The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 29, 1931, Page 4

ecupiished by the Comprodaily Publishing Co., Inc., daily except Sueday. at 50 was Dail forker SUBSCRIPTION RATES: —S Ni City, N. Y. Teleph: Al ‘in 7956-7, Cable: “DAIWORK.” ty mail everywhere: One year, $6; six months, $3; two months, $1; excepting Boroughs Page Four H are oth wal Grose to the Daily Worker, 60 East 13th street New York. N.Y USA of Manhattan and Bronx, New York Ctiy. Foreign: one year, $8+ six months, $4.50. = ee « = — Berta NEGRO PRESS AND NEGRO TE PEND UA NCS OA | irs ie ee BOYS FACING DEATH By ROBERT MINOR. S have just read an article dated April 23 in | We. Pittsburgh Courier, on the Scottsboro | case of the nirie Negro working class boys framed | up and railroaded to the electric chair, slated to | die on July 10th. We are glad to see the Pittsburgh Courier give prominent and sympathetic publicity to this hotrible crime against the Negro people and the working class, Nearly all of the Negro news- papers prior to this time have been jammed full, as usual, with silly prattle about divorce cases and sensational crimes and other meaningless stuff, while these deserted boys were facing death in Alabama. Of those papers which mentioned the Scottsboro tragedy, nearly every one printed accounts obscurely in the back pages, written in the terms of the boss class, without a word of defense for the victims of the court house lynch- ing. We are glad to see a change for the better. A united front of all forces that can possibly be used to mobilize the masses in defense of these boys is necessary to save their lives. We hope that the so-called Negro newspapers will, at least for a few weeks, drop their silly capitalist-class chatter about divorces and night-club scandals and lend a hand to save the lives of these Negro | working class boys. . It ts necessary, however, to call attention to a dangerous tendency shown in the Pittsburgh | Courier article of its latest issue. ‘The Courier vaguely hints that the National | Association for Advancement of Colored People can be expected to take part in this case “at the proper time” in the effort to check “what is termed” (as they express it in quotation marks) @ legal lynching. ‘We beg to ask the gentlemen of the Pittsburgh Courier when in the hell is the “proper time” to join in defense of boys who are condemned to die on July 10th? Would perhaps July llth be the “proper time”? Pe Furthermore, the whole story in the Pittsburgh Courter is written in terms as though the paper were in doubt about the character of this hideous frame-up and intended murder of the nine chil- dren of our class. In the story, for instance, is @ sub-head which reads “‘Railroaded’ to the chair? Why does the Pittsburgh Courier so lovingly incline to faith in Alabama ruling class | justice to Negroes as to put quotation marks around the word “railroaded” and a question mark after it—when in its own article it says that the boys were jammed through a court procedure without a shadow of real defense and condemned to death at the rate of two a day for four days, with no time or opportunity of any kind to prepare a defense? Why does the Pitts- burgh Courier refer mysteriously to “prominent ministers” who also are supposed perhaps pos- sibly maybe at a “proper time” to raise their voices to save the lives of these boys? Does it mean, perhaps, that after a mass movement gets under way and it becomes relatively safe to say “me too,” that then these reverend gentlemen will find the courage to come into this affair? Certainly anyone, minister or otherwise, who may be willing to lend a hand sincerely to fight to save these boys will be more than welcomed by those who are already in the fight. It is not necessary for them to agree with others engaged in this defense, except in one thing: willingness to fight to save the lives of these boys. There are already many different groups now engaged in | this united front—including some southern Negro | ministers whom it has not been possible for the | lynchers to frighten away with the cry that they | are associating with rough Communist working | men. As for the anonymous ministers, who the | Courier says, haven’t come in yet, but will per- haps come in at some “proper time” (to be hoped, before July 11th), their assistance, too, would be welcomed, though we hope they will not be allowed to bring into the leadership of the fight that timidity which conceals even their names up to the present time. And what of the N. A. A. C, P. and the “proper time”? a etsse We have looked at the latest press service bul- Ietin of the National Association for Advance- ment of the Colored People in vain to find any admission from them that it is the “proper time” tven to let the public know that these boys are im desperate need of rescue from death. With the date of April 17th (after the Daily Worker has been calling for weeks for the defense of these boys) we find in the N.A.A.C.P. press serv- ice much quoted praise of their organization by reactionary capitalist newspapers, much talk