The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 14, 1934, Page 1

Rush Defense Funds At Once to Offices of the I. L. D. for Only $2,244 has been contributed to date to the $15,000 defense f Angelo Herndon and the Scottsboro boys. ‘und for the appeals of Only 18 days are left. See blank on page four of this issue- Labor Defense, 80 E. Vol. XI, No. 194 <> Rush contributions lith St New York City. te International Daily QWorke CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY U.S.A. (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL ) NEW YORK, TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1934 Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at New York, N. ¥., under the Act of March 8, 1879. WEATHER: Fair, warmer Herndon - Scottsboro Appeals Make This Figure Grow PRESS RUN YESTERDAY. . 42, 400 | (Six Pages) Price 3 Cents MASS FIGHT ON TERROR OPENED IN FRISCO Wallace Approves Price Rise While “Warning Chiselers” Fifty Strike Resolutions Introduced A.F.L. Officials Seek to} Prevent Walkouts From Spreading NEW YORK.— With ap- proximately 560 delegates from 20 states, the National Convention of the United Textile Workers of America opened yesterday in’ the Woodstock Hotel to consider | one paramount question—a decision | on whether or not to declare a strike. homas MacMahon, president of the A. F, of L. textile union, sounded the keynote of the position of the international officers when he de- clared: “We will not be driven to the point where we will lose our balance.” MacMahon and other A. F. of L. leaders were in the opening speeches setting the stage for an at- tempt to prevent the spread of tex- tile strikes which already dot the country. The strength of the pressure for a goncral strike in the industry can be seen from the fact that more than 50 separate resolutions were introduced into the convention de- manding a general strike. Most of these resolutions were in- troduced by Southern delegates. There is a large bloc of Southern delegates who are determined to take an aggressive stand for a gen- eral strike. There are already many individual strikes in Alabama and throughout the South. An indication of the fact that the textile workers throughout the ccuntry are eyeing this convention and expecting a decision for strug- gle is seen in the telegram sent to MacMahon by E. B. Newberry, U. T. W. organiber in Columbus, Georgia, where two strikers were recently murdered while picketing. Newberry telegraphed to the con- vention: “After conferring with the Com- missioners of the Department of Labor, they advised that I con- tact you immediately for counsel to prosecute the murderers, as it is impossible to get justice from local attorneys. City police are planning to pin the murder on one of our boys and we have thirty-two eye-witnesses to tragedy. Please advise at once.” MacMahon declared that the exec- utive board would meet between sessions and decide on an answer. The A. F. of L. leaders who spoke attempted to convince the delegates that the N.R.A. and the government represent their interests and oppose the employers. Bill Mahoney, general organizer for the A. F. of L. in New York, who praised the N.R.A., as well as John Van Vernevick, of the Cigarmakers International, James Quinn, secre- tary of the Central Trades and La- (Continued on Page 2) Negro Dockers Strike In Defense of Leaders \Fired for Organizing ST. LOUIS, Mo., Aug. 13.—Kighty Negro stevedores ‘organized into a local of the Marine Workers Indus- trial Union two weeks ago are win- ning their labor spurs in a strike agcinst the Mississippi Barge Line ‘being brought to Ashland, for what FARM ASHLAND, Miss., Aug. 13—Two Negro farm: laborers, in the cus- tody of law officers, were murdered today by lynchers in different sec- tions of Benton County, ‘The murdered men were arrested on “suspicion” in connection with the mysterious murder of Connie Gillespie, a white plantation own- er, several weeks ago. .They were law officers characterized “spedy hearings and trial.” Sheriff R. H. Hudspeth stated after the lynchings that he had ordered the workers brought here in separate automobiles over sepa- as HANDS ARE LYNCHED motor cars was supposed to have been secret. The deputies’ story is that they were “overpowered” by the mobs. The 2 lynch groups, small in num- ber and riding in automobiles, brought the prisoners into Michi- gan City. They erected