The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 6, 1933, Page 4

.Y WORKER, NEW YORK, FRIDA Daily, Worker Published by the Comprodaily Publishing Co., Inc., daily except Sunday, at 56 E. 13th St., New York City, N. ¥. Telephone ALgonquin 4-7956, Cable “DAIWOR! Address and mail checks to the Daily Worker, 50 E New York, N. ¥. 13th St GUBSCRIPTION RATES: By msil everywhere: One year, 36; six months, 33.50; 3 months, 52; 1 month. excepting Borough of Manhattan and Bronx, New York City, Foreign ané Canads: One year, $9; 6 months, 35; 3 months, 95 Te Every Shop and Factory Our Fortress! HE CENTRAL COMMITTEE called two important regional shop conferences, one Eastern and one of the concentra- tion districts. These conferences were held in order to mob- ilize the Party for the carrying out of the historically sig- nificant tactical line given us 2th Plenum of the EC.C.1., which is based upon the analy tive ca i 1 zation has ended. ‘What is the chief task of 12th Plenum of the E.C.C.I. gives us a cl Possible development and strengthening of t against wage cuts and worsening of the of all the efforts of the Communist Parties union organizations to insure inde; our P; The greatest nent ‘he the gles and the unemployed movement, the of the masses, leading them on the be the struggle for every day partial de hting capacity periences from class tasks of the proleta! represent. chief tasks for wll sections of | the Communist International under the conditions of the end of capital- | ist stabilization.” | wo Children and a Mother | eee we Benito, med murder while defending him- bodyguard ted Mine Work- 1 misleaders in 1929. hear from Mrs. Sam wife of a miner f: from attack by a ene of the U ers of A of n-year a five to t letter steaks and now sé Th tence Pittston, Pa., Jan, 3, 1935. Dear Friends: Just a few let you know that we received your most welcome letter and the money and was very glad to receive both. Dear friends, I know there are a lot of working class pris- oners but when you could afford it send us a little there is one more year for my lines to more. Gee husband before he comes out and you are the only ones that are helping us. 1 give my best re- gards to you. Your friend, Ms. Sam Benito Two children and a mother, Family of a class war victim. We must help them. Support. the Prisoners’ Winter Relief Campaign of the LL.D. Send all contribu- tions to-80 E, llth St., Room 430, New York. What is the the capitalist offensiy ter‘of the attack of the 4s still isolated from the main sections of the American working class precisely because we lack solid contacts with the workers in the shops, particularly in the basic industries? The steel workers, the automobile workers, the railroad workers, have received numerous wage cuts. Cer- tainly these workers are dissatisfied and are ready to struggle. The steel Magnates have announced new wage cuts. The workers in each industry are facing new wage cuts and most vicious working conditions. We must say that the absence of large scale struggles in these industries is primar- ily due to our isolation from these workers, and lack of contacts and or- ganization in the shops. base struggle against shop, the cen- | that our Party The important experienc conferences will be made avail and valuable lessons from these two shop ble to the entire Party. Within a few days the Daily Worker will carry the reports of these conferences on the work in the shops and discuss the lems and lessons which arose at these conferences. The entire Pari ould, with the closest attention, follow the discussion in the Daiiy. The discussion in the Daily should help in concentrating the ention of the on shop work. It should help in basically improving our methods of shop work | The discussions at these two conferenc: lution of our 14th Plenum of the Party ar ing out of the 14th Plenum Resolution is be large sections of the Party membership. At the same time it also showed | that the Section, District and Central Commitice functionaries have not | eg sufficiently participated in the attempts of the lower organizations and our comrades in the shops in developing shop work and shop struggles. | This only once more emphasizes the need of struggle against our bureau- | { eratic methods of work and leadership, Indeed one of the main com- | €) Plaints of the comrades active in shop work was the fact that they do | { | mot receive immediate, intimate guidance’ from the higher bodies. . ° . have shown that the Reso- i the struggle for the carry ke root amongst alt a Both conferences have disclosed that our greatest weakness in thé development of shop work is the inability of raising partial demdhds. And even still more, our inability to apply the policy of the united front in setting in motion the most backward sections of the workers in the shop for struggles against immediate grievances. At the same time com- Trades