The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 17, 1934, Page 1

\ | CIRCULATION DRIVE NEW SUBS RECEIVED APRIL 14 and 16: DOM 056556555 87 Total te date .3,426 Saturday Total .... 2,422 . 92 ALF.L. Vol. XI, = * Daily QWorker CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY U.S.A. (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL ) Entered as second-elass matter at the Post Office et New York, N. ¥., under the Act of March 8, 1878. NEW YORK, TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1934 WEATHER—Fair and warmer AMERICA’S ONLY WORKING CLASS DAILY NEWSPAPER (Six Pages) Price 3 Cents LEADERS BAN ALL STRIKES IN AUTO INDUSTRY Workers In Many) | Cities Backing, May Day Unity| Birmingham Workers for Scottsboro Boys FINAL MEET NDAY Detroit, Chicago Work-| ers Fight Police Ban BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April) 16. — Directly beneath the/| barred windows of the cells| where the Scottsboro boys lie, the workers of Birmingham will gather on May Day in the first open demonstration to be held here in a year. Capitol Park, on whose steps the May 1 demonstration will take place, is bounded on one side by the tall white structure of the Jef- ferscn County jail. On the top floor of this jail, are imprisoned seven of | the Scottsboro boys. For several | weeks now these boys have suf-| fered the tortures of solitary con- | finement—part of the never-ending effort of the jailers to break their spirit and even to ill them off by abuse and mistreatment before | they can be tried again. If the de- | mand of the workers, that these boys be taken out of solitary, can be | speedily gained, the Scottsboro | boys will be able to look down on the greatest mass demonstration of | working-class power tha: AJabama | has seen. They wiil be able to | hear clearly the shouts of the as- sembled workers, white and black: “Set the Scottsboro boys free!” The May Day demonstration in Birmingham is a sign of the ing pewer of the revyolution- movement here, in spite of tant arrests, terror and re- pression, For the first time, work- ers {vom the largest mincs, mills and faectories—particularly the all-important plants of the pow- erful U. S, Steel subsidiary, the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail- read Co—sre mobilizing for a militant working-class demon- stration. Unlike previous occasions, the City Council has not dared refuse a permit outright, but has answered the demand of the May Day Com- mittee for a permit with e request for “time to think it over.” But the Birmingham workers will meet at 20th St. and Seventh Ave. N., at 5 cons; p.m., May 1, for a show of work-| ing-class power, and they are de- termined to go through with it, per- mit or no permit. * Final Cleveland Conference Sunday CLEVELAND, Ohio, April 16.— The final May Day United Front Conference will be held next Sun- day, 10 a.m., at the Workers School, 1524 Prospect Ave. The May Day United Front Com- | mittee of Action has issued an ap- | peal to all organizations not repre- (Continued on Page 2) No Trace of Labor Defense Organizer Kidnapped by KKK Link Authorities to the Attack on Frank Norman LAKELAND, Fla., April 16—No trace has yet been found of Frank Norman, International Labor De- fense organizer here and former} leader of the Citrus Workers Union, who was kidnapped by Ku Klux Klan thugs Wednesday night. Further details of the kidnap- | ping revealed today showed the | definite link between the kidnap- | pers and local authorities, | The kidnap gang which called at Norman's home stated they were Sheriff W. W. Chase and deputies, and ordered him to come with them to identify a Negro they said had been lynched on the Bartow Rd. They took with them also Ben Surrency, a worker living in the same house, but released him be- fore leaving town, training their pistols on him and ordering him to run. The car bearing the kidnappers proceeded up the road, and Sur- rency has reported that he heard a shot from it before it got out of ear-shot. Norman had been very active in organizing protest against the mur- der of James Franklin, Negro citrus picker, by police and a local land- lord, in Polk County. Sheriff Chase, who has denied he was one of the kidnappers, is con- centrating on making statements to May Day. Greetings For Special Edition Must Be Rushed! All Party Units, unions, of the International Workers Order, International Labor De- fense, Unemployed Councils, are urged to send their May Day greetings to the Daily Worker at once, There is no time to be lost. Make sure that your grectings to the “Daily” will appear without fail in the 24 page May Day edition by sending them in now to the Daily Worker, 50 E. 13th St., New York City. Bill Would Put 50,000 Jobless Into U.S. Army Big Force Is Needed for “Tranquillity in U. S.,” Says Congressman WASHINGTON, April 16.