The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 12, 1931, Page 1

\ = : a : <b INTERNATIONAL HAM BER OF Vol. VIII, No. 114 Central (Section of Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at New York, N. ¥., under the act of March 3, 1879 Pca en ‘Daily. the Communist p) unist Dao orker rty U.S.A. International) WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! NEW YORK, TUESDAY, MAY 12, 1931 SITY EDITION Price 3 Cents Take the Initiative! OT long ago the bureaucrats of the American Federation of Labor boasted about the inclusion in appropriation bills passed by Congress of a clause providing that contractors on government jobs should pay “prevailing” wages. Of course, “prevailing” wages are not necessarily union wages. But none the less all of the A. F. of L. press began immediately to crow over this breaking down of the union scale as if it were a “great victory.” Obviously, this is nothing more than a betrayal of rank and file of the A. F, of L. and the A. F. of L. policy of “no strike” could only assist contractors in completely shattering any wage standard wherever they can get away with it What the “prevailing” wage is under such circumstances, is well il- lustrated by the remark of G, A. Reilly, Corporation Counsel of Albany, New York, who said: “The prevailing wage is bread line.” It remained for the Albany local of the Trade Union Unity Léague to take up the fight against a wage cut on the basis of the “prevailing” wage as described by Mr. Reilly. Indeed, the Albany TUUL should be congratulated on seizing the initiative in defense of the construction workers and laborers of that city. In a leaflet to these workers, it is explained that a certain construction job at Arbor Hill was being opened up with a wage cut by contractor Finn, who offers 60 cents an hour instead of 75 cents. It was explained that this belly-robbing contractor received his con- tract from the city upon the basis of paying labor 75 cents an hour, and is now trying to force the men he hires to accept 60 cents. Also, it is explained that this contractor is more than ever able to pay 75 cents an hour because he is getting his construction material considerably cheaper than last autumn when he got the contract. Upon these simple, clear and concrete arguments, the Albany TUUL leaflet calls all construction workers to a special meeting to elect a committee to place the demands of the workers before a conference of city officials and the contractor. And inthe meantime, the TUUL de- clares that none of its members will go on the Arbor Hill job and accept @ wage cut. They challenge the contractor who is engaging men to open up the job while boasting that ‘‘we have the men just where we want them.” More, the statement of the TUUL that they will refuse to scab on workers refusing to accept the wage cut “whether they belong to the A. F. of L, or any oher organization” is supported by the Unemployed Council of Albany, and all construction workers are told: “If we unem- ployed and employed stick together in this strike, we can stop this wage cut, and any other.” Upon such a basis the initiative can be taken by revolutionary w ers in rallying all forces to strike against wage cuts. What may result in Albany is yet to be seen, but the method is correct in actually seizing upon an issue where a wage cut is in prospect and uniting the rank and file behind their own Action Committee in a fight against the bosses: It is in being alive enough to take the initiative, to determine the issue, raise the correct slogan and apply concrete organizational measures, that the Trade Union Unity League followers have the opportunity of im- measurably increasing the numbers and power of the TUUL. The Madrid “Mobs” A fea the Daily Worker recently commented upon the events in Spain, it declared that the so-called “Republican Government” would not solve the demands of the masses who had entered into a popular revolution. bas This has proven absolutely true. The government of the Spanish jourgeoisie, in which the “socialist” party of Spain is participating (as Usuab-serving the counter-revolution in the name of “labor” or “social- ism”) after some demagogic promises about doing away with the privi- leges of the church and the “reform” of the land tenure, finally decided— “to protect the peseta,” that is, to follow the dictates of the bankers and the landlords ‘and: foreign bondholders—and “postpone” all such things to the constituent ass. Liywho,< Convocation is a matter of remote conjecture, ‘ At the same time this socialist-bourgeois coalition has connived to defend the feudalists, has permitted the king to withdraw both his car- cass and his enormous fortune safely from Spain, has