active in the shop have brought forward excellent examples how a.Communist, by correctly raising partial demands and applying the pol- icy of the united front, gains the confidence of the workers in the shop and develops shop struggles. The discussion also emphasized the fact that our weaknesses in de- veloping a correct policy of the united front was due to an under-estima- | tion and inability of fighting social fascism. It must be remembered that the shop is the very basis of building the revolutionary trade unions and opposition groups within the reformist unions. The struggle for the shep is the key point in the development of a correct revolutionary strike strategy. ——— More. progress in shop work could be reported at our Eastern Regional Conference. The positive lessons brought forward at the Eastern Con- ference are of great value and immediate use to the entire Party in the development of shop work. But this progress reported at the Eastern Conference was mainly confined to the lighter industries. The Regional Conference of the concentration districts has brought forward the diffi- culties and main problems of shop work in the basic industries from the epneentration districts. The concentration districts have made very little Progress. We must remember that our policy of concentrating in Pitts- burgh, Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago is based on the struggle of our Party to “firmly root itself in the decisive industries....and to overcome the isolation of the Party from the decisive masses of the American pro- Jetariat.” ‘The need of winning the native born workers was stressed at the shop eopferences. At the same time the comrades refuted the ideas that foreign ¥n workers cannot organize the native born workers in the shops. A { ene Mustration of the important role which foreign born workers can ‘play in organizing the native born workers was given by 4 comrade from j ‘@ Patterson shop. i At the shop conferences all of the important practical political prob- fems of shop work—the question of the unemployed in shop work, the question of shop agitation, the question of the Party and union work in shop—all of these problems were raised and discussed by the com- active in shop work. The successful development of our shop work ‘on the solution of all of these problems. The exchange of ex- i, fat the shop conferences and the further discussion in the en- Party will help in the solution of these problems. ° . * outstanding weakness of both shop conferences was the very small mumber of Negro comrades present. Even in the discussion when the » ‘comrades were describing the composition of shops in basic industries they merely mentioned Negro workers. But this was only done statistic- ally. No reports whatsoever were made with regard to our special methods of work and activities in winning the Negro workers in the industries, ‘The 14th Plenum Resolution already spoke of the need of “making the ved unions the real channels of Negro work.” The entire Party must immediately realize this great weakness and take energetic steps in win- ning the Negro workers in the shops for struggle. if At the Eastern Conference we had some women comrades from the ter industries, but this number was very limited. Shop work is un- bt ble without the winning of the women workers in the industries, . At the Eastern regional conference a most instructive report was ‘given by the Y.O.L. comrade on the leadership in the Trenton doll strike. Rig strike has resulted in material gains for the young workers. ‘The neces in Trenton emphasized both the importance of the youth in ) Shop:and strike struggles and the possibility of winning strikes when a | Correct strike strategy is applied. i A necessary condition for the development of struggles in the shop fg the fight against opportunism. At both conferences right and left a) junism manifested itself. Opinions that the social fascists can bet~- t formulate immediate demands than we, that the appearance of the in the shop is a hindrance in developing shop organization em- once more that we must carry on a decisive struggle against the @anger as the chief danger and against the “left” deviation, ‘From the viewpoint of mobilizing the Party for shop work and {m- of the mentioned weaknesses, were successful. Mevedtatees enters sve j . * * * best indication of the earnestness with which the Party ts begin- ~ ning to take up shop work is the spirif of real self-criticism which fled at these conferences, Self-criticism not based merely on con- sins,-and pledges to be good, but» based on: actual contact with the and experiences of struggles in the shops. Only a self-criticism h leads to self-correction is Bolshevik self-criticism. "» The tempo in our shop work is improving, the general life of the Par- ‘is begihtiing to improve, the’ val fe ‘guide of the C.J. in aiding our in the