The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 4, 1932, Page 4

PAGE FOUR DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1932 By BUECK |OVER THE TOP oo FOS Yorker: Porty US.A ing Co., Inc., daily exexept Sunday, at 50 E. hone ALxonquin 4-7956, Cable “DATWORK.” iy Worker, 80 E. 13th St., New York, N. ¥. Dail Published by the Comprodally Pub! New York City, N. ¥. Ti and mail ehecks to the SUBSCRIPTION RATES: By mail everywhere: One year, $6; six months, $3; Borough of Manhattan and Bronx, New York City. six months, $4.50. The Hoover-Green 5 Day Week Proposal election campaign advances and the crisis sharpens the Hoover inistration is coming forward with new demagogic maneuvers workers, e latest maneuver is the resurrection of the famous Hoover stagger n in the form of -the: five-day. week and six-hour day. What is in reality the purpose of this. latest move which is being urged-not alone by the President but bythe Executive Council of the A.F.L. and the Socialist Party? First, it is to.stop the.developing struggle not, alone for immed- jate unemployment relief, but for the payment. of. the veterans bonus and for federal unemployment insurance, Secondly, it is being put for- ward for the purpose. of speeding up the workers and further. reducing their wages. According to the estimates of the President and his advisers the in- troduction of the. five-day week .and six-hour day would put 3,000,000 workers back to work, Even if this were true it would still leave an army of-from 10,000,000 upward,completely unemployed and many. millions on a part time basis. But this will not be the case, In the first place this.stagger plan would mean that all workers fully employed would have their wages cut down by more than one-third. Thus a permanent lowering of the living standards of all workers would be effected. Secondly this would not result in more employment even if the growth of the crisis would not cause more workers to be constantly thrown out of employment as is actually the case. Through speeding up production the capitalists hope to get out of the workers the same production in the six hours as they now get out of an 8 hour day two moi $2; excepting Foreign: one year, $8; tt 5 the Valley Barons Hold Their Victims Trying to Rob Masses of Hard-Earned Victory : By FRANK SPECTOR. LY 18th was the day whenthe Imperial Valley prisoners, Oscar Erickson, Danny Roxas, Carl Sklar, and Tsuji Horiuchi were to leave the stone walls of San Quentin and Folsom prisons where Mooney and Billings have been rotting for the last-16 years. That they were to be released was the decision of the California State Board of Terms and Paroles, made under the ter- rific mass pressure of the campaign Jed by the International Labor De- fense. To date, however, the four militants are still in jail. The bloody hands of the American Fruit Growers Association and the United Fruit Company, the owners of the Imperial Valley—are at work to rob the masses of their hard-won vic- tory in this historic case, 42 Years for Striking Eight militant Workers, Oscar Erickson and Lawrence Emery, na- tive of California, Danny Roxas, a Filipino, Eduardo Herera, Braulio Orozco, Latin American workers; Tsuji Horiuchi, a Japanese worker; Carl Sklar and Frank Spector, were sentenced in June, 1930 under the Criminal Syndicalism Law to 42 years in San Quentin and Folsom, They led the Imperial Valley workers—Mexican, Filipino, Negro ama, respectively, after serving 18) months. In the cases of Sklar andj Horiuchi, who were victimized froma the start by confinement in. Folsoma) —a medieval bastille for “tough} criminals” the board’s decision was} to “release the prisoners on July) 18, 1932 into the custody of the Ime migration authorities.” This mean’ for Horiuchi death at the hands of Japan's fascist government, for Sklar, indefinite stay in Folsom, A Russian by birth, Sklar is not deportable because of absence of - relations with the U.S.S.R. Valley Barons at Work The ILD answered all the legal requirements on Erickson’s and Roxas's paroles, securing gurane tees of jobs outside. “Ed. White, the parole officer acting under his) bosses’ instructions refused to O.K,} the jobs. In his talk with the Cale ifornia ILD representative he ree fused to O.K. any job within the; state, adding “he has no desire to, repeat the ‘Spector affair’ of last. year, who was given a chance £0} get out of San Quentin ang who immediately began to shoot his. mouth off.” “Here he clearly ex= pressed the bosses’ fear of the mile itant policy of the ILD. Graft Ridden Parole System Over 1,000 paroled prisoners in with reduced wages. That this is so, can be seen from a study San Quentin and Folsom rot away