only pretended to take steps against the robber Catholic Church and has allowed the mili- tarist chiefs, such as Berenguer, to escape from all responsibility for the oppression of the old regime. The popular revolution has taken its next logical step forward in demanding an accounting from these swindlers and swine of the socialist- bourgeois “republic.” The anger of the masses, we prophesy, will not be spent entirely in the burning of the churches. Nor will it be pla- cated by the ridiculous gesture of the Zamora-Pricto “government” which, suddenly finding itself powerless, with the masses brushing the police aside to attack the churches, with the firemen refusing to extinguish the flames, and the Madrid garrison troops fraternizing with the populace— ordered the re-arrest of Berenguer. While this gesture was being made in an effort to placate the masses, the bourgeois-socialist regime was, however, moving heaven and earth to bring in “dependable” troops that would fire upon the masses, The catastrophy of a government which finds its orders disobeyed and, as press reports state, “its deliberations interrupted constantly as baraders marched past shouting through the windows,” is sufficient evi- dence that the masses are alienated by the treachery of the coalition. This treachery is evident in the government communique which first describes all disorder as being the work of “Reds” and then—what beautiful sentiment for “socialists” to express!—declares that the action of the revolutionary masses is a “perfidious offense against the republic and a deplorable attempt to injure the republic's credit.” The socialist party of Spain is worried about the exchange value of the peseta and not about the poverty of the masses! But the masses are not to be halted by arguments about “the na- | tion’s credit,” and if reports are true the Communists who, while of course \not “causing” the new upheaval (this is caused by the treachery of the socialists!) are quite properly striving to direct the revolutionary masses towards the overthrowal of the bourgeois-socialist coalition government, of betrayal, and the establishment of a Workers’ and Peasants’ Gov- ernment. That they are meeting with some success in the first steps is shown by the report that in spite of the opposition of the “socialist” leadership of the Madrid unions, the workers of Madrid answered the response to the strike call on Monday and paralyzed the entire city. Hail to the revolutionary masses of Spain! Long live the Communist Party of Spain! Away with the “socialist” lackeys of the bourgeoisie! determined by the length of the 80 Delegates at Conference to Save 5 Framed in Paterson Eighty delegates, mecting Sunday ings and demonstrations will also be Scottsboro Conferences Called in 16 Cities So Far; Protest Sweeping Country Northern Conferences to Elect Delegates to All-Southern Conference In Chattanooga On Sunday, May 31 Work of Building Block and Neighborhood De- fense Committees Being Pushed—Many New Organizations Send Ala. Governor Protests BULL SEATTLE, Wash., May 11. ‘TIN, ‘A Scottsboro protest meeting held in the Workers Center here to inaugurate in this district the movement to save the nine Scottsboro Negro beys was raided last night by immi- gration authorities. released. Sixty workers arrested but released later. were arrested, but all but 18 were idney Bloomfield, district organizer of the Communist Party, was A resolution denouncing the Scottsboro frame-up was unanimously adopted while the immigration thugs were disrupting the meeting. The workers sang the International while this was going on. The International Labor Defense has called a protest meeting for tonight. born workers, The raid was intended to terrorize the Negro and foreign The resentment of the entire working class continues to vise against the Scottsboro frame-up and planned legal mas- sacre of nine Negro boys and protests are continuing to pour in on the governor of Alabama, B. M. Miller, at Montgomery, DREISER AND STEFFENS PLEDGE SCOTTSBORO AID More Negro Papers Join United Front NEW YORK.—Adding their voices to the thunder of protest evoked by the attempt of the Alabama bosses to railroad nine innocent Negro chil- dron to the electric chair, Theodore Dreiser, famous American novelist and Lincoln Steffens, outstanding publicist and editor, have joined the united front movement to save the lives of the nine boys. They are organizing a committee in support of the International Labor Defense, the only organization en- dorsed by the boys and their parents to handle their defense. Two additional Negro newspapers, The St. Louis Argus and the Omaha Guide, have also rallied to support the united front movement being conducted under the leadership of the International Lazor Defense and the League of Struggle for Negro Rights to stop the legal lynching of the nine youths. ‘These papers both carry front page releases in their current issues from the ILD and the Crusader News Agency. Jobless and Women’s Councils Stop Two Evictions; Cut Rent NEW YORK.