The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 18, 1931, Page 1

Spread the Dressmakers General Strike ! The Unemployed Councils Are the Fighting Organizations for Immediate Relief and Unem- ployment Insurance for the Unemployed Workers. Or- ganize Them Everywhere Vol. VIII, No. 43 at New York, N. Y. The Spanish Maneuver SHALL try to carry out your majesty’s wishes,” said Jose Sanchez Guerra, on receiving from king Alfonso of Spain the order to form a cabinet. The bourgeois press calls the action of king Alfonso a “daring and astute move.” Sanchez Guerra has been a staunch opponent of Alfonso for many years. He is considered as representing the left wing of the bourgeoisie. He agreed to form a cabinet under condition that the king “take a vacation” while a constituent assembly (constituent. cortes) is deciding the form of government for Spain. The bourgeois press admires this “gesture” as unprecedented in history. Alfonso’s action is supposed to “facilitate the constitutional reforms sought by the left groups.” in Spain on the one hand, to save as many feudal privileges within the trame-work of capitalism on the other. Spain is in the midst of a strong revolutionary movement. The masses of the workers, after eight years of open fascist dictatorship, have been aroused by unemployment, hunger and starvation to broad mass revolutionary action. Spain has been shaken from end to end by strikes, demonstrations, and sporadic uprisings under- taken often in defiance of the advice of the social-reformists in the right wing trade unions and in the socialist party. The movement has been gaining momentum. The Communist Party, small as it still is, began to influence broad masses of the workers in the unions controlled by the anarcho-syndicalists and socialists. A situation has been created where the further development of the movement means a death blow to the state machinery of capitalism, the establishment of a proletarian dicta- torship under a Soviet system. . It was this rising tide of the proletarian revolutionary movement that ted the bourgeoisie to action. Under the Rivera and Berenguer governments the bourgeois dictatorship was too naked, too obvious for the masses. It was necessary to throw a cloak of “democracy”. around its hideous body, The various bourgeois factions differ as to the form and degree of bourgeois democracy which is to be accorded the Spanish masses, the bourgeois left wing going even as far as demanding a republic after the American pattern. For a year the king was vacillating between open fascism and fascism covered with democratic appearances. In the mean- time the revolutionary movement was broadening. There are signs of stir strike was scheduled to break out, Alfonso, obedient servant of the land- lords and capitalists, made his “daring gesture.” He entrusted a political enemy from the camp of the bourgeoisie with forming a “reyolutionary” cabinet. He even promises to step aside and wait for the decisions of the constituent assembly. The manoeuvre is successful as far as it is meant to unite the bour- geoisie. Mr. Guerra visited the prison and talked to the representative of the bourgeois republican, Aloala. Zamora. -The Jatter;“on~his- own hey half and on behalf of the Socialists, who are working hand in hand with the republicans, issued a statement to the effect that they are going to support the new cabinet. They will not join the cabinet officially, but they will support the new government which, they say, “although ap- pointed by the king, became possible only because of the revolutionaries who were in power behind the scenes.” When these gentlemen speak of “revolutionaries” they have in mind all the elements of the bourgeoisie av? ‘'s so-=4e e-n'me to defend capitalism against the workers by means of democratic shams, . * Thése elements seem now to be united with all the other factions of the bourgeoisie. The new cabinet is created to betray the masses, to fool them by the appearance of political reforms. It is assumed by the leaders that while the constituent assembly is in session and while it is discussing all sorts of reforms, the workers will not renew their revolutionary gc- tivities. It is also assumed that due to the formation of a united front of the bourgeoisie, the bourgeois dictatorship will be placed on a new basis so that when the constituent assembly has accomplished its task the exploiters will be ‘n a better position to fight the workers. Wiat is attempted in Spain is a repitition of what happened in France, Germany and other European countries in 1848, where the masses headed by the workers fought against the old system and the bourgeoisie reaped the fruit of victory gaining the possibility to exploit the workers for years Yo come, It is the task of the working class of Spain to frustrate the expecta- tions. It is the task of the Communist Party of Spain to mobilize the workers for further revolutionary