The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 23, 1931, Page 1

\ om . ENGLISH CAPITALISM Central Orga Bik ns tial = the Communist Ineratonl Norker —-Cod Raumiet Porty U.S.A. OF TH WORKERS E WORLD, UNITE! — Vol. Entered am second-c! at New York, N, ¥., under the act of Marc! an matter at the Post Office >: 1879 CITY EDITION <== > Price 3 Cents VIII, No. 229 CALL STEEL WORKERS 10 STRIKE AGAINST 10 P.C. CUT Hoover and the Legion A fred it was learned that President Hoover had decided to address the American Legion convention, the Daily Worker issued on Monday morning stated: “The Legionnaires will be asked to back up not only armed war- fare abroad, but war against the workers at home, whose wages and conditions will be even more savagely attacked as a result of the fin- ancial collapse in England, which with the collapse of the gold standard on Sunday will begin enormous dumping af .goods on the world market, which American capitalists will try to meet by wage cuts compared to which those already made will be nothing at all.” As the Daily foretold, Hoover's speech was, in the main, an appeal to stand by the capitalists and their government against the workers, but the Legion was also—and decisively—asked to stand ready for the coming world war: “The country’s need of this service (strike-breaking, etc.—Editor), is second on:y to war.” As to the dumping of British goods—which, of course, has long been done but now will be intensified, the N. Y. Times dispatches of Sept. 22, from various European points admit this openly: “Tt is realized in Berlin that for the time being the British situa- tion will necessarily result in increased competition by British goods im the world market.” Again, New York capitalists state: “From the commercial and manu- facturing standpoint, a consigerable improvement would result from the country’s (England's) ability to compete more faverably with low-cost countries, especially if tariff restrictions are adopted as well.” And from London, it is said: automaticaliy . . . Thus Hoover, in stating that: we “The fall in value of the pound will increase fcwcign purchases from Great Britain.” ‘Our economic strength is such that would have recovered long since but for these farces from abroad,” for the | | is trying to lay the blame in advarce upon “forces from abroad” savage wage cuts by American capitalists against American workers, and asking the Legion not only to break strikes against wage cuts but to save the capitalists from taxation to pay unemployment insurance and the cash bonus. The world war veterans who are workers—certainly a majority—‘ave plenty of proof, if they only look around them and see the capitalists living in luxury and squandering fortunes on parasite “affairs” and “sements, that Hooyer lies when he pretends that the rich “cannot bear taxation.” But Hoover was safe from being defied to his face, because he was addressing the “upper class” of veterans, the handshaking politicians of the Legion leadership, who are fascist and anti-working class to the marrow. Worker veterans have only to recall that the very reason the Legion was born was to choke off the protest of the rank and file soldiers against the migtreatment they were given after the past World War. Worker veterans well remember that the Legion opposed all relief to the penni- less veterans, and that the Legion convention at Boston last year tabled the resolution favoring the cash payment of the “Tombstone Bonus.” Eyen now, with rebellion among not only the four millions of vet- erans, but also among the supposed “million members” of the Legion itself, the National Commander O’Neil—expressing the view of the whole officer-capitalist clique of Legion leaders—chokes off the demand for the cash bonus (and, of course, opposes unemployment insurance for all workers!), thus proving to any worker veteran that can read and under- stand, that the Legion is a tool of the capitalists from start to finish! Worker veterans will resent the “appeal” of Hoover, whith is trans- lated into “Legion orders,” that they and their wives and children must “carry the burden” of starvation, misery, disease and death, while food abounds, banks hold billions in gold, and the rich squander untold wealth in lives of idle luxury. Worker veterans will even more resent the Hoover-O’Neil capitalist “invitation” that these veterans become scabs and thugs for the bosses, fascist gunmen against their fellow workers! And every worker veteran who resents these insults, who wants the cash bonus and unemployment insurance, will line up with the