The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 10, 1931, Page 4

4 t o., Inc, dal} t day, at 50 Tast > DALWORK.” ker Street, New York, N ‘ poscne orker™ Porty US.A. Sar Brlp seis New York City. Foreign: one year, a — SUBSCRIPTION RATES! i ty % By mai: everywhere: One year, $6; six months, $3; two months, $1; excepting Boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx, $8; six months, $4.50. y one of giving ob- fake struggle with Garvey onary demand Communist movement ation of Negro ther Briggs unconsciously prea under another name, | namely, ‘strugs you quote | @ paragraph fr of ne sent out by Inprecorr Press Correspon- dence), and you in one of the orgaps of th Africar unist Party. For the pur st attempt to befuddle th nave selected @ more. w e para- | © demands quite losophy. These two of the | graph quoted c foreign to the Gar demands are (1) Negro Peopl t majorities in the “Black Belt” of the Southern States... and in the West Indies to determine and control their form of government | In view of the pe leadership on the r cial equality the r that the Commun: cks of your top y demand fer so- ‘etense TEs is at once licul program 0} rated Garveyism” exposed, ice there can be no unconditional equality without s equality. And the para- graph quoted from my article plainly raises the | demand for unconditional equali! Garvey Program Silent on Demand of U. S. Negro Masses And, where in your Garvey program or any utterance of any of your leaders is there any demand for the right of self-determination for the Negro People in those sections of the South where they constitute a maj y of the population? Or for the overwhel Negro majorities in most of the West Indian islands? Where in your a word of pro- test or objection, the slightest call for strug- gle agi jpudent imperialist policy of white supremacy under which these masses are robbed and held in virtual sla ? Is it not a | fact that n shamel shares the | reactionary philosophy of the fascist Ku Klux | Klan that the United States is a white man’s country? Has not Ga rendered the a a ah @ ey Zz ates and the West Indies? Has urned into a reactionary slogan essive: demand for a free the surrender of Negro | States and the West In- Africa rights in dies and enslaved the United a peaceful return to an Africa still by the imperialists? A demandefur- | egated by 's infamous statement | must be loyal to all flags un- Has not Garveyism be- l¢ for a free Africa by usions of imperialist charity and co- on in the establishment of a Negro home- nd (appeals to the robber League of Nations), of liberation through prayer and divine inter- vention, of liberation through the creation of a Negro capitalism of rent-gouging landlords, ex- ploiting employers, stock-sellers, etc., of libera- | in cases whic | taxes, it in | “Negro World” inst the im- support ahd tion, Perialist oppressors strengthening of t ponsible for the frightful exploit Garvey Reformists and Klu: Your position that a N Belt” would be reveals that, like the wi vey ‘reform ) People. ku kluxers, th le to conceive of right of a bl: mi n the territory question to rule where there is a white minorit Like all apologists for, Perialism, you see nothing wrong in a of white landowners taining a murderous Policy of white sur acy and suppression over a Negro majority, but majority rule by this Ne- gro majority is quite beyond your vile con- ceptions. u immediately shout “jim crow na- tionalism!” On this question, the position of the world Communist movement (which, for your information, is composed of revolutionary workers and peasants of all countries and r: acting together in complete equa clear, and is as follows: C. I. Program Clear Cut and Correct “It would not be right of self-determination in our sense of the word if the Negroes in the Black Belt had the right of determination only ned exclusively the Ne- groes and did affect the whites, because the most important cases arising here are bound to affect the Negroes as well as the whites. of all, right of self-determination means that the Negro majority and not the white minority in the entire territory of the admin- istratively ur Black Belt exercises the right of administering governmental, legislative and judicial authority. At the present time all this power here is concentrated in the hands of the white bourgeoisie and landlords. It is they who appoint all officials, it is they who dispose of public property, it is they who determine the is they who govern and make the laws. Therefore, the overthrow of this class rule in the Black Belt is unconditionally necessary in the struggle for the Negroes’ right of self-deter- mination. This, however, means at the same time the overthrow of the yoke of American im- perialism in the Black Belt on which the forces of the local white bourgeoisie depend. Only in this way, only if the Negro population of the Black Belt wins its freedom from American im- perialism even to the point of deciding itself the relations between its country and other gov- ernments, especially the United States, will it win real and