The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 31, 1934, Page 1

| | | | | | | | | ) Young Workers Will Take Part Tomorrow in International Youth Daily .QWorker CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY U.S.A. (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL) Only $5,056 has been contributed to date to the Herndon-Scottsboro $15,000 appeal and defense fund. — Funds are urgently needed for day-to-day ex- penses. Rush funds to International Labor Defense, 80 E. 11th St., N. Y. Vol. XI, No. 209 Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at New York, N. ¥., under the Act of March 8, 1879. >_> NEW YORK, FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1934 IMMEDIATE Yesterday's Receopts Total te Date Success of $60,000 Drive lacie Day Demonstrations FUNDS Re Sees $120.04 $1,160.77 WEATHER: Fair, warmer. Price 3 Cents TEXTILE STRIKE ON TOMORROW Japanese Paper Tells ot Nazi-Polish Anti- Soviet War Pact ® | Matelinein For Attack Provéesiinna Are Aimed at U.S.S.R. Consul in Pogranichnaya (Special to the Dally Worker) MOSCOW, Aug. 30 (By Wireless). — A secret war agreement has been signed be- tween Germany and Poland for joint attack with Japan against the Soviet Union, says a cable to the Japanese news- paper Asahi, from its London cor- respondent. This sensational dispatch from London states “that an influential person, well acquainted with the situation, exposed the existence of a secret agreement between Ger- many and Poland regarding a joint attack on the U.S.S.R. in case of a Japanese-Soviet war.” The Japanese newspaper remarks that considering the presence of a united front of Germany and Poland on the question of an East- erm Locarno pact, the changing situation of Europe, and also the coming U.S.S.R. entrance into the League of Nations “it is hard to deny the fact that some secret dip- lomatic» steps in connection with Japan-Soviet relations have been undertaken in Europe.” Investia Comments menting on this report, writes: “Asahi is acting in the rather ser of secret war preparations, “However, the demonstration seems strange only at first glance. It is sufficient at least superficially to acquaint oneself with recent in- formation in the Japanese press in order to understand that press is charged by “some circles” daily to inspire the Japanese readers with the idea that it is not the aggressive Japano-Manchurian circles who are preparing ot attack the USSR. | | | | Is Denounced Izvestia, Soviet newspaper, com- | By Thompson Campaign Is ‘Major Charen’ Papers Call f° I. W. O., Asserts Bedacht NEW YORK, Aug. 30—Refusing to be outdone by the Chicago branches, which raised their quota from $500 to $1,200—and promised to get more—in the Daily Worker drive for $60,000, the New York branches of the International Workers Order yesterday challenged the Chicago branches to a Socialist competition! Enthusiastically, Nathan Shaffer, secretary of the City Central Committee, prophesied that not only $3,500—the branches’ quota— would be raised, but the membership would bring more than $4,000 into the “Daily” fund. The Daily Worker, hailing this latest example of working-class enterprise, urges that collections be taken up at tonight’s meetings, the drive fully discussed and the money sent immediately. “THIS campaign must be a major concern to us, members of the In- ternational Workers Order,” is the theme of a ringing appeal is- sued by Max Bedacht, general secretary of the I. W. O. on the $60,- 000 drive of the Daily Worker. “The Daily Worker is the only English paper in the United States opening its columns to the appeals and reports and propa- ganda of the International Workers Order,” continues the state- ment. “The Daily Worker is truly our own paper.” “Your branch must become part of the local machinery set up by the Daily Worker for this campaign. If a local Daily Worker Com- mittee exists, or is being established, your branch should by all means be represented. It sheuld be represented not merely by a delegate. It should become an integral part of the local Daily Worker machinery. The members of the branch should circulate the collection lists not only among their fellow-workers in the shop and neighborhood where they live, but they should also participate in those collective actions or- ganized by the local Daily Worker Committee. “Comrades: We are now entering our campaign to build the Order to 75,000 members . . the press of the working class, and foremost in this press, our Daily Worker, will help us. For us to help the Daily Worker in this drive, therefore, is part of the necessary action to carry out our drive successfully.” ’|WagesAreCut By U.S. Steel And Republic Nazi ‘Court | i | | | BERLIN, Aug. 30.