Worker Ex-Servicemen’s League for struggle against the fascist Legion, and for these demands. Red Election Drive Will Hit Tammany’s Trickery from the city budget but cannot and will not be accounted for. In Rich- mond, there is the additional evi- dence of people receiving not unem- ployment relief but of hand-outs of graft being turned over to those who don’t need relief but who will see to it that Tammany gets the votes on Election Day. During the house to house canvass for signatures to en- able the Communist Party fighters to get, on the ballot in each working class section, tell workers the facts of plunder, corruption and terror used against the workinging class by the Republican, Democratic and socialist parties of the bosses, whose only NEW YORK.—The Tammany Hal! machine is now organizing so-called clubs to attract all those who vote for the first time this year; whether na- tive born or naturalized citizens, on the basis of giving them sg-called training to pass the test of teading and writing known as the “Literacy Test” for first voters, In connection with the signature drive and the house to house canvass which must go on at maximum speed from now until October 1, the workers should be informed that the Communist Party is preparing to conduct a class for first voters which will be an- nounced in a day or so in the Party press and which all workers who are voting for the first time should at- tend in order to know their right at the polls and be prepared to fight against the intimidation tactics used by the gangsters of Tammany Hall and the Republican Party and its machine in the police force. ‘With the approach of Registration Days which begin from October 5 to October 10, inclusive, every attempt will be made by the reactionary ma- chine to capture the vote of the workers, if not on one excuse then on the unemployment relief racket which was described in yesterday's press. With the welcome-home given to the Tammany bosses’ tool, Jimmy ‘Walker, comes the announcement of a new idea of his for further racket- cering with the lives of the starving jobless of New York in the form of a ‘pall game between the police and the fire department, supposedly to raise funds for the 1,200,000 unemployed workers of New York, including 500,- 000 heads of families. In the house to house canvass for signatures to place the Communist Party candi- dates on the ballot, the workers must be told that the Firemen’s Benevo- lent Funds has already been exposed in’ previous racketeering deals’ as, for example, the practice of carrying dead men on the payrolls of the Fire- men’s Benevolent Fund which re- ceived tens of thousands of dollars ~ aim is to plunder the workers. Get the workers to enroll in the Commu- nist Party class for first voters. Get the workers to sign the petitions by tens of thousands between now and October 1, to register a tremendous victory for the struggle of. the Com- munist Party in this election cani- paign against the combined forces of reaction, and make a special point to see that all workers turn out on Reg- istration Day. If you do not register you caimot vote. Picketing Needed to Settle Dress Shops ‘The Industrial Union is planning to extend the organization campaign during the coming week in all the branches of the trade. In order to reach out to new workers, it is im- portant that those shops on strike should be forced to a settlement. ‘The union therefore calls on all active workers to report on the pick- et line Tuesday morning at the fol- lowing shops: M. K. M., 866-6th Ave., Happiness Dress, 148 W. 25 St., Tailor Made Dress, 151 W. 25th St., Vanity Knittting Mills, 140 W. 21st St., Engel and Rosen shops, 42 W. 39th St. Soviet “Forced Labor”’—Bedacht’ series in pamphlet form at 10 cents per copy. Read it—Spread it! | | | la | | OHIO STEEL ‘Farmer: Worker Hunger| U. SA. ACTS 10 WAGES ARE March Forces NewSession LEAD IN WAR CUT 25 P.C. Some Dept’s s Get Pay Slash of As High As 33 P. C. Organize For Strike | Metal Workers League | Calls Conference BULLETIN NEW YORK.—On the very day that the United States Steel Cor- poration and the Bethlehem Steel Corporation announced an open 10 per cent wage cut, the American Federation of Labor told the work- ers not to believe it. The United Press Association on Tuesday night reported that when William Rob- erts, who was acting for William Green, president of the A. F. of L. in Washington, was informed of the wage cut, Roberts said: “Stories like that have been appearing ev- ery week and there was nothing to them.” This has been the policy of the A. F. of L. all along—to blind the workers to wage cuts up to the very moment it was announced. Eugene G. Grace, who received a yearly bonus of $1,000,000 from the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, be- sides his heavy salary, heartily ap- proved the wage cuts in both large steel corporations. Grace said: “T consider the action of the United ‘States Steel Corporation in read- justing downward wage scales a constructive move and Bethlehem will make a similar readjustment.” cide olen) NEW, YORK.