a noose on the outskirts of the city. A small crowd gathtered. A masked man stood on the hun- ning board of an automobile, count- ed “one-two-three” and the Ne- groes were hoisted to a limb. Sheriff. Hudspeth, asked if there would be an invesiigation of the double lynching, said he “will talk to the County prosecutor about it rate highways. The route of the at the first opportunity.” Competition 'HE ink had scarcely dried on the first copy of yesterday's Daily Worker when the challenge to Dis- trict Socialist competition was snapped up by New York. Shouting over the roar of the Red Press, Harry Lichtenstein, Daily Worker agent for District 2, hurled out the following: “District competition? We'll eat it up! We have only twice the population of Chicago and five times her quota, but watch our smoke.” Although they have not had time to reply, we know that our other 25 Districts are going to have some- thing to say about this end in un- mistakable language. The fact of the matter is that a gocd many Dis- tricts have been saying things lately and they haven't just been talking numbers. For example, 11 cities and towns by Districts Stirs ‘Daily’ Drive Action started new bundle orders last Sat- urday, totaling 163 daily copies. Ten cities and towns increased their or- ders by 37 copies on the same date. That shows action, and action is what makes the bell ring on the Daily Worker circulation machine. Walks 9 Miles to Sell “Daily” Over in Tounville, Pa., Mike Ka- tulich writes the kind of letter that makes us think the new reader quota should have been 40,000 in- stead of a mere 20,000. Says Mike: “I received your papers and sold them at three cents a paper and I had to walk nine miles to sell them, but I don’t mind it because I know that I'm opening up these farmers’ brains... . years and I am living on a farm. My father is a Red since 1914. That (Continued on Page 2) Pickets Call for Release of Ordoqui NEW YORK.—Car-ying placards demanding the immediate release of Joaquin Ordoqui, imprisoned Cuban working class leader, a small but steady line of pickets paraded back and forth before 17 Baitezy Pl., the huge building in*which the Cuban consulate has its offices. Forming at 12 o'clock noon, the pickets kept their line unbroken all day, new recruits continually arriving to relieve those who had been in the line for more than an hour. While they marched back and forth before the building, one of the workers waiting for a placard went up to the Consulate offices on the eleventh floor and left a leaflet on Ordoqui’s case with one of the consul aids, Foster Urges Protest Urging the intensification of the campaign for Ordoqui, William Z. Foste:, general secretary of the Trade Union Unity League, and out- standing American working class leader, yesterday issued the follow- ing statement: hi The strike was called by a cus ond unhesitating vote after two of the leaders of the union were discharged for their activities. A small number of white men work- ing as cargo checkers also joined the strike. Besides reinstatement of the dis- charged leaders, the men are de- manding a 15-cent increase to bring their wages to 50 cents an hour; pay for all enforced idle time after they have reported for work; an eight-hour day and eight hours pay if held on call for that period; time and a half for overtime; workers’ contzol of hiring and handling ex- tras and recoznition of deck com- mittees. The Unemployed Council has of- fered its headquarters for the use of the strike and the Trade Unior Unity League and the Communisi Party are mobilizing macs support. on the vicket lines and for relief. ‘The rants of the strikers remain pane and militant. “The Cuban National Con- federation of Labor which has been able to penetrate the most basic and strategic positions in industry, grouping over 300,000 workers, has led, especially during the last year, together with the arrest and persecution of Joaquin Ordoqui, its Secretary General, is in fact a blow against the Con- federation of Labor, that is, against the entire working class of Cuba. “Ia behalf of the revolutionary movemert of Cuba, I appeal to all the workers of the United States, organized and unorganized —cmpioyed and unemployed—to join the campaign for the un- conditional and safe release of Joaquin Ordoqui and all the class war prisoners in Cuba.” Picketing will be resumed at 10 a. m, today, a \ Plans Are Set for Herndon Mass Meeting NEW YORK.