—Bitterly as- sailing the so-called “People’s Court” of the Nazis, W. O. Thomp- son, noted American lawyer here on a visit, yesterday condemned the fascist tribunal as a “star cham- ber.” Thompson, a former law partner of Clarence Darrow and a former member of the N. R. A. Re- view Board in the United States, voiced his criticism in an interview here on the eve of the trial of 15/ but that the U.S.S.R. is preparing | Young Communists on the charge of to attack Japan or Manchuria. And that in case of such a conflict, the military task of Japan will be ex- tremely easy, particularly because Japan is not alone, and military assistance will be rendered her either by England or Germany and Poland, or by all of them together. Seek to Hide Bsolation “Thus they try to conceal from the readers the fact that never be- fore has the adventurous policy of ageressive Japanese circles led to such complete moral isolation of Japan in world public opinion as of late.‘ “However, the Asahi’s sensational | report is also deserving of attention | in another sense, It is interesting to note that the negative attitude of the Polish and German press to- wards the idea of an Eastern pact is serving, by the way, as a pretext to convince Japanese public opinion of ‘the presence of a secret agree- ment between Germany and Poland in case of a Soviet-Japanese war.” Prepare Attack on Soviet Consul (Special to the Daily Worker) MOSCOW, Aug. 30 (By Wireless) —Aggressive and provocative acts of Japanese-Manchurian military circles are concentrated more and more around the Soviet Consulate at Pogranichnaya station, Man- churia, reports from Harbin state. Absurd and slanderous charges are being made against the Soviet consulate, and personally against Consul Stelmakh. These accusations are evidently made to serve as an excuse for further provocative action. The newspaper ‘“Harbinskoye Vremia,” a white guardist shect, financed by Japanese imperialisis, yesterday reported sensational in- structions for, “organization of train wrecks received by Hunghuize bandits from certain extra-terri- torial institutions at Pegranichnaya station.” The white guard paper “Hun Pao,” deciphering these instruc- . tions, does not hesitate to write openly about “participation of some Soviet consulates in Manchukuo,” in undermining + state activities and alleges “the role of the consulate at Pogranichnaya station, headed by Consul Stelmakh, is especially out- standing.” Hope for Conflict In the light of this campaign, the search made yesterday by Man- churian police detachments at the Pogranichnaya station local club of the Chinese Eastern Railwaymen (Continued on Page 2) | a “high treason.” The case of the young workers, who are charged with preparing a civil war, is believed here to be pre- liminary to the trial of Ernst Thaelmann, imprisoned leader of the Communist Party. Thompson, who attacked not only the court methods of the Hitlerites but also the concentration camps, called it “a ghastly joke” that three of the five members of the ‘“Peo- ple’s Court” sitting on the bench should be Nazis who have already engaged in physical combat with | workers in an attempt to crush the Communist Party of Germany. UNION THREATENS STRIKE NEW YORK. — The Jewelry Workers Union, Local 17 (A. F. of L.), announced yesterday a general strike would be called in the trade where the workers are on strike, if Fall and Kappel, 151 46th St., refuse to recognize the union. NEW YORK.—The United States Steel Corporation yesterday cut wages of its salaried employes 10 per cent by eliminating Saturday work and reducing wages accord- ingly. The order stated: “In view of the present basis of operations, Satur- day work is irregular and unsatis- factory. The corporation has there- | fore recommended to its subsidiaries | that, effective Sept. 1, and at least | until marke improvement in op- | erations takes place, Saturday work | for its salaried employes be elimin- ated and salaries adjusted accord- ingly. This will involve a decrease of practically 10 per cent to all sal- aried classes affected.” The 10 per cent reduction in sal- aries, also ordered by the Republic corporation, foreshadows further wage cuts to over 400,000 steel workers by cutting of operating hours. YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (F.P.).— Two announcements, made almost simulianeously by the Republic Steel Corp., third largest steel com- pany in the country, announce com- pany office workers will go on a five-day week beginning Saturday. The change is equivalent to a nine per cent wage cut. Republic’s assets as of June 30 were $323,000,000, according to Pres- ident Tom Girdler of the corpora- tion, LL.D.Wins Release Of Negro Alabama ‘Cat Rules ‘Southern Worker’ Is Not Megal (Special to the Daily Worker) BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 30.