The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 3, 1931, Page 1

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. 53 unist Party U.S. A. (Section of the Communist i onder the act of March 3, 1979 ass matter at the Post Office <{p>21 NEW YORK, TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1931 OF CITY EDITION wo RKERS THE WORLD, UNITE! Price 3 Cents MORE TEXTILE WORKERS STRIKE AGAINST PAY-CUT Mensheviks Admit Guilt In Aiding Imper ialists War On Soviets AMERICAN SOCIALISTS Significance of the Menshievik’ Trial (Following is an analysis of the Moscow trial of the Mensheviks now going on, by a British worker and Communist now in Moscow—Ed.) - (Special Cable to the Daily Worker.) By PAGE ARNOT MOSCOW, March 2—The political significance of the trial of the Mensheviks here consists in the revelation of the complicity of the Second International in the interventionist war plans of the imperialist, bourgeoisie against the Soviet Union, and in corresponding wrecking activities inside. The Second International is in the dock. Not only the Menshevik Party of the Second International, but their activities supported morally and materially by the Second International. The so-called evolution of the Mensheviks (so-called because in the Civil War they violently sought to verthrow Soviet power) froma “peaceful party to a party of violence, wrecking and intervention” linked up with the growth of Socialist construction which destroyed their hopes of degenera- tion of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, and left them in the Jemma of full submission to’*the working class or full adoption of the in- terventionist plans. The indictment reveals that they, having no hope of any section of the proletariat as a class basis, relied only on the intellegentsia and other petty-bourgeois elements, especially in Soviet institutions, hating the Soviet power, grew desparate through fear of being squeezed out by the new Soviet generation. In carrying out the wrecking and interventionist work, their tactics were to retard amd hinder the Five-Year Plan, utilizing the position in which they found themselves. They could make connections with the Ramzin Party (the counter-revolutionists who pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison for the deeds) which ‘also was without a class basis. =; ‘The Mensheviks, not based on the working class, sought to organize capitalist anarchy against the Five-Year Plan as (though in another sense) Social Democracy sought to organize anarchy of capitalism abroad. They pretended their object was “freedom, democracy and other eternal verities,’ but actually worked with Ramzin, took thousands of dollars from him knowing his program openly told them by him of mili- tary dictatorship and restoration of capitalism. Abramovitch, coming to the Soviet Union in 1928, straight from Hil- ferding, Breitsheid, leaders of the German Social Democracy, and the Sec- ond International, laid down with the promise of the Social Democrats, assistance to the program of wrecking and intervention. ‘Thus all three parties (Ramzin Party, Kondratyev-Chayanov Party, and the Mensheviks) aimed at restoring the capitalist system by means of intervention and wrecking. They sought to overthrow first the workers’ republic and strangle the, Socialist revolution, The Mensheviks showed themselves by actions and connections with the imperialist bourgeoisie as worthy members of the Second International which supported them with counsel and money, and which itself sought to rehabilitate also in every country the capitalist system and to lower the standard of living of the workers, The speeches of Snowden of the British Labor gevernment is a good example of the action of the members of the Second International xeeking to preserve capitalism at the expense of the misery of the workers. A Warning . Te expulsion of August Yokinen from the Communist Party at a public trial on Sunday for the crime of white chauvinism, must serve as a warning to almembers of the Party as to the seriousness with which the Party regards this despicable and anti-working class attitude. It is, as said by Comrade Moore, acting as defense attorney, no light matter for a class conscious worker to be expelled from the ranks of the Communist International. But when a worker by his actions aie a@ prejudice against Negroes, his class-consciousness is tainted by the ideas instilled into the working class by the white ruling class. In such a condition, he becomes