The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 6, 1931, Page 1

Continue the May First Fight Starvation, Wage Cuts, Lynch: Against De- portations, for Defense of the Soviet Union, for Amnesty for all Class War Prisoners, and to Smash the Scottsboro and Paterson Frame- ups. Dail Central Organ (Section of the Communist Seteneeeren et) Party U.S.A. WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! Entered as see Vol. VIII, No. 109 ond-class matter at the Post Office at New York, N. ¥., ander the act of March 3, 1879 <1 NEW YORK, W ES he) EDNESDAY, MAY 6 6, 1931 CITY EDITION Price 3 Cents A Lesson for Strikers > N bes 3,000 strikers against a wage cut of some 16 per cent in the silk } mills of Allentown, Pa., have something to learn from the experience of the upholsterers of Philadelphia, Local 25, United Textile Workers. These upholsterers threatened with a 25 per cent wage cut were be- trayed into “impartial” arbitration by Thomas McMahon, chief of the gang of expert labor traitors leading the United Textile Workers. As usual, these “impartial” arbitrators, pretending to be very “fair” and de- ciding on what they call a “compromise’”—handed down a decision again the workers for a 14 per cent wage cut. Naturally, the upholsterers did not appreciate this wonderful “favor” and voted to strike against the award. And the treachery of the fascist. U. T. W. leaders became open where before it was concealed. U. T. W. “Organizer” Kelly tried to force the Local to accept the wage cut, and when it insisted on rejecting it and went on strike, the U. T. W. expelled the whole Local union, went intothecapitalist courts with legal action to tie up the union funds and property, and this not being enough, Kelly opened an employment agency for scabs under the name of a “union.” It is now reported that the upholsterers after a brave fight against the bosses and their A. F. of L. “United Textile Workers” strike-breakers, have at last been forced to accept the 14 per cent cut. The bosses, in- deed appreciated the U. T. W. scabbing so much that they insisted that the upholsterers go back not only to work at a wage cut, but also go back to the U. T. W. which had expelled them and scabbed upon them! The Allentown silk mill strikers certainly should take warning from the lesson of the Philadelphia upholsterers. Especially so since these same fascist leaders of the U. T. W. (Kelly) and the equally traitorous repre- sentatives, Richie of the A. F. of L. and Mozer of the Central Trades Council are entering into the strike under the pretense of “helping” the workers, but actually putting over a tricky scheme to “stabilizze the in- dustry”—for the benefit of the bosses and at the expense of the workers. The silk strikers of Allentown can we:! remember not only the lesson of the upholsterers, but also the experiencce of Danville textile workers, where every imaginable form of trickery and treachery was used through long months of struggle to aid the bosses in simply wearing down and starving out the strikers, and where the U. T. W. finally called off the strike without even counting the votes and declared their betrayal of the heroic Danville strikers a “victory”! The Allentown silk workers have every reason to strike. Their wages have been slashed already approximately 50 per cent. And now they are faced with still another wage cut! Every silk worker, regardless of whether his particular craft is at present threatened with this cut, should under- stand the need for strike solidarity along with those crafts under attack, otherwise the bosses will get away with a general wage cut one craft or one-mill-at-a tine, -Thewholeforceof every silk mill Should-understand the need for spreading the strike to embrace every worker. But to insure not only a strike that is general enough to be effective in stopping the employers’ attack, but also to insure the absolute control of the strike by the strikers, a large Strike Committee, representative of each shop and shift—each of which should haye its own elected Strike Committee—is absolutely necessary. ‘ Only by rank and file control of the striké and its settlement; only by rank and file Strike Committee that will take control of the strike, the demands of the workers, and the methoc~ ~* settlement, out of the hands of the’ strike-breaking officials of the U. I. W., can the Allentown silk workers hope to make an effective struggle. The National Textile Work- ers Union is the only organization whose strike policy and organizational program gives the workers this guarantee of rank and file control. A strike is a battle between two classes, the capitalist class and the working class! To permit the U. T. W. strike-breakers to take charge is to turn over the