of wages in the steel, mining, textile and other industries since 5 ae ee eng mee a in prison—unable to get jobs oute the. beginning of the crisis, That this scheme is not confined Pe revo’ | sde. Through an established graft to the U. 8S. alone but is everywhere being put into operation by the capitalists and with the same aims and results can be seen from the study available to us in the Lower Silesian coalfields in Germany. There also the bosses with the approval of the socialist trade union leaders de- cided to employ 1400 unemployed miners through a forced one-month’s vacation without pay for those miners that were still employed. And with what result? The table below speaks for itself: Two Divisions with about 40,000 men of the Nanking Government’s “Fifth Communist Suppression Campaign” have gone over to the side against slave conditions—a brutal contract system that robbed the | workers of their beggary wages and condemned them to horrible living conditions. The whole weight of the govern- ment apparatus, from federal to system the parole authorities O.K. “dummy” jobs for prisoners with well-off relatives outside. During my stay in San Quentin, at one time the whole prison was rocking with laughter at the clumsy graft methods of the administration. October, 1931 ... 441 253 igsersplennaro sk county, aided by the Southern Pa- | Lesser, a rich San Francisco con= November, 1931. - 622 138 cific Railroad Company, with its | tractor, landed in San Quentin in December, 1931 . * g02 112 e e imported scabs and gunmen from | a huge bribery scandal involving January, 1932 919 see R Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, | millions, To be sure, his sentence February, 1932 822 =e ome ecen 1c or1es an nso ve was brought down to crush the | was “nothing to five,” the small- eee pens workers’ leader, the Agricultural | est sentence for felons, Buch cases 3506 503 Workers Industrial Union, and to usually come up before the board Thus we see the results of this stagger plan. A total of only 503 workers hired and in the last two months of the survey none while the numbering being laid off kept on increasing. In the fifth month the sit- uation stood that while 822 were being given a “vacation” none were hired. And at the same time through increasing speed-up production per miner increased. In September, when the stagger plan was intro- duced the production per miner was 986, in October 997, and by December had jumped to 1,012. The figures for the last two’months of the survey, January and February are not available but is clear how much they must have jumped on the basis of the trend. It-is clear that the stagger plan does not result in increased em- ployment. It results only in speed-up and lowering of the living stand- ards of the workers. IT RESULTS IN MORE UNEMPLOYMENT BE- CAUSE OF THE LOWERED LIVING STANDARDS OF THE WORKERS. The answer of the workers, both employed and unemployed, to this latest Hoover move must be @ united fight for unemployment relief, for federal unemployment insurance, and against wage cuts in any form. ‘The fight for the shorter workday must be carried but it must be a fight FOR REDUCTION OF HOURS WITHOUT REDUCTION IN PAY, _ a8 our immediate objective must be the fight for the 40-hour week without reduction in pay. With the average full time work week being around $0 hours, to demand a 30-hour week without reduction of pay would be Not to take the struggles of the workers seriously and to pave the way for the stagger plan. To demand an increase of 66 2-3 per cent in wages at a time when the workers have not yet been able to defeat’ the wave of wage cuts’ which have swept every industry is in reality to refuse to seriously struggle for the defense of the workers’ interests and to cover up: such refusal through irresponsible left radical phrases when what is required is determined action. The A-F.L. bureaucrats are siding with the bosses in the drive to put into effect the stagger plan against the workers. The socialists, the Musteites, the Trotzkyites are putting for- ward the slogan of 30 hours week without reduction of pay. In reality they are helping to put into effect the stdgger plan. The workers must understand that to defeat the stagger plan, to stop the attack on heir Problems of the LL.D. , By EARL BROWDER. ‘With the Hoover-Doak policy of intensified persecution and depor- taiton of ‘foreign born workers, especially of leaders of the work- ers’ struggles, the ILD has had ad- ditional big burdens placed on its shoulders. The deportation-terror of the government is a particularly vicious attack, which creates a thousand problems of defense and protection of the victims, which aré literally