforts shall be made to build up or- ganization among the German working class in this country. 3. The Metal Workers’ Industrial League of the T.U.U.L. shall immediately work out a pro-. gram of action in order to become the driving force in the building up of material relief for | these striking metal workers. | 4. The Metal Workers’ Industrial League must. make an extreme attempt to utilize this situa- tion for building up class solidarity between | the metal and steel workers in the United States and the striking metal workers in,Germany. 5. The conferences are to set dates for a soli- darity day during which collections shall be taken in all possible fields of a working class character. 6. All money collected is to be sent immedi- ately to the National Office of the W.LR., from where it will be sent to the German metal workers by the Joint Committee of the T.U.ULL., Metal Workers’ Industrial League and the Work- ers’ International Relief. National Bureau, T.U.U.L. John Schmiess Metal Workers’ Industrial League Andrew Overgaard Workers’ International Relief Louis Gibarti Boss Parties Expose Each Other. As Enemies By CYRIL BRIGGS S the various state election campaigns enter the final week, the Negro workers are afforded the illuminating sppectacle of three opposing groups of Negro misleaders engaged in a bitter attack on the political parties of the capitalist oppressors (republican, democratic, “socialist”), | but with each group of misleaders putting for- ward its claims for one or other of these enemy parties as the “least unfriendly” and “the lesser evil.” So thoroughly have the bosses parties | exposed their hostility to the Negro masses that | this is the best that the Negro misleaders can do for their capitalist masters, alternating this tactic with the other even more hypocritical tactic of telling the Negro masses to vote for “men and measures” and not bother about the political parties, by which, as everybody knows, the men and measures are controlled. A Battle Royal Between Traitors. It is a battle royal, in the prize ring sense, between three sets of traitors to see which gang will have most success in betraying the Negro ‘ masses into the hands of their enemies by cajol- ing Negro voters to cast their votes for the parties of their capitalist oppressors. It is a sorry spectacle that each gang makes of each other's favored group of oppressors. For instance, over in Illinois, the jim-crow republicans have dug up the following anti- Negro statements by democratic leaders of state and national calibre: Hatred of the Negro Masses. “So long as I have breath to speak I shall raise my voice to prevent criminal Negroes from lord- ing it over christian white men.” And again: “I want just a community here, but before god, this is a white man’s government.” These two statements were made not by Heflin of Alabama | but by Jim Hamilton Lewis, of Illinois. And backing him, as the jim-crow republicans ef- fectively show, were two other prominent demo- cratic leaders: Michael Igoe and Francis Busch. Busch summarizing for both Lewis and Igoe, with the statement, “I stand right where Mr. Igoe and Senator Lewis stand, that this is and should be a white man’s government.” In New York, the Amsterdam News leads the local jim-crow republicans in an attack on the democrats and their jim-crow tools, exposing ~ Governor Roosevelt as the author, while Sec- retary of the Navy, of an orcr establishing jim-crowism in the toilets of the State, War and Navy Department buildings. i On the other hand, the jim-crow democrats | state organizations, such as Indiana, and the | personal fortune and advancement by betraying of Negroes are not lacking in ammunition to hurl at their competing traitors. Among other things are mentioned the silence of Hoover on the lynching terror of the bosses against the Negro workers, | the bitter insult to the Negro masses in the jim-crowing of the Gold Cross mothers, the | republican failure to enforce the 14th and 15th amendments in the South; Hoover's bid for | southern lily-white support; Hoover's alliance with the Klan during the last presidential elec- tion; Ku Klux Klan control of several republican support being given Heflin in Alabama by the republicans who declined to put up a candidate in order to help Heflin, who backed Hoover in the last presidential election. “Socialists” Thoroly Exposed. And in the sharpened struggle, the “socialists” have repeatedly exposed their treachery. Preach- ing equality in the North, they have practised’, the most wanton jim-crowism in the South, and | even in New York City where they have a jim- crow “socialist” party headed by Frank Cross- | waith, and in New Jersey, where in most places there are “Negro branches” of the “socialist” | party. And in Texas, the “socialists” had the nerve to advise the Communist Party to avoid the Negro issue as