of @ rich lady who made it possible for Negro pastors to join the NAACP by putting up the money for their dues, and much talk about how lot of capitalist judges in Ohio, already well- known for their framing up and savage sen- tences against working class strikers, black and white, have condescended to join the NAACP. But in all of the five long and closely written pages of their publicity, we find not one word of call to the masses to defend these boys, framed up by the capitalist judges of Alabama. We Communists, black and white, are working men. We are not so “refined” as to dress this frame-up in quotation marks and timid question marks, and we are not so patient about the “proper time” to defend our boys from murder. We are not supported by white millionaires with “benevolent” attitudes toward Negroes and are not sensitive, therefore, to the refined reticence about denouncing a ruling class murder as murder, ete ‘The writer of the “Courier” article, while hon- estly admitting that. the Communist Party is fighting to save these boys, and while commend- ing our Party for it, nevertheless expresses the fear that we are “doing more to confuse the situation than any other source.” Of course this fear is only the usual reaction of conventional people unable to throw off their blind faith in the ruling class courts of law, even in the pres- ence of the most ghastly crimes of these ruling class courts, So deeply ingrained is the super- stitious respect for the paraphernalia of capi- talist class government, that at times this super- stitious respect so completely overcomes the minds of those who are subject to it that they will kiss the rope that hangs their brothers, if only the rope is blessed by a ruling class judge. The writer of the “Courier” evidently believes in the fetishes and conventional lies about the “jus- tice” of our white-supremacy capitalism based on the “peculiar institution” of peonage and lynch- ing. Just so, 75 years ago, millions still believed in the “sacred” government of the southern slave oligarchy and the “peculiar institution” of chat- tel slavery, on which it was based, and could not imagine that it was soon to be overthrown. And, just so, 200 years ago, millions of European peas- ants still believed in the sacredness of the feudal state and the mystic purity of the feudal lords | who, held them in serfdom; and these millions believed then that such institutions were per- manent and that to question their sacredness was “confusing.” ‘ We suggest to the editors of the Negro news- papers that eight of these nine boys are sen- tenced to die on July 10th, and the “white su- premacy” ruling class of Alabama will not hesi- ) tate to carry through the murder. We need < united front of all—not a timid united front, not a united front with quotation marks and question marks—but a determined united front of all who are willing to fight to compel the bloody beast | of “White Supremacy” to release these innocent young victims of their greed. We urge all edi- tors of Negro newspapers to join with us uncom- promisingly in this fight which, with mass pro- portions, may be able to save these boys and a hundred more victims of lynchings to come. But words will not save them. Only the ac- tions of hundreds of thousands in a mass moye- ment of protest can save them, Such a moye- ment will reach its first high point four days from now—on May First. The Workers Inter- national Labor Day, the occasion this year of struggle against unemployment, wage cuts, speed- up, imperialist war and face oppréssion Of the Negroes—has this year placed the saving of the nine Negro boys at Scottsboro in the center of its program. The masses of thé Negro workers will be, to a considerable exterit; drawn into this démonstra+ tion which is the most éffective means of giving a big impetus toward rescue of the boys. Will the Negro intellectuals also join? Or are they. still surrounded by quotation and question marks? ‘The Negro masses will learn much about “lead- ers” in this fight to rescue our working class Ne- gro boys of Scottsboro. But the main thing is to set in motion a mass movement to save their lives. 3 Stop the legal lynching of the nine Negro working class boys! These boys are innocent; demand their im- mediate release! Demand a new trial before a jury composed of workers, at least half to be Negroes, to ex- pose this frame-up! Equal rights of Negroes in all courts! The national guard is a tool of the land own- ers, and capitalists; create an armed volunteer guard of Negro and white workers to defend the prisoners against these lynchers! Landlords are inciting the starving white ten- ant-farmers and share-croppers to lynch Ne- groes; the landlords and capitalist and not the Negroes, are starving the tenant-farmers, both white and black! Demand immediate cash relief for starving farmers arid unemployed workers—Negroes and whites equally! Down with peonage, Jim-Crowism and perse- cution of the Negro people! For full equality! For a fighting alliance of the oppressed Ne- gro people and the oppressed white