—A Dill to take 5,000 men off relief and en- roll them into the U. S. Army was to be introduced into Congress to- day by Representative Thompson of |Texas. He said his bill embodied |recommendations of Major General | McArthur, Chief of Staff. “The existing force is inadequate |to insure domestic tranquillity,” the Congressman declared. | The regular U. S. Army, not |counting National Guard and re- | serves, is 118,000 enlisted men and 12,000 officers. Thompson’s bill would increase it to 165,000 men and 14,063 officers. “The increase need have no ef- fect on the budget,” he declared. “The increase can be handled by diverting the necessary funds and less than 50,000 individuals from any of the emergency relief organ- izations now maintained at govern- |ment expense.” \Cuban Soldiers Fire on Demonstration for Freedom of Prisoners HAVANA, April 16.—Soldiers fired on a demonstration of several hun- | dred students who assembled before | the palace of President Mendieta, |; demanding the freedom of 150 | politicial prisoners who are on hun- ger strike. Some of the hunger strikers have been on strike for more than a | week, and 20 in Castillio Principe, | Havana, are reported near death. The students also demonstrated in front of the German Consulate, where a swastika flag was flying. | | 2 NEW OSSIFICATION CASES REPORTED | NEW YORK.—Two new cases of ossification malady were reported by physicians today, as a pair of Philadelphia twins, Katherine and Margaret Maguire contracted the disease that slowly turns the limbs to stone. Theodoro Alosio, four jyears old, died yesterday from this disease in Christ Hospital, Jersey City. mass | organizations, including branches | | COPS ATTACK PICKET LINE Striking Philadelphia knit-goods workers, | working conditions, are shown being attacked by police thugs. Note how militantly the women workers defend themselves, picketing for better Rochester ReliefStrikers Hold Mass Meeting; | Demand CWA Pay SPRINGFIELD, Ill, April 16—| |Five hundred jobless workers who \demonstrated here Friday against relief cuts were met by tear gas and | deputies. The demonstration, under the }leadership of the Unemployment Councils, was called to protest against the forced labor “work re- lief” scheme, and to demand that the Relief Commission live up to its promises to raise the relief budget, and to provide relief to single unemployed workers. A number of local unions of the P. M. A. and the A. F. of L. sup- ported the demands of the jobless, | joined the demonstration. Asthe workers opened the meet- ing, deputy sheriffs attacked the workers and seized Ann Morton and | Roy Jones, of the Unemployment | Councils. | At a mass meeting held at the Workers’ Center an unemployed | worker, one of the deputies sworn jin by the sheriff, told the assem- bled workers how he accepted the job for the dirty work of attacking the workers. He asked the workers to forgive him, and he would turn in \his badge, join the Council, and contribute the money which he had received to the Council for carry- ing on further struggle. _ * 700 Strike In Hamtramck, Mich. DETROIT, Mich—More than 700 former C. W. A. workers of Ham- tramek, led by the Relief Workers’ Protective Association, are now on (Continued on Page 2) Kept Alive by Football Bladder LONDON, April 16—A football bladder strapped to his chest has! kept an almost completely paralyzed patient, S. Crosby Halahan, 63, breathing continuously for the past six months, according to a report in the current issue of the “Lancet,” medical journal published here. in the 24-Page ‘A Sample of What You'll Find May 1 “Daily” “New hope lightens the dawn of Labor Day, 1933. That hope is inspired by the belief that the ‘New Deal’ at Washington will re- sult in a square deal for labor. Thus spouted William Green, presi- dent of the American Federation of Labor, on the day chosen by the American labor lieutenants in place of May Day—harbinger of the revo- tionary victory of the workingclass in the struggle against capitalism.” This is the opening paragraph of Harry Gannes’ feature article on “The N. R. A. and May Day,” one of many other articles scheduled to appear in the May Day edition of the Daily Worker. This edition, of which the unprecedented number of a half million copies will be printed, will include 24 pages de- voted to timely political and indus- trial articles, as well as historical and cultural features. Other articles by Earl Browder, C. A. Hathaway, Jack Stachel, Sam Don and others, will