action, to stimulate the revolutionary movement of the peasant masses, to form a united front of the workers and the poor peasants and to march from victory to victory until a dic- tatorship of the proletariat is established. The bourgeoisie of Spain is trying a manoeuvre oft repeated in the history of revolutions. Times have changed, however. We are living in the third post-war period of capitalism. The U.S.S.R., is making tremen- dous strides on the road to Socialism. The Soviets of China are a fact. ‘The revolutionary movement is spreading like wildfire thruout the colonial world. The support of the workers of the world for the Spanish prole- tariat is assured. With correct leadership, using the correct slogans and following the Leninist line of the Comintern, the Communist Party of Spain will be able to do away not only with the monarchy but also with YONKERS POLICE THUGS BEAT FUR- NITURE STRIKERS ATTACK JOBLESS } NEW YORK.—The Commercial Upholstery Shop bosses are using | workers responded to the call of the gangsters against their striking work- | Trade Union Unity League and came out in a mass demonstration for im- e:s who are picketing the shop which is situated at Rockaway and New-| mediate relief in Yonkers at 12 noon yesterday. | port Aves., Brooklyn, | Yesterday morning when only six| The police squad had detectives | or seven pickets were left on the|‘sguised as workers and as soon picket line, five gangsters made an | 8 the speakers arose to address the crowd they were pounced upon and attack on them, beating up one of ‘ ei | the pickets. Although severely slashed | beaten by the “supposed workers”. WORLD WIDE D The move on the part of Alfonso is a manoeuvre to save capitalism | awakening among the masses of the peasants. On the day when a general | (Section of the Communist Entered as seccnd class matter at the Post Office @gpp2l under the act of March 3, 179 Interna Thousands of Worker, tional) NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1931 Workers Pr MASS PICKETING EXTENDS STRIKE Seores of ILGWU Shops Join Walkout NEW YORK —Great enthusiasm here marked the fitst day of what will certainly be known as the his- toric strike of the New York dress- makers for the elimination of sweat- shop conditions. Ten halls throughout the city were required to house the thousands of dressmakers who answered the strike call of the Needle Trades Workers’ Industrial Union, affiliated with the) Trade Union Unity League. A compele tabulation of all strik-_ ers had not yet been made when the Daily Worker went to press, but an indication of the total number may| be obtained by adding the number | of strikers who crowded the three meeiing halls in Manhattan. At Bryant Hall, Sixth Ave., near 42nd St. every seat was taken, the balcony v) +s croprced, every aisle was packed, thre> “Hundred were seated! in an adjoininz hall, where every ear was strained to speekers who cculd not be seen, the hallway leading to the street was) filled and several hundred were| asked to go to Irving Plaza, more| © | (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) illiamsburgh Sec. Preparing for Big Women’s Day Meet NEW YORK —The Communist | Party of the Williamsburgh Section has arranged a big indoor demon- stration for International Women’s| Day, March 8, at the Grand Manor. All working-class organizations in the section are urged to send dele- | gates to a preparatory conference which will take place on Feb. 22 at 61 Graham Ave., at 1 p. m., where wil! be discused the plans for Inter- | national Women’s Day and _ steps Jersey Shipyar Many Strike Halls Filled as Needle | epare for Mass Picketing |PHILA. SHOPS €0 the voices of the} ~ 70 MARCH FROM NEW BRUNSWICE Workers Rally from Factories NEW..BRUNSWICK, N. J., Feb. 17, ‘s a preparation for the state hun- march to Trenton the Unemploy- meil here held a meeting this morsing at the Johnson and John- son factory, where over 300 workers came out to look for jobs. Not a single worker was hired. At this meeting mem ers of the Unemployed Council addressed the| workers. Leaflets were disiributed calling the workers to come to an in- door meeting at 11 Plum St. Over 60 workers showed up. Almost every one joined the Unemployed Council and 11 unemployed workers volun- teered as marchers to Trenton. It was also decided at this meet- ing to call an open air meeting on Wednesday February 17 at New and French sireets at 11 a.m. as a fur- ‘her mobilization for the march. A meeting of the marchers was also held after the meeting of the Un- employed Council. The marchers were explained in detail what their duties were in connection with the march, taken to draw the working women,! Another meeting at the Johnson and particularly the Negro women,|}and Johnson will be held tomorrow | into this demonstration on March 8.' morning. Relief Urgently Needed By ; Militant. Striking Miners By MARY SMITH. The Edna No. 2 miners ‘are mili- tantly carrying