—The United States Steel Corporation has now definitely announced at least a 10 per cent wage cut for 250,000 steel workers effective October 1. This announcement was made yes- terday following a meeting of the U. §S. Steel Corporation Finance Committee, the members of which for some time has been assuring the workers “wages would be main- tained.” The statement of the Finance Com- mittee ordering the 10 per cent wage slash, which in turn will sweep ev- ery industry in the United States, is as follows: “For the purpose of better meet- ing prevailing unsatisfactory condi- tions in the industry, rates of wages, which in the past of the subsidiary companies of the United States Steel Corporation were ef- fective October 1, will be reduced approximately 10 per cent, varying somewhat in the character of the work performed. The adjustment will be somewhat in line wit the reduction recently made in the sal- aried rate.” ‘The statement indicates that many workers will receive a cut even great- er than the 10 per cent announced. Commenting on this wage slash announcement, William Z. Foster, secretary of the Trade Union Unity League said: “This is a signal for a general (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) | Thousands i in Duluth Gather a Gather at County Square to Greet Marchers; | | DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept, 22.—| | Between 1,500 and 2,000 national |Buards are being mobilized against | the farmers on order of Adjutant Gen- | eral W. H. Bailey. This action was} | taken yesterday after farmers massed | | to resist state ordered test of their | cattle, which in reality are attempts to force a cut in dairy product out- put, | More than 200 farmers met at the | |farm of Jacob Lenker, near Tipton, Towa, and threw stones and mud at) | 65 deputy sheriffs who attempted to enforce the order. a5. ete DULUTH, Minn., Sept. 22.—A hun- ger march of farmers here forced the | county commissioners to call a spe- | jcial session on Wednesday to hear the demands of the farmers. The main demand is cash relief for hun- gry farmers and unemployed work- ers, Twelve hundred farmers came 170 miles in 250 trucks and cars, They gathered hundreds of farmers on the road at each town. Other hundreds gathered to cheer them on. Reaching Duluth the farmers marched four miles through the city carrying ban- ners, shouting slogans and singing | militant songs. All traffic was stopped Immediate Cash Payment | them to quit stalling and call a spe- | the Scottsboro boys and the Alabama Cheer Demand of on the line of march. Workers Cheer Marchers. A crowd of 6,000 greeted the marchers when they reached the court house square. The workers | burst into cheers as the long lines of | marching farmers came up. The | | demonstration lasted for two hours, | while 15 farmers and workers pre- sented their demands to the county board of commissioners and forced cial session for Wednesday, ‘The demonstration passed a reso- lution demanding the release of Moo- ney, Billings, the Harlan, Ky., miners, | tenant farmers. The farmers marched back to their cars on the outskirts of the city while hundreds cheered. The workers marched with them to see them off. All farmers and workers present pledged to join the United Farmers League committees of action and the Unemployed Councils of the Trade Union Unity League. There were speakers present of the United Farmers League, the Unemployed Council, the Trade Union Unity League and the Communist Party. They all received an enthusiastic ovation, a petition among the ance,” ting names on the petition. barracks are built, says he will Seaman has been a bitter from the beginning of the stri Sheriff Wants . Break Up MineStrikers’TentColony * INMANCHURIA Sees Chance To Win Markets Away From England jPravda Scores Invasion Concealing active preparations for leadership in the threatening imper- jalist conflagration in Southern | Manchuria, now held by Japan in military occupation, the Washington government behind a front of dip- lomatic maneuvers, has indicated that invocation of its special weap- ons, the