deal with every important phase of the class strug- gle, in the United States and inter- nationally, probing with Marxist clarity the world situation today. the effect that he is looking very hard I> Mr eR and his kidnap- | pers. Members of the Daily Worker staff have also yvepared a number of outstanding contributions, all of which are to appear in this care- fully-prepared edition. In addition to the special articles, the full page contributed by “Trud,” central organ of the Soviet trade unions, will do much to acquaint American workers with the prob- Jems and tasks and achievements of Soviet workers living and work- ing in the land of the dictatorship of the proletariat. All the usual Daily Worker fea- tures will appear in this enlarged edition, including the regular col- umns, “Change the World!”, “In the Home,” “Dr. Luttinger Advises,” etc. Sender Garlin fans are advised that, whether he writes the “Change the World!” column or not, a feature article by him will surely appear in the May Day edition. The same holds true for Michael Gold—this for the benefit of the Gold rooters. Little time remains to send greet- ings and to order bundles of this edition. The deadline for greetings, both individual and from organiza- tions, is April 22. The last day for orders is April 24, Send in both immediately to in- tion ever published by the Daily Workerd Illinois Miners and CWA | Workers Unitein Demand For Jobs and Cash Relie |guns and 100 police and special | and hundreds of blacklisted miners | ——-—* Meet to Discuss Extending Strike | |BOSSES ARE BOLDER. | Smith Looks io A as Way of Ditching Strike (Special to the Daily Worker.) DETROIT, April 16.—The strik- | ing tool ¢nd die makers, organized in the Mechanics Educational So- ciety, will meet tonight in meetings to discuss ways and means how to consolidate and extend their strike. Local manufatturers who pre- viously announced their willingness to grant the demands of the strik- ers are now backing out. They are taking comfort in the open an- nouncement of the A. F. of L. lead- ers following the Pontiac secret conference outlawing strike strug- gles for higher wages and shorter hours. e Men in Berlin Plants Fight ‘For Thalmann Mass OpemAie Meeting in New York City for Thursday Night NEW YORK. — An open-air mass meeting in defense of Ernst Thaelmann, imprisoned and tor- tured leader of the German Com- munist Party, will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday night on 86th St., between Lexington and Third Aves., in the heart of the section of New York claimed by the Na- zis. Th2 meeting is calied by the Anti-Fascist Action, a united front of organizations with a na- tional membership of 100,000. | wr are BERLIN, April 1 (By Mail).—In spite of the terror dominating Hit- jler Germany, the revolutionary |workers distributed among the workers employed by the firms of |Bergmann, Borsig, and General | Electric Co, Henningsdorf, a leafiet | with the following appeal: | “Form Thaelmann Committees! | “Shot while attempting to escape! | This empty pretext is still spread abroad by the fascist press. We | know very well how in January 1919 | Karl Liebknecht was ‘shot whilst | attempting to escape.’ He was driven | into the Tiergarten, forced with | blows to alight from the car, let go a short distance, and shot down from behind. “In the same way four Commu- nists were recently murdered: John Scheer, Steinfurth, Schwarz, Schoenhaar. Workers! Put an end to these murders, organize mass re- sistance! “The Thaelmann Committee calls! | Thaelmann, the leader of the Ger- man working class, and hundreds of (Continued on Page 2) Lynch Mob Burns Effigy of Negro in Colorado Springs | Police, Boss Press Incite Chauvinist Orgy by College Students COLORADO SPRINGS, April 16. —In a wild lynch orgy incited by police attempts to pin an assault charge on George Williams, a Ne- gro worker, Colorago college stu- dents milled about the county Jail; last night, shouting for the lynch- ing of Williams. They later burned an effigy of a Negro worker in the streets. Wholesale arrests of Negroes “on| suspicion” created a tense situation “unidentified Negroes” on two col- lege students, Georgia Lindley, 22, daughter of a wealthy Longview, Texas, oil family, and James O'Brien, 19, of “Colorado Springs. O'Brien told police that he and Miss Lindsey had been picked up in front of the girl’s home and taken for a ride by “two Negroes,” and beaten into unconsciousness. Physi- clans who examined Miss Lindsey | tion spread by the capitalist pve: [in their reports of the attack, and, following an attack allegedly by two) The main demands of the strik- jing men are: 20 per cent