on their strike against a wage-cut. For 17 hours straight the miners The women have helped collect food. They have immediately drawn in| their children to understand the necessity of the strike and why they | must go on the picket line. With! the full determination of the mineis’ \around the eye this picket stuck to his post. All furniture workers are urged to help stage mass picketing at this shop at, 7:30 this morning, ‘The two workers who were arrested were Robert Walters, a worker who had just come to the meeting, and Milton Weiss, who was the speaker. As the workers followed to the police station, about 70 cops came running | The Furniture Workers’ Industrial ‘League is holding a mass meeting Feb. 20 at 7:30 p. m. at 16 W. 2ist \St., to protest against the expulsion of militants by the bureaucrats of out and started to beat and slugg the workers. The workers resisted indignantly. , The case comes up in court this are on the picket line so as to keep t hescabs out. The women and chil- dren are on these picket lines right along. The women cook coffee for those on the picket line at different shifts, so as to keep them warm. The children leave school and go on the picket line, A mass meeting was held of the miners at which 600 were present— 50 were women and the whole stage was full of children. Five of the children spoke, saying how their pa- rents are living and why they must) go on strike. A boy 13 years old got | up and spoke about how his father was hurt in the back so that he can- not go on the picket line, but in- stead he has sent his son out on the picket line. The boy was out on the picket line for 17 hours straight that day. He does not go to school. He said that the strike is most important. now and not the school, Never could there be such a mili- tant struggle and determination on morning and all workers are urged to attend the trial the A. F. of L. Upholsterers’ Union | ON F the part of the miners had the wo- men not been drawn into this fight. families to help in this struggle, these | men are now ready to fight to the) finish. No bosses’ terror, no police force can now kill the militancy of the miners in this fight. The only thing that can kill their militancy is if hte ydo not get enough relief to feed their families while they are on strike. We must call on the working women throughout the country to help these militant miners’ wives win their fight by helping get immedi- ate relief for them. These miners have gone on strike with hunger star- ing them in the face. The families ON STRIKE TODAY Deter Workers PHILADELPHIA, Feb, 17.—Thou-| sands of dressmakers here will strike | Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock) following the enthusiastic walk-out} teday in New York City. The dressmakers are striking for | the following demands: 1. The 40-hour 5-day week. 2. Guaranteed minimum wages— | operators, $44 a week, pressers, $50; | cutters, $50; finishers and examin- ers, $28; drapers, $32; floor girls, $20. 3. An immediate increase of 20 per cent for all super-exploited dress- makers, especially in the suburbs, where the prevailing wage is $15 a reek. 4. Recognition of the Needle Trades Workers’ Industrial Union. 5: The right to the job and against discharges. 6. The abolition of discrimination against-Negre-.dressmakers. and. for. their right to work in every shop and pay for equal work. 7. Equal pay for equal work for | all young and women dressmakers, 8. Unemployment insurance. Despite the fact that the Interna- | tional Ladies’ Garment Workers’ | (company) Union officials, together with the bosses, have issued frantic appeals against the strike, the work- ers are prepared to go out in a gen- eral strike in this industry and fight for their demands. Shop and mass meetings have been | held daily. Huge mass meetings will} take place on the day of the strike | to carry out the mass picketing and | to push the strike through to victory. | JOBLESS COUNCIL STOPS EVICTION Hold Meeting at Flop House Today Wide activity was carried on yes- terday by the Downtown and Madi- son Square Unemployed Councils. The Downtown Council held an open air mass meeting at Leonard and Lafayette streets, attended by over 800 unemployed workers, Over 40) copies of Labor Unity, and 75 copies | of the Daily Worker were sold. At- | tempts of a stool pigeon to break up} the meeting failed. | ‘Today the Downtown Unemployed | Council will hold a mass meeting in front of the new headquarters of the |fake Municipal Emnlovment Acency | at 59 Leone dice Of] Church. All unemployed workers are called on to be present at 10 o'clock, A member of the Downtown Coun- cil sold copies of the Daily Worker in the court roo min the criminal | court building when the Nessin case | was called for trial, | The Madison Square Council held {an outdoor meeting at 26th Street ‘and 1st Ave. at the Municipal Flop Bosses Threats Do Not. What Workers Will Fight For in every craft