The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 30, 1931, Page 1

| l UsEMPLoven Wore Sy ’ oth) Ov Vere For ME AND YoU CAN STARVE IN Trenance PANTS WALKER Dail. (Section Vol. VIII, No. 104 Entered an second-class matter at the Post Office st New York, N. ¥., under the act of March 3, 1879 <1 of he-Comn the Bie hy, es NEW YORK, THURSDAY, frunist ae orker Porty U.S.A. tional) WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! NEW YORK MAY DAY EDITION In Two Sections—Section One APRIL 30, 1931 Price 3 Cents CITY EDITION ALL OUT ON MADISON SQUARE MAY FIRST AT NOON Mass Demonstration Against Starvation; Lynching; New War The Government and Wage Cuts WASHINGTON news item by the Scripps-Howard service on. April 3th declared: ‘Department of Labor officials have found themselves powerless to prevent reductions in wages to the beet sugar growers in the Rocky Mountain region, according to Hugh Kerwin, head of the Conciliation Bureau of the Labor Department.” Such a “helpless” government! But it is not at all helpless in upholding the profits sweated by the employers out of the workers! When, in November, 1929, Hoover called his famous “Conference to Maintain Prosperity,” the principal promise made to the workers was that there would be “no wage cuts.” But the working class as a whole received ‘&® wage cut. of $12,000,000,000 in 1930! While the profits to capitalists, taken in dividends and interest, increased in the first eleven months of 1930 by $428,500,000 over 1929, making a total of $8,000,500,000! No sweet words about the “kind intentions” of the capitalist govern~ ment can conceal these brutal facts! Facts of wage cuts which the Com- munist Party and the Daily Worker at that time, in 1929, foresaw and against which it appealed to the workers to struggle! The capitalist government, has not been at all “helpless” in maintain- ing the hoggish profits of the parasite capitalist class. It has refunded literally billions of dollars in taxes to the rich. It has fought tooth and nial against ahy demand that would take a penny from the multi-million- aires and place it in the hands of a worker to buy milk for his children. It has deported thousands, jailed hundreds, and clubbed, gassed and black- jacked literally thousands of workers for demanding unemployment in- surance at the expense of the.rich, ‘The capitalist government was not “helpless” in sending troops to break the strike of the textile workers of Danville! It was only the strike of the textile workers of Lawrence, led by the revolutionary union of the ‘Trade Union Unity League, against a wage cut in the form of a speed up, that prevented the “powerless” Bureau of Conciliation of the United States Labor Department from helping the textile barons carry out their wage cut! And the “helpless” government was so resentful of this inter- ference, that it arrested all strike leaders for deportation! ‘These are only a few of the cases which expose the government as the militant defender of the capitalist class against the workers. And no worker wil] be fooled by the hypocritical pretense that ihe govezument is helpless’! All workers should realize that the American government is their enemy, the force of the capitalist class to repress the working class and defeat it, with hypocrisy if Possible, and with bloody armed terror, if necessaty! | Understanding this, and while rallying their forces in shop commit~- tees for struggle against wage’cuts under the leadership of the Communist Party and the Trade Union Unity League revolutionary unions, all work- ers must realize that their struggle can only be assured a complete and permanent victory by the overthrowal of such “helpless” capitalist gov- ernment and the establishment of a Soviet government of Workers and Farmers. Join the struggle against capttalism, its wage cuts, unemployment, misery and war! On to the streets May Day in a one-day strike! On to the streets in demonstration against capitalism and capitalist government! You have nothing to lose but your chains! You have a world to gain! Side Trackers! “There is too much law and order today Our nation came into be- ing through a violent disregard of law and order. The Negro was freed by bloody strife, in complete disregard of law and order. Labor unions came into being through disregard of law and order, and won for Ameri- can labor its high standards of living through strikes.” * * * TS words came from the mouth of Matthew Woll, vice-president of the American Federation of Labor, speaking before 200 A. F. of L. delegates at Philadelphia. But was this conference of A. F. of L. leaders concerned about, rally- ing the workers to strike against wage cuts, to maintain the “high standard of livirig” won by strikes? Not at all! The conference of A. F. of L. officials was meeting to demand, not higher wages, but light wines and beer! In the widst of an army of 10,000,000 unemployed, who with their families are living in a condition of starvation and semi-starvation, ex- isting only by: living at the expense of other workers, still employed but who are having their wages cut, the A, F. of L. officials would make the workers believe that what these workers desperately need is not unemploy- ment