increase {in wages, the 56-hour week, and junion recognition. The strike in- | volves 84 shops which have re- \fused to grant the demands of the | Tool ind Die Makers | (Special to the Daily Worker) DETROIT, April 16—J. Wilson, National Organizer of the Auto Workers Union, issued the fol- lowing statement on the action of the conference of officials and de- partmental representatives of the A. F. fo L. unions of the Central states, “The statement of the decision of the A. F. of L. officials headed by Green and Collins, outlawing the workers is another link in the chain which the A. F. of L. offi- cials have been forging together with the companies to throttle the real union organization and the struggle of the workers. “This statement comes upon the heels of the Motor Products strike snuffed, suppressed by intimidation, | strikers. of the right of every rank and file | worker. Their statement comes as The danger of compulsory arbi- | | jtratio: lurked from a statement jmade by Mathew Smith, general secretary cf the Mechanics Educa- tional Society. In a statement pub- lished in today’s local press, Smith stated that “the issue has trans- lated itself into the matier of our fundamental right to o.ganize un- der the N.R.A. All the power and resources of this Society will be | used to insure that the rizhts given |us under Section 7-A are not taken away.” | Smith endorses Section 1-A, which now is openly admitted, that | the “right to organize” isthe right to force company unions upon the workers. It is this, now infamous, Section 7-A of the N.R.A. which was used by the auto manufactur- ers to develop company unions and | break the recent threatened gen- eral strike in the auto industry. To indorse Section 7-A, particu- jlarly now while the tool and die makers are out on strike, opens the door for arbitration by the Auto- mobile Labor Board, which was cre- ated by the manufacturers to de- ceive the workers and to break the strike struggles for better condi- |tions. Many a worker will begin to ask why Smith made his statement just at the very moment when | Strik strikes and adopting a policy of re-| lying upon the Automobile Labor| Board to adjust the grievances of| to abolish the manifold grievances} Auto Workers Unien Nails a result of the ever-pressing desire of the workers to use stri’ while production goes on, to assert and in order to e their unions and check the e3 tion in the industry. TI no s statement is a direct stabi Ke ing in the back of the strike of the tool ar die makers and of Michigan Sti It gives a club into the hands of the companies, the company unions, the employers and their press to keep the workers in suppression and to throttle the strike movement “The workers can expect nothing from the Automobile Labor Board. The first act of the Board was to bar unionism in the piant. Their second act was to put-over a sell- out agreement of the Nash ers in Wisconsin, which the worke: | themselves rejected. Smith Lauds N.R.A. “In this connection, the workers which the A. F. of L. officials |of the M. E. S. A. must be told) |to guard against any policy which (Continued on Page 2) ek Shat Ala. Goal Fields; Spread to Glove, Rayon Plants, Street Cars Pledge Aid To Roosevelt Board Against Surging Strike Demand | Offer Cooperation to Auto Board at Secret Pontiae Confab Indignation Runs High in Flint and Pontiac By SAM DON (Special to the Daily Worker) DETROIT, April 16. — The top officials of the American Federation of Labor in the au- tomobile industry officially outlawed all strike action in edged full co- strike-breaking ; the mobile Labor Board set up by President Roosevelt, This decision was made at a con- n fe e held § senta inday at Pontiac wi s present from cals in Ohio, Indiana, Wisco: Michigan. The conference was behind closed doors. The action of the A. F. of L strong arm methods and violation| follows in the footsteps of the A.| ‘€@ders to outlaw strikes in the auto industry is timed with the pr strike of the tool and die ma who are organized into Mechs Educational Society. With present announcement the A. F. L. leaders also hope to compel militant iking tool and ers to submit to the comp bitration of the Automobile Labor Board. The A. F. of L. leaders out to knife the striking tool die makers in the back. This “no strike” edict and nt the call. for submission to compulsory | Viscose Co Orders Out the Police, Deputies | Against Strikers Schell, to drive away strike pickets in front of the plant. Special dep- uties were hurriedly sworn in by Sheriff Charles C. Duck, but they failed to terrorize the strikers. The strike started at the Lewis- ton plant, and spread to Marcus Hook, Pa., and other plants. This morning the acetate yarn unit in Meadville, Pa. struck. The strike is |Green and Collins endorsed all ac- | jtions of the Automobile Labor |Board and outlawed strikes in the ‘auto industry. Minn. City Council Backs Down on Its Promise : to Jobless Votes for Forced Labor; Buys Additional Tear Gas MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., April 16.