The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 28, 1931, Page 1

oe n Ss eens? = — Hl The Daily Worker is your paper. It Fights for you. Do your bit to save if. Collect funds from friends and shopmates and rush to 35 E. 12th Bt, N. Y.-C; ——— _ Vol. VIII, N the Communist International) . NEW YORK, THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1 Smmunist Party $3 The ‘Fruits of Treason. NN MAY llth Mr. Walter White, secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, wrote a letter “To the Editors of the Colored Press”, which Mr. White marked “Not for Publication”, intended to influence the Negro newspapers privately on the Scottsboro ease without allowing the readers of those papers to know what wires were causing the queer results in the policy in such papers as could be influenced in the underhanded manner. The effects of Mr. White's letter are already being seen among a few Negro newspapers and other organizations under the influence of the reactionary leaders of the NAACP and subject to the cowardice to which Mr. White appealed One effect was to cause the Pittsburgh Courier (which had already printed a giant headline calling the 13 and 14 year old Negro boys ‘rapists”), to throw itself all the more heartily into the united front with the lynch of the boys. The latest result of Mr. White's crusade against the defense of the nine Scottsboro boys comes to our eyes in the columns of the Jacksen County Sentinel, published at Scottsboro, Ala- ama. This newspaper more than any other screamed for’ the lynch- ing, of the boys and, when Communists and the International Labor Defense came to their rescue, openly bewailed in its editorial columns that the lynchers had not taken “the»shortest way out.” This paper now reproduces a news item from a Chattanooga paper telling of the effects of Mr. White’s campaign upon the Interracial Relations Com- mittee of Chattanooga, an organization under the wing of the NAACP. The item reads in part: “The local Interracial Committee will take no part in the defense of the Chattanooga Negroes sentenced to die in Alabama in connec- tion with a crime in Jackson County, Alabama, several weeks ago, T. C. Thompson, chairman of the Committee, stated yesterday. “The statement was made at a mecting yesterday afternoon at the YMCA. It was brought to Mr. Thompson's attention that both the Communists and a protective organization are working on the de- fense case. Mr. Thompson said he had heen advised that the local organization should only interest itself in secing justice done and see- ing the law take its course after a fair and impartial trial had been given, and this was the concensus of opinion of the membership pres- ent. . * * This lynching newspaper. which has howled for the blood of the framed- up Negro boys either by legal execution or by “the shortest way out”, concludes by saying: “A representative of the Interracial Committee was in Scottsboro Several days ago and visited the sentinel office wheze the editor as- sisted him to the best of his ability in getting the facts of the Negro case and conviction.” We have said before that the policies of the reactionary leadership of the NAACP are in fact a united front with the open murderers of the Negro boys. Many timid persons were appalled by our “harsh” statements and thought that we had gone too far in criticizing such nice gentlemen as the NAACP leaders. But here we have the words from the columns of the chief lynching newspaper of Scottsboro to prove that “a representative of the Interracial Committee” (a well- known NAACP connection) is collaborating with the editor of the lynch- ing newspaper to fight against the defense of the boys. But this is not all. In the same issue of the lynching newspaper ap- pears a letter from Reverend A. Edward Berry, pastor of the African Methodist Church at Scottsboro, and an ardent supporter of the NAACP. He reflects the influence of Mr. White's recent secret letter by pouring into the columns of the lynching newspaper his own contribution of propaganda to the effect that there must be no interference with the ghastly frame-up verdict of death for 13 and 14 year old Negro boys on the false charge of “raping” two white prostitutes. It will be recalled that Mr. White had described our efforts to defend the boys as being what he called “the most intemperate sort of misstatement, vituperation and vilification.” Now the Reverend A. Edward Berry follows Mr. White's example by saying that Communist denunciation of the frame-up a lie from the deepest hell.” . The reverend gentleman under Mr. White's influence continues: “Those eight boys if guilty