The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 29, 1932, Page 6

' | Page ‘lwo DAILY WORKER, NEW YO" ~~, SRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1932 DENVER, Colo—The two-day conference of agricultural workers, the second to be held in two months, adjourned April 17th after adopting ® fighting call to action and decid- ing to strike throughout the beet fields on May Ist unless the com- panies withdraw the wage cut and accept the conference demands. The Conference had 116 delegates present from 66 important beet. cen- ers, representing a total of 8,889 organized beet workers in Commit- tees of Action, United Front Com- mittees, local groups, etc. The dele- gates brought with them a tetal of 13,000 signatures of beet workers who signed against the wage cut and supported the demands of the United Front Committee. The Conference held on February 19-14 had 67 delegates present from 28 centers, representing 3,200 work- ers. This conference adopted a pre- gram ef four central, vital demands and outlined a policy of intensive organizational werk to be done between then and April 15, when auother conference was schedulued to take action on the wage cut. During this period scores of local organizations were established, dem- onstrations held and the demands of the Conference widely popular- ized. The powerful sugar companies cut wages in 1930 frem $23 per acre to $16 in 1931. Then this year they the company, met the committee at the door with 15 policemen and said, “You'll get in only over my dead body.” This enraged the dele- gates and determined them to fight more bitterly. The Conference immediately took to discussion of the present situa- tion. It ratified the demands of the previous Conference and declared a fight for their realization. These demands are (1) for a standard rate of $23 per acre throughout the beet fields, (2) for the establishment of a guarantee of pay, (3) for cash instead of credits, and (4) for recog- nition of the United Front Commit- tees as spokesmen of the workers. The Conference elected a Program Committee to draft a statement, of policy, a finance committee and an organization committee. The whole of the first day was devoted to discussion by the dele- devoted to discussion by the dele- gates. The most varied of political and religious opinions were expres- sed but complete unanimity on the central question—that of the build- ing of a united front against the wage cut and for the protection of the beet workers. The delegates re- presented evry possible type of poli- tics and religion, from Republicans, Democrates, Syndicalists, American Legionaires, etc., to Catholics, Pro- testants, Atheists, Communists and Socialists, A fraternal delegate from the COLORADO BEET WORKERS Spanish post of the American Legion of La Junta, Colo, made a vicious attack on the Communists, as did a delegate from the Conference of the Methodist Church of Denver. Rank and file non-Communist de- legates effectively smashed this at- tack. The representative of La Prensa, influential bourgeois Span- ish daily, also attacked the Commu- nists and “warned” the Conference of the “violence idealogy” of the Communists, Other non-Communist | delegates effectively answered these demagogues. Throughout, the Conference held to a clear class line. The discussion of the delegates showed the misery existing throughout the field and | pledged to stand with the United | Front. Committee in launching {a struggle. By 3. W. FORD AY DAY is a day of struggle and international class solidarity. For over #0 years workers of this country have observed this day as a day of mighty protest against wage reductions, egainst capitalist terror and for working class solid- arity. Today Japanese imperialism has gobbled up Manchuria and is threatening war against the Soviet Union, The ruling class of this country and its government with its eyes on China because it wants to share in the robbery of China, and also because it too desires the destruc- tion of the Workers and Peasants Government of the Soviet Union, sanctions the moves of Japanese imperialism and helps in the war preparations against the U. 8. 8S. R. At the same time the manufac- turers, the bankers and the govern- ment are carrying out a starvation program in this country, Wages of the working class are being cut right and left, the standard of liv- ing of the workers and the popu- lation is being lowered and the greatest wave of terror is being car- ried on against the workers to keep them from struggling to better their conditions. The workers and toiling masses of Negroes are receiving the brunt of this starvation program of the Hoo- ver government, and the brunt of the brutal lynch, police and capi- talist mob terror carried out at the dictation of the government and the workers to prepare war and tc make and transport war material: to Japan and China. The workers must stop these war plans, Recently the “Daily Worker’ carried an article on “War Ship- ments to Japan” prepared by the Labor Research Association, show- ing that high officials of the United States Department of State and the E. I. Du Pont de Nemours Explo- sive Co, have recently held a con- ference in connection with the sale and shipment of war munitions to the Orient, Japan and China. | Tt is also stated that the biggest chemical manufacturing company in this country is making and send- ing from Hopewell, Va. to the Orient nitrates of soda, Perhaps From the very outset the wide- spread feeling to strike was expres- sed, The refusal"of the beet workers to accept the cut and their deter- mination to struggle was |clearly evident. Edgar Wahlberg, pastor of the Grace Church of Denver pledged the Conference his support in all “things | just” and stated the beet workers were doing the proper thing now. The speech of Charles Guynn, re- presentative