—Angelo Herndon, who will make his first public ap- pearance since the tumultuous mass welcome given him on his arrival from a Georgia prison hell, tomor- row night at Rockland Palace, 155th St. and Eighth Ave., is gratified that the first meeting he will address in this city will be in upper Harlem. “The lessons of my frame-up and the partial victory won in my case by the solidarity of Negro and white workers must be brought home to the Negro masses,” the heroic Negro organizer declared I am a boy of nine} Telegraph Men Strike State Employes Are Led By Revolutionary Union Opposition (Special to the Daily Worker) HAVANA, Aug. 13.—Three thou- sand workers, employed in the mail and government telegraph service, are solidly out on strike throughout the island, openly accepting the leadership of the revolutionary op- position of the Telegraphers’ Asso- ciation. In a strike assembly of 1,000 in Havana, the strike vote was taken as the government manew ed to protect the Machadistas (supporters of Machado) by closing public of- fices for three days. The strike committee of 40 was directly elected, stating in its first bulletin its open adhesion to the line of the opposition of telegraphists. Before abandoning their posts the telegraphers wired the entire island to spread the strike immediately. The strikers carried. off all bulbs and strategic mechanical parts in the apparatus. The government is unable to reestablish the service with the military technical corps to this hour. Secretary of Communications Sua- rez was driven from the strikers’ as- sembly when he pleaded for a re- turn to work on the basis that the strike is against the government, A special telegraph service from Camp Columbia, headquarters of Batista, to the Presidential Palace, has been broken, Over 100 strikers volunteered for the special picket committee which has begun to act, crippling the com- munication lines. There are no strikebreakers, The demands include old ae Te- tirement pension, hiring wages at level of 1929, fi Machadistas, and against arbitr: discharge, Relief Teacher Fired Because Children She Fed Had No Food Slips NEW YORK.—Because she gave food to hungry, undernourished children although they had no food tickets, Sylvia Ettinger, lunchroom supervisor at P. S, 36, Brooklyn, was dismissed without notice by Board of Education officials. Such behavior the officials char- acterized as “insubordination and inefficiency.” Actually it is an at- tack on the Associated Office and Professional Emergency Employees, of whom Sylvia Ettinger is a member and against whom the Board of Education heads have been conducting a campaign, and on the workers of the neighborhood and their children, Yesterday Alexander Taylor, exec- utive secretary of the A.O.P.EE. filed an appeal with Frederick I. Daniels, State Relief Administrator (Continued on Page 2) charging discrimination against A.O.P.E.E, employees. o 3,000 Cuban: Crop Slash to Continue Next Year Roosevelt Is Forced to| Discuss Demands for | Farm Relief | WASHINGTON, Aug. 13.—The Roosevelt government today was finally forced to take official rec-| ognition of the tremendous profits! which are being reaped by Wall] Street food monopolies and grain} speculators resulting from the un-| precedented crop destruction of the | A. A. A. and the drought. Roosevelt is conferring with | aids on the drought crisis. The appalling misery in the coun- | ide is also compelling velt government to cons! taking some relief actions. To the| present moment, Roosevelt has ap- propriated only $225,000,000 to re- | lieve a situation which has caused | at least $5,000,000,000 damage, ac- | cording to the estimates of Roose- velt’s personal observer in the drought area, Lawrence Westbrook, administrator of the F. E- R. A. But the recognition of the food gouging that is already taking place and which will rise rapidly to chisel another slice out of every worker's pay envelope has taken only the form of the vaguest promises that the government will not permit the Wall Street monopolies to profit “unfairly.” This, of course, will not give the slightest help or protection to a single worker’s household, which will have to pay whatever the monopolies ask. In addition, Roosevelt's Secre- tary of Agriculture Wallace has already given his approval in ad- vance to profiteering and gouging food prices by his “warning” that a “rise in the price of bread, milk and butter cannot be 2yoided.” In addition, Wallace is mobilizing e government machinery to pre- vent any increase in next year’s; crops that. will endanger the mon- opoly grip on the country’s food) supply. Wallace is determined that there shall not be any substantial increase in crops. The extortionate processing taxes which have been levied on farm products will again be levied this year. They will take out of the pockets of the ciiy consumers more than $500,000,000. This enormous sum is what the city consumers pay to sub- sidize the crop destruction which in turn sends prices upward, 2 Pickets Get 2 Days in Bronx Bread Strike NEW YORK.—Mary Brown and Yetta Kutis, two pickets in the Grossfeld Bakery bread strike at 180th St. between Vyse and Daly ‘Aves., Bronx, were sentenced yes- terday to two days each on the fake charge of “disorderly con- duct.” The cases of twelve other work- ers arrested for picketing Gross- feld’s Bakery were postponed until today at ten o'clock in the 161s‘! St- and Washington Ave. court. aaa heal APP AN EDI ITH but 18 days remaini peals Funds Needed! | TORIA L——————__ ing in which to file the ap- peals for Angelo Herndon and the Scottsboro boys, | only $2,244 of the required $15,000 has been raised. Monday, only $51 was received by the International Labor Defense for the Herndon-Scottsboro appeal fund. While Herndon is out on bail, his complete freedom | ‘The threat of the chain ga mn ruling class still hangs over this | has not yet been achieved. barbarous vengeance of the Southe: heroic young leader of the working The working class of America won his release on bail by their mass protests against the attempt by their mass demands for his re! and of the class and the Negro masses. to murder him on the chain gang, lease, and by providing the $15,000 “TEXTILE WORKERS AT CONVENTION DEMAND STRIKE ® TWO NEGRO of tees er Strike Won | Delegates Prepare a Big | Mass Meeting in | Auditorium On | (Special to the Daily Worker) SAN . FRANCISCO, Aug. 13.—Imprisoned workers who |were on a hunger strike cash bond to rescue him from the chain gang pending the carrying | again iserable treatme of the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. 8 st m abl treatment The fight for his complete freedom depends upon the further de- velopment of the mass fight, and two cases are indissolubly obtaining in the South. The fight youths must be pushed with the ut The Daily Worker played a dec Herndon’s release on bail. The aise funds for the appeal for Herndon and the Scottsboro boys. linked tog mass support of the campaign to The her under the te: conditions fo) t iom of these ten Negro role in the campaign to y Worker today appeals secure Da for a speeding up of the drive to raise the $15,000 fund upon which the ap- peals depend. Rush contributions Defense, 80 E. 11th St., New York City. at once to the International Labor Every delay hampers the fight for the complete freedom of Herndon and the release of the Scottsboro boys. ENGLISH NEWSPAPER REPORTS TOWARD LONDON, Aug. 13.—Severe mis- treatment, which includes beatings with whips, is meted out to Ernst ‘Thaelmann, imprisoned Communist leader of the German working | class, is the latest report published | in the Manchester Guardian, fam- cus English paper. ‘The report states: “The latest tactic of the Ger- man authorities in dealing with Ernst Thaelmann is to transfer him from one prison cell to an- other continuously. He has been severely mistreated, being hit a number of times with whips. This treatment is aimed to break him down, to weaken his resistance.” All delegations are refused per- mission to visit Thaelmann or get any information as to his where- abouts or health, Enraged by the thousands of let- ters that come every day to Thael- mann, the Nazi authorities refuse to disclose whether Thaelmann is given any of his mail. But all postal receipts are signed only by the Nazi warden of the Moabit prison in Eerlin. BRUTALITY THAELMANN The demand for Thaelmann’s re- lease continues to grow throughout the world: Intensified protest is urged and the arrangement of protest meet- ings and demonstretions are vital |now tha Hitler's propa- planning a ni French Delogation PARIS,—A_ workers delegation composed of one transport worker, & postal worker, a building trades worker and a student, which was elected to visit Thaelmann at the recent Wagram mass meeting of 8,000 in Paris, has left for Berlin. Pies weer Anti-Nazi Meetings in Portsmouth LONDON. — The German war cruisers, Konigsborg and Weipzig, paid a visit to the British war har- bor at Portsmouth. Meetings against fascism end war were organized by the Portsmouth population, and leaflets were distributed, addressed to the German sailors and all workers. 