matters of life and death for innumerable workers. Not only does the ILD have the task, together with the Council for Pro- tection of the Foreign-Born, to or- ganize the widest political move- ment of protest, but it must also handle the complicated and costly details of defense attorneys, writs, court proceedings, printing docu- ments, bail questions, hearings, etc. Without a well-organized ILD with mass membership and support, if would certainly be even begin to cope with these prob- lems, The Fight Against Deportations. Small as the achievements have impossible to | A Major Task Today Is to Build International | Labor Defense outstanding problems of the TI. L, D. work, every local organization of the I. L. D. has its own mount- ing volume of problems in the struggle against the rising police terror. With the deepening of the crisis, with the sharpening of class linés, a flood of literally thousands of cases has almost swamped the local organizations of the I. L. D. Some local offices have an average of 100 new cases a month during 1932, Each one, in its own way, is vitally important to the workers’ struggle, end very many of them are of the most serious nature. Each case involves its own maze of problems, technical, legal, polit- ical, financial, which can only be solved by good organization and mass support of the I. L. D, There are many localities where | the work of the I, L. D. has been indispensable to the continued functioning and growth of the GIN TO DISCUSS AND DECIDE | THE PROBLEM OF WHAT IT MUST DO TO HELP THE ILD. TO PERFORM ITS MOST IM- PORTANT TASKS. Build a Mass Financial Support. One of the most imniédiate prob- lems of the I. L. D. is that of find- ing money to pay for its most press- ing tasks. This problem has be~- come a really critical one. The old methods no longer suffice. The economic crisis has reduced the size of contributions; those who for- merly gave $10 can now only give $1; those who formerly gave $1 now find it difficult to give 10 cents. The decline in the size of contributions. must be compen- sted by increasing the mass of tontributors. That is entirely pos- sible, because the workers are ready and willing to support the I. L. D. But it requires much more organ- ization than ever before; mass con- elsewhere. ists, more or less, in all other cases and in the localities. This problem must be solved. It can and will be solved, by the same means which are necessary to build and strengthen the I. L. D. in all phases of its work, as a broad mass non-party defense movement. First of all, the I. L. D. must be givéh capable leading forces from its supporting affiliated or- ganizations. Second, nationally and locally the I, L. D. Committees must be en- larged, drawing in the best sup- porters, mainly workers, but also sympathizers of whatever origin. The majority of all commitees should be loyal non-party workers who will fight and work for the LL DvD. Third, all supporting organiza- tions must really affiliate to the I. L. D. and give it regular finan- cial support, seding delegates to its committees and conferences. Fifth, mass collections for the I. L, D. campaigns and cases, and smash the workers’ attempt to im- prove their inhuman conditions. Bosses’ Efforts Checked by ILD On September 10, only a few The same condition ex- | weeks after the eight Imperial Val- ley militants were shipped to San Quentin and Folsom, the trial judge, V. Thompson, a servile tool of the valley bosses, wrote to the Prison Board of Terms and Par- oles as follows: after 14-15 months. To make pos- sible the speedy termination of Les- ser's embarrassment “the board suddenly announced a dec'sion to. “consider a number of “nothing to five cases.” Joy reigned in the camp of “fivers.” But it did not last long. About a dozen convicts were taken up including Mr. Lesser, The pe‘ty thieves received two to three or five year sentences. Les- The Imperial Valley Prisoners “The Court condisers the de- fendants of no use or benefit whatever, but on the contrary a decided menace and detriment to society and civilization in gen- ser received an immediate parole, The blocking of the Imperial Val< ley militants’ freedom goes together, with the blocking of the freedom of Tom Mooney and Billings for living standards, to compell the government and the bosses to give re- | heen in halting or delaying this | Workers’ organizations and their | tributions cannot and will not | for relief of prisoners and their de- eral; that under the circum- 16 years in prison because they lief and unemployment insurance to the unemployed, they must struggle | deportation drive, they have been | struggles. come into the I. L. D. spontane- | pendents, must be