strike to the bosses! Allentown silk workers, take control of your own strike! Follow the guidance of the National Textile Workers Union! WASHINGTON, May 4—One of the most unqualified predictions of triumph for the Soviet Five Year Plan as a means of securing to the Russian worker and peasant a high standard of living, ever made by a prominent American, was voiced by H. L. Russell, former dean of the College of Agriculture at the Uni- versity of Wisconsin, before the In- ternational Chamber of Commerce, meeting in Washington May 4. Russell's topic was “Agriculture, the ‘Touchstone of World Depression and , Admits Remarkable Achievement. \ He began by describing Soviet Rus- sia’s remarkable achievement in modernization of wheat production in the past three years. He quoted American government reports on the vast extent of the program of mechanized farming that has been thus far completed, and cited the thralled from serfdom, coming up rapidly out of illiteracy into literacy, imbued with a patriotism that is almost fanatical in its fervor, in which nationalism takes the place of religion, the future decades are sure to witness a steadily rising standard of living that cannot be satisfied with present conditions. “Russia will buy the good things sell, and no nation is more favored with an abundance of natural re- sources that are as yet relatively untapped as this Giant of the North. Agriculturally, America, Can- ada, the Argentine and Australia will have to meet her while they of- fer bread to the nations of the world—who will always buy, if they possibly can, where they can find a buyers’ market.” 4 cich natural resources that the Sov- iet Union can devote to this end. Scottsboro Defense “Russla is eagerly utilizing the Developments ' very latest of scientific knowledge ; to enlarge her agricultural possi- 1. Scottsboro, Ala., court to hear bilities,” he said, “With feverish motion for new trial of 17-year-old , anxiety she is literally pouring mil- Heywood Patterson today. L lions into expansion of her univer- 2. Walter White in Chattanooga . sity research institutes, experiment continuing efforts of N.A.A.C.P. . stations and breeding farms. Her top leadership to disrupt move- J scientists are combing the earth for || ment to save lives of nine Scotts- ! new crops and new methods. No || boro victims. N.A.A.C.P, national country in Europe today is mani- secretary working hand in hand American Agricultural Expert Sees Triumph of Soviet Plan of life with that which she has to| mUerex ars: Senses festing more interest and more ac- with Stephen Roddy, police agent tivity in laying hold of the best |] James and two Chattanooga science, wherever it may be found.” |] preachers denounced by boys as “Bach of us may have his own idea || traitors to their cause. as to what will be Russia’s influ- 3. United Front Scottsboro De- ence on the rest of the world,” he |} fense Conferences called in eight said, “We may flout her philosophy || cities to date. Block committees of government, we may deny her rec- |} being built up. LL.D. calls for ognition in the family of nations, but this economic fact remains. ‘There is certainly no area in Europe, or for that matter in any part of the occupied world, that is fraught with such -potentialities as to com- mercial expansion as is to be found in the land which carries the em- biem of the sickle and hammer, Standard of Living Rising. funds for defense. 4. Erie, Pa., workers to demon- strate May 8 against Scottsboro lynch verdict in spite of attempts of Erie bosses to stifie protests against outrage. 5. Four organizations and three mass meetings in Atlanta, Gz. send protests to Alabama, governor und join United Front to free boys. | on the road to the state Day demonstration. EAR MOTION SCOTTSBORO | CASE TODAY | In Court for ILD | SCOTTSBORO, Ala., May 5. — Mo- tion for a new trial in the case of 17- year old Heywood Patterson, one of the eight Negro children railroaded to the electric chair by the bosses | and their court last month will be argued by General George W. Cham- | lee, attorney of the International La- bor Defense, tomorrow, May 6. | Heywood Patterson was the third of the boys to be condemned. While | the jury was “considering” his case, |a mob of 10,000 in and around the | court house were cheering the con- | vietion of Charles Weems, 20, and | Clarence Norris, 18, and shouting for framed-up youths. There were four separate “trials” which were rushed | through in 72 hours with less prep- aration granted by the white ruling class than is ordinarily given to a | petty case in a police court. ‘The transcript of the Patterson | case was the first to be completed by | the court stenographer at the behest and paid for by the International La- bor Defense. Joseph R. Brodsky, New York at- torney of the I. L. D. and national ; director of the Scottsboro defense left last night for Scottsboro and will be present at the hearing, Honduran Rebels Capture City Anti-Imperialist “Mass Meeting Friday NEW YORK.