insurance and effective strikes against wage cuts—but beer! ‘Th monumental hypocrisy of these demagogs has no limit! The A. F. of L. in New York City unites with the restaurant owners to get injunc- tions against the Food Workers Industrial Union striking against the 12- hour. day, seven-day week at starvation wages at literally dozens of res- tsurants (not organized by ‘the ‘A. F. of L. union) and A. F. of L. “organ- izers” openly unite with the police in slugging strike pickets. We men- tion the Zelgreen cafeteria as merely one among the many such cases. | Yet Matthew Woll, at whose orders this strike-breaking was done, at whose behest a blanket, injunction still operates against N. Y. food work- ers and in behalf of the employers, has the gall to say.at Philadelphia: “There is too much law and order today. I want to see the shackles of injunction broken, if not by lawful methods, then through physical resentment.” i But only the injunctions against speakeasies! And this prince of hypocrites who jabbers against “Jaw and order” in behalf of booze, is the same Matthew Woll who leads the black hundreds of fascist gangsters calling themselves the Veterans of Foreign Wars against the foreign- born and native-born American workers who demand unemployment in- surance and who strike against wage cuts, and demands—and gets— from the capitalist government, a campaign of terror and. deportation against the workers—all in the name of “law and order”! ‘There is no doubt but that the so-called Prohibition Law should be repealed as it shelters a vast amount of corruption in which these self- same A. F. of L. officials share, As long as profits are to be made from Jpoort, there will be booze, and only the overthrowal of the capitalist profit system, together with popular education to convince and not en- force by decree, can ultimately solve the question. But the A. F. of L. is against this. It defends the capitalist system, in which the booze question is an insignificant thing compared to wage cuts, unempli it and the starvation of millions of workers. Yet around this booze “issue” the A. F. of L. is trying to sidetrack the workers, from organizing and striking against wage cuts, from unit- dg. ie auniered and unemployed alike, around the demand for unemploy- ment insurance. And Woll deliberately tries to sidetrack the struggle by waying: Tons drive against the Volstead ‘Ast is the first step in the devel- opment of a militant labor movement.’ Such monumental hypocrisy is unusual even for an A. F’. of L, offi- etait, And the workers of America, following the lead of the revolutionary unions of the Trade Union Unity League, organizing and building their unions in strikes against wage cuts, in struggle for unemployment insur ‘ance, must and will show these fascist Wolls that they will not be side- tracked from class struggle! And all workers, conscious of their class, will demonstrate ape aet + Mepitalicm and. vad aeiranis’ on ay, Day! TO BE CUT, CHAMBER Will Be Shoved Wage cuts are shoving by Henry Ford Tuesday. He would take labor twenty SCOTTSBORO SO. DEFENSE Distribute Leaflets in Spite of Terror CHATTANOOGA, April ~29.—In spite of the terror launched by the bosses against the International La~ bor Defense and other working class organizations engaged in the defense of the nine Scottsboro Negro boys, hundreds of Jeaflets calling upon the white and Negro workers to smash the Scottsboro court lynch verdict were distributed yesterday in Scotts- boro, Paint Rock, Huntsville and oth- er Alabama towns. ‘The distribution was carried out by white and Negro workers who also gaye out copies of the Southern Worker. Calls-All Southern Conference An All-Southern Scottsboro De- fense Conference has been called jointly by the League of Struggle for Negro Rights and the International Labor Defense for Sunday, May 24 in Masonic Hall, 411 East Ninth St., Chattanooga, Tenn. Every effort will be made to give it the broadest possible united front character. ehaae eo NEW YORK.—The National Office of the ILD yesterday sent the follow- ing telegram to Governor Henry H. Horton of Tennessee and Mayor E. D. Base of Chattanooga: “Through reliable sources we learn that the K.K.K. of Tennessee plan- ning attack Chattanooga offices In- ternational Labor Defense now rais- ing mass protest against legal lynch- ing nine Scottsboro Negro boys. Scores of thousands of Negro and white workers in United States in addition to members and affiliated organizations to the International La- bor Defense hold you responsible in such event.” Protest Scottsboro, Paterson Frameup ‘The following protest against the Scottsboro court lynch verdict was sent to Governor B. M. Miller, of Ajabama, at Montgomery, Ala., by the Cultural Department of the Workers International Relief: “Workers of Cultural Department, ‘Workers International Relief protest legal lynching Scottsboro boys. Rally- ing all cultural organizations for de- fense.” NEW YORK. “The | May First dem- onstrations throughout the country will have as one of their central points the demand for the release of the nine eolored youths being rail- roaded to the electric chair by the Alabama. bosses. ‘These demonstrations will also give impetus