they—the treacherous, yellow- bellied “socialists’—have done! In neither of these camps is there any dis- position to combat the oppression of the Negro masses, but simply the determination to achieve these masses. Only the Communist Party fights Negro op- pression. Only the Communist Party fights jim-crowism and for full political, economic and social equality for the Negro masses. Only the Communist Party refuses to compromise on its demands for Negro liberation and equality. The Communist Party is the only party of the work- ing class, the Negro workers equally with the white workers. Negro and white workers are in its leadership. Negro workers! Repudiate the misleaders! Strike a smashing blow against the boss op- pressors on November 4. Vote Communist! Sup- port the struggle for social insurance for the unemployed workers. Fight against imperialist wars. Defend the Soviet Union, the only father- land of the workers! Vote Communist! i $ Yorker Porty U.S.A By mail everywhe: of Manhattan and Bronx, New York City. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: re: One year, $6; six months, $3; two months, $1; excepting Boroughs Foreign: One year, $8; six months, $4.50 By BURCK Socal ss7 Presa News Item:—Chief of Police Mulrooney of N. Y. Posts 7,000 sluggers to make sure the unemployed are not too insistent upon unem- ployment insurance. FIGHT FOR THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BILL! oo Grech é VOTE EVERY HAMMER AND SICKLE! Increasing Accidents in the Pennsylvania Mines By K. KEMENOVICH Pittsburgh papers carried the following laconic story: “Brownsville, Pa., Oct. 24—Infection re- | sulting from a bruised knee, suffered at work caused the death of Samuel R. Twell, Nama- colin miner. He leaves wife and ten children.” Stories’ of this type appear every day in the papers in the mining towns. Only they are not displayed on the front page but stuck away on the fifteenth or twentieth page, among the ad- vertising, where only those interested in. such news will find it. Only when there are from a dozen to scores of miners blown to dust by an explosion will the papers display it where it is | possible to find it. According to the statement of the Pennsyl- vania Department of Labor, this year has been devoid of any major accidents, that is explosions, yet, for the first six months 406 miners were killed outright and there were 23,134 non-fatal accidents in the mines in the state. The figures of the Department of Labor, however, do not state how many of the “non-fatal” accidents be- came fatal later, as was with the case of Samuel R. Twell. Neither does the department specify how many of the non-fatal accidents were to- tally disabled, losing both eyes, arms or legs or have had their back broken, their chest or hips smashed so badly that they are permanently laid up in bed. We cannot learn from the report of the department how mahy miners died from typhoid fever, blood poisoning, tuberculosis, etc. All sicknesses and deaths being a direct result of the working in the mines and living in un- healthy company towns. No mention is made of how many miners suffer with the miners’ asthma and other permanent occupational di- seases. Were we to know all of this, we are certain that the figure of 406 deaths is mislead- ing and that the deaths would be doubled and tripled. This is not the task of the Labor Department! No, its task is to whitewash the coal companies, to cover up the real facts, and through mislead- ing figures to make the workers believe that things are not so bad. This we know from the past. When the Labor Department, whitewashed the corporations in the explosions that killed 200 men at Mather, over 100 men in Kinlock, a dozen or so at Gates, etc. The Department of Labor is supposed to have inspectors who make regular inspections of the mines and on the basis of their findings enforce the “safety first” rule. The inspectors, however, are former man- agers of various mines, and receive their ap- pointments through the good graces of the-coal companies, depending on the political machines for reappointments. Certainly these mine in- spectors fail to observe any unsafe practices of the coal companies. There is a practice by the mine inspectors to chalk up a cross everywhere that they wish to have the roof strengthened by timbers. Some of these crosses are wiped clean the same day by the company men under instruction of com- pany bosses; other crosses remain on the roof for years, but no timbers. Results are that hun- dreds of men.are killed or maimed at the very spot where the inspector demanded additional support to the weakened roof. During the life of the UMWA these inspec- tions and the inspectors were not influenced by the organization. The union officials, playing the political game of the two old parties, never protested against appointments of the bosses. When the