— The International Labor Defense scored a significant victory this morning when, in releasing Fred Biedell, a Negro worker charged with criminal anarchy, Judge John Arnold declared that the Southern Worker and its contents were not | illegal, This statement, made after police and members of fascist groups had arrested scores of workers who pos- sessed copies of the Southern Worker, followed the recent illegal reappearance of the paper in an- swer to the police suppression of previous issues. Judge Arnold refused to convict Israel Berlin and Fred Keith, two white workers arrested with Biedell, on the testimony of the police. They said Berlin and Keith were members of the Communist Party. Nevertheless, Judge Arnold “took under advisement” the criminal an- archy charges against the two workers, awaiting further proof from John Foster, city attorney, as to their membership in the Com- munist Party. This, the judge de- clared, was organized to overthrow the government by violence, and proven membership in it would therefore be criminal anarchy. ern Worker in this trial is being carried on with renewed protests against the continued attempts to outlaw the Communist Party com- pletely. Two Lettuce Strikers Shot by Armed Guard Of Calif. Landowners SALINAS, Cal., Aug. 30—Two strikers were shot and wounded here today on the picket lines of the Salinas-Watsonville lettuce strike. They were armed guard of the landowners. Robert Caldwell was shot in the foot and Striker Pinzon was shot in the shoulder. The shooting oc- curred on the Barbin ranch where armed gangsters are protecting strikebreakers. Instrument Workers Go On Strike Today NEW YORK—The entire work- Corporation, 225 Varick Street, will go on strike this morning, demand- ing 40 cents an hour for a 40-hour week, reinstatement of all dismissed workers, time and a third for over- time, and recognition of their union. The Young Communist League has called on all its members and on all sympathetic workers to report at once to the strike headquarters, 187 W. Houston Street, The victory gained by the South- | shot by an} ing force of the General Instrument | | Bosses and State Get) Arms Ready To Fight Strikers NEW YORK. |ployers and government are mobilizing all forces in an ef- |fort to break the general tex-| \tile strike, bulletins from the| textile front reveal. were already walking out. | strike. In Decatur, Ala., for the trial of the Scottsboro boys, a small tent has been set up on company property of the Goodyear chine guns, poison gas, bombs and riot guns. mitted that these instruments of | murder were purchased by the city | government and installed by the| city police. In Seneca, 8. C., the national | guard was called out, and drove off 250 pickets in front of the Lons- dale mill at the point of rifles. The national gard was sent out for strike-breaking activity by Gov- ernor Ibra C. Blackwood. Black- | wood sent a coast artillery battery from Anderson and an infantry company from Greenville. -The na- tional guards are now being used to protect strikebreakers in an at- | tempt to run the mill. In other mill centers, the employ- tear gas workers by closing the mills and locking the workers out. This was done at the Sunset mills in Selma, Ala., and the Lily White mills in | Fayette, Ala. | In the Lawrence, mills, owned by the American | Woolen Co, and the Amoskeag | mills in Manchester, New Hamp- shire, the threat to close down the mills was also made. The Amos- | keag today shut down its dyeing department. Mass., woolen | Reporters Considering Strike Vote in N. Y.) NEW YORK.—The representative assembly of the Newspaper Guild of New York called an emergency | meeting last night at the Times} | Square Hotel to take action on a Strike vote taken by members of the editorial staff of the Jewish Daily Bulletin. It was announced |at a general membership meeting of the Guild held in the Astor Hotel on Wednesday night that the Guild Chapter of the Bulletin voted to strike to force the reinstatement of several writers who were dis- charged on account of Guild ac- tivities. Meanwhile, textile workers| e | — The em-| In Ma-| con, Ga., employes of Bibo, mill No. | 2, and Payne mill went out on| infamous | cotton mills and filled with ma-| It was ad-| | | NIWU Acts for Unity In Textile Strike NEW YORK.