The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 29, 1931, Page 1

| Working a | decision, is a surrender of the strikers’ demands. You th In National Demonstration On May 3 The Daily Worker is your papes. Fights for you. Do your bit to save it. Collect funds from friends and shopmates and rush to 35 E.12th | Dail Central (Siectio ¥ n of the Communist International) WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE! _Vol. VII, No. 129 ae Entered as eecond-clasa matter at the Post Office at New York, N. ¥., ander the act of March 3, 1879 Sp \___NEW YORK, FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1931 CITY EDITION Price 3 Cents For Victory in the Allentown Strike 'HREE THOUSAND SILK WORKERS have been waging an heroic strike against the silk barons of Allentown, Pa. The strike which is against the employers’ attempt to put over a wage-cut and speed-up has, by the militant action of the rank and file, in defiance of the treach- erous leadersiip of the United Textile Workers of the A. i. of L., become strong enough to bring the mill owners face to face with defeat. In this situation, the U. 'T. W. leaders, whose policy even from the ~ first has been one of class collaboration in the form of trying to induce the strikers to “moderate” their demands in order to “stabilize the in- dustry” (for the benefit of the bosses and to the injury of the workers) are now trying to bring about a compromise which is also to the injury of the workers and the benefit of the bosses. The U. T. W., having lost the confidence of the workers, appeals to the manufacturers, and urges them to settle in order “to keep out the Communists.” The strikers #111 sur¢ly understand that this maneuver of the U. T. W. leaders is meant to help the bosses and not the work- ers. It should inspire every Allentown silk worker to further unity and militant action in line with the policy of the National Textile Workers Union, the only union which their own experience shows them is loyal to their interests. Just as in many other textile strikes, it is undoubtedly due to hints by the U. T. W. traitors that the Chamber of Commerce has appointed a so-called “Citizens Committee” with a number of supposedly “im- partial” members. This Citizens Committee will undoubtedly try to un- dermine the strike by some tricky scheme for “arbitration.” The history of such Citizens Committees in past strikes should be a warning to the Allentown strikers against having any faith whatever in such committee's proposals. The weakness of the Passaic strike in 1926 was largely due to the lack of a firm front against such a Citizens Committee, led by a group of hypocritical churchmen whose effort was, under pretense of “helping the strikers” to help the mill owners and to.aid the A. F. of L. to get hold of the strike in order to betray it. ‘The same hypocritical role has been played by these s0-called “Citi- zens. Committees” in dozens of strikes. It was such a supposedly “im- \sartial” committee in the tecent Lawrence textile strike that served the strike-breaking fascists of the American Legion as a disguise, under which trike meetings were broken up and the militant strike leaders of the ational Textile Workers Union were arrested. The Allentown strikers have every reason to take warning from these lessons and to trust only their own solidarity and militancy in the win- ning of their demands. It is precisely because the strike is going strong that these underhanded attempts are being made to weaken it. The settlement of the strike must absolutely be decided by the rank and file of the strikers, aud any concession which surrenders that power of The “Socialists” Receive Absolution — 'ATHER RYAN of Washington, Diréctor of the Social Action Depart- ment of the National Catholic WeJfare Council, has issued a state- ment on the encyclical letter of the Pope which adapts that document to the United States. It is particularly important that American work- ers should notice that Father Ryan, even more than the Pope, praises the “moderation” of the so-called “socialist” party. ‘The essence of Father Ryan’s opinion, condemning the Communists and praising the “socialists,” is seen in the following excerpts from his statement: “A& change has taken place in the character of socialism. It has become divided into two groups. One of these is even more extreme, while the other is in varying degrees more moderate than the socialism which Pope Leo condemned, Communism is utterly detestable... . Socialism, however, has in some respects become so mitigated that its programs often strikingly approach the just de- mands of Christian social reform,” a ‘The “socialist” party of America is doing its best to justify the further statement of Father Ryan that “if these moderations of doctrines continue it may well come about that the tenets of mitigate socialism will not be out of harmony with Christian principles.’ By “Christian principles,” Father Ryan, of course, means capitalist principles, because the whole encyclical of the Pope was a defense of private property rights of the capitalist class against the revolutionary right of the working class to abolish capitalism and socialize the means of production. The “socialist” party of America has met the Pope more than half way by leaving even the words “class struggle” out of its platform. But workers must not be deceived into thinking that the “socialist” party therefore does not take part in the class struggle. It takes part—but on the side of the capitalist class and against the working class. The strike- breaking against the workers of the Ladish Drop Forge Company at Cudahy, Wisconsin: workers who were striking against a wage cut, is a case in point. Another example of the “moderation” of the American “socialists? ts seen in the’ editorial of the Milwaukee Leader, a “socialist” paper, which ot. May 20th, in comment about the “Red Flag Law,” comes out with the following cowardly “defense” of even this symbol of revolution: “Not that we care much for the red flag. It has been the flag of insurgents and non-conformists for centuries, but that does not make it sacred any more than age makes anything else sacred. Red is not a very appealing color. Letters written in red ink hurt the eyes literally, and anything red hurts the eyes of complacent people figuratively.” Surely Father Ryan can recommend the “socialist” party of the United States to the Pope as having met the requirements of the en- cyclical! Age does not make the red flag sacred to the “socialists,” but only because the centuries of “insurgency and non-conformism” of the revolutionary workers is no longer sacred to the traitors of the “so- cialist” party, who have gone oyer bag and baggage to the capitalist side. of the class struggle. Only yesterday the “socialists” of Spain, who are responsible for the government they participate in, ordered the murderous “Civil Guard” to shoot down the striking fishermen of San. Sebastian (6 dead, 28 wounded), and because jn many cities the working class is demanding an improvement in their starvation wages, we read the following in an Associated Press wire from Madrid: “Other cities in which martial law prevails, due to disturbances of social origin are Seville, Elda, Badajos and Valencia, because the gov- ernment says it is ready to maintain order at all costs.” The “costs,” of course, are to be borne by the working class! In Andalusia the government has openly forbidden strikes of agricultural workers! The “socialists” of Spain are thus carrying into action that “moderation” expressed by the American “socialists” which endears them to Father Ryan, the Pope and all other upholders of capitalism. ~ But the American working class will learn from these lessons that their only reliable leader in the class struggle is the “extreme group” which capitalism “utterly detests’—the Communist Party of the U.S. A. ANSWER WAR MONGERS ON YOUTH DAY Industria] Centers } Are Concentration Points First Nat’l Youth Day Rally in Thousands on May 30 and 31 A direct answer to the imperialist war mongers will be given by the thousands of young workers who will demonstrate on National Youth Day in five cities throughout the coun- try. The military air maneuvers over the eastern coast show clearly the preparations that are being made by the Wall Street government to} plunge the working .class into a new world-wide slaughter. The main slogan of the National Youth Day demonstrations, the first of their kind to be held in the U. S., will be: “Not a cent for militarism! All war funds for the relief of the unemployed!” The preparations for thesedemon- strations, which will be held in Pas- saic, ‘Youngstown, Milwaukee, Du- juth, and Fresno, have been going on at full speed for the past two weeks. United front conference of youth or- ganizations have been held in at least ten cities. An outstanding fea- ture in these conferences has been the willingness of Negro youth or- ganizations to participate in National Youth Day, which will also be a dem- onstration for the defense of the nine Scottsboro Negro boys facing a legal lynching. The young workers in the shops and factories, whose standard of liv- ing is being steadily driven down by unemployment an e cuts, will rally on National th Day for the struggle “against these rotten condi- tions. The working class children, led by the Young Pioneers, willl dem- onstrate against théir bad school conditions, and for free food and clothing for the children of the un- employed. During the National Youth Day interstate rallies, the eliminations for the international workers’ sport meet, the Spartakiad, will be run off. The Spartakiad will take place in Berlin. this July, and the Labor Sports Union is sending a delegation of American worker athletes to com- pete with the workers from other countries, The first National Youth Day must set a tradition in the working class movement. Mass demonstra- tions on May 30 and 31 will show the imperialist war mongers the deter- mination of the working youth to fight against their war plans, and for the defense of the workers’ fa- therland, the Soviet Union. ie 2) Special Supplement On China Saturday Saturday the Daily Warker will contain a special supplement on China commemorating the sixth anniversary of the Shanghai Mas- sacre which took place May 30, 1925; as well as the anniversary of the first Chinese Soviet Congress, held May 30, 1930. This issue con- tains feature articles on the So- viets in China, the proposed “Sil- ver Loan,” the militarist war now raging in China, as well as other special material never before pub- lished on the Chine situation. Be sure to order your copy now. The Chinese supplement is illustrated with new and striking pictures of tla Chinese\ revolution and the Red Army. Funds Collected for “Unemployment Relief” Aiuto Scottsboro Conference On Sunday Delegates Arriving in Chattanooga from Many Sections of South; Block Committees Afford Real Basis—Par nts Attending CHATTANOOGA, May 28.