to the further development of the campaign which will be con- tinued with constantly growing en- ergy until the murderous frame-up and court room lynch verdict is ao and the release of the boys apr Plans Intensified Campaign. The National Committee of the League of Struggle for Negro Rights at @ meeting held yesterday adopted “Jans to intensify the struggle against American workers back 20 years. MEET MAY 24, WAGES OF ALL WORKERS SAYS U. 8. OF COMMERCE Ford Admits That “Standard of Living Then Back 20 Years! Answer Attack On Wage Standard! Demon- strate Against the Hunger Program May 1 the standards of living of the said “if wages were reduced it ars to get back.” The fact that wages are being reduced and will still fur- ‘ther be cut is admitted in a | startling news story Journal of Commerce’s correspondent, by the Clarence L, taking place in Atlantic City. Under the heading: “Lower Wage Level Believed Inevitable by Chamber of Commerce Delegates,” Linz informs that: "....the delegates to the United States Chamber of Comerce Conven- tion pre-session discussions were to~ day devoting themselves to the one outstanding problem of wages. “The all absorbing topic of wage reduction, however, is considered only in private conversations, for the va- rious groups of bankers, industrial- ists, retailers, economists and others | frankly admit it is a matter for in- dividual action in the final analysis and there is some doubt as to its be- ing brought before the convention in any general way.” Here we have the fact that wage} cuts will be the main topic of action | of the leading exploiters, but it is) being discussed behind closed doors and in secret, with the approval of tion of Labor, to keep the workers from taking counter-action. Linz goes on to relate: “Some are looking to the railroads to make the first forward step, this to result in lowered freight rates. Des- pite propaganda to the effect that wage scales are being and must be maintained, it is found here that there is a general tendency in the op- posite direction, and while speakers such are being made slowly and only in keeping with falling commodity prices, a general lowering of the wage level, without materially effecting the American living standards, ts de- clared inevitable.” ‘The bankers, economists, industrial- ists and boss politicians present at these sessions of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce discuss the fact that, wages must be dragged to the level of the “slave labor’ of the South. Linz explains: “With employment of male labor of the Mason and Dixon line at $1.00 per day and less, with field labor competing with unskilled town labor for places in the mills, it is considered here that labor in organized centers must accept a recession from their demand rates of wages.” Release Pr 9 Negro Boys Is One of Main Demands of May Day Demonstrations LSNR._ to , Organize Block Committees, Conferences the Scottsboro legal lynching espe cially giving it an creazimational character by everywhere undertaking a much wider campaign than here- tofore, together with an organiza- tional campaign that will take the form of setting up block and neigh- borhood committees under the leader- ship of the LSNR. Must Build Block Committees! ‘These committees will be built in every city, starting with as few as 3 or 4 workers, These committees will carry on @ house-to-house campaign to spread the movement and mobilize This admission was made} special | {Linz, who is now covering the) the annual meeting of the United | tp newspapermen during his Carribean cruise abou States Chamber of Commerce, now | his Wall Street and business readers | Big Business Plans Wage Slashes | THE KIPLIN TWE KIPLIN NATIONAL Pn | | | It seams quite impo previously the prosp! of the principal subjects of dl Little got into the newspaper all sides to suppress the facts, or nos. The motive for semi-secrecy cornition of the precarious positio | roneous, Joading only to later dis: | | Appire out ‘the countr news, either 1 Most cuts are not ally or nationally. get the reports, not always direct f. unfons in some cases want. to conceal rot confidential reports getically that they were reluctant trades and industries get scattered higher officials apparently do NOT be worried. any serious threats of wago reducti Qur_ides of Mr. Hoover's a! | encouragomant, to employers to reduce. sare being reduce ness organizations hear of them in roundabout ways. from manufacturers The President's recent 5 the middle strata of government authoriti fault lies with his sincerity or his information. | | ETTER WASHINGTON GTOM AGENCY in tht a tacit agreement at Least to keep them out. of the arises from the foar 2 : | n of the wage scale wil The policy seems to u Lusionment. weak, although! : here-thero-yonder through- § acular and do not make good sociations and other busi- Laber headquarters rom local union officers, for the the facts from other unions. Wo to take the | the employes acquiesced when the situation ras set forth frankly. | Government, sub-officials who have close contacts 1n various | reports of "wage adjustments". get the reports, profess not to tement thet ad not heard of ca a raising of eyebrows in ‘who question