—Honduran revolu- | tionists under General Ferrera have | completely defeated the government troops and have taken the important city of Santa Rose de Copan, 140 miles southw@st of San Pedra Cula, on last Friday, according to a special cable dispatch to the New York Times on May 4. It is also reported that Hoo- ver will send more warships to help | the native puppet government to crush the developing revolts, In Nicaragua, Colonel Mathews of the Yankee imperialist marine corps became the major general of the Na- tional guards. He is now leading a bloody war on the Army of Liberation and the revolting workers and peas- ants of Nicaragua. The mass meeting organizéd by the N. Y. branch of the Anti-Imperialist League on this coming Friday eve- ning, May 8, at Harlem Casino, 116th St. and Lenox Ave., will demand the immediate withdrawal of U. S. offi- cers from the National Guards of Ni- caragua and all warships from Nica- ragua and Honduras. All workers of New York must come to this meeting to give our powerful protest to the the blood of the others of the nine | MINE STRIKERS FIGHT DEPUT Singing “Solidarity Forever,” the Cleveland section of the Ohio hunger marchers are shown capital at Columbus. They started ‘Scottsboro Conferences Called in NEW YORK— | the lives of the nine Scottsbor Scottsboro Defense | following cities to date: In New York, Sunday, May 17, at Finnish Workers Hall, 15 West 126th Street, to be preceded with a protest and demonstration in Harlem on Saturday, May 16. In Buffalo, N. Y., May 23, at the | Michigan Avenue, Y. M. C. A. “In Pittsburgh, May 20. In Cleveland, Ohio, May 29, at the Spiro Hall, 3804 Scoville Avenue. In Chicago, a series of conferences have been called throughout the Chi- cago district for May 24, In Chattanooga, Tenn., on May 30. In Philadelphia, May 25. In Minneapolis, Minn., May 21. Building Block Committees. These are the cities heard from so far. The directives sent out by the LS.N.R. and the LL.D. called for such conferences in all cities between May 15 and 25 in order to rally the largest masses of workers and sym- pathizers to the fight against the le- gal massacre of the nine innocent ccl- ored children. The conferences are jointly sponsored by the League of Struggle for Negro Rights and the International Labor Defense, the two organizations initiating and leading the struggle to save the lives of the nine boys. Build Block Committees. As a basis for building these con- ferences, the L.S.N.R. groups and af- filiated bodies are busy setting up block and neighborhood committees. These committees are being organized (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) -«<-}Workers Busy Building Block Committees |Chamlee and Brodsky. iting Organizations, Mobilizing Wide Mass for Defense of 9 Negro Boy In line with the plans national committee of the League of Struggle for Negro Rights and the International Labor Detense to sify and give organizational character to the campaign to save Confer-- ences have been called in the} bcd IES; REPO! | Gall Out ‘Police and Militia Ag gainst Indiana IN PASE ME | AGAINST PAY CUT A) sf Prepare for | Conventions PITTSBURGH, | Page mine of the Russet Coal Co. Coupon introduced a wage-cut of 16 d $1.92 on 100 per Pa., May 5. May 1, righ: at the bis lay per cent on tonnage a 23 strut Miner: held a meeting with the miners where The miners The National Union cent a strike committee was elected and ‘The miners in the the B: four miles from Coupon, demands formed. on mine cf Bennin: hlehom Eight Cities Steel Corp., also struck against a wage-cut. These , Vis-| es two mines are in central Pennsylva- nia. A mass meeting for five mines | was organized for Monday, May 4. A general strike committee for the sec- tion will be elected to spread the | strike to other mines in the section. Tom Rodgers is in charge for the National Miners Union The Driftwood and mines in Fayette and counties of ‘western es struck against waze-cuts mately 20 per cent. This is the sec- ond cut since the first of January. A ADMIT 10! 