useless and, even worse—dangerous, to the cause of the workers whose one and only leader is the Communist Party. It is not enough, and the expulsion of August Yokiten underlines this fact, that a member of our Party, the one party representing the interests of all workers, all who toil and who are oppressed in any way by capital- ist rule, pay merely abstract respect to its principles. It is not enough to say, “I am for equal rights of all races” in words, and then, in deeds, defy Communist principles and discriminate against Negroes, or even passively observe such an outrage against Communist Party principles. It is not enough, in the Communist Party, to give lip service to equality, and then negate it with a provision, a reservation that says: “I am for equality for Negroes, but...” While it is perfectly true, as stated by the defense, that the prejudice against Negroes and all other colored races for that matter, originates in the capitalist class, and the white worker infected with it is also a victim together with the Negro workers, it is precisely because the Communist Party requires its members to be clean of this hideous infection, this social leprosy distributed by the capitalist press, school, church and other “sacred institutions” of capitalism, that it excluded the offender from its ranks. The verdict of expulsion is the most the Party can do to prove to the Negro masses, who through centuries of slavery and oppression naturally and logically have come to distrust all whites, that the Communist Party means what it says. The requirements for Yokinen to carry out as a prerequisite for the right even to file any application for re-admission to the Party are none too heavy (though the capitalist press terms them “herculean”) to make clear to the Party and before the Negro masses, that Comrade Yokinen was speaking the truth when, at his trial, he admitted that his action was “a erime against the working class as a whole,” Again we accent the warning to all who retain white chauvinist ten- dencies, and remind all members of our Party of the words of Comrade ‘Moore, defense attorney: “Let us examine ourselves, each and every ane, and see if we are free from this taint—this influence of anti-Communist, anti-working Class propaganda of the ruling capitalist class.” . . . AS WE GO TO PRESS, AFTER WRITING THE ABOVE EDITORIAL, WE LEARN THAT THE U. 8S. GOVERNMENT IMMIGRATION OF- FICERS HAVE SEIZED YOKINEN FOR DEPORTATION TO FASCIST FINLAND. WORKERS, AND NEGRO WORKERS PARTICULARLY, WILL CLEARLY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS OUTRAGE PROVES UP TO THE HILT THE CAPITALIST GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS WHITE CHAUVIN- ISM WITH ALL ITS BRUTAL ‘JIM CROWISM’ AND MURDEROUS LYNCHINGS. INDEED IT IS BECAUSE YOKINEN CONDEMNED HIS FORMER ATTITUDE AND FORESWORE THE PATH THAT LEADS TO LYNCHING, THAT LEADS TO THE DIVISION OF THE NEGRO AND WHITE WORKERS, THAT THE CAPITALIST GOVERNMENT NOW PERSECUTES HIM, WHILE IT TAKES NOT ONE STEP TO PUNISH— AND BY THIS REALLY PROTECTS—THE MURDERERS OF FORTY- THREE NEGROES LYNCHED LAST YEAR. HAD YOKINEN UPHELD THE LYNCHING OF NEGROES AND RE- NOUNCED THE COMMUNIST PARTY, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN AL- LOWED THE 54.18 FREEDOM THE GOVERNMENT ALLOWS cE LYNCHERS. ALL, WORKERS, PARTICULARLY NEGRO WORKER! a SHOULD RUSH TO YOKINEN’S DEFENSE} SUPPORTED COUATER- REVOLUIION IN USS& SAY “YES” WHEN ASKED IF GUILTY Shows Up Re Role of 2nd International | | (Special Cable to Daily Worker.) MOSCOW.—Sunday, at 6 p. m., in the Column Hall of the Moscow Trade Union House, in pre-revolu-! tionary days a nobleman’s house, | witnessed the opening of the trial of | the counter-revolutionary Union Bu- reau of the Menshevik Central Com- | mittee before the special session of the Soviet Union’s Supreme Court. Over 2,000 swelled the hall and hun- | dreds sought eftrance into the hall. | This indicated the enormous interest of the workers in the first great proletarian court procedure against the leaders and agents of the Men- shevik section of the Second Inter- national. Silence prevailed in the hall when the fourteen defendants were brought ento the stand which but about | three months ago had been the seat | of exposure and condemnation of | the Industrial Party leaders. The external professorlike calm- ness and the healthy looking, well- fed appearance of tlie deletidants did not conceal their inner distur- bance, First, the secretary of the Central Trade Union Council