workers and tenant farmers! Demand the confiscation of the land from the landlords for the Negro and white tenants and croppers! Negroes can never get “justice” in the courts of the white capitalists and landlords! Demand the right of self-determination for the Negro people—the right of a Negro state in the black belt! Stop the lynching of nine Negro working class boys! Death to lynchers! Proletarian Self Discipline On May Day Revolutionary Discipline and Militancy Must Characterize All Communist Demonstrations, | the eve of our May Day demonstrations it becomes necessary to sound a note of warn- ing and to issue some elementary directives on proletarian discipline and revolutionary conduct at political demonstrations. At times, some of our demonstrations have been marked by a disgraceful display of petty- bourgeois indifference, chattering, promenading and hooliganism. , ‘The overwhelming majority of workers attend- ing our demonstrations pay close attention to the ‘speakers and scriously participate in the demon- stration. A small part of the audience and ‘among them some irresponsible Party members insist on expressing their complete disregard for the meeting by deliberately violating all the basic principles of proletarian discipline. When the police or fascists destroy our demon- strations by violence we are not surprised. But very often our own comrades attempt to disrupt the unity and effectiveness of our demonstra- Hons-hy turning them into social gathering places, promenades and circus grounds. This must be stopped. How to Take Part in May Day Demonstrations, Begin right by attending the preliminary meeting of your organization (Trade Union, Un- employed Branch, League of Struggle for Negro Rights, etc.) so that you can get full instruc- tions, and can take part as a member of your organization, instead of just as an individual. In the parade, keep in line and follow the lead of the Captain ‘of your Section. Don’t argue over instructions, but’ carry them out. Be an in- fluence for discipline and silence any disturb- ers who may be next to you. In the demonstration, do not walk around from place.to place, observe absolute silence dur- ing the speeches, Take part in the singing, and cheering with revolutionary energy, enthusiasm and order. At indoor meetings, do not walk around the hall, form social groups, or disturb the unity of the meeting in any other way, Do not leave your seat until the meeting is adjourned, Don't | all’ Cortmumist demonstrations. NINE OF THEM- ALL BOYS UNDER 18 YEARS OLD RAILROADED TO CHAIR, (From the Pittsburg Courier of April 25th) Packing House Workers Dem- onstrate May First! AY DAY 1931 witnesses the conditions of the Packing House workers rapidly growing | worse. Thousands of them are now walking the streets Without j6bs. Additional thousands are | working part time not knowing when they will be néxt to bé thrown out on the streets. Those | workers employed know that the speed up is | . Worse today than ever before. They know that their wages have been cut through firing and rehiring. The company union is continuously | télling thém that they must produce more and hid and that the costs of production must be | juced. PACKING HOUSE WORKERS! MAY DAY | is @ day when the working class of America andi | all over the world demonstrates its solidarity and determination for struggle for better conditions. | Just as in 1886 when the American workers first came out on May Ist on the strike for the for the eight-hour day, must you now organize to better your conditions. The Packing House workers have a historic background of struggle. In 1917 and again in 1922 they came out on strike for better condi- tions and the eight-hour day. They were suc- cessful in their strike in 1917 as they were or- ganized then under militant leadership that led | them { their nstruggles agaist the companies. In | 19'1 after putting up a brilliant struggle they were defeated by the betrayers in the A. F. of L, who had organized them on narrow craft lines. After all these struggles of the workers in this industry conditions are today just as bad as in 1917 and 1922, if not worse. You must organ- ize into industrial unions under fighting leader- ship in order to gain better conditions. Such a union is the Packing House section of the Food and Packing House Workers Industrial Union. This organization is built on rank and file con- trol through the setting up of shop committees controlled directly by the workers in the shop. Such a shop committee is not like the shop committee that the company has forced you to accept, where only weak elements are allowed to remain on the Plant Conference Board or some similar organization. It is not the same as the Shop Committee in the plant which is headed by the superintendent and assistant superintendent, who give the orders of the company to the board to carry out, whether it be a lay off or wage cut or speeding up the machinery to increase pro- duction. The shop committees set up by the rank and file in the shops takes up the griev- ances of the workers