1,000 Relief Workers at Bridgeport Rally BRIDGEPORT, Aug. 13. — One thousand workers met this after- noon at Washington Park at a mass meeting called by the Re- lief Workers Union. At least 700 are out today, the strike commit- tee estimates. Vital Issues for Workers to Face A.F.L. Convention Strength of Organized Rank and File Will Be Decisive By CARL REEVE The date for the national con- vention of the American Federa- tion of Labor, to take place at San Francisco on Oct. 1, draws near The unemployed members of the A. F. of L. will bring to this con- vention the problem of their right to live, made more acute by the relief cuts of recent months. The members of the A. F. of L. will present all of the questions grow- ing out of their sweeping strike wave—struggles which ere aimed to beat back the N.R.A. offensive of the Roosevelt government against them. What will be the answer of Will- iam Green and his officialdom to these life or death questions with which the members of the A. F. of L. are now grappling? At a time when jay-offs are in- creasing. William Green continues e his campaign against the Workers Unemployment Insurance Bill. ‘Through the years Green’s policy on social insurance has been ex- actly the same as the policy of the United States imperialist govern- ment, a program of refusal to grant federal unemployment insurance. Green has from time to time used just that amount of demagogy, ad- vocating “unemployment insurance” in general, which he considered necessary to hoodwink the in- creasingly restive rank and file. But , like Roosevelt, advocates only those “reserves” measures such as the Wagner-Lewis bill which give the totally unemployed no benefits and hold the threat of blacklist as the penalty for mili- tancy over those at work. For Jobless Insurance Opposed to William Green's policy will be the rank and file workers, led by the Rank and File A. F. of L Committee for Unem- ployment Incurance and_ Relief. Hundreds cf thoussnds of A. F. of L. members, and ‘ral thousand }local unions have already de- manded that William Green sup- port the Workers Unemployment end Social Insurance Bill. The Workers Bill is the only bill before ine workers which applies to all unemployed without discrimination, which holds the federal government responsible for the unemployed, which cails for taxing corporations and using war funds for the unem- ployed, The Strike Wave Green has also given ample evi- dence of where he stands on the problems growing out of the strike waye. At the convention of the A. F. of L. steel union on June 14, and earlier, in the setting up of the Auto Labor Board, Green repeated that the policy of the A. F. of L. was a pelicy of “industrial peace.” He declared that the A. F. of L. ealls strikes “only as a last resort.” In the marine industry as well he attempted to prevent strikes, and after they were called, Green sent out instructions to the Central Labor bodies forbidding them to spread the strike. He disowned and attacked the San Francisco general AF.L. Bureaucracy Has Constant Anti-Labor Policy strike as unauthorized, and attacked all sympathy strikes as harmful, declaring there is no chance of winning them. Green's stand on strikes, and his practice, is based on the claim that the interests of the workers, the employers and the government are the same, Green Betrayed Strikers’ Demands Why does Green oppose strikes? Because the A. F. of 1. official- dom is merged comp’c:: y with the Roosevelt, employers’ ~overnment, being active members on N. R. A. boards, and advoca‘ing the same) policies. Because his machine cts as the agent of the employers in the ranks of labor. The fact that Green’s policy of no struggle” has proven harmful (Continued. on Page 3) Paris Parley Group Arrives NEW YORK.