whether the ons ttitude 1s ¢ He talked freely reductions. } by to kill the discus: ting wages. They took the cue and wrote alarming dispatches. cided that they were too alarming, and that the beans had been spilled. So he leaned far the other way in an authorized statement, hoping thers- fi 1 sion for tHe present. is sincere, but he feels that this is no time to even think about cut- The contrary attitude of certain authorities who are equally the dangers of wage | | | He dew | He is well-informed, and he | sincere is sometiting like this {here actually exists at this ments which might put Washington in ee ‘Lime a strong and subtle influence to re- duce wages. Add to tis a further recognition that wage cuts probably will have s depressing effect on business morale. Appeal to employ~ ‘ers quietly, therefore, to do their utmost to keep up wages in the fu- ture, as they have done admirably well in the past. optimism now, a5 it did a year ago this spring. 'S better to face the fact that Avoid public state- the position of encouraging false | experts to summarize the movements and intentions of the big corporations |“ Here is a Ietter sent only to big business men who pay a staff of inside and the federal government officials for them. The letter also serves as | propaganda among business men for what they want. Now they want more wage cuts. “Confidential” News Agency | ganizations throughout greater New | York are completing their prepara- | tions for the May Day demonstra~ the leaders of the American Federa- | hurriedly explain that wage cuts as) Says All Talk The Kiplinger Washington Agency, National Press Building, Wash., sells private and confidential government and business secrets to big business men. The very circulation of those secrets, the selection of them of course WAGES 34 PER CENT BELOW 1929 NEW YORK.—Factory payrolls in March, 1931, were 34 per cent below those of March, 1929, according to the figures of the Bureau of Business Conditions, Alexander Hamilton In- stitute, yesterday. ‘The general index of pay rolls was 2.2 per cent greater in March than in February—less than the usual seasonal increase, but the papers are making it look as though it was the end of the crisis. Some of the principle declines In March, 1931 pay rolls as compared with the highest points in 1929, are: Automobiles, 55.4 per cent; iron and steel, 36 per cent; rubber boots and shoes, 68 per cent; petroleum refin- ing, 29.9 per cent; leather, 26.6 per, cent; shipbuilding, 23.6 per cent, and silk goods, 28.6 per cent. i | defense for the Scottsboro victims. task of visiting their neighbors, ex- plaining the frame-up and terrorist nature of the Scottsboro case, col- Jecting funds for the defense, distrib- uting The Liberator and other liter- ature and rallying support around The Liberator as the organizer and agitator in the movement to save the lives of these nine colored children. Organize United Front Defense Conferences United Front Conferences will be organized jointly by the L.S.N.R. and the LL.D., and these conferences will organize Scottsboro Defense Com- mitees in every city between May 15 and May 25 to rally the largest masses (OONT ‘UED ON TAGE THREE) ‘The workers will be drawn into the|- of Wage Cuts is a kind of propaganda, one of the ways the biggest business men issue their orders to the smaller fry. On this page is a reproduction of the first page of the Kiplinger Wash~- ington Letter dated April 11. It points out that the whole talk in govern- ment and business circles in Wash- ington is about wage cuts. The cuts so far are just the first raindrops in a storm of wage cuts that are com- |cist anti-working class strike-break- |the demonstration and parade. Organizations of WorkersUseOwn Bands, Banners |Mass Demonstration On Madison Spuare Starts At 12:36 P. M.; Will Be Followed By March Through Streets to Union Spuare ‘Communist Party Calls All to Mass Meeting in Bronx Coliseum At 7:30 P. M., After March ARL Locals, Militant Unions, Unemployed Are Rallying; Tens of Thousands of Leaflets Distributed; Preliminary Mobilization BULLETIN | NEW YORK.—The mass demand of the workers has foreed the police to grant a permit for the May Day demonstration at Madison Square and the march to Union Square. 5 NEW YORK.—AIl preparations for the igigantic May Day demonstration are proceed: |ing with feverish speed. Unemployed and ém- | ployed workers, Negro, youth and adult work- ers will demonstrate in larger numbers thar ever before in the May Day solidarity struggle against hunger against wage-cuts, fiendish lynchings and persecution of the Negro and foreign born workers, against bosses’ war, and for the defense of the Soviet Union. Unions, fraternal organizations, workers’ benefit societies, working women and house wives’ “|, AN CUTS FOR STEEL WORKERS Say Workers Already Used to Them Anyway Wage cuts are now impending in the steel industry. The United States Steel Corporation is taking the lead in planning wage cuts. In Youngs- town, Ohio, wage cuts have been handed out to nearly all steel work- ers and more are on the way. As fare back as March 5, 1931, the tion and parade. Many A. F, of L. local unions in defiance of the fas- ing A. F. of L. leadership will