The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 2, 1931, Page 1

IN TWO SECTIONS SECTION ONE Vol. VIII, No 52. at New York, N. ¥. ander the act of March 3. 1179 Dail. (Section of Entered as second class matter at the Vost Office >: the-Comm: ee ati 4 “Eé orker unist Party U.S.A. the Communist -:International) WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! LAWRENCE TEXTILE STRIKERS DEFEAT THE SPEE! NEW YORK, MONDAY,-¥ ARCH 2, 1931 CITY EDITION Price 3 Cents The Lawrence Strike Boe brief but eventful strike in the Lawrence textile mills, where nearly 12,000 workers fought against the vicious speed-up, added a new and brilliant page to the fighting traditions of the Lawrence workers held from 1912 and 1919. Starting as a small strike in one department, it spread rapidly and quickly embraced all workers in the Washington, Wood and Ayre mills of the American Woolen Co, This solidarity clearly illustrates the general conditions of slavery in the mills on one hand, and on the other the growth of understanding among the workers that an attack on one section is an attack on all workers. By extending the front of the struggle, the workers also extended their demands. They demanded the ousting of the “efficiency” men from all departments, as an expression of the fight against the inhuman speed- up. They demanded the right to organize, the recognition of mill com- mittees elected by the workers, and time and a half for overtime. And they won a partial victory, in spite of the terror and intimidation against both strikers and strike leaders. They forced the bosses to with- draw the scheme for nine combs, to withdraw the efficiency men, and to deal with the department committees elected by the workers. The bosses would not grant the demand on overtime. But the attitude of the strikers indicated in the Strike Committee’s statement on the subject, shows that the bosses will meet wide resistance when they try to demand overtime, which the workers want to cut out entirely. ‘The strike is significant to the whole working class movement: 1. It refuted the lie of Hoover and Green, the lie that has been repeated by all shades of reformists and opportunists, that the work- ers will not strike during periods of unemployment, and if they do, they “can’t win anything.” Let all opportunists take notice! 2. It again exposed the American Federation of Labor as a strike- creaking agency, and showed the workers that only the revolutionary unions affiliated to the Trade Union Unity League really lead their strug- gles against the bosses’ attack on their living standards . 3. It again revealed and emphasized the reactionary alliance be- tween the employers, the “inbor” misleaders, the church and the capi- ‘talist government as common enemies of the workers whom they must struggle against in every effort to maintain and better conditions. The workers especially learned the open and active strike-breaking role of the capitalist government by the action of the U. S, Department of Labor's Immigration Department. The strike revealed also the many weaknesses in the militant unions of the T. U. U. L. and their methods of work. It emphasized again that only by the policies of the Red International of Labor Unions, embodying the whole experience of strike struggles throughout the entire world, can the workers carry on effective struggle, One. of the principal mistakes in Lawrence, one which caused much demoralization: ead ‘prevented the quick reorganization of the workers’ forees, was the failure to elect a sufficiently broad, well-representative strike committee. Another important mistake was the failure of the National Textile Workers’ Union to carry on a sharp struggle against the American Le- gion’s strike-breaking policy and the treachery policy of the self-termed “progressives” of the Muste group of the A. F. of L., while the N. T. W. U. was nreparing the strike. test of the N. T. W.U., which enrolled over 1,000 men... the test for every worker, in fact—is to guard the concessions the su.st forced from the mill owners. The brutal attack against the strikers and the N. T. W. U., proves that the employers will now attempt to take back the concessions the workers won, the conces- sions won because of the leadership of the N. T. W. U. and the policy of conducting strikes. For this defense of the fruits of victory it is necessary to organize Mill Committees of the most militant and trustworthy workers. To build a powerful National Textile Workers’ Union in Lawrence. And as an immediate test in this connection, the workers must an- swer the employers’ attack against their union concealed behind an attack on “outsiders.” A broad struggle must be organized for the release of Berkman, Devine, Murdock and all other arrested workers and leaders, against deportation and persecution. By this attack, the mill