should be dealt with according to law, and personally I believe they have been given a fair trial and 1 speak the sentiment of the better class of Negroes when I say such.” That is the logical result of the policies of White, Spingarn and the other reactionary leaders of the NAACP is shown by the curious parallel between the above words of the corrupt preacher of the African Methodist Church at Scottsboro, and the recent statement of the NAACP which rejected our demand that the boys be immediately freed (which Mr. White’s secret letter describes as “a manifestly absurd and im- possible demand”), and insists on there being “but one object, and that is a fair trial for them before the courts and exact justice to them regardless of race.” The Jackson County Sentinel places in the center of the first page of its same edition an editorial in big type which itself imitates the style of Mr. White's secret letter in denouncing the Communist efforts to defend them as being “the most vicious literature imaginable . . . against our people and the court and its verdict.” Of these boys who were sentenced to death on perjured testimony of prostitutes, without any defense, were slated to death within a few hours aftcr the frame- up was made, without even lawyers of their own choosing nor time even to investigate the evidence: “Judge Hawkins seemed to go to extremes in giving them every comfort the law could offer.” And, “It is the gen- eral opinion of our peonle that these Negroes were not done an injustice and that tiie law took its proper and just course in the case.” . . . These are the effects of the deadly policy of the reactionary leaders of the NAACP-—a policy of collaboration with the lynchers and bitterest hatred against the Negro and working class masses who insist upon de- fending these innocent boys even at the cost of disrespect for the mur- derous jim-crow capitalist courts. But in sharp contrast to the tragic record of shameless cowardice an@ treason of these gentlemen who control the top organization of the NAACP, is the splendid rallying of the masses of Negro people and the working class, Negro and white, to the United Front Conferences going on in all important cities. The reports from the Chicago United Front Conference bring splendid evidence of the mounting tide which al- ready includes many sincere and honest members of the NAACP who have not sold themselves to the cowardly “handkerchief-head” policy of the national organization. The Five Year Plan To Be Shown at the Central Theatre Fri. The pages of the bourgeois press are lately full of accounts about the Five-Year Plan and its victories on the socialist frent. ‘The appearance of the stirring film “The Five Year Plan,” showing for the first time in U.S.A., through the eyec of the camera, the power and greatness of the Soviet Five- Year Plan, is, therefore, more than timely. ‘This film, with its explanatory speech in English, leaves an tm- erasable impression. “The Five Year Plan” will be de- 4 Scottsboro-Textile special edi- tion of LABOR UNITY is off the Press. All workers’ organizations should call for bundles at 16 W. 21st St. Price 2 cents a copy, monstrated, beginning Friday, May 29, in the Central Theatre, Broad- way, twice daily—at 2:45 and 8:45 Pp. m. The film shows the progress of the socialist construction in steel, iron, electrical and other industries, in agriculture, and in the everyday life of the workers and peasants of the Union. “He who has the youth has the fubure”—Liebknecht, =. ‘eisai NMULEAD PA. MINE STRIKE OF THOUSAND Carnegie Coal Co. Miners Strike On Starvation Pay 800 OUT IN W. VA. Strike Is Spreading to Avella District Stories like the following are suppressed by the capitaiist press. You can find them only in the Daily Worker. But you will not learn of them at all if the Daily is forced to suspend. Rush funds! —The Editor. (Special to the Daily Worker) PITTSBURGH, Pa., May 27. — An unofficial announcement of a wage cut June 1 caused a strike today of one thousand miners at the Atlas- burg, Macdonald and Ceder Grow mines of the Carnegie Coal Co. ‘The National Miners Union organ- ized the strike and put forth the fol- lowmg demands: 52 cents a ton, re- cognition of the mine committee, checkweightmen and payment for dead work. The present wage scale is 44 cents a ton. | { | | | | | | Strike Is Spreading Seven mines in the Avella district are preparing to join the strike this week, Eight hundred miners of the Vesta Eight mine near Scott Run, W. Vir- ginia, struck and invited the National Miners Union organizer in. This is a direct result of the convention of the National Miners Union held about 2 weeks ago. The possibility of spreading the strikes is good. A meeting of the District Com- mittee of the N.M.U. will be held soon and will mobilize the entire union for strike struggle. Y. POCKETBOOK Reorganization Plan NEW YORK.