struggle against sectarianism is beginning to bear fruit ybeginnings of contacts and organization in the shops have helped } create a healthy and refreshing atmosphere at the shop conférences, ‘Spirit, must permeate the entire Party from top to bottom. “Let us not allow the tempo to slacken. Deeper into the ranks of the | of the Roman Empire?” JAPAN: “I DEMAND AN APOLOGY FOR BLOODYING MY SWORD!” JANUARY 6, 1933 ~By Burck On the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Karl Marx L By SAM DON. ARCH 14th will mark the 50th | anniversary of the death of Karl Marx. The present world-wide cri- sis of capitalism, the end of rela- tive capitalist stabilization, the growing revolutionary upsurge, con- firm completely, as never before, the teachings of Marx. The tri- umphant march of Socialism in the | Soviet Union is the great realiza- | tion in practice of the teachings of ‘Marx and Engels as developed by Lenin. On the occasion of the 50th an- niversary of Marx’s death, we must popularize and apply the teachings of Marx to the present tasks as de- veloped by Lenin and Stalin. To popularize Marxism means at the same time to fefute the theories of the bourgeois economists, not only about the general development of capitalism, but the growing crop of economic theories that are put forward in a desperate effort to explain away the present crisis and to hold out hopes for a return of prosperity. BANKRUPTCY OF CAPITALIST APOLOGISTS We should particularly expose the hypocritical attempts of the So- | cialist Party to “reclaim” Marx and the various revisionists who attempt to reconcile bourgeois philosophies and theories with Marxism-Len- inism. Moreover, the growing bankrupt- cy ing bankruptcy of its apologists and economists. An inyoluntary con- fession of this bankruptcy is the | declaration in the Cleveland Trust Company Bulletin: “It is true that despite an im- mense amount of stndy and re- search devoted to the problem over a long period of years, we de not clearly know what causes these great and irregularly spaced periods of bad business that we term depressions.” These most learned, accomplish- ed gentlemen of “science” are quite unaware that wher capital~ ism was still in its swaddling clothes, Marx clearly understood “what causes these great and ir- regularly spaced periods of bad business that we term depressions.” In a similar vein, Professor Ein- stein declared, “At a time when we are rich in consumable goods and means of production as no previ- ous generation before us, a great part of humanity suffers severe want. Production and consumption falters to an increasing degree. and confidence in public institutions has sunk as never before. It is as if the circulatory system of the whole economic organism were throughout fatally ill, Some pes- simists ask: “Why should not our civilization collapse through inner decay in a manner similar to that An admis- sion of bankruptcy from the world’s | leading scientist! Capitalism is on trial before the oppressed toilers. The workers are ant exchange of experiences, we may say that both conferences, in More intimate and permanent contacts with the large masses of 1 | opens camonmn ee tats ha ee ERROR EE eR of capitalism reveals the grow- | 'Marx’s Analyses Fully Confirmed by the Present World Crisis beginning to ask questions of a fundamental nature. The devas- tating effects of the crisis, the growing capitalist offensive, the gathering clouds of war, and the growing resistance of the workers bring forth the question: Why continue a social order that cre- ates unemployment and wars? What steps should be taken to overthrow such a system? It is natural, therefore, that the inter- est in Marxism is growing and that large sections of workers are anxious to read and study Marxist writ- ings. THIS TECHNOCRACY! ‘When we have admissions on the part of economic bulletins from leading banks that after long years of study they cannot answer why we haye crises, when leading scien- tists shake their heads in despair, when the report of the Hoover Commission on Social Changes ut- ters a warning against revolution, it is natural that the bourgeoisie will conscivusly sponsor and devel- op all sorts of theories calculated to turn the attention of the oppressed from the real causes of the crisis. It will manufacture a hodge-podge of theories designed to prevent the growingly critical attitude towards the capitalist system from develop- ing into an understanding of the fundamental reasons of capitalist exploitation and crises under cap- italism. Thus we are treated to a “tech- nochracy” fad. It is true that an immediate economic stimulus for this “theory” has been the grow- ing unemployment and the conse~ quent disgruntlement among the technicians and engineers, But technocracy as a theory and the popularization of this theory has as its purpose the blinding of large sections of the