carried into every stances any prison term less than served their class. In turn these not only against the bosses and their government but against all variety | o¢ invaluable service to the move- | A Turning Point in 1. L. D. ously, but only as a result of or- shop, factory, fine, workers’ club life for each defendant is quite acts of cruel oppression are but a of agents of the bosses in the ranks of the workers. ment. First’ of all, the lives of | History. ganized efforts. and organization. The dimes, nick- moderate. part of the whole vicious system of many workers’ leaders have been Why has it been necessary to | Mass organization requires the | @s and pennies of the workers “It is therefore recommeded | boss-terror, mogt glaringly express . Adding Bloody Insult to Murderous Injury RIRsT they kill them, then they give them military honors. This is what Washington did to the veterans of the world war killed in the battle of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, July 28. § They sent the armed forces of the country against the veterans who | demanded their back wages due them from the period of the world war, ‘They wounded scores, they killed outright only one, but up to this writ- ‘ing three men succumbed to the wounds. They attacked the veterans as enemies of law and order, as the enemy within who cannot be quelled otherwise than by force of arms, They remained true to themselves. The tnurderous hand of capitalism strikes out blindly wherever masses of ‘workers fight against starvation. In the ranks.of the bonus marchers it YFecognized one detachment of the working masses fighting against star- vation. Violence is not new to the workers. But this was violence in the sight of the entire country. They took it as they always take the capi- _talist attacks—with a curse and clenched fists. The enemy had once { shown his hideous face. The workers and veterans closed their ranks mor? firmly in face of the armed attack. What is new, however, is the burial accorded to one of the victims and which may also be accorded to the rest of the dead. He was buried with military honors. Drums beat, bugles screeched, arms were pre- sented at the burial ceremony of the veteran William Hushka. The same soldiers who ‘had killed him were called to honor him after his death, The same arms that had been used to murder the unarmed veterans were now “presented” at the grave. The same detachments saved, when the ILD, through mass pressure, forced Doak to surrender his determination to deport to fas- cist countries those workers who would thereby be sent to their deaths. This is a small victory, which does not yet touch the prin- ciple issue of deportations, but still a very important one. In addition, the services of hundreds of valu- able leaders have been preserved for periods of three months even up to several years, after deporta- tion orders have been issued, even when final victory was impossible. Hundreds of cases have been won entirely which in the absence of the I, L. D, would have resulted automatically in quick deportation. And, most important of all, the mass, protest against the deporta- tion policy, roused and organized by the I. L. D, have served ma- terially to force the government to hesitate to apply it as ruthlessly as they wish. The heroic fight of Edith Berk- man, who has ben held without bail by Doak since last October, was the center of one of the most effective campaigns, politically con- sidered, by the I. L. D. against de- make this review of the work of the I. L. D.? Because the I, L. D. is facing a serious crisis in its life, is rounding a historical turn in its development. ‘To solve this crisis, to make this turn successfully, we must first of all bring the entire movement to much keener realiza- tion of the fundamental impor- tance of the I. L. D. We must emphasize that it is a question of life or death for our movement to really solve the problems of build- ing a stronger and more powerful LL. D. The I. L. D. is not receiving the support and co-operation which the importance of its work de- mands. The trade unions, the workers’ clubs, the mutual aid so- cieties, the Party organizations, all absorbed in their special daily problems and work, get the idea that, since the I. L. D. exists, this relieves them of all responsibility for the problems of defense. They load these problems off onto the IL. D, and proceed to other busi- ness, But this will not work. The I. L. D. does not consist of the few comrades placed in the offices to services of the most capable or- ganizers and speakers. The I.L.D. must Be given the best services, the best leading cadres, that are available, if it is to solve this one problem