—Qnick action by the Brownsville Council of the Unem- ployed stopped two evictions and got a $2 reduction in the rent for thé whole house, The landivrds, Fisher and Frush, Powel! St, proposed to evict esterday of an unemployed werker ad seven children, and an- other family in which the father was Paralyzed. ‘The Counci! ef Working Class Women an¢ the Council of the Un- employed cone down, held open air meetings, ant tcund the tenants in tne building and liock ready to or- ganize a tenauts’ league, which they did. The tand!urds not only yielded on the mavcr of evicting the two families, but reduced the rent. Build a Worcorr Group in your shop! Write About your struggles! Scottsboro Defense Developments 1, Theodore Dreiser and Lin- coln Steffens support campaign of LL.D, to save lives of 9 Scottsboro at 90 Ferry St., Newark, at a New Jersey state conference called by the International Labor Defense, mapped out an intensive campaign to be con- ducted during the next few weeks to save the five Patterson silk workers whom the bosses are trying to rail- road to the electric chair on framed up murder charges. The delegates represented 21 I. L. D, branches and 31 fraternal organizations form every part of New Jersey. Plans were made and tentative dates set for local defense confer- ences to be held in Elizaveth, Perth Amboy, Trenton, Passaic, Newark, Paterson and other cities. Commit- tees were elected to take chargo of _ these conferences in each city. Hun- _ dreds of mass meetings, street meet- held to rally the’ broadest masses in a mighty campaign to smash this outrageous frameup. The campaign will reach its high point on June 18 when a delegation will go to the gov- ernor demanding the release of the five workers. On the same day an- other state-wide conference of even bigger proportions will be held in Trenton. Resolutions were sent to the gov- ernor of Alabama demanding a new trial, with a jury composed of at least one-half Negroes, for the nine Negro boys facing electrocution in Scottsboro; and to the governor of New Jersey demanding the uncon- ditional release of the five Paterson workers, Negro boys. 2. United Front Scottsboro De- fense Conferences called in 15 ci- ties so far. Work of building block and neighborhood defense commit- tees being pushed. Many new or- ganizations join protest. 3. N.AA.C.P. leaders collecting funds in name of Scottsboro boys while continuing to sabotage their defense. 4, Two additional Negro news- papers, the St, Louis Argus and the Omaha Guide, rally to united front policy. 5. Scottsboro protest meeting in Seattle, Wash., raided by immi- gration authorities in open co-op- eration with southern boss lynch- F * Alabama. 16 Cities Call United Front Conferences, United Front Scottsboro De- fense Conferences are being called in many cities as the workers prepare to translate their resentment into action through mob- ilization and organization. Such conferences have been called in 16 cities so far. In all these cities every effort is being made to line up all workers’ organizations, fraternal bod- ies, sports clubs, churches, etc., in the movement to save the lives of the nine boys. Calls for the conferences have been sent out jointly by the League of Struggle for Negro Rights and the International Labor Defense. Speak- ers are being sent to organizations and churches to appeal for support ef the Scottsboro boys. Block and neighborhood committee are being organized. Every effort is being made to mobilize the entire working- class and all sympathetic and pro- Sressive elements for the grim fight to smash the Scottsboro frame-up. More and More Mass Protest Meets. Mass meetings are being held here more and more frequently. Every- where the movement to save the boys is developing increasing tempo and m character. In New York, the United Front Scottsboro Defense Conference, which will be held on Sunday, May 17, will be preceded by a big parade and demonstration in Harlem on May 16—this Saturday. The conferences in the North will elect delegates to the All-Southern conference in Chattanooga on May 31. Tomorrow, Wednesday, there will be a mass protest meeting in the Bronx, at the call of the Women’s Council No. 8, at 1622 Bathgate Ave., a twhich Mrs. Ada Wright, mother of Andy and Roy Wright, two of the Scottsboro victims, will speak. Hee 8 Southern Workers Join Protest. CHARLOTTE, N. C., May 11—The white and Negro workers of Char- lotte are aroused over the latest out- rage against the Negro masses and are rallying, under the leadership of the League of Struggle for Negro Rights an dthe International Labor Defense, to the defense of the Scotts- boro victims of capitalist justice. Many protest meetings are being held. A united front conference has been called for May 24. This conference will elect delegates to the All-South- ern Conference in Chattanooga on May 31. aT et ew California Workers Send Protest. LOS ANGELES, Calif, May 11—A (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) DULUTH POLICE SHIELDING SCABS. Arrest Three Strikers, | I L D Gives Bail DULUTH, Minn., May 11.