owners are rying to lay a precedent for the persecution of all unions that really struggle and to outlaw strikes. ‘The workers of the entire country will be inspired by the victory won by the Lawrence textile workers! They will join in the movement for release of the strike leaders! They will join the fight against wage cuts and speed-up, in the fight for the right to organize and strike! True To Form CCORDING to an Associated Press report from New Orleans, the ses- sions of the General Missionary Council of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South just ended, marked by a severe denunciation of Com- munism, “The members,” said the report, after a two day session here, were pledged to continued activity at home and abroad to combat ‘COMMUN- ISTIC AND ATHEISTIC PROPAGANDA,’ to use their influence in a campaign against lynchings, and to aid the unemployed.” ‘This declaration, coming as it does from such a slave-owning, slave- driving body as the Methodist Episcopal Church, South does not surprise us in the least. We are neither surprised by their declarations against Communism, nor by such demagogic promises as the “te use their influence in a campaign against lynchings, and to aid the unemployed.” Both their attacks on us and their promises to “aid” the hungry and persecuted workers have the same slimy, boss-serving purpose. Both are in harmony with their century of faithful service to the slave-owners. Both have as their aim the continued vicious enslavement and bloody exploitation of the toiling masses, Negro and white. ‘The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, took its stand for human slavery in 1845; and that stand has never been changed. Now, 70 years after the outbreak of the Civil War, it still retains its separate identity because it refuses to even make a pretense of accepting Negroes in its own. Ku Klux Klan founders and now of the Southern capitalists, ‘Today in the South, millions of Negro and white workers are toiling and living under the most miserable conditions. The Negroes, especially, are subjected to an intolerable persecution, of which the growing lynch terror is only the most revolting. And, naturally, the spirit of rebellion is rising. The Negro and white workers are more and more accepting the leadership of the Comununist Party, which alone fights for their interests, As in 1845, the church bishops again see the profits of their bosses being jeoperdized. They declare war against the Communiste today, just as they warred against the abolitionists in the years before 1865, And they fought a loosing battle then, just as they are fighting @ Joosing battle now! All their lying promises about a “campaign against lynching and to Commi aid the unemployed,” and their attacks against their cowardly hides, or those of their masters. The workers, Negro and white, fighting together in one united army under Communist Jeadership, will march forward to victory, to a workers’ government, pite the flabby protests of handful of Methodist bishops, handde bd STRIKERS ROUT COPS AND SCABS Strikers Morale Is Ex- cellent; Picket Big Shop NEW YORK.—Scabs in the dress- makers’ strike here received their just desserts as well as some of their cwn medicine late Friday evening; when several hundred striking dress- makers engaged in an extremely militant picketing of the Needleman and Brenner shop, 40th St., near Seventh Ave. The clash between strikers on the one hand and scabs and cops on the other was brief, but sharp, and be- fore it was over the scabs were mov- ing rather hurriedly in the direction |of Albany and the cops were scurry- ing about like rats in a trap trying missles that filled the air. ‘There were individual as well as group fights, but when the picketers counted their forces they found that none was arrested and but a few were bruised. One of the most ar- dent of the dressmakers was a woman who had her head gashed open by a scab the day before and who had been forced by a cop to wait half an hour for an ambulance although she had asked to be driven to the hospital in a cab at her own expense. The Needleman and Brenner shop has taken a leading part in the as- sault on the standard of living of the dressmakers here, actually breaking @ contract with the eedle Trades Workers’ Industrial Union and,sign- ing one with the I. L. G. W,, the company union, which “guaranteed” against the calling of strikes. Inas- much as the Needleman and Bren- ner shop controls seven other shops directly and many- more indirectly, the Industrial Union has taken up the challenge and has engaged in mass picketing before the shop re- peatedly. Morale among the strikers contin- ues to be noteworthy for its excel- Jence. No dressmaker has returned to his shop except when the em- ployer of the shop signed an agree- ment with the Industrial Union, guaranteeing higher wages, a