progressives presented resolutions be- fore the union conventions demanding that union fights for election of inspectors by the miners, these resolutions were fought and shelved by the officials. The union did succeed to get some of the high officials appointed to the Department of Labor Bureau of Mines, and these fakers used their positions to further chain the miners to the bosses through various schemes. The Mine, Oil and Smelter Workers Industrial Union on the other hand, demands that all the mine inspectors be elected by the miners and right to recall be left in the hands of the miners and not in the hands of politicians. Further, the union demands that the inspectors have the right of closing unsafe mines or sections immed- diately on discovering the dangerous practices of the bosses. The union will fight for laws and rules that will permit the penalization of the greedy corporations for accidents which are due solely to the neglect of the company to make the mines as safe as possible. Our union fights for rock-dusting, timbering, good air, clean tracks and any other means that will insure safety for the mine workers, By LENA ROSENBERG EHIGH VALLEY has quiet a variety of city ad- ministrations, beginning with the vicious terror stricken. Bethlehem down to the “socialist Reading.” In Bethlehem the conditions of the workers are daily growing worse. Every day brings new lay-offs, cuts in the rates and cuts in time of work, which means wage-cuts, since when & worker is forced to go on a two day a week work instead of three it means that much less money. While Schwab talks about the wonders of science has done, there is developing a sentement among the Bethlehem Steel workers against new ma- chinery. Just as at the beginning of the machine age in Europe the workers cursed and attempted to destroy the machines that haye thrown them out of their homes and caused them starvation and ‘misery, so do the workers in Bethlehem talk about machines being the cause of them losing their homes, the cause of starvation for them- selves and their families. What the Bethlehem steel workers must realize is, that not the ma- chines are stealing their homes and bread, but Schwab and Grace through the ownership of those machines. In an address to the American Iron and Steel Institute Mr. Schwab said that 6 months ago he promised not to cut wages, and he didn't, nor does he have any intentions of cutting them now. Only about a month ago among the many operations on which rates were cut, there was one operation for which they received $2.90, this operation was cut to $2. This happened in Steel Works Open Hearth No. 3. In letters from workers to the Bethlehem Steel worker, issued by the Communist Party Shop Nucleus we are told that on many operations, they can’t even make the day rate which is 4314 cents an hour. In the same address he states “The past 12 months are the first real test we have had of our new American prosperity—by which I mean the basic factors underlying our higher standards of living, including mass production and dis- tribution and high wages,” (emphasis mine L. R.) Does Mr. Schwab mean the high wages of him- self and Mr. Grace? or does: he consider the $7 a week on which many of his slaves are forced to live, high wages? In order to keep the Bethlehem workers from learning the truth about the causes of their mis- erable conditions, the CityAdministration is en- forcing a reign of terror. When we applied for a permit to hold a Communist Election meeting in Bethlehem the mayor gave it to us, providing of course nothing is said against “our institu- tions, etc.” However, a day or so before the meeting a rumor was issued from police head- quarters to the effect that the hall would be raided. Thus while forced to keep up a semb- lance of free speech the administration has man- aged to scare the workers away from the meet- ing. In Allentown we have a so-called “liberal” ad- ministration. This simply means that instead of open terrorism like in the case of Bethlehem, they try other means of preventing the Commu- nist Party from bringing the true facts to the workers. Such as the arrest and conviction of the Communist speakers on September first on a pretext of them not having formally applied for a permit. However when a permit was ap- plied for, they named about half a dozen relief societies, which never have any meetings on the Square who presumably have standing permits for every evening in the week, and therefore the Communists cannot get the Square on any evening. ‘There are over 10,000 workers unemployed here. The largest factories, the International Motor Co., and the Wire and Steel Mill work their men only from one to three days a week. The silk mills are also mostly working part-time and those that work full time have cut the wages to such a degree that weavers who have been making as high as $45 