—The 600 longshore strikers are standing firm. The police are taking an active part on the side of the employers. They escort the scabs to and from work, | and uniformed police are stationtd on the docks to guard the scabs at work, There is an attempt being made to terrorize the strikers by arresting the pickets on fake charges. Raino Rahikainen, John Jaaski, and Daniel Larson have been arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, and bail set at $25 each | The International Labor Defense | has furnished the bail and in the| case of Jaaski got it reduced from/ $100 to $25 | The ILD stands ready to bail out | and defend in court all arrested for | taking part in the strike. It is the only organization doing thi sin Du-| luth. GRAFT RAMPANT | IN CITY SCHOOLS Walker Protects His Grafting Friends NEW YORK—In reply to his critics, Mayor Walker demanded, in his speech at Central Park Mall, on Sunday, that they leave the Board of Education alone and “direct their criticism at me.” Walker hypocriti- cally declared that the New York schools are the greatest in the world. The school board of New York is under charges of having got graft out of the erection of school build- ings and the procurement of school sites. Francis T. McEneny, chief ex- aminer of the aldermanic president, declared that his position allows him to “know in advance the location of prospective school sites” and that he and his friends have invested in con- siderable real estate. Walker defends these people, because his whole ad- ministration is under charges. In order, however, to offset these at- tacks, he pretends that he is willing to take the responsibility himself. In this he is encouraged by Governor Roosevelt's dismissal of the charges against him brought by Rabbi Wise and Rey. Holmes. The school system is in a serious situation, as evident in the charge of the National Republican Club, who declare that “a large part of the graduates of the elementary schools cannot properly read or do arithmetic or geography.” Fox, chairman of the particular Republican committee, challenges Walker to produce the re- ports of the oBard of Education for 1929, With graft at the top and rotten capitalist educatio nfor the 1,200,000 children in the schools, one has to ask whether the capitalist schools of New York do not exist fo rthe benefit of the grafters rather than for the children of the workers. 7 Workers Correspondence is the backbene of the revolutionary press. Build your press by writing for it about your day to day struggles. th STRIKERS NEED RELIEF Women and Children Picket at Coupon COUPON, Pa., May 11.—Answering the “Down Tools” May Day call the miners of the Page Mine have de- cided to refuse to go back until the wage cut is withdrawn. The strike has since spread to the three other mines of the Russet Coal Co., and also to Baker mine. The strike is led by the National Mineds Union and is spreading through the 20 or more “wagon mines” in this section. Hundreds of miners are affected, and they nad their more hundreds of wives and children are facing hunger and misery. These miners were be- trayed by the United Mine Workers in the 1927 strike, and have had more and more wage cuts ever since: The children are on the picket pines with banners. The women are in the road alongside their men. But help is needed. The Coupon strikers must have more than moral support. Send funds, clothes or food to Louis Gabella, Secretary of the Strikers Relief Committee, Box 45 Coupon, Pa. Sat. Issue to Have Complete Results of XI Plenum of C.1. On Saturday, the Daily Worker will} publish in complete form the Theses and Decisions of the XI Plenum of the Executive Committee of the Com- munist International which recently closed its session in Moscow. These documents are important to all work- ers as they view the past struggies of the Communist International and point out the future ks in face of the growing world crisis of capi- talism. “he Saturday issue of the Daily Worker will contain the following: 1. On the tasks of the Sections the Communist International in snzection with the deepening econ-| «mic crisis and the growth of the} pre-requisites of revolutionary crisis in a number of countries. These of the XI Pievm of the ECCI on the report of Comrade Manulsky and the co-reports of Comrades Thalmann, Lensky and Chmodanoy on the con- ditions and tasks of the Communist Parties of Germany, Poland, and the Young Communist International re- spectively. 