shorter workday and recognition of the shop committees and of the union. More than 1,200 workers have gone back to the shops under these condi- tions since the strike began. In ad- dition to this tremendous gain, the strike has put an effective stop to the merciless wage-cutting which was taking place in the industry before the strike. to dodge the small but compact | Boston workers, employed and unemployed, turned out 20,000 strong in the February 25th Demonstration and militantly resisted efforts of Police agents of the bosses to break up their demonstration for immediate relief and Unemployment Insurance. The workers of Boston pledged to carry on-the struggle, under the lead- ership of the Trade Union Unity League and its Unemployed Council, ag ainst the bosses’ hunger system. Gives Right to Apply for Readmission After Proving Himself NEW YORK.—Over 1,500 workers packed Harlem Casino at the mass trial yesterday afternoon of \okinen, @ member of the Communist Party, eharged with the -anti-working class \orime of white chauvinism. One hundred and thirteen working class organizations were represented with 211 delegates. Many hundreds of workers were turned away from the hall by the police on the pretext that the hall was overcrowded. With C. A. Hathaway, a leading white comrade of the Party and member of the Secretariat, prosecut- ing Yokinen, and Richard B. Moore, a leading Negro comrade acting for the defense, the workers’ jury elected by the meeting brought in a -erdict of guilty against Yokinen, with rec- ommendation for his expulsion from the Communist Party, with the right to re-apply for re-admission upon the basis of his activities against white chauvinism in the Finnish Club and other working class organizaticns, his participation in the fight on Jim Crowism, etc, his 2: tivities in the League of Struggle for Negro Rights of which he was instructed to beconie (CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO) RUTHENBERG MEMORIAL MEET WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MARCH 4 unism, will not save’ NEW YORK.—Workers and their organizations are being ‘rallied throughout New York City to make the Ruthenberg Memorial Wednes- day night a huge success. ‘The Memorial will be held at the Central Opera House, 67th Street and Third Avenue. Speakers will include leading members of the Com- munist Party and the leaders of the Hunger March to Albany. The Hunger Marchers will be there in a body. A report on the Hunger March will be given which will include the presentation at Albany of the demands for immediate relief and un- employment insurance and descriptions of the cheering receptions given the Hunger Marchers in all the places through which they passed on their way to Albany. All workers are urged to turn out for this Memorial Meeting, ‘Wednesday evening, March 4. | speed-up and “efficiency” experts. | FORCE BOSSES WITHDRAW “EFFICIENCY” EXPERTS; STRIKERS RETURN TODAY Strikers Enraged at Government, A. F. of L. and Church Combined Terror Campaign Against the Workers Returning Workers Must Be on Alert to Strike Again If Bosses Make It Necessary LAWRENCE, Mass., March 1.—Over 10,000 teiitile work- ers return to work Monday morning in the mills of the Ameri- can Woolen Company, after a strike of two weeks under the leadership of the National Textile Workers Union, having won a decisive victory in the main demand of the fight, against the This was the decision of the strike committee, meeting late Friday night, after the dramatic developments of the strike Tuesday, Wednesday, and ‘Thursday. Filled with the consciousness of an intportant victory Mass Trial Votes Expulsion of Yokinen from Communist Party Up State Cities Greet, Cheer | Hunger Marchers to Albany {11 Negro Workers Join March at Dutchess Junetion; Workers Force-Release of Dele- wee. gates Arrested by-dewkurgh Cops ~ bisa HUDSON, N. Y., March 1 that you get‘to Albany. you must get-to Albany.” Thi the 5 hunger-marchers arrested for distributin, ..ewburgh, N:Y., and held on¢—————__—__ $500 bail, was the spirit of the entire delegation. The hunger marchers in true working class solidarity, however, forced the release of the five, and now they are also on the march to Albany. | Yesterday the marchers passed thru Poughkeepsie where the workers had | awaited the hunger fighters for three days. They paraded through the | town in disciplined formation, in ranks. Spirits well high. Workers along the streets cheered them on.