Nine-power treaty of ae Washington Conference of 1922 the Kellogg-anti-war pact soon be made. The New York Times dispaten | from Washington reports the close- | ness with which the U. S. state de- partment is following the Man-| churian affair: | The State Department is follow- | ing the Manchurian situation -closely and with concern, but is making no move in the situation at present. Should circumstances develop to the point of requiring outside action, it is believed prob- able that recourse would be had to the consultative clause of the Nine-power treaty of the Wash- w outa —CEDAR GROVE, Pa., Sept. 22—Sherift Seaman of Washington County is circulating farmers around Cedar Grove, asking the removal of the National | Miners Union strike barrack as “a public nuis- | So far the sheriff has not been very successful in get- | The farmer on whose land the | i@list jockeying as the first move, fight the move- enemy of the striking miners ‘ike. He has been particularly | (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) ington conference of 1922 rather | than to the Kellogg anti-war treaty. A consultative conference of im- rerialist powers would supply the American imperialists with a “mor- | al” justification for armed interven- | tion, The statement that the Nine-Pow- jer treaty rather than the Kellogg pact would be immediately invoked is a reflection of political imper- with the Kellokk pact as a wedge for direct military interveftion now held |in immediate reselve. It is particu larly favored by the American im- (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) leaders of the American Legion were not sure today, that Hoover’s speech to the convention yesterday would have the desired effect in blackjack- ing the demands of the rank and file members for immediate cash payment of the Graveyard Bonus. The sentiment of the rank and file for immediate cash payment flows out of the widespread suffering among the war veterans, at least 750,000 of whom are among the great army of eleven million unemployed workers in this country. Alabama Prosecutor Declares! Roosevelt Try To Mobilize for War ‘The New York Times correspond- ent admitted this uncertainty on the part of the leaders in his wire to his paper, where he says: “Although outwardly hopeful that the delegates can be held in line, leaders of the Legion were not certain that the President’s words will be heeded. Just what the effect of his sudden journey to Detroit and the convention will be will not be known definitely until Wednesday, when the convention Baker, Pershing and| Legion Leaders Plan to Kill in Committee Vets’ Demand for Bonus ” DETROIT, Sept. 2 22.—The fascist | vention and subsequently killing it in the committee on legislation. The Times correspondent admits: “A movement is under way to stifle the bonus agitation in the committee on legislation, to which the matter has been referred in the form of a report urging Congress | to authorize a reduction in inter- est rates. There is some slight prospect, however, that the ques- tion of immediate cash payments may reach the floor of the conven- tion in the form of a minority re- port, with the consequent possibil- | Worker - halt j hal ;the bosses have already Bisiae Committee in Request for Loans and Articles, Greetings ganizations and individuals are d upon to bring moncy for all to the Bazaar Commit- n St 6th floor. Lack of k of the Daily Young Worker impedes Frei Grand Bazaar Organizations and individual work- ers who can make a loan to the Ba- zaar Committee until the opening night of the Bazaar are urged to do | Japan Continues War the The Bazaar committee to intensify their work on be- of the r and obtain ar- et r the Red tke Bazaar Journal plans regarding a booth ien CALL UNDERWEAR WORKERS IN SHOP FOR REAL FIGHT ILGW Strike Maneuver , of Company Union Bureaucracy NEW YORK.—The stage for the fake strike in the underwear trade is being prepared by the agents of the Schlesinger company union. As in all previous fake strikes in the other branches of the trade which have resulted in more miserable sweat shop conditions for the work- ers, the’ company ‘union agents and | begun to} stage their comedy. Almost daily news items appear in the press to the effect that negotia- | tions are going on, that the ma- chinery is being prepared for a gen- eral strife in the industry. The yel- | low Forward prints articles mouth- | ing militant phrases to give the im- | pression that there is a conflict be- | tween the company union agents and the bosses, “threatening” that if the bosses show any resistance to