2. Resolution of the XI Plenum of the ECCI on the report of Com-} rade Chacin on the increased danger of intervent.onist war against the USSR and the tasks of the Com- munists. 3. Decision of the accepance of the Communist Parties of Indo- China,Inceland and Cyprus into the Communist International. 4. Decision on the financial re- port for the year 1929 and 1930. 5. Composition of the Presidium of the ECCI. f 6. Composition Secretariat. a EMERGENCY HELP WANTED IN D. W. OFFICE Can yo ufile? Then drop up to the Daily Worker office any time during the day and help us to file some correspondence which has accumulated for the past 2 |) weeks. No previous experience necessary. In addition, we would |! appreciate volunteer help for fold- ing, inserting, etc. Take elevator to eighth floor, circulation depart- ment, 35 E. 12th S: | | of the Political “Disarm the Company Gunmen”, Is of Harlan Mine Strikers Slogan HARLAN, Ky., May 11,—The strike is spreading throughout this county, Which has 20,000 coal miners in it. The miners are meeting at dozens of mines, and with the cry, “Disarm the Mine Guards,” are walking out and refusing to work with gunmen standing over them, The strike “and lockout started some six weeks ago in the Black Mountain Coal Co. mines, a subsi- diary to the Peabody Coal Co. of Mlinois. The Black Mountain and other companies then declared for open shop and braught in more gun- men and scabs, Two major battles and several smaller shootings have killed five men, four of them company thugs; the bosses’ gunmen have burned a Hundreds Join Walk- out As Militia Camp In Battlefield mining town, the grand jury has in- dicted 29 on murder and other charges, and the militia have come into the field, on a bargain between the governor and the United Mine Workers’ officials that the company gunmen were to be disarmed, ‘The present extension of the strike is a protest over the breaking of this promise by the goyernor, It is surprising that the miners of the Harlan field have endured their serfdom as long as they have, for - conditions in some.of the.mines-have been very bad. Men who make only two and three dollars a day and get in only one, two and three days a week, are compelled to trade at com- pany stores on periol of losing their jobs. And, little as these jobs are worth, the men have nowhere else to go, Prices in the commissaries are from 25 to 100 per cent higher than prices in outside stores, The workers say that when of- fered compensation checks for time Jost on account of injuries, they are given the option of cashing the checks and losing their jobs or of not cashing the, checks. What becomes of the unused compensation money is not definitely known, but the work- SOCIALISTS ASK OHIO HUNGER MARCHERS SERVE DEMANDS ON GOVERNOR TODAY Hold State Conference on Unemployment With Over 200 Delegates from All Over State; Will Demand Insurance for the Starving Committee from Conference Will Walk In On Legislature This Afternoon Mass Pressure Gets Beds and Cooked Food In Indiana- polis; Half Marchers Are Negroes; Workers and Jobless Give Full Support According to the latest reports, received Sunday night, the more than 200 state hunger marchers whose various lines of march have united, the last two lines right in Indianapolis, were probably holding a great state confer- ence on unemployment yesterday. They are there to formulate the demands for unemployed insurance and other relief. in ac- cordance with the instructions given them by the great demon- strations of employed and unemployed workers on May 1 in all MASS PROTEST —|.ztatormm tes demic a FRL TO HALT LI DEATH EXILE Ohio state legislature to present the demands, and later today, will ins Danger He Will Be Kidnapped terview Governor White. ‘The Cincinnati and the Cleyeland- Youngstown-Toledo sections met Sun- day after a ten days’ march through the industrial cities of the state. They met with enthusiastic receptions, big mass meetings and eager support from workers and unemployed work- ers all along the way. In spite of a heavy rain, the united hunger march- ers were met at the state capitol steps by 3,000 local Indianapolis jobless and employed workers. Forced to Give Food. The state government has been forced by mass pressure to grant the use of beds at the fair grounds, and to provide two cooked meals a day for the marchers while they stay in Indianapolis, NEW YORK.