000,00 On successful meeting was ped in both JOBLESS IN U. S. ° © committee organized, oyd George Uses It to Hit Tariff That there are 10,000,000 unem- | | ployed in the United States was one of the main points in a speech made | by David Lloyd George, tS} developed by the serengthen and inten- Sauerkraut Washington o Negro boys, the United Front Penr approx! si meetings are organized for Tuesday, May 5, where the ques- tion of spreading the strike to other mines will be taken up. The United Mine Workers of Amer- ica, which has an agreement with the Cc. A. Hughes Coal Co. in central Pennsylvania (the only agreement have in the Pennsylvania bitu- Ll one of the leading capitalist politicians of Eng- Minous mines) ecepted a wate-cut of | land, in arguing against an increas: |10 Per cent affecting about 600 men | The scale of wazes paid in these ing tariff. mines are the lowest in the whole sec- tion and the United Mine Workers of America officially leads in putting acress wage-cuts. | Lloyd George pointed to the fact that the high tariff in the United | States did not elir ¢ the crisis but tended to w He peinted to the fact that the United States gov- ernmetn faces a deficit of $750,000,- 009 to $1,000,000,000, He said that wage cuts were proceeding just as regularly in the United States as they are in Britain. Lloyd Feorge’s speech, while ad+ mitting the world crisis of capitalism, was? used solely in an effort to fight against a drastic increase in tari/i rates which he fears will make the crisis worse and intensify the class | struggle. The preparations for the District Conventions in the Metal Mining Dis- trict, May 10, Ohio, May 17, and Pennsylvania, May 23-24 are being in- tensified. F. Borich, the National secretary, is in Ohio helping to strengthen the organizational work, for the convention. On May 3 he spoke at a meeting of miners at Mine en it. After the St. Louis convention of the “Mowat forces, the miners decided that they could no longer support the Howat movement, and invited the National secretary of the National |Miners Union to speak on the pro- | gram of the National Miners Union. | The whole local is expected to effili- ate to the N.M.U. He will speak at) Piney Fork and Powhatan. Smash Frame-Ups! Demand Amnesty ! Attack Jobless Insurance; Many f Although no information was re- ceived yesterday directly from the In- diana state hunger march, capitalist news services here carry a report from Indianapolis that on May 4, 560 | hunger marchers demonstrated on the grounds of the state house and that the demonstration was broken up by solid lines of police. Militia was sta- tioned in the state house itself. The meeting was in defiance ofean order prohibiting it.) The marchers were Wall St, war on Nicaragua and Hon- Sabena an \ driven back, reformed, bee ‘went to In Front of the State House Delegates Came Demanding Unemployment) tion; Held State-Conference The Brownsville Section of the i N.M.U. held a committee meeting at Demonstration | which steps were taken to organize a | Score of mass meetings, also to help |spread the strike. A successful May |Day meeting with over 209 present was held. The Canonsburg Section held a successful May Day meeting with over 300 attending. The com- |mittee in charge of preparations for the convention is organizing a mass meeting in every mine in the section The Avella Section held a successful | mass meeting. Mine meetings are be- ing arranged for. In the whole dis- trict at all of these meetings a large number of mini signed application rom Steel Mill Sec- ‘The Indiana march started from | various points in the state, particu- larly from the heavy industry section, and mostly from the Gary, Hammond, Indiana Harbor steel mill territory. It) procesded by auto and truci lines couverging on the s! at Indianapolis. A state conference was held, formulated demands, for state unemployment insurance in line with those already adopted at the May Day demonstrations and took] Only the o wer them to kis state. house to present to} working cg ea 8 y siitoal cards to the N.M.U. Thousards of ng miners are ral) eround the pro- \ gram of the N: mal Miners Union | for immediat relief. The unemployed councils in the entire district are be- built. District The Th | which the speakers will be William Z. No. 6, which had a large Howat local. | OS a RN Newark, May 15. wide \| NE DEAD archers MANY STRIKES OVER _ NEW CUTS; WORKERS DESPERATE, REVOLT kers Strike vain 75 Per Cent Cut; U.S., State, Rushing to Break Motor Strike Moter Work is 7 Emplo yed, Unemployed Must Unite for Strug- Mig Against Attack on Living Standard m Building Striker. Rothless Sel-Oat Own Building § lh Indiavapolis BULLETIN May 5.—Another battle took place near the strack Evart gle i AF. L. Denies TARLAN, Ky., ine here to aged in a number of miners returned.