—Mother Ella Reeve | Bloor sent the following radio mes- sage yesterday to the American League Against War and Fascism. “ABOARD THE S.S. ILE DE FRANCE—Fourtteen delegates re- turning New York Thursday from Women’s World Anti-War Con- gress in Paris bringing message ot imternational solidarity of struggle against war and fascism to American working class. Euro- pean women send greetings to women of United States.” (Signed) BLOOR. On receipt of the message the American League declared: “The importance of greeting these delegates at Pier 57 when the Ile de France docks, is that of demon- strating to the war mongers that the women of’ America stand be- tween them and their plans to throw American men and boys into war to protect the profits of the industrialists.” The exact hour of the boat’s arrival may be had by calling the French Line, Chelsea 3-6000 on Wednesday morning, and organizations carrying their ban- ners will greet the delegates at the | pier, A mass rally will be held August 24 at Webster Hall, 7:30 p.m., with Mother Bloor, militant farm repre- sentative, and Equila McKeithen, representing 8,000 sharecroppers in Alabama as speakers, in reporting on the work of the Congress. ‘ Here Thursday, |ended their fast Sunday after winning better food, blankets and other concessions, but not lowering of bail. The we been arrested in the fascist following the general st and are being held on vagrency jarges In Sacramento, the trial of 26 workers arrested on vagrancy charges continues. The City Coun- cil has hired a special prosecutor, Vigilantes have threatened to at- tack Defense Attorney O'Hara of the International Labor Defense. Pat Chambers, Caroline Decker and several other imprisoned workers are defending themselves in court. Conference Plans Mass Meeting Meanwhile new steps in the fight jageinst the anti-working class ter- |ror here were mapped yesterday hen 55 delegates from unicns, fraternal organizations and church groups met at a provisional confer- ence on workers’ rights. The dele- gates formed a large committee, made plans for a broader confer- ence on Aug. 26, and announced that they would call a monster mass meeting soon in the City Audi- | tooriumm. The delegates declared they would take legal steps through a committee of a s if the city jTefuses the use of this auditorium, Actions decided upon at the p: visional conf | tionwide campa o ¢ | societies in connection with the ar- rest of Dr. Franklin Bissel on @ trumped-up technicality. Dr. Bis- sel, sent by the International La- bor Defense to examine the health of imprisoned workers on hunger strike, was arrested and is being held on $500 cash bail, charged with not being registered in this county. Dr. Bissel is demanding a jury trial. All medical groups through the country are being urged to rush protests to Judge Steiger, Hall of Justice, San Francisco. Vigilantes Identified Workers of Richmond have iden- tified many vigilantes, including the attorney of the Standard Oil cor- poration and a member of the City Council, Others have been identi- fied here and elsewhere. The thugs in all cases were directly led by the police. Signature collectors have been | called before the grand jury for to- | night in a drive to take the Com- munist Party off the ballot. Street meetings still are being attacked and broken up. It is obvious that | the authorities are making a strong concerted effort to keep the work- jing class movement here on its present semi-legal basis. A fight was reporied looming in the convention of the American Legion concerning the reactionary advertisements placed in papers by Legion leaders during the strike. Rumors indicate that there will be yowerful opposition to the anti- radical and deportation resolutions to be presented by leaders of the Legion tonight, | Leading Functionaries Will Meet Tomorrew A meeting of leading function- aries and bureaus of Communist Party fractions in revolutionary unions will be held tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. at the Workers Center. A mat- ter of the greatest importance to the movement will be taken up at this meeting. The District Secre- tariat urges all leading comrades and all fraction bureau members to come to this meeting promptly. This meeting has been called for this early hour so that it will not interfere with the Angelo Herndon mass meeting in Rockland Palzce. It will, therefore, begin promptly and every comrade is reauested t¢ cooperate by coming on time. A Red Builder on every busy street corner in the country means a tremendous step toward the dictatorship of the aula Ree — na nnatendemncamrainindletainli: Was. \