— One week after the demonstration |of 20,000 jobless workers forced the City Council to endorse all the de- mands of the unemployed and fired C. W. A. workers, the city politicians came together and repudiated their promises. On April 6, they voted to condemn the R. W. A. forced labor schemes, and on April 13 they voted funds with which to carry it on. In an attempt to force this | starvation scheme down the throats ,of the militant Minneapolis jobless, | they voted $800 to buy more tear gas |and additional funds for a gross of | Hong nights‘icks for the police. | Council Unanimous Against } Workers This about face was made by the City Council without a dissenting vote. While three of the Farmer- |Labor aldermen were in Washing- |ton, the other Farmer-Labor alder- |men, Peterson, Miller, Gisslen, etc., |Woted the measure. This action is in line with the statement of Farmer-Labor Governor Floyd B. Olsen that he favors “justice taking its course,” thereby placing his ap- proval on the clubbing of the work- ers, and starvation for the unem- ployed, Chamber of Commerce Cracks Whip The sudden change in the action of the City Council was dictated by a session of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and Realtors held on the previous night, where the chairman of the relief board, Joseph, appealed for help, and, of course, received full support. They elected a committee of three to “organize the better class of } citizens” behind the city government jand the chief of police, whom the jobless and C. W. A. workers want _ received from the Chamber of Com- imerce, impeached. The Farmer-Labor al- | sure the most successful special edi-| today exploded the “rape” implica-|dérmen acted on the instructions under the leadership of the United Textile Workers Union. Workers at Parkersburgh, W. Va., voted to join the strike, but William F. Kelly, union leader, declared he was “given authority” whether to call the strike or not. Strike sentiment is rising at the Tubize Chatillon Corporation, and at the knitting plant at Hopewell, Va., involving 1,800 workers. They | charge union members have been discriminated against. Viscose Company Officials are threatening the workers that the plant will be closed down indefinite- ly if they do not return to work in three days. The strike started when the com- pany changed the lunch period at | the soda plant. The workers were forced to eat their lunch in relays in order to keep up the speed-up in the plant. The workers demand the old lunch schedule and an end of the stretch-out system. |Report 1,500 Killed in | Major Chaco Battle | LA PAZ, Bolivia, April 16—The | Bolivian government claimed that | 1.500 Paraguayan troops were killed in a major battle for Fort Ballivian, a strategic point in southwest Chaco. Bolivia reported having repulsed a Paraguayan advance. The Para- guayan government said its troops advanced six miles. | Strike of : 4.800 Underwo od ‘Typewriter Co. Workers Looms LEWISTON, Pa.—Superintendent| Tompkins of the Viscose Co., where| Effective mass picketing resulted in|ceptance of the decisions of the 13,000 workers are on strike, ordered the shutting down of four mines, Automobile Labor Board and to chief of the company police, Robert! of the Tennessee Coal and Iron Co,,| “discourage” any strike sentiment .2500 Shenandoah Coal | Miners Strikeio Enforce Wage Agreements BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 16.— | adding 3,500 to the 14,000 on strike |here. A clash took place between | strikers and scabs and two men were hurt. As the 3,500 men walked out, Sheriff J. F. Hawkins immedie‘ely swore in 100 speciai deputy gun | thugs to patrol the area. | With the closing down of the mines in Docena, Hamilton, Edge- | water and Wylam, the strike of the jminers at the Tennessee Coal and | Iron Co. is now made effective. The | bosses fear the strike will spread to | the steel mills. | SHENANDOAH, Pa. April 16.