making a peaceful settlement they will call a general strike. | Company Unionize Trade. Beneath this hypocritical talk, | Samuel Shore, the so-called execu- tive supervisor who was once before | thrown out of the union for taking | graft from a boss, is smoothly carry- ing on negotiations with the bosses | to company unionize the underwear | | industry and stage a well known fake | |strike in which the bosses lock out | their workers and order them to go down to the halls of the company union where they are forced to pay in $10 or $15 for a union book and are then ordered back to work under the same sweatshop conditions. The Industrial Union calls on the underwear workers to take up an im~- mediate struggle in the shops against wage cuts, for higher prices, for the 40 hour week, no discharges, and other union’ demands. The Industrial Union is arranging a mass meeting of underwear workers | Thursday, Sept. 24th, right after work at Irving Plaza. It cails on the underwear workers to come to this meeting and work out plans for ob- taining better conditions in the shops. At the meeting leaders of | cellor of the Excheque Myigh # stampede the Industrial Union and rank and It is quite clear that the leaders file workers will expose the motives of the Legion are supporting Hoov-| for the fake strike and will show er’s attempt to defeat the sentiment | the workers how they can carry on Intent to Legally Lynch Boys ‘MONTGOMERY, Ala., Sept. 22.— That the Alabama bosses will at- tempt to carry out their frightful frame-up and legal lynching of the nine Scottsboro Negro children was openly stated today by Attorney General Thomas E. Knight, Jr. The attorney general assured his masters that he will seek to have the lynch verdict sustained when arguments take place before the Alabama su- preme court on the appeal filed by the attorneys of the Intehnational Labor Defense. ‘The attorney general said he would himself represent the state in the appeal case, which will be called as @ part of the eighth division docket, set for Jan. 18, Held On Frame-Up. Eight of the nine boys were sen- tenced to burn in the electric chair in the original farcical “trial” at Scottsboro. A mistrial occurred in the case of the ninth boy, 14-year- old Roy Wright. This child is now being held in jail to face another trial on the same lying, trumped-up charge of rape on which the eight others were convicted, Already the exposure of the Scottsboro frame-up has reached around the world and millions of workers and sympathizers mobilized for their defense. Militant demon- strations, involving millions, have been held throughout the United States, Europe and South Africa. Demonstrate This Week. Another series of demonstrations are taking place this week through- out the United States to demand im- mediate and unconditional freedom of Tom Mooney and Warren K. Bil- lings, of the Harlan, Kentucky, Ne- gro and white mine s:rikers, of the Scottsboro boys and the Camp Hill croppers and all ovher class-war prisoners. Side by side with the vigorous pro- test of the masses against the per- secution and frame-up of Negro and white workers must come contribu- tions to the International Labor De- fense to enable that organization to carry forward its work of legal and mass defense for the class-war pris- oners. Rush funds at once to the International Labor Defense, Room meets again.” Fearing that they will not be able to block the rank and file delegates in their demand for immediate cash payment, the traitorous leaders are maneuvering to defeat the sentiment for cash payment by keeping the question from the floor of the con- DEMONSTRATE IN POLISH PRISON Protest Degrading By Hunger Strikes (Cable By Inprecorr.) WARSAW, Sept. 22.—Proletarian Political prisoners in all the Polish prisons began a hunger strike on Sunday against the attempt to de- grade political prisoners to the level of common criminals. In the Paviak prison, Warsaw, prisoners demon- strated, singing the International. ‘They were overpowered by police re- inforcements. The Communist frac- tion in the Sejm issued an appeal 410, 80 E. 11th St., New York City. for a campaign to support the polit- ical prisoners of Poland. oe of the rank and file. The role of these leaders is to fool the rank and file members and betray their de- | mands. The only veterans’ organ- ization carrying on a real struggle | | | (CONTINUED ON PAGE THREE) | a real fight for union conditions. Workers Correspondence is the backbone of the revelutionary press. Build your press by writing for it about your day-to-day struggle. BULLETIN Hosiery workers of the Gotham Silk Hosiery Co. of Dover, N. J., and one of the Van Raalte mills of Boonton, N. J., walked out in strike against the introduction of the wage-cut agreement concluded at the recent convention of the Amer- ican Federation of Full Fashion Hosiery Workers at Philadelphia. NEW YORK.