dissatisfied and ques- tioning population to the real causes of the crisis and gapitalist exploitation. ‘This is the meaning of the whole new-fangled technocracy and its discussions about machines, energy, the price system, debts, etc. THAT is the cause of the capital- ist crisis? Many years ago Marx gave us the answer. It is the poverty of the masses which causes crises. Our technocrats dis- cuss exchange as completely ‘sepa~ rated from production—because to bring the attack against capitalist production would bring the attack against capitalist exploitation itself. They discuss the question of “ergs” of energy as separate from human labot power, from the problem of surplus yalue, It is the improper utilization of the machine and en- ergy, they assert, which is the cause of the crisis, and not the: capitalist mode of production, not the exist- ence of an exploiting class. Certainly such theories are quite safe for capitalism; in fact, in this period of looming question marks about the capitalist system—let the dissatisfaction and criticism of the system be directed against the ma- chine, against the price system, but leave the existing production rela~ tions and the capitalist class in- tact! MARX, ENGELS ON CAUSES OF CRISES Machinery is not merely a tech- nological problem, It is for the purpose of increased exploitation and to meet competition that the capitalist class has deyeloped mia- chinery. Engels in his “Socialism Utopian and Scientific,” in a con- centrated form, makes this point clear: “On one hand, the perfecting of machinery made by competi- tion compulsory for each individ- ual manufacturer, and comple- mented by a constantly growing displacement of laborers (indus- trial reserve army), on the other hand unlimited extent of produc- tion also compulsory ander com- petition for every manufacturer; opments of productive forces, ex- cess of supply over demand; over- production, glutting of markets, crises every ten years; the vicious circles—excess there, laborers without employment and without means of existence. But these two levers of production of social well-being, are unable to work to- gether because the capitalist form of production prevents the pro- ductive forces from working and the products from circulating un- less they are first turned into capital, which their very super- abundance prevents. The con- tradiction has grown into an ab- surdity. The mode of production rises in rebellion against the form of exchange.” In a nutshell, the technocrats and all other bourgeois economists can at best see only that there is something wrong with the ex- change, but blind to the basic cause of crises which lies in the form of production reiations. Can we have a better characterization of the present crisis than the brilliant statement of Engels: “The mode of production rises in rebellion against the form of exchange?” NEARLY 100 YEARS AGO the Communist Manifesto, Desues by Marx and Engels in 1847, we have the best answer to the ideas of technocracy, brought | forward in different forms by vari- ous petty bourgeois utopians in those days too. We have the true, the scientific treatment of the causes of criss. {To quote from the Manifesto: “Modern bourgeois society with its relations of production, of ex- change and of property—a society that has conjured up such gigan- tic means of production and of exchange, is like the sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom he has called up by his spells. For many a dtcade past the history of industry and com- merce is but the history of the revolt of modern productive forces against modern conditions of pro- duction, aga‘nst the property re- lations, that are the conditions for the existence of the bourg- eoisie and of its rule. It is enough to mention the commercial crises that by their periodical return put the entire existence of the bour- geois society on trial, each time more threateningly. In these crises a great part not only of the extsting products, but also the previously created productive forces are periodically destroyed. In these crises there breaks out an epidemic tat in earlier epochs would have Seemed an absurdity —the epidemic of over-produc- tion.” In Engels’ “Socialism Utopian and Scientific” we have a most adequate explanation of the objective rea- sons for all these theories of the technocrats and others, namely: “The bourgeoisie are convicted of incapacity further to manage their own social productive forces.” The ideas of the technocrats reflect the incapacity of the bourgeoisie fur- ther to manage their own social pro- ductive forces and their desire, by their so-called criticism, to retain the faith of the masses in the cap- italist class. . We have quoted at length from the Marxian classics because there can be found no better explana- tion for the reasons of the present crisis than in the writings of Marx, Engels and