—The administration the International Pocketbook of Makers Union announced that a strike is to be declared today a a. m. in all association shops in w! the workers were locked out a few weeks ago. This strike does not ap- ply to the independent shops which agreement expires the first of August. The decision for this strike was made at Cooper Union meeting, May 18. The administration tried by all means to avoid a struggle and con- tinued negotiations after the mem- bers decided to strike,, even agreeing to arbitration, which was rejected by the employers. ‘The left wing group in the union has called upon the workers to con- duct a militant strike, to picket all shops, to broaden the strike com- mittee and to draw in active rank and file workers in the day to day conduct of the strike. 10 MAKERS STRIKE! American working class. champion, their organizer an paper that tore against them, the only chair that the white ruling any moment. shoulder to you today. eign-born. Your Daily speal Dig into your pockets the Daily! doing your all to boost the t York City! money to get out the next day’s issue. Only $2,934 so far after eight days. who will be guilty of this crime against the working cla d inspirer of their struggles! class has prepared for them! Terrific Blow to Workers. Who Will Be Guilty? ks and appeals to you: and even if it’s otals to $1,000 daily! The stoppzge of the Daily Worker at this time would be a crime against the No Daily means the millions of starving unemployed left without their fighting No Daily means the nine Negro boys in Scottsboro deprived of the only news- the veil of southern lynch-respectability from the outrageous frame-up paper fighting relentlessly to snatch them from the electric No Daily means the voice of Tom Mooney hushed io a whisper, the voice of the Imperial Valley prisoners silenced—it means a terrific blow to the workers everywhere who are fighting bitterly against capitalist hunger, terror and war! Yet this great crime against the American workers may become an actuality at Each day the chief concern of the business office is where to get enough But if this crime against the working class is to be stopped, the issuing of the Daily Worker must cease being the concern of the business office alone. It must become the concern of every reader, of every worker who has a spark of loyalty to his class, of every workers’ organization! If the Daily Worker is forced to suspend, Fellow-workers, the Daily Worker—your Daily—is speaking straight from the It speaks with the voice of the Scottsboro nine, of the five framed textile workers in Paterson, the voice of Tom Mooney and Warren K. Billings, of the Centralia and Imperial Valley prisoners—the yoice of the millions of workers everywhere, in jail and out, employed and unemployed, white and black, native and for- your last dollar, send that dollar to save Throw all your energy into the $35,000 campaign, draw your shopmates and friends into the campaign, get your organizations to contribute, organize live-wire Daily Worker Clubs—be on the job day and night collecting and organizing support, Stop this crime against the Amer- ican’ working class—rush funds today to the Daily Worker, 50 E. 13th Street, New | Protest Action | oilman | FARRELL, Pa, May 27.—I nine innocent Nego children i NEGRO ‘EXECUTED’ ‘FOR SELF-DEFENSE Killed a Brutal Chain Gang Guard COLUMBIA, 8S. C., May 27.—Nor- man Blakely, an 18-year old Negro youth, sentenced to death for kill- ing in self-defense a brutal gang guard, was electrocuted today at the State penitentiary here, while ; Mrs. G. C. Howard, daughter of the dead slave-driver, gloatingly locked on. She had received a special per- mit to indulge her vengeance by wit- chain charge of raping two white girls, police of this steel town v ously attacked a Scottsboro defense meeting called by the In- Steel Police Break Up Scottsboro Defense Meet; Fear Unity of Negro, White Toilers Youngstown Has Spirited Defense Conference; of Farrell Cops n open co-operation with the southern boss lynchers who are attempting to legally murder n Alabama on the framed-up ternational Labor Defense and the League of Struggle for Negro Rights. Hundreds of white and Ne- gro workers who turned out to protest the murderous frame-up of the nine Scottsboro boys and support the fight to save the boys were bru- tally attacked by police armed with car gas bombs and machine guns. The police