— ; Over 2,500 anthracite miners in | three collieries of the Shenandoah | district struck today. They declared | that the Philadelphia Reading Coal |and Iron Company was not living jup to the wage agreement. The | miners demand that machine mine: | be paid as much as other miners. Omaha Street Car Strike OMAHA, Neb. April 16—The street car system of this city was completely shut down today when | workers on the Omaha and Council | Bluffs Street Railway Company struck today. ar’ tration is the answer of the A. F. of L. leadership to the in- sistent demand for struggle coming from the rank and file from the newly-organized A. F, of L. loc: Green Wires Conference Wm. Green, who signéd the open | shop “merit clause” in the auto cod |sent a special wire to the confi jence. He urged the complete and action in the auto industry. Green in his telegram urged the workers “to keep their feet on the |ground while the Board is working out its problems.” William Collins, Detroit A. F. of L. auto organizer, the man, who in close collaboration with the open shop auto manufacturers and Reose- velt called off the general strike, again pleaded that the automobile workers should be “patient.” The conference endorsed the Green tele- gram and the strike-breaking plea fo: patience made by Collins The rank and file is becoming in- creasingly dissatisfied with the Automobile Labor Board. The mem- (Continued on Page 2) Wage Cut Protest Strikes Paralyze French Civil Work Workers Stage Short The workers demand recognition | of their union, reinstatement of 10} Stoppages in a 5 to 20 cent an hour increase. | . * Tie Up 200 Gloversville Piants GLOVERSVILLE, N. Y., April 16. |—An effective shut-down of 200 | glove plants in Fulton County was | brought about avhen 3,000 workers | walked out on strike. The strike originated when the | bosses refused to grant the workers’ demanded increases in wages. Strike representatives are to meet | the bosses today to negotiate the | Workers’ demands. By HARRY GANNES (Special to the Daily Worker) HARTFORD, Conn., April 16—A strike in the typewriter industry an industry controlled by capitalists very close to the Roosevelt govern- ment, loomed here when 1,500 Un- derwood Elliot Fisher workers, rep- resenting the sentiment of a ma- jority of the 4,800 listed on the com pany’s payrolls, voted to reject the company’s offer Sunday. This morning’s mass picketing was scheduled at the Pratt and Whitney Aircraft plant to demonstrate to the incoming U. S. Department of Labor strikebreaker, Anna Wein- stock, that the workers mean _busi- ness. Most of the 1,500 aircraft | workers at Hemilton Propeller and | Pratt and Whitney were epee | to be on the picket lines. During the past few months there has been a tremendous. surge for organization among the workers in | Hartford and surrounding territory. ; It is clear the workers are on the | offensive, driving ahead despite all | obstacles. The Connecticut Manvu- . |facturers Association is girding its |forces in an effort to smash the rapid unionization going on, sweep- ling the war industries and the plants counted as A-1 on the War | Department lists as available for |immediate transformation into war producing factories. Underwood Men Want Action | The Underwcod workers came to the Sunday meeting at Governor's | Foot Guard Hall expecting to hear jhe setting of a strike date. But the leadership, which has the con- fidence of the men, being composed entirely of factory workers, has en- meshed itself in a maze of promises and maneuvers of the N. R. A. “A let of young fellows here are shouting for strike,” said Chairman John Orfetelli of the shop commit- (Cont*nued on Page 2) discharged for union activity, and} Many Cities | PARIS, April 16—Civil Service workers of France paralyzed com- | munications and other essential services for periods varying from an hour to all day today in a prelim- inary protest against the wage- slash and mass dismissal program adopted by the Doumergue govern- ment. Telegraph workers, who have been carrying out short daily strikes for a week, carried out a two-hour strike. Long distance «telephone operators walked out at 11:30 a.m. for the day. Waterworks workers came an hour late, and state tobacco work- ers struck for an hour. Other short strikes were carried out throughout the country. Today’s strikes followed a nation- | wide day of demons‘rations yester- day, where in more than 120 cities | hundreds of thousands of workers marched with red flags, singing the International and shouting slogans against the government's starvation program, and against fascism, « News Flash BUFFALO, N. Y., April 16.— Two thoucand striking airplane workers of the Curtiss Plant de- fended thcmselves valiantl when poiice late this afternos « attacked their picket line aroy 44 the plant to let several tratks filled with scabs leaw the grounds. Two workers were arr.sted, The workers and their sympa- thizers had gathered 15 minutes - before the scabs were scheduled to leave the plant re) Ror a TS AN TH ANTE