—Delegates from all over the South are arriving in this city for the All-Southern United Front Scottsboro Defense Conference to be held this Sunday at Masonic Temple, 411 East 9th Street. So far, the delega- tions are about equally divided between colored and white WORKERS BATTLE COPS ATTACKING PROTEST MEET Denounce Murder of Negro Worker BARBERTON, Ohio, May 28.— Five hundred workers battled police and American Legion thugs here last night when the police and their al- lies attempted to break up a mass meeting called to protest against the brutal murder of Louis Alexander, a Negro unemployed worker, by. Bar- berton, Ohio, police. ‘The meeting was called by the International La- bor Defense and the Unemployed Councils. Comrade Alexander was a leader of the Barberton Unemployed Council. Before the indoor meeting was broken up by the police a policeman tried to arrest Jennie Cooper, district organizer‘of the I. L. D. Andy Parks, Akron organizer of the Trade»Union Unity League, jumped to her defense and was attacked by the policeman. Many workers rushed to the defense of Cooper and Parks and when they got through with the cop he was minus his badge, his club and his gun, ‘Three attempts by the workers to continue she meeting on the strrets were met by brutal attacks on the workers with tear gas bombs and clubs. Three workers suffered frac- tured heads from police and legion- naire blackjacks. Realizing that the bosses and their police, scared by the growing unity of the colored and white workers, might attack the meeting, the work- er s of Akron and Barberton had organized a Workers’ Defense Corps. Although this was the first time the Defense Corps was used, the workers gave a good account of themselves and teh Barberton police found they had a real battle. In spite of the attempts of the bosses and their police to stifle the protest of the working-class against the brutal attacks on the Negro masses, the protests against the mur- der of Comrade Alexander will con- tinue. The Akron I. L. D, and Un- employed Council are arranging a huge protest meeting for Monday, dune 1, at Perkins Square, SCOTTSBORO CONFERENCE IN NEWARK. NEWARK, N. J.—The Scottsboro Conference will take place’on May 31 at 2:30 p.m. at 90 Ferry St. and will be followed by a banquet and concert at 8 p.m. There will be a play, “Scottsboro Frame-Up,” pre- sented by the Workers Lab Theatre. GIVE YOUR ANSWER TO HOO- VER'S PROGRAM OF HUNGER, WAGE CUTS AND PERSECUTION! workers. Word has been re- ceived that several northern delegations, - elected by the large conferences already held in the north, are on their way and will arrive here Saturday or Sunday. The conference will open at 11 a. m, Sunday, Local organizations have already elected over 50 delegates to the con- ference, and it is confidently ex- pected that this number will be more than doubled between now and Sun- day, as a result of the excellent achievements in building up block and neighborhood committees as a base for mass support of the confer- ence and a real united front from below. The Southern workers, and particularly the Negro workers, have taken instinctively to the work of building block and neighborhood de- fense committees. Such committees are now operating in practically every workin-class section of Chat- tanogga. Even before the League of Straggle for Negro Rights and the International Labor Defense, ‘the two organizations leading the fight to save the nine boys, had turned to the building of block committees, Negro workers had organized sev- eral such committees on their own initiative, As a result of the building of these neighborhood committees, it has been possible to exert tremendous mass pressure.on the leaderships of scores of organiaztions and churches, with the result that thesé organizations are all support ing the conference and are eelcting, or have already elected. delegates. Again emphasizing their undivided Support of the united front defense policy of the International Labor Defense, and of that organization as the only organization entrusted with the defense of their boys, the pe- tents and relatives of all nine of the framed-up Scottsboro Negro boys will be present at Sunday's conference. T. H.LIIS BAILED; DECISION RESTS ON SERIO CASE T. H. Li, militant Chinese revolu- tionist slated for deportation to China, will be out on bail this morn- ing. Li has been confined in the stinking jail of Ellis Island ever since May 15, when he was ordered de-~ ported but stopped at the last minute by a writ of habeas corpus obtained under the pressure of a storm of mass protest. The bail which was reduced from $3,000 to $1,000 was ar- ranged by the New York District of the International Labor Defense. An appeal has been filed for Li’s case in the Court of Appeals and the case will come up for trial probably during the summer. However, ac- cording to information obtained by the International Labor Defense, there will be no decision for Li’s case until after the Serio case which is the first of its kind on the calendar, is settled. ‘The struggle