of the Soviet Union, the old Bolshevik metallist, Shvernik, the presiding judge. Judges of the old proletarian fighters, Ex- Duma Deputy, Muranov; the Rail- way worker, Antonov; Saratovsky, an old Party worker. The defense law- yers were non-Party men. Komodoy and Brande, former for Finn Eno- taevski and the latter for Sher and Volkov. The other defendants de- clined counsel. First part of the pro- cedure was to roll call the defen- dants. This signified a heavy blow to all anti-Soviet baiters who sought to minimize the importance of the committed crimes by depreciating the defendants’ personalities: All de- (CONTINUED OF PAGE THREE) Hillquit and Co. Gave} Abramowitz Money For Wrecking As the trial of the 14 Menshevik counter-revolutionists gets under way is Moscow, it is well to recall the close financial, organizational and other support the Socialists in the United States gave to this admittedly anti-workingclass wreckers in the Soviet Union, Abromovitch, whose name figures | prominently in the trial, always got an enthusiastic greeting from his So- cialist backers in the United States. Hillquit financed a great part of Abromovitch’s tours, designed to aid the imperialists in their war prepara- tions against the Soviet Union. This is now confessed to by the Menshe- viks Groman, Sheer & Co. in Mos- cow. These Mensheviks gladly took money from Ramsin, the money Ramsin got, in turn from the im- perialist Dterding, from the murders of, the Indian workers, Churchill; from Poincare and Briand. $10,000 for War on Soviets To do their share, the American socialists handed Abromovitch money to carry on the preparation for armed intervention in the Soviet Union, For instance, in 1928 the re- port of the Jewish Socialist Verband, to the Socialist National Convention, actually boasts its financing of the counter-revolution in the Soviet Union. The report, telling of Abram- owitch’s “successful tour,” states $10,- 000 were raised for the Social-Demo- cratic Party in Russia,” How was this money used? Sheer and Groman tell us now. To sup- port the armies of the imperialists in their preparations for slaughter of the workers in the Soviet Union! That is what Hillquit paid money for. That is what $10,000 was given Abramowitz for the “Social-Demo- cratic Party in Russia.” Hillquit Backs Deterding. More still. Not only did the So- cialists, with Hillquit, Oneal at the head, collect money for the counter- (CONTINUED O* PAGE THREE) Ruthenberg Memorial Meet Mar. 4, Central Opera House NEW YORK.—The New York Dis- trict of the Communist Party has arranged a memorial meeting in honor of the founder and ‘leader of the, Communist Party, Charles E. Ruthenber, on Wednesday, March 4 at 8 p. m, at the Central Opera House, 67 Street and Third Avenue. * Some of the outstanding leaders of the party in this district will speak on the wo:g and revolutionary tradi- tions of the founder of our party, especially in his militant and cour- ageous struggle against the last im- Perialist war, that set an example of proletarian courage, and revolution- ary integrity in face.of the complete bankruptcy of the Socialist Party, and in the face of terror against all those who fought against the impe- rialist world slaughter. The example of comrade Ruthen- berg in the struggle against imperial- ist war, and for defense of the Soviet Union must be brought to the work- ing class, especially now with the acute sharpness of the war danger, and imminent danger of armed in- tervention against the Soviet Union. ‘The Altany hunger marchers will be back to report to this meeting about the hundreds of thousands of unemployed they found about the militancy of the workers everywhere in their line of march, the enthu- siastic receptions, the constant at- tempts of the police and state troop- ers to break up the march, and their fight in the state legislature for un- employment insurance and immediate Use your Red Shock Troop List every day on your job. The worker | sext to you will help save the Daily Worker, ‘ relief in behalf of the unemployed. ‘Thousands of revolutionary work- ers will demonstrate at Central Opera House in the name of our great leader, whose last words are inspir- ing the masses and the party he founded, “close your ranks, carry on the fight!” ‘Hunger Marchers At Albany Met By 3,000 Demonstrators New York City Marchers Join Up-State March At Bridge! Parade Together Thru City; Demonstration at Capitol Today NEW YORK.