and fights for adjustments of these grievances. It is not the same as when a worker on the Plant Conference Board objects | to a wage cut and gets fired. The Shop com- mittee is the organization in the plant that car- ries out the decisions of the rest of the workers in the plant in making demands o the company for improved conditions, {.e., shorter hours, in- creased wages, tmproved sanitary conditions, preventing the foremen from being abusive, regular working hours and many other griev- ances. Just as the workers. organized in 1917 and 1922 must you organize now. You should come to the demonstration in your city on May Ist with the determination to organize and struggle for better conditions. All Packing Iiouse’ Work- ‘ers make May Day a beginning of new organiza- tio in your industry for struggles until you win your demands. talk while the meeting is going on, and don’t let your neighbors talk. Don’t sell anything during the time of the speeches, Don't sell buttons, literature, or anything else unless authorized by the: committee in charge. Communists Must Set Example. Tens of thousands of non-Party workers will be present at the demonstration. The Party members, Y.C.L, members, Pioneers and revo- lutionary workers must be the steel rod in the maintenance of revolutionary self-discipline. They must impress the new non-Party prole- tarians with disciplinary order and revolutionary spirit of our demonstrations, a The political unity, organizational compact- ness, revolutionary enthusiasm, proletarian dis- cipline and fighting militancy must characterize te i Work and Our “Communist” By SAM DON. pee work means better prepared work plus a clearer understanding of the tasks and objectives of the Party. Whenever a discussion on the various plans of work arises, it becomes clear that the “WHY” of the various activities outlined, is insolubly connected with the “HOW” | of carrying out the plan of work. In fact the “why” which explains the reasons for the vari- ous activities is the key to the understanding of the “how.” The failure to link both most inti- mately, explains why many of the plans of work, | in spite of their elaborate details and superficial system, fail in the main objective of the plan— namely—mobilization for speeific mass activities. ‘The ideological preparation and understand- ing is a prerequisite for the proper plgnriing and organization of our work. The COMMUNIST is an indispensable weapon in the correct planning of our work. In many instances we note that in practice, they have either completely “forgotten” or failed to digest the 12 Plenum resolutions. The main emphasis at the Plenum was on the question of partial demands and the organizational methods and forms in our activities in the shops and amongst the unemployed. The COMMUNIST carried a number of articles explaining and pop- ularizing the decisions of the 12 Plenum—Com- rade Browder’s report which appeared in the January issue, the various articles of Comrades Foster and Stachel on trade union problems and questions of strike strategy, etc. When we re- flect_ on the various mistakes committed in our practical activities we cannot but come to the conclusion that had our comrades been reading the various articles (for that matter, read more carefully and studied the Plenum resolutions) less mistakes would have been committed. The May issue of the COMMUNIST will carry an article by Comrade Stachel on the lessons of the recent Lawrence strike. The entire Party must study these experiences, so that we will under- stand’ much .better how to prepare and lead strike struggles. Yet we might expect that not. only will there be a repetition of exactly the same mistakes committed in Lawrence, but in some situations even “improve” on the mistakes made in Lawrence. Hasn't it happened time and again! Not only mistakes were committed in Law- Tence. There were also definite positive points. Yet in other districts we might enter strike situ- ations with the comrades having the feeling that they had-no experience whatsoever. And only after the strike comrades will begin to compare their mistakes with the ones made in Law- rence and draft resolutions of self-criticism. (Here one is reminded of a Polish proverb: “The Pole gets wise after the harm is done.”), Would not a reading and a discussion of an article on the Lawrence strike prevent, or at least decrease the number of mistakes in a similar situation? If the article will be studied and the lessons taken to heart it certainly would. If we take for instance our struggle for Ne- gro rights. The complaint is being made that the membérship is not clear on it. We all speak of the need of intensifying our ideological cam- paign in this respect. And right at this point one is more than tempted to ask “How niany have'read the various articles which appeared in the COMMUNST on the Negro Question?” The answer would not sound so encouraging. Take the question of articles in the COM- MUNIST dealing with the question. We wish to call the attention of the comrades to Comrade Browder's article in the