plete self-determination.” Correctness Affirmed by Scottsboro, Camp Hill The correctness of the Communist demand for the right of State unity of the Negro major- ities in the Black Belt is amply demonstrated he existence of an outrageous system of y of the Negro croppers and poor farmers in that section, by the vicious lynching terror (egal and extra-legal) with which the bosses meet the efforts of the Negro masses to organize against robbery and sta nm, of which Scotts- boro and Camp Hill are cases in point. And to make this demand for State unity a reality and not a paper demand we also raise the de- mand for the confiscation of the land of the monopolists for the Negro and white workers who till the land. To win the white masses to support of these demands and of the struggles of the Negro masses is one of the major tasks of the Com- munist Party of the U.S.A—a task which it is vigorously and with increasing success carry- ing out. (Signed) Cyril Briggs. a Little Strike Big Lessons ot By MORRIS KARSON HE victory of the road workers’ strike on Highway No. 11, State of Minnesota, requires not only publicity, but, also, a detailed analysis ef the conduct of the strike (strategy, leader- ship, etc.). This strike has many, lessons in store for us, and we must learn from our successes and victories, as well as from our mistakes and failures The most important lessons that the conduct and victory of this strike teaches us are 1. That not only can our revolutionary unions and militant farmers organigations place them- selves at the leadership of the struggles of the workers and poor farmers, but. that ONLY un- der the leadership of these unions (because of their correct and militant program) can the workers struggle victoriously. 2. That the farmer labor (the main form of social fascism in this state) influence is still great amongst the farmers in this part of the state and that the treacherous role of these so- cial fascists can best be exposed in the actual struggles of the workers against the bosses and their government. 3. That the workers and poor farmers (be- cause of the deep-going economic and agrarian crisis which places unbearable burdens on the meta] miners and poor farmers) are rapirly rad- icalizing and are getting ready to fight against starvation. And that our revolutionary organ- izations must and can win the majority of these workers and farmers and place themselves at the leadership of their struggles. For this it is necessary. a) A thorough clarification of the role of our revolutionary organizations in the pres- ent period in our ranks. b) Intensified activities on the everyday needs of the miners and poor farmers, and the formulation of specific demands dround which struggles can be developed. c) An active exposure of the role of the Farmer-Labor Government and all other brands of social-fascism in our press, speech- 6, leaflets, etc. This strike was not a pure local issue. It as- sumed a state-wide character. First of all, be- cause it involved the state government; sec- ondly, because the state highway work is being advertised by the government as a means of relieving the sufferings of the unemployed and starving farmers. The farmers in this vicinity have been wait- ing for this road job for quite a few months. ‘This highway work became a politica] issue. When Floyd B. Olson was campaigning for gov- ernor, he promised the farmers that as soon as he gets into office this work would start im- mediately. “So that the farmers can pay some of their back taxes, and of course, relieve some uffering f the farmers around the farmers found of the themse! bsing hired, not dy the state, but by & sub-contractor! It worked this way: The State Highway Department gave this job to a con tractor tM Minneapolis, and the contractor, in turn gave it to a sub-contractor, and the sub- contractor hired the farmers on a contract basis (piece-work). The farmers struck the same day, because they could not make even fifty cents a day on the basis of this contract system. The strike did not start spontaneously; it started with the initiation of some Young Com- munist League members who were working on this job. A meeting was called for the same evening. At that meeting our YCL members displayed a lack of understanding of strike strategy and an under-estimation of social fas- cism. They allowed (without resistance) the election of a committee to visit amd ask for ad- vice from George Lemmen (Farmer-Labor Sen- ator). They did not even as much as suggest or propose the leadership of the TUUL. Neverthe- less, a representative of the TUUL was present at the next meeting. It was at this meeting where the question of leadership came to a head. Senator Lommen appealed and made a speech praising the Farmer-Labor government and making a hero out of Governor Olson.: He prom- ised that the governor and he would see to it that the strikers got forty-five cents an hour or a contract that would be just as good as forty-five cents an hour, The TUUL repre- sentative then took the floor, and amidst “boos” and “Throw him off”, shouted