—Yesterday the Down Town, Madison Square, food and shoe unemployed councils bulletins on the progress of the Albany march w needle, held meetings at which telegraphed ere read, Telegrams of | solidarity were sent to the marchers by the councils. | Tomorrow there will be a demonstration to meet the Albany hunger marchers, at 2 p.m. at Bryant Hall. The unemployed councils will hold | meetings and march to the hall, where the marchers will re} port to the | councils, and to the dress strikers. All jobless are invited. The hunger marchers will report at two open’ air meetings on their | way back from Albany, before reaching Bryant Hall. Then a huge demonstration will take place in front of Bryant Hall, and after that they will march to the headquarters of the | and one in Harlem. One is in the Bronx, | | peer Toaneites 16 West 21 ais | ALBANY, N. y, March 2.—Both | hunger marches, the one which has passed through all the industrial towns up the Hudson River and the march coming in from up-state met today at 3 p. m. at Hudson Bridge here. The Hunger March on Al- bany is an accomplished fact. When the two marching groups met, a meeting was held and speeches of greeting made by representatives of each. Then, combined, making a total of over 500 marchers, they | swept down through the main streets | o: Albany, the state capitol, and the throngs along the sidewalls cheered the signs and placards they carried, calling for immediate relief and in- surance for the jobless. The march- ers shouted “We want work or wages.” Arriving at Clinton Square, a job- less demonstration was held in which 3,000 workers and unemployed wo?k- ers of Albany participated. One of the speakers was Mike Pell, secretary of the Albany Unemployed Council. ‘Tomorrow at 10 a. m. there will be another demonstration at the state capitol building, with speakers ad- dressing the crowd from the steps of the capitol. At 11 a.m. the delegation from both groups of marchers will go in to ‘present demands to save the lives of the hundreds of thousands of unem- ployed in this state to Governer Roosevelt. Last night, after the demonstration by the hunger marchers in Hudson, 19 unemployed workers in the crowd immediately formed an Unemployed Council. \ Leather Workers Win Partial Victory at “Well Made” Shop NEW YORK—Twenty girls, on strike since last Tuesday at the Well Made Leather Co., 477 Broadway, voted to go back to work yesterday, with a partial victory. ‘The strike was led by the Shoe and Leather Workers’ Industrial Union of the Trade Union Unity League. Demands won were chairs with backs to work in, and the company to provide the tools instead of mak- ing the workers furnish them, and better sanitary conditions. ‘The demand to rescind the 20 per {New Jersey hunger marchers have cent wage-cut, which started the strike, was lost. * Lh HUNGER =MARCH REACHES TRENTON 4,000 Darnoivatr: ate; Elect Delegation TRENTON, N. J., March 2.—The reached Trenton. They arrived at 3} p. m, and were met by 2,000 workers | on the outskirts of the city who had| waited fcr them for hours. A large | delegation from. the local unem-| ployed council met them with ple} cards, and a meeting was held. The crowd cheered and applauded. ‘atter| the meeting the 200 delegates accom- panied by 700 other workers marched for an hour and a quarter through all the workers’ sections and facto- | ries. Workers cheered theni on frorn the windows. Thousands lined the streets. The workers marched up to the| state house amid cheers and songs. A meeting was not scheduled but one was held. 4,000 workers were await- | ing the hunger marchers here. They marched to a hall and held an in-| door meeting where 15 delegates were elected to present the bill to the gov- | ernor of the state. A meeting is| scheduled for 8 o'clock. Hundreds of dailies, leaflets, Lib- erators, Labor Unities, etc., were dis- tributed and sold. The marchers were greeted very enthusiastically everywhere they went. Arrest in New Brunswick. One marcher was arrested in New Brunswick. He was sitting in a small provision truck with the food and literature, and was pulled out of the truck and arrested by the police, He was bailed out and this morning in the courts was fined $25. The charge against him was that he wanted to attack a bystander. He was doing nothing but sitting in the truck. After supper an educational meet- ing was held, at which 15 to 20 work- ers signed up for the various branches of the Trade Union Unity League. In the morning the mass demonstration was held as planned. The police tried to break it up, but the workers resisted, and the meeting continued. Some Fascists started a fight but it was quickly quashed by the Defense Corps. 