alone, Then, too, the I. L. D. ts suffer- ing seriously, in a financial way, from the attacks of our enemies, ‘When, for example, in the Scotts- boro campaign, we were so sav- agely attacked by the N.AA.CP., the Sociajist Party and the Civil Liberties Union, we met these at- tacks and defeated them politically in a most smashing and satisfac- tory manner. But the cost of these attacks was very great; the N. A. A. C. P. diverted to itself over $7,000 of contributions for the ‘Scottsboro case that should have gone to the I. L. D., which had all the financial burdens of the case, while the N. A. A. C. P, did nothing but create additional dif- ficulties. From the office of the Civil Liberties Union, letters were sent out to sympathizers who wanted to give money for Scotts- boro, not to send this money to the I. L. D. From the Socialist Party press and the capitalist must be drawn into a mighty stream of defense for the class- war victims. Sixth, the most exact financial responsibility and accounting of all William Nockles Doak, Sec’y of Labor conducting terror campaign against militan{ workers. and urged by the court tha: the defendants be imprisoned for the maximum time provided by law upon the conviction of each count, under the terms of the judgement entered in this case.” In plain English this flunkey re- ,quested the board that the whole of forty-two year senteces be given the eight militants. The workers, led by the ILD gave a fitting answer to this fiendish effort to bury the eight militants alive, By powerful mass pressure they compelled the bosses to back down. The Appelate Court of Cal- ifornia, after a whole year’s stall- ing, was forced to grant conces- sion. Conviction on two of the three separate counts was set aside in the cases of the seven of the workers. In the case of Frank Spector, Southern California and Imperial Valley District Organizer of the ILD, all the three counts were re-. versed. Prison Board’s Decision But the ILD was not satisfied with this, though an important, partial victory. Under its leadership the California masses backed by the ed in the attempts to burn the Scottsboro boys, the mob and legal lynch-law-rule over the Negro masses, the murder, clubbing, gas- sing, and jailing of unemployed, and, more recently, the bestial at- tack upon the war vets. Under the leadership of the ILD the Amers ican masses are putting up a stiff fight against the boss terror with telling effect. The Scottsboro boys have been so far saved from death; so was Orphan Jones, @ Negro worker framed by the Southern lynchers. The ILD is on the job in the Ime perial Valley case! It conducts @ militant fight to compel the Valley barons to let go of their victims, The ILD calls upon workers’ ore ganizations, unions, fraternal, libe eral and progressive groups and in- dividuals to act immediately and send wires to Gov. James Rolph, Jr. Sacrmaento, Calif.; Charles Neumiller, Chairman Board of ‘Terms and Paroles, San Quentin, Calif. These wires must demand the immediate release of Sklar, Horie uchi, Erickson, Roxas and Emery. Also wires to Secretary Doak, at é workers all over the country ham- and! ‘were used both .at, the. killing and at the “honoring.” portations, Comrade Berkman’s | handle its business. If we leave | papers went ou: a flood of warn- | funds must be guaranteed, nation- | 74 on. the Board Me, pattin foam che Bape sy ee Wha: a mockery! What a devilish insult! hunger strike, which defeated | these problems to the unaided ef- | ings not to give to the I. L, p. | Ally and in every locallty,. 698: |) sna) Parvles—the body which sets ca What did they mean by this damnable performance? Did they mean to pacify the army men who resented the muréerous role forced upon them but who did not yet have the consciousness to refuse to obey the orders of killing their brothers? Did they mean to pacify the bonus marchers by throwing them out a sop in the form of a post mortem “honor”? Did they mean to show that they still honor the former A.E.F, after they killed its members for alleged riotirig? Do they mean to save the shreds of the illusions with which they kept on feeding the masses that the fighters of a war to save capttalist billions ‘are always, by the “nation”? Whatever their intentions, this new insult will only increase the hatred of the workers and bonus marchers against the killers and steel their fighting spirit against capitalism and its servants. This new insult ‘will arouse no less indignation among the toiling masses than the bloody acts themselves. ‘The sounds of the bugles will not be able to @rown the cries of pro~ test coming from all over the country. Drum taps won't be able to drown the tramping of thousands