against the persecu- tion of the foreign as well as native Negro and white workers must go for- ward at greater speed. We cannot rest until the trial date is set. Only continued mass activity, protest and organization can save our comrades. Pocketed by Grafting Philadelp PHILADELPHIA, Pa. May 28— Wholesale graft out of city funds col- lected for “unemployment relief” was exposed heretoday. The Philadelphia Record, a daily newspaper, points out, that out of $200,000 collected in the past six months for relief, only $38,~ 000 ever reached unemployed workers and their famities, About $160,000, the Philadelphia Record exposes, was turned over to “collectors” and other grafters ap- pointed by Mayor Mackey’s commit- tee for unemployment relief, Mayor Mackey about three months ago made a plea for charity relief, } Philadelphia Record Says $160,000 Goes to “Collectors,” Only $36,000 to Jobless * declaring that if money was not col- lected he would have to call troops in to handlethe unemployed. A cam- paign was started for relief by Mac~- key’s committee. “Collectors” were hired and paid as high as $400 a week. Mayor Mackey is now trying to crawl out of the situation where his committee robbed the unemployed of $160,000 out of $200,000 collected for relief, Meanwhile hundreds of thou- sands of unemployed draw closer to the starvation level in Philadelphia. Cate. no The same kind of grafting from the so-called unemployment relief funds goes on in every city in the United States. In New York several million dollars was handled by the Prosser unempuoyment relief com- mittee, but how much ever reached hia Officials’ FRANK SPECTOR'S CONVICTION IS OVERRULED SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, May 28.—Vielding to wide protest, the Fourth District Court of Appeals at San Diego yesterday reversed the decision on two of three counts in six of the Imperial Val ley cases, If confirmed, they will be sentenced on the third count In addition, Frank Spector’s con- viction was entirely overruled. Orosco and Herrera were not in- cluded in the decision, The fight must now be intensified for their immediate release. The case comes up before the parole board within the next two months and }/ the judge demands that each get the maximum of fourteen years. MINERS PREPARE TO SPREAD STRIKE) eam i Mass Picketing At All Striking Mines PITTSBURGH, Pa., May 28.—Over 800 miners attended the National Miners’ Union mass meeting at Slo- van. Comrade Borich spoke, telling the miners to prepare for strikes in other mines in Washington County. Three hundred attended the Mac- Donald meeting, organizing a strike committee. Members of the United Mine Workers attempted to work at the Ceder and Grow mine. They passed through the mass picket line, but were prevented from going to work by the women. One scab slapped a woman in the face, which resulted in two strike-breakers being thrown over a fence into a creek and an- other strike-breaker being knocked unconscious. There is a mass picket line in-all striking mines;‘The strike relief com- mittee is functioning well. The strik- ers are preparing to fight mass evic- tions from their homes, To demoralize the strike, United Mine Workers’ officials are Spreading false rumors about calling a strike at the Pittsburgh terminal mines. The National Miners’ Union immediately exposed this fake propa- ganda and sent organizers to the ‘Terminal mines trying to call strikes. Several mass meetings will be held Friday at the Terminal mines. Addi- tional mines are expected to join the strike in a few days. The strike sentiment is growing. A UNi! Se eieey CUT OUT MEAL AT FLOPHOUSE NEW YORK.—Signs were posted on the walls of the Municipal Lodg- ing House announcing that the noon day meal would be cut out starting Monday, June 1. With a budget of close to $700,- 000,000 the Tammany grafters are determined to starve still further the joblses who receive city “relief.” The unemployed workers of* the Lodging House held a meeting at the headquarters of the Madison Square branch of the Unemployed Council and decided to be at the Municipal house Monday morning at 11 a. m, and demand that the noon day meal be served. { On Tuesday, June 2, there will be | a demonstration at 25th St. and First Ave. from 12 to 1:30 p. m. From this point the unemployed will march to Commissioner of Public Welfare Taylor and a delegation of ten will present the demands of the workers which include three square meals a day and that all work be paid for. the unemployed was never reported. Several weeks ago the grafting Tam- many city administration promised an investigation of charity agencies that spent 60 cents of every dollar they collected for the collection of the dollar. The unemployed in New York and in Philadelphia should bring masses of employed and unemployed into action against this criminal grafting and demand that all relief funds be distributed by committees elected by the unemployed and employed work- ers, JOBLESS WORKERS GIVE TO SAVE “DAILY”: WHERE ARE THE EMPLOYED? RUSH AID! |Jobless Workers of North and South Show the Way Many Readers of ‘Daily’ Have Not Contributed a Cent r Most Contributions So Far from N. Y. District, All Districts Must Rouse to Action to Save Daily Every Reader Must Send All He Does Not Absolutely Need and Get Organizations to Contribute at Once! Yes, the readers