| Here as every place else unemployed workers Joined the'march. The whole | town was out t@-see the marchers | off. Workers titiig out of windows, | on door steps, through doors, marched with them through the main streets of the town, and-in every way showed their enthusiastic sympathy, and sol- idarity. . ¥Fréd Biedenkamp and Sam Nesin spoke. Outdoor and indoor meetings were held. Two indoor meetings were held, one at the-Colored Center, on Katheryn Street, where the workers slept over night,..and the other at the Unemployed” Council headquart- ers. Rank and ‘file delegates spoke at all the rallies In Dutchess Junction, a town of mostly Negro population, and where the workers have not been working for nearly a year, and where at the present time only one factory is working, eleven Negro jobless joined the march to Albany. Ten men and —Go on, fellow workers, march on to Albany:: Don’t stop to ba'l us out. It’s more important You can take care of us later. But} s statement by Bryden, one of ¢ leaflets in one woman were the.delegates. Here again the marchers were enthusias- tically greeted. The spirit was high. Solidarity was sung by all the work- ers, The marchers were last reported in | Hudson, New York, where the mayor of the town gave permission to hold an open air meeting at 7th street. Every morning an _ educational meeting is held. Daily Workers are given out in every town. Leaflets are distributed. In Poughkeepsie workers insisted upon paying five, ten, and fifteen cents for single copies of thé “Daily Worker”. The spirit of the marchers is high. They are certain that they will reach the state capital, at Albany. The Workers International Relief has a medical unit set up. Workers get treatment there. One worker was quite ill, but refused to remain, and insisted upon marching with the other workers to Albany, Coney Island Workers Form Tenant League and House Committees NEW YORK.—The workers of Coney Island organized a tenants league last night and decided to go from house to house to organize house committees, and to draw in as many workers ag possible into the League, “Build the National Textile Workers Union To Keep Our Victory”, Says Strike Committee (Statement of the Lawrence Strike Committee Unanimously Adopted by the Strikers’ Mass Meeting in Lexington Hall, Feb. 27, 1931) textile workers of Lawrence un-| Company was prevented from giy- der the leadership of the Na-| ing us a direct wage cut which they tional Textile Workers’ Union have] did in nearly every one of their other answered the new speedup regula-| mills, tions of the mill owners. Our bril-| The splendid fighting spirit of the Hant strike completely tied up the| strikers, our mass picketing, our de- ‘Wood, Washington and Ayer Mills| termination made the mill officials of the American Woolen Company. | give in and they immediaely with- We did not fall for the mill own-| drew the nine combs. As the strike ers’ bluff about the “red outsiders.”| grew, the mill officials granted the We followed the National Textile| withdrawing of the efficiency men ‘Workers’ Union because we have seen| and recognition of the department 4t in action in the Pacific Print, in| committees elected by the workers. Try Reigu of Terror ‘The mill owners became terrified at the spreading of the strike. When the Maynard Mill of the company went on strike*they decided on a reign of terror, ‘Under their orders our strike-committee was broken into by the police and our strike leaders arrested. Every ‘kind of threat was used against us The mayor, the citiems’ commilftée, composed of enemies of the workers, many church men, police and=state troopers were mobilized against-the strikers, Vote this terre? the mill owners isin ‘Organized a fake-yote to end the strike. ‘They ahounced that by a vote of 1,000 to"400 the strikers ac- cepted the bosses’’proposal. But we know that there were no 2,000 strikers participating in the bosses’ fake balloting. Company stool pig- eons who voted many times, cast most of the ballots. While the fake balloting was going on, over 2,000 striqers in Lexington Hall voted to stand solid despite the terror of the company and demanded the release of Berkman, Devine, Murdock and the other strike leaders, The strug- gle for their release must be con- tinued, ‘The Lexington meeting spoke for the big majority of the mill workers aS can be seen from the fact that (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE p and “Waye-cut, the same time hh rage against the employ- ment, and their A. F. nd the church, who all ed in a tel drive against the A : rikers at the same moment that the lars in cash or liberty bonds must Bead (othe ceIeREa ae be received by the International {| 1.6 main demand. The victory is Labor Defense immediately if the }) tcrefore, understoor to be a tempo- five Lawrence strike leaders are to |! ,ary retreat on the part of the bosses | bai released on bail, the local LL.D. | which can only be held by the utmost (es See ou ce and preparedness to strike | ee ree eh be ees ona \again soon if it becomes necessary, |] to defend these five militants }| “rhe concession of the main demand against “conspiracy” charges and |) of the strike was timed with the ar- against attempts to deport them. rest