7 More Shops Out In Dress Strike; Soviet Needle Workers Send Greetings NEW YORK.—The beginning of the third week of the dressmakers strike here saw the morale of, the strikers as high as ever, picketing as mil- itant as on the first day of the strike, ‘and seven more shops joined the hun- dreds already out under the leader- ship of the Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union, affiliated with the Trade Trade Union Unity League. The dressmakers are striking for the elimination of sweatshop condi- tions, a guaranteed minimum wage scale, a shorter workday (the hours now average 60 a week) and recogni- tion of the shop committees and of; the Industrial Union. More than 1,200 dressmakers have already won these demands since the strike began. Workers’ organizations all over the country are supporting the strikers both here and in Philadelphia. Two telegrams received by the Union yes- terday indicate the extent of the-in- terest the dressmakers’ strike has a result. One, from Russia, reads: “Nijnivgorod Needle Workers Send Rov nary Greetings to’ Fighting Dressmak Be Firm in Struggte.” Tue over, front Los Angeles, says: Workers’ ‘Groups Con-| tinue to Contribute to Strike Fund |} “At an Outing of Los Angeles ‘Trad ‘Trade Local We Raised $50 For You Strik- ing Dressmakers. We Greet Your Rebellious Spirit Displayed in Strike. Fight On Victory is Yours, We ‘Will Expedite Your Victory Through Our Financial Support.” Chicago Local Builds Strike Fund. ‘The Chicago local of the N.T.W.1.U. has sent Morris Backal on a tour of the middle west for the purpose of collecting donations to the $15,000 Dress Strike Fund. A Lotker and S. Lifshitz have been sent on a na- tional tour of workers’ organizations for the same purpose. At the second United Front Con- ference held here last Saturday in Irving Plaza, a report of all strike activities to date was submitted and representatives of scores of working- class organizations pledged to sup- port the strike morally and finan-| cially. Six dressmakers were arrested to- day, most of them in Harlem, where dressmakers are being paid $4, $6 and $8 for as much as 70 hours of work a week. The majority of the strikers in Harlem are young workers with little or no experience in strike strug- gles. Notwithstanding, they march on the picket lines, singing and cheer- ing, and have offered effective re- sistance to the police, who are aiding the employers and the L.L.G.W. (com- pany union) to break the strike. Young Dressmakers Meet Tonight The Youth Department of the N.T. W.LU, has called a mass meeting of all young dressmakers for tonight at 6:30 in the headquarters of the un- ‘jing to bring the Negro working Shelton Weaver Strike; NTW a ganized Suake in in Invite to Help Textile Mill at Jewett City; Union Sends Organizer partments LAWRENCE, Mass., 3 office in Lawrence was raided today. confiscated. Johanna Reed, Hartfiel union will continue in spite of all o |Move to Spread Shelton Strike to Other De< and Mills in Other Cities ~ 2.—The National Textile Workers Union Union files and other material were id, and Donagian were arrested, The bstacles. It is clear that these raids and arrests are revenge for the strike successes won by the N.T.W.U, * * * An attorney for the International Labor Defense saw Murdoch and Devine today, of the $5,000 each bail on which they and argued before Commissioner Tillinghast for reduction are held, The commissioner refused, and habeas corpus proceedings will be used next by the I.L.D. Protest meetings against the Lawrence arrests will be held Tuesday evening in Lexington Hall, Wednesday in ten other cities. ae Lawrence, and Wednesday at 5 Parkman Bandst#nd on Boston Common. p.m, aft Protest meetings will be held * * SHELTON, Conn., Mach 2—Taking heart from the suecess of 12,000 striking in Lawrence, enthtal mills are out on stri Shelton Weavers’ Club. But tl 300 weavers here in the Blum- ke under the leadership of the hese strikers at their mass meet- ing in Clark’s Hall here this morning voted to call a represen- MAYNARD STRIKE PARTIAL VICTORY 1,000 Mill Workers Build Organization MAYNARD, Mass., March 2.