by some misled farmers who were still under the infience of the Farmer-Labor Party's demagogy and be- lieved in Senator Lommen, he exposed the Farmer-Labor government, the role of the labor fakers, in the struggles of the workers. He pro- posed the election of a rank-and-file strike com- mittee, a relief committee. He outlined a series of demands for the strikers, such as 45 cents an hour, eight-hour day,no contracts, no black- listing of any strikers, recognition of the strike committee. In spite of some opposition these proposals were accepted, the committees elected, and a unanimous decision was made to con- tinue picketing the. next morning. ‘The next day the United Farmers League ap- peared and organized the relief. All working class organizations on the Mesaba Range were mobilized, not only for relief but also for the picket lines. Lemiet after leaflet was issued by the strike committee, UFL, TUUL, exposing Sen- ator Lommen and asking for support from the farmers from the surrounding territory. Scabs and gangsters were imported, the sher- iffs were brought in, but the strike continued. At one time the contractor threatened to start work the xext day with scabs and policé pro- ection. The United Farmers League mobilized a thousand farmers who came to Cook tha morning and the contractors did not dare to start the work, The committee of strikers was sent to St. Paul to demand from Governor Olson that he en- force the minimum wage rate of 45 cents an hour, but the governor was conveniently absent on his vacation catching fish. Senator Lommen attempted to cook up a contract, but the workers Tejected it. Lommen again tried to save the sit- uation forthe contractors by trying to blacklist twenty per cent of the strikers on the issue of 0 State in the “Black | WILLIAM GREEN: “HELP! I CAN'T STOP. THEM ANY MORE.” ae ae “Communist agitators”, but the strikers decided to fight until all the demands were won. It was through these activities that the Farm- er-Labor fakers were exposed, Governor Olson and Senator Lommen discredited, and the Unit- ed Farmers League assumed the leadership of this strike and lead the workers to victory. Much has been written about this strike, not only in the workers’ press but in the capitalist press. Front-page headlines and editorials boost- ed Senator Lommen as the representative of the strike. While refusing to print any statement made by the strike committee exposing Lommen as a representative of the contractors and not of the strikers, these capitalist papers have to admit that “the Communists are leading the strike”. & The social-fascist press is now drawing “les- sons” from this strike, and it is these lessons that are the most dangerous part in their press activities. These lessons are written in an in- nocent and with working class phraseology and intend to confuse, mislead and betray. The “Industrialist,” a Finnish daily published by the LW.W., carries an editorial entitled “A Strike That Gives Us Lessons.” This “Indus- trialist” and its organization, the I.W.W., who have so actively participated in breaking the recent Dock Workers Strike in Duluth, are now trying to spread their poisonous dope among the farmers. In annalyzing the strike the writer of the editorial purposely forgets the most important issue in this strike, that is, correct leadership and what methods the Communists that led this strike used to lead it to victory. There is not word mentioned about the UFL, the TUUL, and the rank and file Strike Committee, making it appear that the strike was just a spontancous wishy-washy proposition. And just as all rene- gades from the class struggle, the editorial tries to blame the workers themselves for all the evils, and exclaims, “If no one would have wanted to take contracts naturally the work could have been done on a straight salary basis (and a strike would not have been necessary, M.K.) Our correspondent describes how the workers were competing with each other when the con- tractor offered $75.00 an acre for clearing to some, others offered to do it for these circum- stances lowered the pay. Therefore the workers themselves were a help in lowering the wage of- fered to an extent where a living wage was im- possible.” (Emphasis mine, M.K.). ‘These social-fascists are resorting to plain lies in order to prove their point. First of all, it was not contracts that the workers received. Con- tracts were never signed; the boss just put down the name of the worker and told him wheré to go and work, offering, not $75.0¢, but from $20.00 to $60.00 an acre. What this editorial tries to prove to us can be summed up as follows: 1, That strikes are not necessary (if the work- ers refuse to take jobs at small pay). 2. That organization is not necessary (as long as the workers stick together.) (How? MK). 