blocked the entrance to the Croatian Hall, which was hired for the meeting, and drove off the workers. Arrest Two Leaders. Two militant workers, Joe Dizdar, white, and Arthur Murphy, colored, whim the police have been hounding for some time, were picked out of the crowd and arrested, in order to intimidate the workers and try, to smash the growing unity of black and The little shack Eugene Williams’ family lives in, Conditions were so bad that the 14-year-old boy was forced to leave home to hunt work to help his starving family, He was picked up and framed by the nessing the execution. (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) Alabama bosses the very next day. CHICAGO, May 27. — Undoubtedly after conferences with the misleaders in the A. ¥. of L, building trades un- ions here, the leading Chicago build- ing bosses put forward a proposal for wage cuts for all building trades workers, The wage-cutting announcement will be taken up more definitely at a meeting of officials of the Build- ing Construction Employers’ Associa- tions and representatives of the Chi- cago Building Trades Council of the A. F. of L, The A. F. of L. fakers will help the bosses put the pay slashes over, unless the rank and file set their foot down and prepare for struggle. ‘The propaganda issued by the bos- ses, through E. M. Craig, executive secretary of the Employers’ Associa- tions, is that wage cuts will “stimu- late business.” Of course, this liar doesn't mention the fact that the Chicago Bldg. Trade Council Fakers Plot With Bosses For Drastic Wage Slashes Building Bosses Association to Meet With the A. F. of L. Misleaders for Pay Cutting Conference $12,000,000,000 wage cut during 1930 did not “stimulate any business.” It merely brought the workers closer to the starvation level. ey as Street Car Wage Cut in Portland PORTLAND, Ore.— By a two-to- one vote, an arbitration board roled that the street car workers of Port- Jand must take a cut in wages ayer- aging 7% per cent. The fakers who Jead the men bound them before the arbitration board met on a promise not to strike. The men get starva- tion wages and asked for an increase. Instead, they got a wage cut, and their misleaders got them to promise to refrain from striking. The street car company last year had street car fare raised to 10 cents. St. Louis Street Car Cut ST. LOUIS.—The union misleaders here are helping the street car com- pany put over a 10 per cent wage cut. A wage cut was announced and an attempt was made to “arbitrate.” The company refu: to arbitrate. The men voted to walk out in the event of a refusal to arbitrate, but there is little doubt that the A. F. of L. fakers will get together with the company, tie the men up to a “no strike” decision after arbitration, and put over a substantial wage cut as they did in Portland, Ore., unless the workers organize their own rank and file committees to take over and push the strike. wie hear Teachers Pay Cut MARION, Ohio.—A 10 per cent pay reduction for all city employes and the discontinuance of two schools was announced by the Board of Education here on Tuesday. ee aie Miners Pay Cut PITTSBURGH, Pa.—Four thous- and miners at the Purgsglove and Paisley mines are getting lower wages than any other miners in the Pitts- burgh district, admitted Patrick T. Fagan, president of District 5 of the United Mine Workers. Fagan, feeling the pressure of the. men, is talking “strike.” > ker HERDED INTO BALL PARK AND KEPT UNDER GUARD: WORKERS OF THE W UNITE! CRLB, MICHIGAN TROOPERS TRY TO STOP HUNGER MARCHERS To Suspend the ‘Dail Price 3 Cents 15,000 GREET MARCHERS Governor Orders Troops to Keep the Unemployed From Presenting Their Demands to the State Legislature for Relief Women Held When They Try to Enter Ball Park Where Ma Council for the Protection rchers Are Held of Foreign-Born Fights the Michigan Finger-Print Law LANSING, Mich., May 27.—After marching from all parts of the state, with enthusiastic send-offs by tens of thousands of workers, the hunger marchers arrived today at the state capitol and were herded into the ball park. The hunger marchers were prevented from leaving the park. Over 15,000 workers enthus when they arrived at the Michigan state capitol. astically greeted the marchers The purpose of the arrest is to keep the hunger marchers from presenting their demands to the governor. FASCIST OUTFITS SEEK TO COUNTER | NATL YOUTH DAY But Young Workers to Give Answer May 30 in Passaic, N. J. In an effort to counteract and, if pessible, prevent, demonstration of young workers and workers’ children at Passaic this Saturday, the Asso- ciated War Veterans of P: ic have anncunced a