par- ticipate in mass with their bands of| © music in the parade. Local 2090 of the Carpenters Brotherhood voted at their membership meeting to partici- pate with their full membership in They have called a mobilization meeting on April 30th and issued a call to their entire membership to gather at 5th Avenue and 21st Street at 12 o'clock on May Day. ing. And meanwhile, Hoover is play- ing politics, he wants not to be | blamed for the starvation and misery | and smashing of living standards that | he and the big business men who rule | him are preparing. | Pages 2, 3 and 4 of the letter could not be protographed for the paper, but they are equally interesting. On Page 2 of the letter, the second | paragraph shows the Kiplinger gang in close touch with the A. F. L. chiefs, the A. F, L. general headquarters is in Washington. The Kiplinger letter says, heavily underlined, “In labor circles we do not detect any strong belligerency of attitude”—against wage reductions. And still more re- vealing, in the next paragraph, the Kiplinger letter says: “Three labor men in the past few days have men~- tioned that perhaps the anti-trust laws ought to be modified in some way to permit agreements among competitors to moderate the bitter | phases of price rivalry.” To Kiplinger adds, parenthetically, “Sounds like big business talk rather than labor talk, doesn’t it?” Yes, Big Business. We'll say it does, and it shows that | big business and the office of Presi- | Workers! Maintain Proletarian dent Green of the A. F. L, are just two offices of the same concern. Depression To Go On. And on the last page it is frankly admitted that the crisis is going to last a very long time yet. ‘The Kip- linger letter says, “Weighted Wash- ington opinion seems to be this: the adjustment process (which fs a con- structive term for slow business) will go on for six mouths at least. April and May will be ‘disappointing.’ Stock market in these months will be weak and low. Bond market will recover and be fairly good, although there is difference of opinion as to time element.” this | March With Bands. Shoe and leather workers, furniture workers, barbers, food, metal, building |trades, marine workers, etc., have prepared their own bands and will march in large masses with their signs and placards from Madison Sq. to Union Sq. ‘The Food Workers In- dustrial Union called all its members to a mobilization meeting last night. Dozens of workers’ language organi- zations have issued tens of thousands of leaflets in their various languages, held meetings throughout the city and expect to rally in huge numbers in the May Day struggle against depor- tation and persecution of the foreign born. Denounce Legal Lynching. The burning protest and bitter re- sentment of tens of thousands of New York workers against the legal mass murder of the 9 Negro boys in Scotts- moro, Alabama, will be stressed in the |mighty solidarity struggle of Negro and white workers on May Day, the day of International struggle against Wall Street Journal pointed out that the bosses must do something to keep up their profits. At that time steel production was at 5% per cent of ca- pacity; now it is below 50 and ‘is rapidly dropping to 40 per cent. This means that the impetus for wage cut- ting is stronger than’ ever. The Wall Street Journal saiq: “That something must be done -to bring about somewhat increased pro- fits for the steelmakers is the view held in responsible headquarters.” How do they propose to bring about these increased profits for the steel bosses? By cutting wages! They point out that wages have already been cut. “A number of smaller steel companies throughout the coun- try reduced wage rates some time ago.” They admit that the workers are already suffering from less wages, hunger and speed-up. “It must be realized that the steel workers al- ready have been feeling the depression through lower weekly earnings result- ing from the ‘stagger plan’ of em- ployment which exists in most of the large mills of the country.” (CONTINUED ON PAGE FIVE) Discipline at Demonstration geous. Every Party and Y.C.L. member is therefore warned to carry out the This May Day demonstration and| following directions: struggle places serious responsibilities} 1. May Day is not ® holiday. We upon all Party members. ‘The po-| don't celebrate Mey Day Uke the s0- lice, socialist, fascist provocation this| “i! fascists. May Day to the work- May Day demands especially the | '9& Class is a day of serious mobilizg- strictest proletarian discipline, the tion and struggle. Don't sirerair ba greatest militancy and alertness, The Picnic. Don't make appointments Party members must on this occa~ with your frlends'on Me}ivon Sauahs or Union Square. Don’t attend the sion set an example of Bolshevik To all Party and Y.C.L. members of the New York District: Comrades :-— That is, even the expected rise In bonds, which investors buy when they know stocks are rotten, may not come for a long time yet! lAnnnedk, aid « nelfedlaciitings ta: the| teen ee ee scipaaleia with your group. | masses demonstrating this May Day.| 2. Don't merely sland around and |The behavier of many comrades at J past demonstrations has been outrit (CONTINUED ON PAGE FINED