on the basis of equal | CITY EDITION SSS > on World Unemployment Day, 30,000,000 Jobless To Be Rallied In All Lands) for Fight Against Starvation; Specific Tasks for Every City In U. S. | International Unemployment Day, ; Every worker has a task in pre- | | February 25th, will be a tremendous | paring for International Unemploy-) rallying center in the fight for im-| ment Day. In the revolutionary | mediate relief for the unemployed as | trade unions the struggle for unem- well as for unemployment insurance. | ployment insurance goes on with the | While the struggle will go on inter-/| fight against wage cuts. In the shops} nationally against. unemployment and | where thousands are laid off every} the rotten capitalist system which | day, the employed workers must be) has plunged 30,000,000 workers into| rallied for the demands of the un- starvation and misery, in every in-| employed. Every unemployed worker, | | dustrial and agrarian section of the | 2% the job agencies, in the breadlines, | | United States the fight will be carried| in the flop houses, must be rallied | | on for concrete demands. | for the struggle on the issues they) In the cities the workers on the; ™eet and for the broader fight; | breadlines, in the Unemployed Coun- | #8@inst capitalism and for unemploy- | }.cils,-at-the fake -employment -agen-|ment insurance, cies will be rallied in the general| demand for immediate relief and| ») against the rotten condition on the) jj | bread lines as well as against the | robbery of the job sharks. Tens of thousands of workers are being evicted. In many instances the | Unemployed Councils succeed in get-| | _ | ting the furniture back. But what| | happens to the tens of thousands who remain evicted? As the crisis | grows, more and more unemployed | | become homeless. One of the big/ | ELEGATES FACE TRIAL TODAY ~asin, Leeless, Stone; Appear In Court After being postponed from Mon- | plant. | two giant liners, due to the worsen- issues in the fight for relief on Feb- ruary 25th will be the demand that the public schools, armories, public buildings, and other vacant buildings be thrown open for the homeless un- employed and their families. Every worker must fight for the demand that instead of the relief being hand- }ed out in driblets that the workers | be given a lump sum to provide for two months relief for his family. The children of the unemployed are dying from malnutrition (starvation) and other diseases. Many faint in schools. On February 25th the work- | ers’ children will be rallied to dem- | onstrate for free feeding of the chil- | dren in the schools. As the unemployed sink deeper into | | misery, the charity vultures get them |in their grasp, reduce them to the| worst kind of dependents. The fight) on February 25th must include a| Struggle against the way boss charity is being handed out, specifically fighting against the many organiza- tions in the various cities, exposing their treatment of the unemployed and demandnig workers’ supervision of their “relief.” The, central point, around which day because Mayor Walker, who had | been subpoenaed as a witness, “was | pressed with business,” the trial of | | Sam Nesin, Milton Stone and Robert | Lealess, leaders of an unemployed demonstration last October 16, will} start this morning (Wednesday) at} 10 o'clock in Special Sessions Court, | |Part 7. The three workers, who pre- | sented the demands of the hundreds | of thousands of starving unemployed | at a Board of Estimate meeting, are | being charged with unlawful assem- | bly, outraging public decency and en- dangering public peace after having been brutally beaten at the instiga- tion of Mayor Walker. The repeated demands made by the New York District of the Inter-| national Labor Defense that the three | workers receive a jury trial have been refused, and they are being tried by| three loyal Tammany henchmen in an effort to railroad them to long jail terms without any possible inter- | \ference from workingclass members | | of a jury. The same judges who last | year sent Foster, Minor, Amter and | Raymond, leaders of the ‘March 6) demonstration, to jail, are sitting in| this case. Nesin, Stone and Lealess | | misery and starvation. ail these concrete issues are fought,| will attempt to break through the is the demand for the passage of the | legal trickery of the boss courts by of these miners also saw this, Re-| House. Many workers marched ‘o lief is now necessary for these miners.| *¥€ headquarters at 16 West 21st, to win their fight. A victory forthe| Street and joined the Unemployed miners is a victory for the working Council. It was decided to hold a class. demonstration in front of the same and cities show your militancy by helping these working women in the fight by getting relief, and that is immediate relief. Send money to Miners’ Union, 611 Penn. Ave., Room 519, Pittsburgh, Pa, Working women of other towns) flop house today, and to send a del- | egation to see the superintendent at 12 o'clock to demand better condi- tions, The same Unemployed Council put. back the furniture of an evicted fam- ily on West 41st Street. Unemployment Insurance Bill. acting as their own attorneys. | WASHINGTON, Feb. 17.