Lenin. CAN WORKERS GRASP MARXISM? In connection with this point it is interésting to note that the bour- geoisic, sensing the growing inter- est in Marxism, is sending out its own interpreters of Marxism. A case in point is the recent publica- tion of some of the writings of Marx in a special book compiled and, edited by Max Bastman. We eannot in this article seal with hie | introduction, which is full of slan- ders and open revisionism of Marx- ism, nor with the distorted Bor- schard edition of Marx which East- man has chosen. But it is inter- esting to note that in publishing this book he actually dissuades the workers from reading Marx, or any of his. writings. This, is how he recommends Marx: “It is needless to say that no one but a specialist needs to read the whole three volumes of Das Kapital. There are too many books in the world, too many sciences; too much to be known and thought over, for these pions acts of devotion to be indulged in by live men in our day.” And in the note of the original German editor of this translated -edition, we have the following gem: “It is hardly exaggerated to say that the first sections must seem toe the novice bold enough to ven- ture to read them, as if they were written in Chinese.” As the crisis brings about a growing interest in Marx's writings, let’s give them a few excerpts and poison even these with scoffing re- marks, say these “cultured” bour- geois gentlemen. Chinese, keep-avay from Marx! aa We ENIN had a far different idea about the ability of the workers to read Marx and Engels. Of course | one cannot read lightly the wor of these geniuses of the proletariat but no other class, because of the | class nature of Marx's writings, is so capable of understanding him as is the working class. , The old Bolshevik Shapovaloy relates’a’ very interesting story in | his book, “On the Road to’ Marx- ism.” He tells of a conversation between Lenin and Lafargue. gist of this story is: When Lenin told Lafargue that there were as yet no parties in Russia’ in the West European sense, he asked: “Then what do you do in your workers’ circles?” To which»Lenin answered: “We conduct ° public lectures for the workers’ and then later the more capable ones among them study Karl Marx.” La- fargue exclaimed in astonishment: “The workers read Karl Marx?” “Yes,” answered Lenin, i Comrade Shapovaloy tells us: “Right at the very start of the movement we Russian workers went right to the source, that is, to ‘Capital’, and that is certainly one of the reasons for the ex- ceptional progress of Marxism among us. Lenin considered it correct for the workers to study Marx independently and support- ed these efforts in every way.” And on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Marx, the workers should take the advice, not of the renegade Eastman, but that of the greatest Marxist of all, Comrade Lenin, ated, At least let the | workers, those who cannot decipher | ‘The | FROM THE BLACK BELT: By MYRA PAGE. These sketches of the life and struggle of Negro and white workers in the South are taken from “Gathering Sto by Myra Page, just published by International Publishers—EDITOR’S NOTE. aire teak LYNCH TERROR Vv. 'HIS afternoon Aunt Polly, on her | way home after returning the white folks’ washing, stopped to pick up a crumbled newspaper which she smoothed out carefully and slipped under her apron. When again on Back Row she took it out to look at the pictures and specu- Jate on the choice bits of news it might contain, Here, at the top of the page was a woman in ear-rings and low-cut dress. “Um,” Aunt Polly rumin- “that’s a society lady or chorus gal. That'll be a divorce or breach of promise suit, or mebbe a charity ball. ‘N this here fat man, with his watch chain 'n puffs under his eyes, likely he’s some mill owner what's ceasted. Or, Mmebbe he's gittin’ brought into court fer bigamy or crooked deal- in’s. Or mebbe it ain’t, nuthin’, jest he’s give money to the church, or bu hisself another work- house.” he turned to the funnies, chuckling over the car- toons and imagined sayings. Before the next pictyre she stopped short, It was a dull pho- tograph, taken at night by means of a flash, revealing a dark form, hanging limp from a tree, at which flames licked greed'ly while white-hooded figures crowd- ed around, feeding the fire and posing for the photographer. “Lawd-a-Mercy,” she moaned, “Po’ fella . . . Gawd rest his soul in peace.” Slowly she folded the paper and lay it aside for Madge | to read to her that evening after | work, When the news spread that there had been another lynching, nearly all of Back Row crowded around Aunt Polly's door stoop to hear the details. Angry terror once more held sway. The Negro lynched, so Martha read them, had been ac- cused of killing a white farmer in @ quarrel over the wages due him, “Fer once they couldn't say none of their lyin’ tales "bout rape,” Ma Morgan