Memor'il Day Parade at Second Ward Park. The main speaker at the imperialist Memorial Day meetiig after the pa- rade will be Rear Admiral William A Moffett. U.S.N. Many fascist organ- izations will march, together with the police force. However, the militant young work- ers are preparing to answer this chal- lenge. At the N.Y.D. demonstration at First Ward Park, Comrade I. Am- ter, district organizer of the Com- munist Party. will speak. He will answer Moffett’s war speech. At 2 p. m. the Youth Day Parade will be- gin, ending with a mass meeting at which Amter and Bill Siroka of the Young Communist League and one of the leaders of the great Passaic strike will speak. Fight War Mongers The Y.C.L. district office, in a state- ment issued yesterday, calls upon me young workers to turn out for Na- tional Youth Day in even greater numbers as an answer to the chal- lepge of the fascists and Moffett. The statement, in part, follows “On National Youth Day the young workers must demonstrate their de- termination to fight against the war mongers who are now preparing to send millions of the working youth into the next world war for bosses’ profits. “N. Y. D. will be a demonstration also for the release of the nine in- nocent Scottsboro boys. This first Youth Day will show the solidarity of the masses of Negro and white young workers. “We call upon the working youth of New York to demonstrate with our comrades from Boston, New Haven. and Philadelphia this Saturday at Passaic at 2 p. m, VOLUNTEERS WANTED IN “DAILY” TODAY! URGENT! Several hundred coupon books must be sent out today. The Circulation Department of the Daily Worker will appreciate the help of anyone who has some time to spare today and can assist us in getting out this important material in connec- tion with the campaign for $35,000. Please take elevator to eighth floor, 35 E. 12th St. GIVE YOUR ANSWER TO HOO- VER'S PROGRAM OF HUNGER, WAGE CUTS AND PERSBROUTION! st ali The marchers arrived in Lansing at 1:30. The police were waiting for them. They ¥ refused lodging and were kept moving on the capital grounds. Finally, permission was given for them to sleep in the ball park, surrounded by state troopers, not letiing any one out. Women who came to the park were also detained. Protests agaitist this outrage are pouring in from all parts of the state At the time the Daily Wo: to press the hunger marchers under ' goes are still t for the crime nt ghe demands taou- reds of un governor. Fight Finger Prini The jon of the Lans poles. under th orders of the are in line with the pascege of th compulsory registration and fi: printing bill. The Council for Protection of Foreign Born of Detrei. has issued the following statement to all workers’ organizations, calling for a united front to smash the finger- printing and registration of foreign born: “The Michigan state legislature passed a bill providing for compul- sory registration, finger printing and photographing of foreign-born w: ers, and for the mass deportation of those who are unable to comply with the provisions of the bill. “This bill was passed under the direction of the motor manufacturers of Michigan, with the direct support of the federal immigration authori- ties. It constitutes a serious menace, not only to the foreign born, but to all working people in the state of Michigan. The registration and fin- ger printing of the foreign-born workers would inevitably lead to a similar’ measure against the native workers and in this manner a Czar- ist’ passport system would be estab- lished, with every man, woman and child subject to police supervision over all of their msavements. “The bosses will use.this bill to in- timidate and terrorize the workers, break strikes and prevent the star- ving unemployed from demanding relief and unemployment insurance, and thus reduce the standard of liv- ing of the entire working class “The Council for the Protection of the Wreign Born, which unites native and foreign-born workers, white and Negro, is calling a special United Front Conference on Sunday, May 31, at the Finnish Hall, 5969 14th St. at 10 a. m, to fight this bill. “You are requested to send thr or more delegates to this confere e Directions for National Youth Day Individuals: Take Special ‘Train leaving Erie Station at 12:30 p.m, Daylight Saving Time. Take Hud- son Tubes to Erie, or Erie Ferry at 23rd Street, or Chambers St. Trucks and Automobiles: Use the ferries mentioned above and on the Jersey Side take the Pat- erson Plank Road to Passaic. At Passaic inquire for Ist Ward Pk, Tickets for train include the two day events (75¢ round trip). Those coming by cars and trucks pene weld |