—To prevent the kid- napping of T. H. Li, and exiling him ot his death by deportation to China, into the hands of the butcher Chi- ang Kai Shek, a mass protest dem- onstration is being called by the New York District of the International La- bor Defense for Friday. T. H. Li, a Chinese student and militant fighter against imperialism, ted for deportation some] ‘The last night on the road, Satur- time ag day night, the main division of the Recently the department of Im-| marchers had a real rest in Delaware m: tion refused to permit him to depart voluntarily and ordered his deportation to China He is ordered to surrender himself on the 15th of May and sail on the 16th to certain execution. The im- migration authorities know that this deportation is virtually a death sen- tence and they are deliberately car- rying it out. Ohio. The mayor had it all arranged that the marchers must sleep on a dirty floor or stay out of town. The marchers were insistant that they must have better lodging than the filthy floor. They threatened to camp all night on the court house steps. The authorities were finally forced to house the marchers in a camp just outside of town where cots and bed- ding were provided. The spirit of the marchers is splen- did in spite of the many hardships. Half Are Negroes. Nearly half the delegation is made up of Negro men and women workers. For years the Ku Klux Klan had one of its strongholds in Ohio, domi- nated its government, and there are Jim Crow practises which the march- ers had to fight in several towns on the way to Columbus. BREAD STRIKE MIDDLE VILLAGE Women’s Council Leads in the Struggle NEW YORK.—Encouraged by the success of the recent meat strike or- ganized and led by the United Coun- cil of Working Class Housewives, the working class housewives of Middle Village have decided to strike against the high cost of bread. As soon as the bakers heard of the impending action, they cut prices in order to prevent the strike, but not to the satisfaction of the housewives, who consider prices still too high. The demands for more reductions have been made to the bakers of Middle Village, and although the strike is officially called for Wednes- day morning, May 13, one of the bakers has already made some of- The great danger at this time is that Li will be kidnapped on May 15 by the immigration authorities and sent to China without the knowledge of his friends. This would be done to prevent a mass protest against this unity of Wall Street and Chiang Kai Shek in murdering a militant fighter. Every worker and anti-imperialist in the city c’ New York, fighting against unemployment and wage cuts, should join in this mass demonstra- tion to stop the kidnapping and de- portation of T. H. Li. Only the work- ers can stop the carrying out of this death threat against Li. All out on Friday. Down with Chiang Kai Shek and his Wall Street supporters! The exact time and place where the demonstration will be held on Friday will be announced in the Daily Worker tomorrow. “CLEAN GOV'T” Want Capitalism in Socialist Party Concention which met Saturday at the Rand School, appointed Norman Thomas, Morris Hillquit and B. C, Vladeck, among others as a committee “to draw up a plan of reform” for the Tammany and Republican racketeers The and gangsters with whom they are. allied in serving the interests ofthe capitalist class. The resolution adopted is to “evolve a plan of far-reaching reform, de- signed to provide lasting foundations for a government that will be oper- ated honestly, efficiently and demo- cratically,” “While these social-fascist enemies of the working class are busy trying to’ bolster up capitalism, the International Chamber of Commerce which closed its session on Saturday in Washington was forced to reckon with the growing might of the Soviet Union which challenges the founda- tions of the collapsing capitalist order. ers say that compensation at some of the mines is a_racket, ively, wha and leads the workers to wipe capi- talism olf the face of the earth, fers to settlewwith the Strike Com- mittee, sn A series of open air meetings will be held in the afternoon to rally the support of all working class families jm the neighborhood. A mass meet- ing to rthis purpose will also be held on Thursday, May 14, at the Hebrew Institute, 9-11 Hinman st. Middle Village. The United Council of Working Women has been able to draw thre eother organizations into the struggle who have heretofore busy only with local charity. The Council appeals to all workers to sup= port the strike. GIVE YOUR ANSWER TO VER'S PROGRAM OF ‘MAGE CUTS AND