—Over 1,000 who struck at the Assabett mill here of the American Woolen Co, last Thursday, in solidarity with the Lawrence strikers and for loreal de- mands, have voted to go back on the basis of a partial victory, approxi- mately the same as the gains at Lawrence. The Assabett strikers have won a 35 per cent wage in- crease on “silver tone work” and have forced the company to with- draw the efficiency (speed-up) ex- perts, The vote was taken at a mass meeting of all strikers held yester- day. The strikers go back organ- ized and will continue the fight against the 1214 per cent wage-cut ordered by the American Woolen Co., the same company as at Lawrence, There was a mobilization of the churches, imported police and the United Textile Workers to break the strike. The National Textile Workers’ Union local is now well organized here. NEGRO WOMENFOR BKLYN MARCH 8 BROOKLYN, N. Y.—Delegates rep- resenting 24 working-class women’s organizations, trade unions and fra- ternal organizations at a conference called by Section 6 of the Commu- nist Party endorsed March. 8 as In- ternational Women’s Day of Struggle Aagainst Capitalism and Exploita- tion. Delegates representing these or- ganizations pledged to mobilize the widest number of working women for the International Women’s Day dem- onstration, which will be held for the workers of Williamsburgh, Boro Hall, Green Point and Masphet at the Grand Manor, 318 Grand St., near Havemeyer, Brooklyn, on Sun- day, March 8, at 2 p. m. . “Special effort to mobilize the Ne- gro working women was thoroughly discussed at the conference and a special affair prior to the mass meet- women in preparation for the March 8 celebration has been arranged for ion, 131 W. 28th St. A report out- lining the strike activities of the young workers and submitting plans for extending these activities will be submitted. The young dressmakers are among the most exploited of all, being forced to do the work of adult dressmakers at a third or a fourth oj their salary, Young dress: taken a leading pa. the mii ene ‘ CONTINUED ON PAGH TWO) Friday evening at 61 Graham Ave., where a banquet will be held. Mass open-air meetings will be held all during the week to reach the housewives and workers from the shops. Open-air shop gate meetings in front of the Feldman and Kahn tex- tile mill, where the working women are terrifically exploited, will be held to expose the conditions and mob- “tative of the National Textile Workers Union to come in and address them, The N.T.W: led the Lawrence strike, The N-T.W. representative urged the strikers to spread their strike toother departments and to other mills, and offered the coopera- tion of the union, His remarks were received with enthusiastic applause, and the strikers then voted for him to remain through the meeting and assist with advice in leading the strike, Attempts are being made to spread the strike not only to other depart- ments here, but to the Blumenthal mills in Bridgeport, Uncasville, and South River, Meanwhile, news arrives of an un- organized textile strike in Jewett City, starting last week. A representative of the N.T.W. has been sent there, BOSSES DEPORT- ING 257 WORKERS Continue Policy ot Picking Up Militants BULLETIN, August Yokinen, defendant in Sunday’s mass trial, was arrested yesterday by immigration authori- ties and is being held for deporta- tion to fascist Finland. His crime against American imperialism lays in his admission of his error in harboring white chauvinistic ideas (hatred and contempt of Negroes) and his pledge to fight for the unity of the Negro and white workers against capitalist starva- tion. The International Labor Defense has taken up the case and is de- manding his release, NEW YORK—Another large grouy of militant foreign-born workers, whose working-class activities in the fight against starvation have of- fended the bosses, are on Ellis Island today awaiting deportation, many of them to fascist countries where they face certain death, Most of the number were brought here from other states and so savage was the treatment they received en route that at least 20 of the grout are in grave danger of losing their minds. ‘The 257, under special guards of the Immigration Service, were landed on the island from a barge of the Lehigh Valley Railroad terminal at Jersey City, on which they had been crowded like cattle, Among the group are many women and children. All of the cases were-reilroaded through in the towns where the raids took place. The case histories were not forwarded to Ellis Island, and the view of Ellis Island officials is that the workers aré.simply in tran- sit out of the country, without any hope of appeal against this niga ilive those workers for March & }ous action