3. That it isthe workers own fault if they are. given wage-cuts. This is the method that these social-fascists are using in order to aid their masters, the bosses. It is precisely the above theories of the I.W.W. that proved so disastrous in the Dock Workers Strike. There, also, they carried on a con- sistent propaganda against organization into the Marine Woskers Industrial Union under the slogan “Solidarity is what is necessary, not or- ganization.” Itis because they succeeded in con- vincing some of the strikers with this strike- breaking theory, that the dock strike was lost despite splendid militancy on the part of ‘the dock workers, « { What we must learn from the Road Strike is precisely the contrary to what the “Indus- trialist” wants us to learn, and that is that Strikes and struggles are absolutely necessary in order to win our demands; that organization into the militant revolutionary organizations is absolutely necessary as a guarantee of the work- ers solidarity in the struggles against the bos- ses; that it is the bosses that are shifting the burden of the crisis on the shoulders of the workers and poor farmers, and organized mil- itant struggle must follow. And the strikers have learned. these lessons; they have proven it by following the leadership of the Communists and by joining the United Farmers League. They have furthermore learned that this strike was only a beginning of greater struggles that are to come, struggles against starvation on the farms and in the mines, _The Significance of August 23, Anti-Imperialist Day By JOHN BELL. UGUST 23, which follows the August Ist Anti-War Day, is the anniversary of the brutal murder of Sacco and Vanzetti by the Yankee capitalist justice. It is an Anti-Imper- ialist Day throughout Latin America, a day of struggle against imperialism, especially Amer- ican imperialism. . The defiance of the capitalist. class of the United States to the international protest of the world revolutionary proletariat in 1927 that sought to prevent the electfocution of Sacco and Vanzetti, was taken. up as a challenge by the Latin American oppressed masses. It became | since then a day of revolutionary tradition in which the oppressed workers and peasants of Latin America express their solidarity with the working class of the United States and demand in huge demonstrations their national libera- tion from American imperialist domination. The same imperialist class that murdered Sacco and , Vanzetti keeps under its iron heel the millions of downtrodden, starved workers and peasants in Latin America, particularly in the Carib- bean region. The same imperialist exploiters of the American proletariat murder, jails the mili- tant workers and deports the foreign-born (Mexicans, etc.). Thus the struggle of the exploited workers of the United States are intimately linked up with those of the oppressed of Latin America. The combined and coordinated forces of the exploit- ed in the metropolis of imperialism and in the subjected countries is the only guarantee for the final success of the world revolution. The workers of Latin America, under the leadership of the Communist Parties have already taken the first practical steps of bringing together the oppressed colonial peoples with the revolution- ary proletariat in the capitalist country of the United States by setting this 23rd of August as a day of struggle against imperialism. The Second World Congress Thesis of the Commu- nist International says: “The breaking up of the colonial empire, to- gether with the proletarian revolution in the home country, will overthrow the capitalist sys- tem. . . . Consequently, the Communist Inter- national must widen the sphere of its activi- ties It must estattish relations with those revo- lutionary forces that are working for the over- throw of imperialism in the countries sub- jected politically and economically. These two forces must be coordinated if the final success of the world revolution is to be guarenteed.” The anti-imperialist day of this year takes place in the midst of a revolutionary upsurge of the oppressed peoples in the Caribbean in an attempt to liberate themselves from the yoke of American imperialism. , 4 ‘The imperialists of the United States are try- ing to put the burden of the economic crisis upon the working class, by intensifying their exploitation of the workers, robbing and ex- Propriating the peasants of Latin America. Yankee imperialism is condemning 10,000,000 workers to want and starvation, is increasing its terror on the militant workers. The grow- ing militancy of the workers throughout the United States is met by the capitalist govern- ment with lynching, jails and deportations. The death sentence for the 9 Negro young workers of Scottsboro, the determination to keep Mooney and Billings in jail for life, the mass and whole- sale deportations of Mexican workers in \the West and South of the United States, show the increased terror of the United States imper- jalism against the growing militancy of the workers and the struggle of the Negroes for complete equality. In Latin America, the same imperialism ts tightening its financial and military control, is condemning the starving workers and peasants to death. It keeps dictatorships in Cuba, Mexi- co, Santa Domingo, etc. It rules with an iron, military hand in Nicaragua, Haiti. The