and $50 a week, now work two weeks for from $25 to $35 for @ full time of from 46 to 50 hours a week. In the Arcadia Knitting Mill women work for as low as $7 a week. In the dye house they work from 6 in the morning till 9 at night often including Sundays. They get all sorts of deceases but they dare not leave for fear of having to go without work. It it any wonder that this so called liberal admin- istration of Allentown which 1s controlled by Mr. ‘Trexler who makes the workers slave for 15 cents Why Every Lehigh Valley Worker Should Vote Communist an hour for him, try to keep the Communists from organizing the workers of Allentown? As for Reading the “socialist city,” it is esbi- mated that there are at least 15,000 workers un- employed, getting no relief at all. Wages are being slashed everywhere wita the help of the socialists, The hosiery workers who make up bulk of the workers in Reading, have been the aristocrats of the textile workers making as hign as $75 and even $100 at times, are now forced to work for as low as $25 a week, and even less. In the railway repair shops employing about 5,000 workers men are working for as low as 35 cents an hour only from 2 to 4 days.a wek. ‘We cannot however say that Mayor Stump the “socialist Mayor” is doing- nothing, for our at- tention was called to the fact that since he has been elected Mayor he attends church, although before he became Mayor he did not do so. We may therefore assume that he is doing it to pray to god for relief of the unemployed. However outside of that and the fact that he forced the workers from the Rosedale Hosiery mills to ac- cept. a wage cut, although the workers were ready to strike against it, he has done nothing. In some cases the socialists of Reading true to their kind, have -proven to be even better watch dogs of the capitalists’ profits than the leaders of the open capitalist parties. Before Stump be- came Mayor a permit was obtained for a tag Stump was asked for such a permit to raise funds for the Gastonia strikers, he even went to the trouble of sending a letter to the committee in- forming them that they cannot have the permit, in the “best interests of the community.” When the socialists are reminded by the workers at their meetings about their promises to the unem- ployed workers, etc., they.have a good alibi. That is that the other two capitalist parties who formerly ran the administration went into debts that it would take them 8 years to get out of, can have their relief. What is 8 years to an un- employed worker with an empty stomach? But then how should the socialists know? They are well paid for their treachery to the American workers! The workers in Lehigh Valley have learned particularly this year that it is Sheriff’s sales, unemployment and miserably low wages that break up their homes and families, not the Com- munists as the capitalist politicians and the so- cialist traitors want them to believe. To fight against this misery, we must also vote for the Communist Party. The only Party that doesn’t just talk against these conditions but or- ganizes and leads the workers into strikes and demonstrations against them. It is this fact that makes the capitalists and their government bodies fight against the Communist Party, no matter whether these government bodies are con- trolled by the republican, democrat or socialist crooks. This should be sufficient proof to the Lehigh Valley workers and farmers that the Communists are on the level. For this reason every worker and farmer in Lehigh Valley should Vote Communist on November 4. Today in Workers’ History November 4, 1774—Declaration of Rights issued in America; preparing way for Re- volution. 1839—Five killed when troops fired on 15,000 men seeking to free Henry Vincent, miner and Chartist leader, at Newport, Wales. 1916—Gas explosion in coal mine at Palos, Ala., 30 killed. 1918— Red flag hoisted on German war fleet by revolutionary sailors. 1925 — Ninety thousand Austrian government workers won 28 per cent wage raise by threat to strike. 1926—Alexandra Kollontay, Soviet Russian ambassador to Mexico, barred from United States in transit. Vote Communist! day to raise funds for the striking miners. When | after that the unemployed workers of Reading | rr SS aE I RE By JORGE ee Election Notes The N. Y. Times, practising the usual dis- crimination against us, has provided for @ searchlight to play on the heavens to announce the election result for Governor of New York State. The light is to point north if Roosevelt is elected, and south if Tuttle is elected, but the sons of guns say nothing about what way the light will point if Foster is elected. Just like the Times! * * A republican speaker cajoling a small crowd of very evident workers on the lower East Side of New York, where the average wage is not higher than $17 a week was solemnly telling them: “Hoover