April issue on the above mentioned problem, The article deals with the methods of fighting demagogy. How important and decisive it is in our strugfgle to win the masses can be seen from the following sentence from Comrade Browder's article, “The working class, and its vanguard, the Communist Party, have made Jess progress in fighting demagogy than in fighting the police club.” May we ask how many comrades have read the article? Perhaps after seme sad experience, after haying made some mistakes. the problem will be dis- covered. Would not a bit of advcance reading help?, Shall we remind ourselves of the article only. after some mistakes are committed? ‘The various right and left mistakes committed to carry out the line of the C. I. The reprinted Pravda editorial which appears in the April is- sue is of such importance that everyone must read it without fail. We repeat a countless number of times that “Theory is a guide to action.” But when action comes, we quite frequently, forget of the exist- énce or fail to use this experienced and reliable guide. The, its development, where no one will with pride point to his contempt of theory. But in practice this contempt of theory, to say the least, suf- fers from relapses. At best it is altogether too often “forgotten” or ignored. ‘The majority of the articles in the COMMU- NIST, as we already mentioned above, are of a nature indispensable for the solution of our im- mediate problems. There are also a number of articles which tend to give a deeper theoretical- political understanding of our tasks. Such ar- ticles should prove beneficial in the training of functionaries. Planned work means well prepared work. Reading is for many of us dry because we don't see in the articles lessons of accumulated experi- ences. Such an attitude reflects lack of serious- ness in our attempt in the solution of the vari- ous problems growing out of the mass activities of the Party. The lack of criticism on the part of the com- rades with regards to the COMMUNIST re- flects the lack of interest in the COMMUNIST. The present campaign to increase the circula- tion of the COMMUNIST must be approached from the viewpoint of developing a weapon ‘which will improve our mass activities, PARTY LIFE Conducted by the Organization Department of the Central Committee, Communist Party, U.S.A. Migratory Workers Want to Organize '(OMRADES: Revolutionary Greetings, Would like to be informed through Party Life column in the Daily Worker as to whether or not, it would, be possible for all migratory workers to be carried as unassigned to any unit. It is known, that many agricultural workers, thousands and tens of thousands travel to all parts of the U. S. during harvest season, could perhaps be useful as organizers for the United Farmers’ League and Agricultural Workers In- dustrial Union. Having worked in the fruit belt (Ho-Jack) country of up-state New York, between Roches- ter and Niagara Falls, for the past four years, it sure needs some attending to! The conditions there last summer and fall were wicked, espe- cially in the canning factories. Young girls and old women had to work twelve and fourteen hours a day during cherry season at Sodus, N. Y., and other points. At the Chas. F. Burns canning plant in Alton, N. Y¥., I saw girls fainting right on the job from the terrific speed-up while do- ing a man’s work. ‘This summer there should be some help given to these oppressed workers. I believe the migra- tory workers would be of great value in organiz- ing them. In regards to ‘the grain belt in the middle west, it must be remembered that the L.W.W.’s in their hey-day succeeded in organiz- ing the majority of the workers. I suggest the Party, without adopting the I.W.W. program, adopt some of its tactics in regards to organizing workers into a real workers’ organization. —Migratory Worker. Migratory Workers can belong to the Com- munist Party as members-at-large in their Dis- trict or Section, We agree with the comrade writing this letter that they can be of splendid service in organizing agricultural workers and he is,carnestly requested to send in his name and address where he can be reached to District Office, Commynist Party, P. O. Box 669 ,Buffalo, N. Y, and also to the Central e, C. P. U.S. A. P. O. Box 87, Station D, New York City, so that we can send him (nrther tnformation-en Party hes already reached a stage in | Bidfmte | By JORGR eee Rumanian Romance “Dear Jorge:—The Friends of the Soviet Union held @ meeting tonight (April 24) and Mike Gold gave a report of ‘his trip to the U. S. S. R. It brought so many workers that by 8:15 the police closed the doors. In an- other fifteen minutes several hundred had gath- ered outside and hundreds more must have been on the way, for it was only 8:30. “The police allowed a comrade to enter to tall over the situation with the committee in charge. Assistance was offered the committee in charge to go out and hire another hall in the neigh- borhood, or to hold a street meeting at the near- est corner. “After a consultation between the chairman and the