Amer- ican government, acting in behalf of the rapa- cious Wall Street bankers, plontation owners, sugar barons and pétrolewn magnates, en:laves millions of workers, agricultural workers and peasants, uses foroed labor and stifles with brutal and. inquisitorial means the liberation movements in the Caribbean. It supports the ational bourgeolsies and feudal .Jendords tn their ruthless exploitation of the toiling masses and their counter-revolutionary suppression of the revolutionary class unions and the Commu- nist Parties. August 23 of this year will take place in the midst of an armed struggle of the workers and peasants of Nicaragua and Honduras, a life and death struggle against the domination of Yan- kee imperialism and the native feudal lords. The revolutionary liberation movement in Nica- ragua and Honduras has taken a new course this year. The armed forces under Sandino have been. swelled with ruined peasants and unemployed workers from the Yankee lumber and fruit companies. Of tremendous impor- tance is the coming to the forefront. of the workers in Nicaragua and Honduras against the military control of the plantations and lum- ber camps. This lays the basis for the organ- ization of the Communist Party and revolution- ary trade unions in Nicaragua, and imposes upon the Communists in Honduras the task of the independent leadership of the revolutionary struggles of the masses. Within the National Guard officered by Amer- ican marines, great discontent is prevailing and signs of revolt of the lowest rank and file in re- fusing to shoot their brothers are clearly visible. ‘The movement is taking considerable propor- tions extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts. 3 The Washington government has answered the recrudescence of the armed struggle in Nica- ragua.with warships, more marines, machine guns and airplanes. In Honduras, the guerilla warfare in the surrounding districts of Tela, Progresso is going on for weeks. Workers and peasants from the United Fruit Co, Indians and detachments of workers from the cities are fighting againss the Yankee government of Mejia Colindres. These liberation movements are as yet chiefly under the leadership of petty- bourgeois chieftains such as Sandino in Nica- ragua and Genera] Ferrera in Honduras. But the strengthening of the Communist movement. in Honduras and the formation of the Commu- nist Party in Nicaragua will raise the struggle in these countries to a higher level leading to the establishment of the hegemony of the prole- tariat in the anti-imperialist agrarian revolu- tion. August 23rd of this year will find the masses of Cuba in huge protest against the Chadbourne Plan and the Yankee-Machado regime of terror and starvation, The Communist Party of Cuba is becoming more and’ more the leader of all oppressed. Under its leadership the workers are now organizing and fighting for unemployment relief, against the Emergency Law of taxation and against the Guggenheim-Machado-Menocal peace pact. The leadership of the present daily struggles of the masses, especially against un- employment by the Communist Party will enable the Party to become the leader of the revolu- tionary fight for national liberation. The Caribbean countries will greet this year the formation of the Communist Party of Vene- zu@la which under the most difficult conditions by the, bloody terror of the tyrant Juan Vicente Gomez, has led unemployed demonstrations in Caracas. i ‘The great strides made this year by the Con!- munist Party of Colombia in cleansing itself of the corrupt and opportunist elements, its lead- ership in the independent strike struggles of the workers and plantation workers, makes the Party the leader for the uncompromising fight for national liberation. These are some of the important events now taking place while the workers and peasants throughout Latin America are preparing the or- ganization of the Anti-Imperialist Day. But this day will not only be a day of strug- gle against imperialism. It will also be the day of struggle against the bourgeois offensive, against the fescist terror of the native govern- ments maintained by Yankee imperialism. It will be the day of struggle against the Pan- American Federation of Labor, the reformist traitors who in Latin America are the bulwark and defenders of Yankee domination and op- pression., The American Federation of Labor is working against the freedom of Mooney and ‘Billing Js ee By JoRGE Who Made Grasshoppers? It is not yet reported in the news, though we expect it soon, that President Hoover has had Judge Payzs for breakfast (not as a tough sub- stitute for ham and eggs, but as a guest)) and “requested the head of the Red Cross” ’to aid im the “war on grasshoppers” out west. When the publicity about the administra- tion’s approval for a wage cut drive got a bit embarrassing, we were suddenly amazed to dis cover that Hoover was “deeply interested” in what's going to happen to the unemployed this winter. Maybe we should change that to an ine terest in what the unemployed may make hep» pen to tHe capitalists this