was warning you last year against stock speculation. But you wouldn’t pay any attention. You went right ahead gambling in stock and you went too far and the whole thing blew up on you. How you'll have to get down to hard work and stop trying to get something without working for it.” A speaker for the “socialist” party in Panken’s district was trying to be practical. In casting a spell over an audience on the street, he sang out: \ “The socialist party asks you to vote for the bill providing for building new and bigger insane asylums. We've got to have ’em!” Unemployed? Come on Let’s Go to Lunch ‘The delectable bunch of manicured hypocrites who carry the “League for Industrial Democ- racy” around with them as a disguise for the alleged “socialist” party, have been springing a new one or two. A recent circular letter opens up with the words: “Unemployment—offers a challenge to each and every one of us.” Then the second line reads: “This is the subject for our first luncheon this year on Noy. 8th.” So unemployment “challenges” Norman Thomas, who is Executive Director of this League for Industrial Democracy, and he answers: “I take your dare. We'll all go to lunch.” It is the “first luncheon this year.” but workers shouldn't think that Thomas. has been going hungry like the unemployed have. Oh, no! But the rest of this “invitation to lunch” is | the main point. And the reader will kindly keep in mind the fact that Norman Thomas, head of the “socialist” party, which is supposed to be “attacking” Tammany for not doing enough for the unemployed, announces, as head | of the League for Industrial Democracy, that: “A program to meet the emergency in New York City wil be presented by”—and then, we see the name of Mr. Rybicki, the aged-in-the- wood Tammany Director of the City Employ- ment Bureau. So, after all the “socialists” accept Tammany’s program. Majesty of Law No doubt you have heard somewhere that the Prohibition Law doesn’t work very well. But down in Philadelphia, among the whole popula- tion of bootleggers, the majesty of the law is enforced. Mrs. Cora Siemmer, 55 years old, a widow with fourteen children, living at 1607 Frankford Avenue, was arrested. Her home was raided by the police because she was selling liquor. She | admitted it, the papers say—‘“declaring she had | to or starve with her children.” Nice country! Wonderful capitalist system! A Graphic Illustration In the village of New York, there is a swill- barrel newspaper called “‘The Graphic,” one of the many publications of Bernard McFadden, the great “health” expert, who is so wealthy he has money to burn. We are informed that the reason the “Graphic” has lately been talking a lot about | unemployment, is that it “helps circulation.” So | one of the editors said, and so the “Graphic” | is weeping gobs of ink over the sufferings of the jobless and telling how everybody should give the unemployed jobs. But just last Friday the Graphic fired seven men out of its sporting department. j i | Juries | Some workers, perhaps, still think that they get a “fair trial” if they can get a jury instead of a capitalist judge to hear their side. This is wrong, because the whole capitalist judicial system is stacked against the workers in arly case involving class interests. But if there remains a slim chance at an “even break,” we want to tell you that the capitalists, are plotting to take away even that. First, recall the Los Angeles case, where a juror was indicted for refusing to vote “guilty” against the leaders of an unemployed demon- stration, though it is the perfect right of @ juror to vote anyway he wants to. To plug up this hole through which some worker might escape class revenge, the Amer- ican Law Institute—“composed of prominent members of the bench and bar’—we are told, meeting at Chicago, have proposed that all states adopt a new system of jury rules, among which are these: 1. In case of felony, other than capital, a verdict of ten out of twelve jurors is enough |, to sotd you «. ‘98 cf misdemeanors, eight out of twelve. i 2. Except in cases where death may be ime posed, the defendant may waive trial by jury. (The “may” is to be determined by how hard the blackjacks are used in “persuading” friend- less and defenseless workers to “waive”. their right to a jury and leave their fate to a judge). 3. An indictment is not necessary, and pro- secution can be based upon “information” only. If there is an indictment, objections to it are practically wiped out. And finally, the peremp- tory challenges of prospective jurors are reduced to so few as to be ineffective in preventing a frame-up jury. Workers, take warning! If this goes through, one of those “sacred rights” for which the “founding fathers” battled at Valley Forge, will be put in the museum by the developing prepar- ations for a fascist regime in this fair land of J. P, Morgan. ae ee