muttered. Aunt Polly de- “I ain't troublin’ you. clared that the man had no busi- ness holding out for his wages, bet- ter be cheated than strung up. A number agreed with her, though Uncle Ben remarked that it’s hard sayin’ what any man or woman’ll do till the time comes, fe aa TE landscape was blurring in the first half-hour of dusk as Mar- tha hastened across the town and along the road which leads to Row Hill. She must give notice the end of this week to leave the Haines’ household for good’n all. Even if it meant Mammy ’n Pappy’d have to leave Back Row, she dared not go on. She had promised Miz Haines to } picture of a | Please leave me be.” stay on three more weeks, right up to the time that she ’n Jim was gettin’ married. But now she dare- not, not with that young masse tryin’ to git fresh again. Why wouldn't he leave her alone? Martha hesitated before the short cut through the woods which she sometimes took, though never after dark. Tonight, something prompted her to go the longer, safer way. Yah, she’s have to tell Jim ’n the others ‘n they'd be put-out that she hadn't told ’em sooner. Hearing a car tearing down the road behind her and two voices on the air, Martha stepped to one side to let it pass. Then, with a sickening pounding at her temples Sud stomach, she recog- nized young Haines and his chum. Quickly she jumped back into the bushes—but not quickly enough for Haines had also rec- ognized her. There was a sound of grinding brakes, as the car jurched and came to a standstill, What should she do—run or stay still. Which was worse? Mebbe they mean no harm, “Hello, you pretty nigger!” Haines called, coming toward her where she hung back among the dusty bushes. “Please, now, Mister Elbert, I ain’t troublin’ you. Please leave me be.” Seeing the drunken leer ih his eyes, curving his mouth, the girl turned and struck blindly into the woods. “Not so easy, you bitch,” Haines snarled, and the two men started after her, cursing at the briars atid underbrush which tore at théir hands and clothes, Hearing the crash in the bushes behind her, panic seized her. “Help! Help!” she called, then clamped her hand over her mouth. Fool, to give them her direction. “Coming! Coming!” her pursuers taunted, while the crashing grew, louder, néarer. Oh my gawd, Pappy, Jim, where are you now? Lawd Jesus, help ‘em hear my cries. If only she threw them off her trail . . . get through the woods and By QUIRT to the other side. The moon looked down through the treetops from a darkening sky. The birds, roused by the tumult of breaking branches and rushing bodies chattered excitedly to one another. Squirrels raced to the tree-tops, and a hoot-owl blinking slowly sent out his warning cry into the gathering night. Martha, tripping over a root, fll flat, then was up in a flash and on. But she had lost her direc- tion, the woods she knew so well had suddenly become a strange land. The running behind her grew closer and closer. Oh, Lawd Jesus, have mercy, Jim— Jim—, (To Be Continued) PERSONAL EXPERIENCES IN AGITATIONAL WORK New York City. Editor of Daily Worker, Dear Comrade: I realize that. any movement, in the interest of the working class cannot succeed without having the widest support possible of the la- boring masses. Therefore I have gone about them in my own way to stimulate their class viewpoint. In this work I utilize to the fullest extent the revolutionary press in all its forms. For instance, in the shops where I have worked and where I work now, I get the work- ers to read the Maily Worker, pam- phiets and leaflets. I have a method that works out very well, I make the workers read the leaflets right away, so as to be sure they understand what is going on now. Then I take them back and distribute them to other workers on the subway and in mail boxes of my neighborhood. I ask them to read the Daily Worker and the pamphlets and let me know about them in two or three days and return them to me. I discuss with them the subject mat- ter in the pamphlets and then 1 distribute them in the same way in the working-class neighbor- hoods. . Thave persistently carried on this work for a long while and I can say I have succeeded in a large Letters from Our Readers way, thanks to the revolutionary press. In the subways at certain times ef the day, most convenient for them, squads of two or three should. make two-minute talks on immediate, important topics of the day most vital to the workers’ needs; such ‘as the Hunger March, Bonus Fight, Farmers’ Relief, and Unempioyment Insurance and Home Relief. This kind of active ity has never been tried before, but I am sure it will be a success in bringing before ever wider masseg the knowledge of the class strugs gle. Besides, the ne! leaflets and literature can be dise posed of, thereby spreading the necessary information of workings class activity and struggle, Comradely, —M. STEEL AND METAL LETTERS.