secretary, it was decided to do neither. The chairman went out and told the eager crowd to “Go home, home, home,” and wait’ tm- til another meeting will be arranged in the fu- ture, The audience was assured that the ehair- man’s own mother would have no chance of- admittance. “Tt seems that somebody thinks that the Soviet Union {s profoundly unpopular, expects nobody to come to F. S. U. meetings, and is rather an- noyed and completely upset when workers in- sist on coming to hear about their Fatherland where socialism is being built. With full justice, the comrade adds: “We must be ready to come with emergencies—and not tell people to go home and wait for our next call.” The comrade, who signs herself “Fannie J.”, is correct. Some day the workers will be demand- ing we lead them in revolution, and some bright leader will protest: “You can’t revolt yet, ‘cause We forgot to get red flags!” on Size | Who Beheads Whom? Incidentally, in the N. Y. Times of April 22, @ report of Rear Admiral Smith, commander of U. 8, naval forces in Central America, contained the following lines, concerning the seals on doc- uments found on the dead body of Pedro Blan- don, a lieutenant in Sandino’s army who was murdered by one of those “harmless and peace- ful civilians” over who Hoover sheds tears: “Two of them (the documets) bear a rough seal showing a bandit cutting the head from a Prostrate dead marine.” This lie has been repeated by Hoover and much has been made of it. After the marines have been killing—yes, and beheading!—Nica- raguan workers and peasants for 19 years, we wouldn't blame the Nicaraguans for retaliating in kind, But it happens that we have seen the afficigl Stal of Sandino, and the Rear Admiral is a liar when he says it shows a “bandit cutting the head from a prostrate dead marine.” It shows the Picture of “Liberty” (just like the Statue of Liberty) prostrate to the’ ground, with the sym- bolic figure of Mars, in a Roman helmet and with drawn sword—representative of Yankee im- Perialismi—with his foot on the neck of the Prostrate figure of “Liberty’—naturally the liberty of Nicaragua, So, as we said, the Rear Admifal is an out- rageous liar, as rear admirals usually are. You already know what Hooyer is. Lee ea How Not to Treat Audiences Did you notice that all the boss papers are a-flutter with racy stories about the Rumanian monarchy? Sounds like Hollywood and Mayor Walker, black and orange colored pajamas. First Queen Marie was given the air, and King Carol brought back from Paris red-haired “morganatic wife,” which is a faney name for concubine, Mme. Lupescu, and compelled to live with his own wife, Helen (but not the one whose face wrecked a thousand ships). Now the triangle is getting dizzy again. Mme. Lupescu has moved her bichloride tablets to Bu- charest, and Helen finds the palace door locked, with her on the outside; while Mme, Lupescu is cutting up with the King’s cabinet—and so. All of which don’t mean anything without you understand that Carol is the darling boy of Wall Street bankers, who incidentally are in- terested in Rumanian oil fields, while ‘the U. S. government is O.K.-ing these bankers’ loans to Rumanian in alliance with French imperialism, to arm it for war against the Soviet Union. Hence Carol must be humored, in his taste for red-haired ladies, so long as he carries out im- perialist policy for a war base against the Soviet, which everybody that has heard Fish knows is awfully immoral. * «# 6 War Propaganda One of the million instances is that found in the tabloid N. Y. sheet, “The Daily News” of April 23, where on page 4, we find: “Today our best known presidents are Wash- igton, Lincoln and -Wilson—all war presidents, Today young Russia is arming to the teeth. Russia has proved jealous.of America, We have what they want. And Russia and America in flesh and blood and pocketbook are the only two countries in the world fit to fight...It means that our next president will make plenty of history.” 3 % Russia “wants what we have”? Ridiculous! ‘They don’t want capitalism, nor unemployment, or, wage cuts, nor lynchings, nor Jimmy Walk- ers, nor jazz! And when the “next president” or the; present one, either, tries to force these “blessings” on Soviet Russia, there will be only one country in the world “fit to fight” after the fight is over—and that country will not be the U.S. A.! Turn out on May Day and tell vem why! br, ee Who Wants Weather, Anyhow? — ; “Sandino Seizes City, Razes U. 8. Weather Bu- reau”—said a headline last Friday. That's just like those “bandits”! No respect for anything, even the weather! Now the ma- tines will have to worry along without any weather while shooting Nicaraguans under the name of “withdrawal of the Marines.” “Congressman Fish has proven that the Anti- Imperialist League deliberately sent an carth- quake to Sandino, causing no end of trouble to the marines in Managua, occupyig the attention of the marines and spoiling their aim, while Sandino’s men were marching against the weath- ver. The case is clear, even if the weather is MOY roe ee a ad