of the /Trade Union Unity League, was- enthusiastically ;received. Guynn stated the wage cut could be defeated by a strike, but that a strike is dependant upon widespread and intensive organiza- tion in the field, and recommended the throwing of 50 rank and file organizers and 25 automobiles into the field at once, declared the im- MAY DAY--DAY OF STRUGGLE Hopewell, Va. This letter states that “Hopewell itself consists es- of the type of workers belong either to the Allied chemical,” This clearly shows that the called poor whites of Virginia are living in. conditions as bad as the greatly exploited Negroes, while the bosses of the chemical company are Or take the shipment of raw cot- ton to Japan. The Labor Research Association states that during 1931 at the time when Japan was con- centrating her forces and attacking Manchuria, over 1,741,000 bales of cotton were bought in this country bought during 1930, Now there are hundreds of thou- sands of Negro peons and farm slaves in the South slaving away in the cotton fields, besides being lynched and terrorized. Seamen and longshoremen who PREPARE FOR STRIKE: ON MAY FIRST mediate building of local committees before was I in favor, but now 2 rank and file committees of action, !am because I believe at last the beet etc., everywhere was a prime neces- sity. Guynn also pointed out the necessity of establishing at once a relief and defense apparatus, mak- ing connections with the unemploy- ed workers and connecting the beet workers struggles with the miners struggle (miners in Colo have last weele been notified of a 25 per cent cut in the Northern field and 40 per cent in the Southern field). The Conference was marked by numerous individuals taking the floor and declaring their adherence to the United Front Movement, de- legates who had previously very bit- terly opposed the movement and at- tacked it at all occosions. Outstand- ing among these was Ramirez, from F. Lupton, who declared “Never Of course the workers must in- terfere in these war plans and tions. The workers do well to ask: Why war? The war is a rebber war in- the interest of the manufacturers fighting for their independence; the workers are interested in the tion of the Soviet Union which the imperialists want to de- stroy, Our interes... are different from i stroy the Soviet Union, and who at the same time cut our wages, lower’ our standards and reduce the work- ing population to misery. Let us do all we can to stop this robber war on China and the at- tack on the U.S.S.R. Any sacrifice that we can make now is better than the burdens of an imperialist war, We can actually save the lives of thousands of Chinese workers and peasants and prevent the de- struction of the lives of millions of workers and peasants in an impe- rialist war, by acting to stop war. That is why this May Day is of very great importance to carry out a mighty protest against and action to stop war, by organizing to stop the shipments of war materials, by organizing the struggle against wage cuts and unemployment, against terror and lynching and for defense of the Scottsboro boys! This is why May Day is a day of struggle, of brotherly working uni- ty, of international class solidarity, grtor workers are united.” Throughout the Conference, anti- Communist elements sought to dive ert the Conference from its real task by throwing into jthe Conference the “red question” but in all cases failed miserably. ‘The role of the Communist Party was clearly pre- sented by a number of delegates, in particular many non-party dele- gates. The Conference Chairman, Ramon Negrete of Fort Lupton, formerly the Secretary-Treasurer of the now defunct reformist Beet Workers Association in answering an attack said “My experience with Communists is that they are real fighters and defenders of the work- ers and hold high the workers in- terests. I am net a Communist as you know but do not be suprised of I become one.” On the second day the concretely discussed reports of the Committees and adopted the following decisions: 1. To arrange for widesperad de- monstrations for the beet workers in every beet center on May First. ‘These demonstrations shall be built ‘up by throwing into the field 50 rank and file organizers who were select- ed at the Conference. These dmon- strations will rceive a maessage or & representative from the central United Front Committee as to .| whether the sugar companies have the May First demonstrations, Prepare relief and j|defense machinery and shall mobilize ad- 3. That in the coming week de- monstrations and meetings be held in all parts of the field to hear re- ports of the Conference and to focus on building for May First. In the meantime the central committee attempt to negotiate with the sugar companies, and the event of their failure, to be well prepared for May Pirst. A roll call taken at the Conference shows that 61 rank nad file organ- izations volunteered to work under the central Committee, 28 automo- biles were placed at the Committee’s disposal, and that 33 centers will hold May Day av.nonstrations to await the word of the Central Come mittee. The possibility of a mass strike in the Colorado sugar beet fields on May First, therefore, is an ime minent possibility, After the Con- ference the Executive Committee of 35 members met to. concretely ap- ply the decisions and drafted a pro- clamations to the beet workers, to the Colorado Industrial Commis- sion, to the Governor and to all friendly organizations declaring de- termination to struggle against the Starvation in the beet fields, An oustanding weakness of the Conference was that only beet cen- ters in Colorado were represented, and New Mexico, |Nebraska, and Wyoming were absent; also in that insufficient representation was pre- 1 the Russo-German and a 1982s Iq S41 awe analaonatoh teat sent om Fill