winter. Yep, Hoover had to change the subject, so to speak, so he called in all the newspaper mei and gave them out reams of guff about his “discussion with Doak” and now “troubled” -he was—as if the infernal scoundrel gave a whoop if ten million workers die so long as dividends come regular and the corpses don’t spoil the air for the capitalists. The hypocrisy of this ad- ministration is absolutely nauseating. Anyhow, the grasshoppers are “reducing atre«. -age” according to the Farm Board plan in about six states, and the poor and middle farmers are finding them nearly as bad as bankers, ‘The grasshoppers at least leave the farmers the land, even if they take the crop, but ths bankers take both. More, the farmers can shovel up the grasshoppers and usé them for chicken feed, a discovery they've made. But they haven't tried that yet on the bankers, But what we were going to’ say was that if many of the poor and middle farmers struck by the hoppers and drought are not going to actually starve, they will have to get together and demand government relief, and demand it in no uncertain, tones, from the Pharaoh at the White House. And the next thing on the program .is for Hoover to have Judge Payne for breakfast, and Payne to declare that grasshoppers are not an “act of God” k#% that they just hatched out, like Topsy. For that matter, Judge Payne may add, God isn’t responsible for farmers, either. Why shouldn’t they be U. S. Marines, under orders to shoot the daylights out of Nicaragua for Wall Street, then the Red Cross would tenderly nurse them clear to the graveyard.: And that’s that! A Horatio Alger Hero The Los Angeles Express of July 31 carries a two column editorial in big bold type signed by the publisher, whose name—can you guess it?—is Mr. Block. Here is a 19-year-old hero, although 2 very dead one, whose praises are sung by Mr. Block because he defended his employer's money he was taking to a bank when waylaid by three armed holdup men. Of course he was shot and now lies buried, but he saved “more than half” of his boss” money, chants the publisher of the Express, The stickup men, are of course, still at large and probably will remain so as long as they split the swag with the police. ‘We are not in the business of writing morale isms for messenger boys, like the publisher of the Los Angeles Express, but we cal! the atten- tion of any lad_in the business that the hero of this story is dead. . Scriptual Authority , Workers never read “Forbes” magazine, no doubt because it is a magazine for businessmen, and there’s no Snappy Stories or memoirs of Billy the Kid. In fact it says right on the front cover that its contents are “Business—Finance— Business of Life”. In the Business of Life section and in spe- cial articles, it goes in strong for heroiz'ng the hhe-men of: business, Chrysler, Owen Young (whose fancy “plan’ just went to smash a few moons back.) .-But the arch-type of all things published patting the capitalists on the back is presented in its August First issue, in the form of a biblical quotation, discovered, so it is said, by A. M. Baker of Poitiand, Oregon. It is heree with given for the enjoyment cf the ryde Bole sheviks who think capitalism is not ordained of heaven: “I am the Lord thy God which teacheth™ thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way thou shouldst go.”—Isaiah 48:17. Cops and Dicks Did you notice in the papers recently, how things went off when the Graf Zeppelin landed at Leningrad? ; The N. Y. Times headlined it. with the story that 100,000 greeted the big flying ship on road to the Arctic. And told how the flyers jumped off and ran to the hangars on the flying field. Nothing there, was there, about cops beating the heads off of everybody in sight and arrest- ing the ones beaten up the worst! But do you recall when the same ship cams into a Jersey airport—when was it? two years ago?—anyhow it is distinct in our memory how the cops clubbed anybody they could reach, ine vluding some of the passengers and the bue reaucratic “customs officials” snooted among’ their baggage until there was a public protest, Then when the “Land of the Soviets” landed, there was another massacre. Ditto on Post and Gatty. i There are no police in the Soviet Union, only) - militiamen (and women) who are not trained terrorizezs of) the masses and who don’t think crowds are rous. But here! Here every co. is a watchdog for the capitalists and hence be-« haves like a cur at every opportunity, | workers of Scottsboro to the electric chair. In the Caribbean the Pan-American tion of Labor (social fascists of the CROM, ) and the anarcho-syndicalists work hand in hand with the fascist governments, against the na- tional liberation of these countries. The revolutionary workers and particularly’ the Communists must rally the workers in the plantations, in the mines, oil fields, in the city and the countryside around the slogans of com-. plete independence, against Yankee imperial- ism, the assassins of Sacco and Vanzetti, the electrocution of the 9 Negro young for the solidarity of the oppressed of