of the Daily Worker are responding to our appeals for immediate aid —but not enough. Some of our readers have realized what it would mean for them, as well as for the rest of the working class, if the Daily should be wiped out. An unemployed worker in Atlanta, Ga., gives Mary Dalton, National Textile Workers Union organizer, $3 to send to the Daily. Another unemployed worker, M. L. D. of Paterson, N. J. . Writes: “Kindly find pinned to this letter one dollar to help the Daily Worker. Keep up the good work. Both my son and I are out of work, with no prospect of getting any. Sorr; I can’t send you any more now. If each and every one read- ing your cry for the necessary $35,000, would send you one dollar, you should easily get twice that amount.” Unemployed workers are sending their last pennies to save the Daily Worker! What about those who still have Jobs? Daily Worker reader, have you contributed all you can to save the.Daily-Worker? i About 36,000 American workers are now buying the Daily. Undoubted- ly many copies are passed from hand to hand, boosting the number of actual readers to well over 40,000. Even subtracting the unemployed (though the unemployed, as you see, are refusing to be subtracted!) there are enough employed readers to raise the necessary $35,000 if each of them would contribute only $1. But many of the readers of the Daily Worker have not contributed a cent! i Though there has been an improvement in the flow of contributions during the last few days, the $1,000 a day minimum has still to be teached—which means that we are falling behind all the time. Every day the life of the Daily hangs in the balance, no one knows when the scales will tip the other way. And judging from the returns so far, one would think that nearly all the readers of the Daily Worker lived in the New York district. Are the readers in the New York district the only ones who know the meaning of the fight against wage cuts, unemployment speed-up, the fight to free the Scottsboro boys and all class war prisoners the fight against deportations, against imperialist war—and know that none of these great class battles can be waged successfully without the Daily Worker? Comrades in the other districts (and in New York, too. because the New York response is by no means all that it should be and is good only in comparison with the bad showing of the other districts) the saving of the Daily Worker is the task of the whole American working class. Get on the job at once! i We ask every reader to do two things and to do them TODAY. Send every cent you don’t absolutely need to keep alive to the Daily Worker-in order to keep the Daily alive. And g0 to whatever organizations you are a member of or have contacts with and see to it that they send AT ONCE as big a donation as possible, There is no time to be lost! A few minutes ora few dollars may be all that stands between the Daily Worker and Suspension. Speed, comrades, speed! Rush funds by air mail or wire to the Daily Worker, 50 E. 13th St., New York City! RAILROAD PAT NEEDLE STRIKERS DEVINE TO JAIL|BEAT BACK THUGS NEW YORK.—Pat Devine, acting secretary of the National ‘Textile Workers’ Union, was yesterday sen- tenced to a year and one day in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Ga., on a charge of obtaining a passport under false pretenses. Judge Colman, sitting in the federal district court, hande down the sentence. The charge against Devine grew out of his activities in the Lawrence, Mass., textile strike early this year. He was arrested by the immigration authorities who. tried.to get rid of hin -eaitons te American sim Sliim to Scot- land. Released on $20,000 bond, he was arrested again about three weeks ago, brought from Boston to New York and charged with obtain- ing a passport unde rfalse pretenses. Isaac Shorr, representing the New York district of the International Labor Defense, defended Devine. The judge declared that, on com- Pleting his term, he would be de- ported and threatened to send him to jail for five years if he ever came back, Devine is a victim of the gov- ernment drive against the foreign- born; not content with deporting them, the government is evidently also trying to throw them into jail wherever possible, Hundreds of sympathizers of the strikers of Needleman and Bremmer, 263 W, 40th St. this morning battled scabs, gorillas and police in front of the shops, The scabs under the pro~ tection of gorillas and thugs, paid by the ILGWU company union, are at- tempting to break the heroic strike conducted by the workers of this firm against the reduction of wages and worsening of conditions, When the scabs and the gorillas atrived.a tre- mendous booing and hissing from the strike sympathizers arose and the police and thugs rushed the strikers and strike sympathizers in an ‘at- tempt to terrorize them. But the strike sympathizers answered with « determined stand giving the. gorillas a stiff fight. The following strikers were are rested: Salvatori Adchi, Tom Katsikis, Fannie Shook, Louis Stark. Two scabs, ring leaders, the Kitzes::. brothers were also arrested and charged with assaulting two strikers. The strikers will continue to fight against the firm and against the scab agency, and the ynion is call- ing upon the workers to continue giy~ ing the strikers financial support and elso support on the picket. line.