| They report that they were .going along the when they made contact with the miners, who were using cks as cover., Deputy Jim Daniels jumped out of a car with a un which he was just swingins into action when he was killed hy et from the miners. The two deputies who came into Harlan said they five deputics and four or five miners lying alongside the road, appar- atly dead when they left the battle line “to get help.” One of the retreat- ing deputies, Estes Cox, had bullet wouldns in the face and arm. |The sheriff is rushing a large force to try to kill off the miners. Another battle was fought here a few days ago, with no deputies killed and unknown losses by the miners, and before that, in the first battle, one deputy was killed. Against a wave of wage cuts, ranging in some cases as high as 75 per cent, the already underpaid workers are beginning to strike. The strikes are mostly unorganized, or where A.F.L. organizations exist, the officials are busy betraying the strikes. Militantly conducted strikes led the unions of the Trade Union Unity League in textiles, the needle and food trades and others have recently important victories. The | outburst within the last few days of unorganized and S“illegal” A. F. of L. strikes ‘indi USH ELECTION the correctness of the T. U. U. L. ge Uoak gram announced moriths ag’ Wiagh |B] i a this wage cutting campaign was MIP A fa clearly ‘seen as approaching. This 4 { nl IN N. «| Program is “Strike against all wage cuts!” ‘ ™allam, \ ioore, Foster | Sunnis a Serene of beer. jitant unions, and of shop committees aterso no . Pate rs on S pe akers | wherever possible in proparation of PASSAIC, N. rs Day 5.—The Com- | the strike; it means that when the munist Party is holding several big) strike is unorganized or with A, F. of election rallies in the approaching stat and wunicipal electionsin New| ““eeacer® Hominslly in cater Jersey: the strikers must organize their own In Passaic, where the Party has en- broad rank and file strike committees tered three candidates for the election | immediately, base the committees on which takes place on May 12, an out-| mills and departments where there door rally will be held this Thursday. are more than one of these, and bring As a wind-up to the Passaic cam-/| them together in a general rank and paign a big indoor rally has been ar- | file strike committee. Wherever the ranged for Saturday night, May 9, at | A. F. of L. officials are allowed to do 8 o'clock, at Kantor’s Auditorium, at the negotitating with the company the strikes have been betrayed. Foster. Richard B. Moore, and JoJhn | J. Ballam, Communist candidate for governor of New Jersey in the present elections. Employed and Unemployed. ‘The successful struggle against the wage cuts means that the unemployed x . |must also be organized as fast as W BRUNSWICK, N. J., May 5.— possible into unemployed countils, As a wind-up to the city campaign, a|and a united fight waged against large indoor rally will be held here wage cuts, long hours and bad con- Sunday, May 10, 8 p.m., at the Work-| ditions, and for unemployment relief men’s Circle Institute, 53 New St./and insurance. The employers and The speakers will be John J. Ballam,|the governments, staté and city are | candidate of the workers for gover- | deliberately cutting off such relief as | Patterson. The city elections take | was already given in hope of using |place May 12 for five city commis-|the millions of jobless for strike sioners and the Party has two candi- | breakers, dates on the ballot, Joseph Toth, a leather worker, and Elizabeth Perduk, | woman cigar worker. nor of New Jersey, and William L. NE’ | The federal government a few days jago practically liquidated its “Emer- |gency Employment Committee,” and is doing nothing for the jobless. It NEWARK, 'N May 5.—Several | actively opposes the use of govern- hundred more signatures are needed | ™ent funds for any form of relief of for governor on the ballot. Petitions | Starvation, and commends the Red to place the working-class candidate | Cross for refusing to ask for govern= | must be filed in one week. All work-|™ent money for the hungry Arkan- ers are urged to go out. and collect | S48 farmers. signatures and turn them in by Sat-} The American Federation of Labor |urday at latest to the Section head-| officials deliberately follow the line of quarters in Newark. | the Federal government, fight against The New Jersey State Campaign /insurance, and William Green, prese Cominittec of the Communist Party | ident of the A. F. of L. addressed the is arranging a state nomination and| United Chamber of Commerce con- ratification convention for June 14 at| vention at Atlantic City Monday and , to ratify the called for a second “conference of working-class candidate for governor | business leaders and A. F. of L. lead= ing strengthened and new councils|of New Jersey, JoJhn J. Ballam. Pre-| ers” such as the one already held im © ceding this. convention Ballam will) which Green and his lieutenants speak in the following cities: promiséd to preyent the workers Paterson, May 14, striking during the depression, . ,