of the leaders, Edith Berkman, 5 reat Ahlen are si | Pat Devine, and William Murdock, as oO emergency ap- || i = ant rt }a measure to disorganiize the strikers, peal to defend Edith Berkman, Fat || split them up, and dissolve thelt sol- Devine, iam Musdeok Asan” ||idarity in internal dissentions. The : : anized retreat of the 10,000 strik- zki, now imprisoned in the Immi- || °® . : lers, under the leadership of the Na- gration’ Station at East Boston, |) tional Textile Workers Union, by g0- Loand sate donations sinus ibe ing back to work with only the main rae mand , while overtime pay- sent ba GRUAIY ee DORIA Tiel (oo ee ee ee jment and union recognition is still Boston district office of the Inter- {| ™°"" and uni cin |refused, has therefore upset the cal- |} national Labor Defense, 113 Dudley lculations of the bos ‘The -work= |] Street, Boston. Gerais tedts ers’ solidarity has been preserved in- gal L dyes |tact, and their ting spirit is un- | impaired. | |]Rush Funds Defend Lawrence Strikers BOSTON. — Five thousand dol- |of L. agents | everywhere. Voice your protest in resolutions demanding the unconditional re- lease of Berkman, Devine, Murdock The immediate gain of the strik- | ers is the abolition of the system of igor combs for two workers, return to | the old system of 3 combs for one worker, dismissal from the mills of | the “efficiency” experts. The terror campaign against the HURL DEMANDS AT) 2 was quite evidently planned |and directed by the government at ization of Department of Labor offi- Jobless D e 1 e g a t ion | the strike by William Green, president Breaks Into Meet __|of the A. F. of L., who gave his bles- |sings to the police and government | ployed, Sadie Van Veen demanded | bY any means. |the floor at the fake conference of This was followed by a church cz | so-called welfare workers at the |Paign against the strike led b and the other arrested strike cials, the attack took another step forward with a public denunciation of Stating that she represented the | With the announcement that the New York Councils of the Unem- | trike ‘‘outlaw” and to be suppressed | Prosser Committee and the police | commissioner. The chairman was undecided; the police made a move toward the delegation with the pur- pose to throw them out. The unem- ployed workers in the delegation shouted: “Let her speak; give her the floor.” The ghairman, seeing | that it would look bad for charity to refuse the floor to the spokesman of the unemployed, after a hasty whisper with his committee, said that ‘Van Veen could have the floor after Mulrooney’s report. Van Veen read a statement pre- pared by the committee of Unem- ployed Councils, denouncing charity, the breadlines, the starvation doles, soup kitchens, flophouses, etc. The statement also included the mayor's committee and the squandering of hundreds of thousands of dollars which had been turned over to them and organized charity. ‘The statement ended with the de- mand for immediate cash relief, no evictions of the unemployed, free gas, rent and heat for the unem- ployed, free, warm food for all school children of the unemployed and the demand for unemployment insur- ance, to be taken from the taxation of large incomes and from the city and state treasuries, and that all of the unemployed. Every word of the statement got across, The hall was absolutely silent as Van Ve. spoke. The state- ment was followed by so much dis- cussion that the Prosser Committee was not able to go ahead with the program, The meeting practically got away from the chairman, who saved his face by adjourning the meeting, » |'Town Hall on Friday, including the | funds be turned over to committees | Catholic Church, and in parti | Father McDonald, This “holy fathe. declared: “Ow (CON BKLYN WOMEN WILL MEET MAR. 8 BROOKLYN, N. Y¥.—On Sunday, March 8, at 2 p. m., the workers of Boro Hall, Williamsburgh, will ,cele- brate International Women’s day at the Grand Manor, 318 Grand St., near Haremaker, Brooklyn. In a call issued by the Commu- nist Party, Section 6 stated: “With the present unemployment situation and growing misery of the working class, the working women and house- wives muust organize in the strug- gles for immediate unemployment relief, free food and clothing for children of the unemployed, free rent for jobless workers, for free unem- ployment insurance.” It further stated: “On International Women's |Day the working women are called upon to join in world-wide demon- stration 2 the struggle against cap- italism and exploitation.” friends of the textile union ON PAGE THREE Meetings Tomorrow Mass meetings of the Needle Strikers will be held tomorrow in Bryant Hall and in Irving Plaza p.m, Well-known labor address the strikers at 2 leaders will and an envertainment in each hall will be presented by the members of the various revolutionary cul- tural groups,