-—-Rep- rensentative Bachman, one of the Fish Committee inquisitors, made a special demand in the House today for the deportation of all workers who do not accept capitalist slavery without a murmer. Bachman’s main attack, was against “alien members of the Communist Party.” Following up the Fish Committee report, Bach- man asked for an extention of the Department of Justice spy system to harras foreign-born workers, as well as native born workers. Activities of the Young Pioneers among the workers’ children in the schools were especially singled out Bachman of Fish Inquisition Howls for Mass Deportation | by the southern boss representative for attack. Referring to Communists them and let them return to Russia where they can Communize to their hearts’ content,” Bachman, of course/*never said a word about the ican workers who are starving to death in the “paradise” of decaying capitalism in the United States. As the wide masses of jobless workers increase their demand for unemploy- ment insurance, Bachman and the other pack of capitalist blood hounds | Bachman said, “Let us get rid of} 10,000,000 Amer- | Already! WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! Price 3 Cents EMONSTRATION AGAINST HUNGER FEB. 25! d Fires 1,600; 24,000 Face Layoff in New York CHARITY OUTFITS ADMIT UNEMPLOYED BEING PLUNGED DEEPER INTO HUNGER AND MISERY; WORST IN 87 YEARS Stop Work On Liners As Crisis Grows Worse In New Jersey 1,500 shipyard works ers ,were fired without warning at the New York Shipbuilding Company All work has been stopped on ing crisis, especially hitting shipping and shipbuilding. In New York City 24,000 workers now “employed” at $15 a week in the city parks will be fired on April 1 These are just indications of what is happening throughout the country. Instead of the promised return of ‘o‘prsperity” we see more unemploy- ment, with thousands being laid off every day. Not only is the unem- ployed army growing rapidly but the condition of the 10,000,000 unemployed is getting worse. Reports from every charity organ= ization in the country state that the condition of the unemployed is be~ coming frightful. ‘The board of managers of the Ase sociation for Improving the Condi- tions of the Poor, a New York charity outfit, reports that, “in 87 years of the AICP history, the need for com- plete welfare service has never been so acute as at present.” They picture the bitter impoverish- ment of wide masses of workers. Their report goe son to state the big increase in the destitute workers ask~ ing charity. “Perhaps the most tell+ ing illustration of the need for ex- pansion is th efact that for the last quarter of 1930 the number of ap- plicants (for charity) to the AICP for relief increased 289 per cent over a like period for 1929.” In New York State the Department of Social Welfare reported that the number of families receiving aid grew from 30.7. to 51 per cent. On all sides we see unemployment growing and the condtiions of the | workers already unemployed for some time reaching the lowest levels of ‘The charity organizations are urging more hand= outs. They know the workers are be< coming desperate. On February 25th throughout thé entire world the unemployed will demonstrate in a mighty action to force relief. In the United States widespread plans are being made for this demonstration. Rally to the February 25th Intere pationad Unemployment Day dem-= nstrations! Vote against finger printing, reg- istration, and photographing the foreign born. Elect delegates to local conference for protection of foreign born, Sat.WorcorrPage Lively;OrderNow “Feed Jobless Offal at the Hotel DeGink in Spokane, Wash.” “‘People in Reading, Pa., Slowly Starving to Death,’ writes one.” “Soviet Auto Workers Write About Auto Workers in Construction Work.” “A Danville Woman Striker Tells How the U. T. W. Knifed Them.” ead of the spread of mass misery as seen by Worker Correspondents in next Satur- day's 6-page edition. Order bundles before 6 p, m. Friday at 1 cent for 5 or more, $8 per 1,000, (Sixty thousand circulation howl for deportation for the mili- tant leaders of the working class. weekly reports page 3.) EB. 25, INTERNATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT DAY! ers’ Unemployment Insurance Bill! Expose the American Federation of Labor unity with the bosses against employed and unemployed! Open evicted unemployed! Against wage cuts! Against lynching! Demand the passage of the full cash bonus for the unemployed veterans! All war funds for the relief of the unemployed! F ight for Immediate Unemploy ment Relief! Demand the Passage by Congress of the Work- all public buildings for the homeless and