—Declaring militantly against the wage-cut agreement con- cluded at the special convention of the American Federation of Full Fashion Hosiery Workers, hosiery workers of the Propper McCallum mills in Long Island went on strike against a wage-cut, Action for the Pe YT age ey Hosiery Workers of 5 Mills Strike at Pay Cut Contract strike was taken at a membership meeting of Branch 2 of the A, F. F. F. H. W. Four hundred workers are effected, involving the two McCal- lum mills. Especially active against the wage- cut threats are the girls in the fin- ishing department, who were never org@hized in the A. F. F. F. H. W. A committee of workers from the Merritts hosiery mill, Long Island, was present at the meeting of the McCallum workers and brought back to their shop the strike action to be taken, The Merritt workers are con- sidering similar action. A few followers of the Rieve, Smith (CONTINUED a te LABOR PARTY AIDS BRITISH WAGE CUTS Struggle For World Markets Sharpens Due to Crisis Attack Wages To Will Pound Expected Fall Further (Cable by Inprecorr) LONDON, Sept. 22.—The hele conservative press today is chant- ing tariff choruses as the only way out of the catastrophic situation, the entire thing obviously the re- sult of a concerted plan. The Daily Express announces that a secret conservative meeting was held yes- terday wRich decided to continue pressure for a general election on the tariff issue, with MacDonald leading the reactionary block. Forecasts are being made of elec- tions within a month, with Snow- den and Samuel resigning from the cabinet and thirty liberals joining the opposition. Treasury orders today prohibited purchasing of foreign currency by British nation- als except for normal trading pur- poses, existing contracts and rea- sonable traveling expenditures. The government will issue emer- gency decrees if the situation war- rants, it is announced. Philip Snowden, “soci: t chan- in the Na- tional government, in introducing the bill providing for the suspension of the gold standard on the part of | Great Britain demanded that all par- ties show a united front in teh of the crisis t tening Great Brit- ain. Ar Henderson replied for the “socialist” opposition. He that the Opposition would jo united front with the other p: the government would abandon its program for wage cuts and c the dole. The o' ist p | realized that this play at Opposi- tion was only hypocritical and did {not bother to concern themselves further with the words of the Oppo- sition. They know that the Opposi- | tion is in the united front with the National government despite its phrases. The New York Times points out the real role of the Opposition and states that “the Laborites pre- sented no real opposition to the pas- sage of the gold bill.” The Opposi- tion of the Laporites is of words. In the attack the “socialists” in the opposition will stand together with those in the government and with the other capitalist parties in the attack on the working class to save British capitalism in this crisis. In the first day of the suspension of the gold standard the pound lost nearly one sixth of its value. The full THREE) DEMAND RELEASE OF MOONEY AND CLASS PRISONERS All out today and demonstrate for the release of Tom Mooney, the Har- lan miners, the Scottsboro boys anc all other class war prisoners! Sia demonstrations throughout Nev | York City, arranged by the Ney York District of the Internationa Labor Defense, will voice the deter mination of thousands of workers t fight relentlessly until the doors o the capitalist bastilles have opene | for the brave class fighters whon they now imprison. Workers are called to go to th demonstration nearést to the sectio in which they live. The demonstra tions will be held at: Rutgers Sq. (CONTINUED ON PAGE Pp. m.; 1th St. and Fifth Avenue 7 p. m.; Pennsylvania and Sutte Aves., Brownsville, 8 p. m.; Gran St. Extension and Havemeyer St. Williamsburg, 8 p. m.; Madisom Sc 8 p. m., to be preceded by about 1 street corner meetings in the neigh borhood at 7 p. m.; and 138th 5 and Cypress Ave., where a mas meeting at 7 p. m. will be followe by a parade, ending with a demon stration at 7:45 at Longwood an ‘Westchester Aves. Demonstrations will also be held { seven cities of New Jersey toda; Friday ha begibertask eae