upon thousands marching in close formation Doak’s conspiracy to railroad her to an insane asylum pending de- portation, was the occasion for such a storm of protest that it even penetrated into the sacred Precincts of Doak’s office, where Doak himself quailed’ before the indignation of the workers thrown into his face by young Anna Bur- lak, who headed the protesting delegation. It is clear that only by strength- ening the I. L. D. can we hope to | make a more effective struggle against the deportation offensive of the Wall Street government. Thousands of Local Struggles. We have mentioned above only forts of these few executives, then the I. L. D. will surely break down, it will not be able to handle the terrific load that is being placed upon it by the sharpening strug- gle. And that is exactly what is happening now. This condition must be reme- died. Every Party committee and unit, every member, every trade union and club, must be made to realize that this is part of the IL L. D, a most vital part; and if these parts do not work and take their share of the burden, then our I, L. D. will break down under its lead. EVERY CLASS CONSCIOUS | Scottsboro campaign because this was “only a Communist racket,” as the “New Leader” expressed this slander campaign. It would be foolish to deny that “these slanders hurt the I. L, D. very much financially. That was their main intention. Our enemies hoped to create a financial break- down, and thus defeat us when’ they could no do so politically. And it must be confessed that they created the most tremendous qiffi- culties for us. In the whole Scottsboro campaign the I. L. D. | recsipts have ben far from suffi- cient to pay the legal expenses alone. At the most critical points trolled by auditing committees con- taining a majority of non-party workers from the shops, responsible members of other workers’ organ- izations, giving the most complete refutation of all the slanders of our enemies. Seventh, the I. L. D, must really be taken seriously, by every revolu- tionary worker, by every Party or- ganization, and given all the help, political, organizational and ma- terial that is necessary to’ build the I, L. D. into # real broad mass organization, solidly based among the, workers in- the shops and capable of carrying forward our defense organization to ever new the final sentencss—was forced to reduce the 14 years of the remain- ing count to a sentence of two years in prison and 14% years on parole for Erickson, Roxas, Sklar and Horiuchi. Lawrence Emery was Biven 2% years in prison and one year on parole, Orozco and Herrera were deported to Mexico and Pan- INCREASED TERROR ON WORKERS An increase of nearly 300 per coni in the number of workers arrested for labor activities in the month of dune, over a total for May is the reature of the report made public charges ag-inst Sklar and Hori- uchi, held in Po!som, In addition, the ILD appeals to all workers’ organizations and in« dividuals to aid with funds it bad ly and immediately needs to fight for the Imperial Valley militants: Rush donations at once to the International Labor Defense, 80 E llth St., Room 430, New York City. Vote Communist For 3. Emergency relief for the poor formers withent restrictions by the government and banks; ex- emption of poor farmers from ‘against capitalism, for bread, for unemployment insurance, for imme- | a few of the major national cases | WORKER AND WORKERS’ OR- | of the case, financial collapse was and higher achievements. today by the National Office of the taxes, and no forced’ collece ‘diate relief, for. payment of the bonus, for placing, upon the capitalists | and struggles which the I. L. D. only averted by the I. L. D. calling The I. L. D. has a glorious record | International Labor Defense of cases tion of rents or debts. : ‘the burden of the crisis, for making the capitalists suffer the conse- | has handled in the last year. directly upon the;Communist Party | of struggle and achievements be- | handled by its branches during that 4, Equal rights for the i dae quences.of tiedamnagoy ic 2 they, have created, for driving out of the | There are:dosens of others, some ‘}iand borrowing several thousand | hind it. We must all unite'to push |month. The June total in all class- a agrees lapd the murderers:of ‘the! workingsclase. and eetailiching- a workers’ and of them almost equally importagt. | CO,0PE 5 WORK. dollars of the Party's meagre | it'forward to.an even more glorious |ifleations is 1,282 arrests, as against Senne eS ee tarmers’-govermment, if In addition, however, to these EVERY ‘BE- ° funds, which were vitally needed future of struggles and victories, 327 for May and 290 for April, Belt, . | may