—The National Board of the National Textile Workers Union, through Anna Burlak, national secretary, has issued a state- ment to the press declaring that immediate steps will be taken for unity in the textile strike. The full statement of Anna Burlak follows: “At a special meeting of the National Board of the National Tex- tile Workers Union, called to discuss the latest developments with re- | gard to the general textile strike, the board thoroughly discussed the strike situation, the arrogant stand of the employers and the con- tinued maneuvers of the A. F. of L. officialdom to bring in the goy- ernment to prevent the strike, despite the open repudiation of these arbitration schemes at the U. T. W. national convention.” “The board decided, in order to strengthen the ranks of the work- ers and to make possible the successful mobilization of the workers for the strike to win their demands, to direct a proposal for a confer- ence with the strike committee of the U. T. W., and the National of- ficials of the United Textile Workers of America on the basis of | agreeing on common demands and one united strike committee. “The board has also given special consideration to the situation in Paterson, Lodi, and New Bedford and has recommended to the membership of these localities to immediately enter into negotiation with the Jocals of the United Textile Workers for merging with these locals on the basis of no discrimination, against any of the members or leaders of the N. T. W. U., the right to participate in the leader- ship of the strike and all the affairs of the union. “The National board feels that these decisions will meet with great response on the part of all workers, will show the earnest desire | for unity on the part of the National Textile Workers and will ;, National ers attempted to discourage the | Scab-Herder Offers | lead to a victorious strike.” Strengthen the struggle of the rank and file against any attempt to | defeat the strikers’ demands through arbitration maneuvers and will | _ Aid to Textile Firms CHICAGO, Ill., Aug. 30. — Priv- ate detective agencies, which are |really recruiting agencies for gun- |men, gangsters, thugs and scabs, are | swinging into action, making vast | preparations to supply strikebreak- jers for the textile employers, it was \learned here today. The leading agency in Chicago, the American \the Weccard Building, has nego- | tiated with a number of textile em- | |ployers to do spy work, to furnish | | strike- -breakers and guards for the | |Plants when the workers walk out | jon strike. Mr. Weccard’s plan for strike- breaking is disclosed which was sent to a prominent tex- tile manufacturer on August 21, and | later fell into the hands of a re- porter for the Daily Worker. The later said: “With reference to the present labor controversy which is now! Detective Service Co., with offices in | in a letter) brewing in the textile industry, it came to our notice that the work- ers are about to call a strike on (Sept. 1, 1934. | “For thirty-six years, we have as- sisted manufacturers in preventing strikes and weeding out the Reds and trouble makers among the good jfurnish confidential, definite and reliable information necessary to} defeat their purposes and demands jas they may be unjust. “Our service includes furnishing jnon-union help to man your shop land reliable guards to protect your |property and employees. “We would be glad to furn with information as to the c gation in any way. Kindly wire lus as follows: Org he Se Fh ae 3 REPRESENTATIVE \CALL’.” a TEXTILE WORKERS! DEFEAT STRIKEBREAKING ‘RED SCARE’ | Upton: to hold back a militant rank and file, the A. F. of L. leader- ship has finally been forced to send out the call for the general strike of over half a million cotton textile workers. Already all of the forces of the government and the employers have been mobilized in alienate drive to quickly smash the strike. OF BOSSES AN EDI tective and gangster agencies to sI strike demands, TORIAL Purposes and demands as they may be unjust.” The employers are making full use of this and many other de- mash the strike. “Reds and trouble makers” in this strike, as in all others, is the name given to every honest textile striker who puts up an active, militant fight for the It is especially the charge hurled at the most mil- policy as the employers and the that they are trying to break up AND A. F. L. LEADERS 7s a ie fink agencies toward the “reds” is and end the strike, and send the workers back to work at the earliest possible moment, regardless of whether or not they win their demands. and-Gorman want the textile workers to accept government arbitration . just as the steel and auto workers were The reason is that Green forced to. They want the workers, We are in a position to| The state government of South Carolina—the Democratic Party “New Deal’ government, headed by Governor Blackwood—has’ al- ready called out the national guard, which is smashing picket lines, The city government of Decatur, Ala. also of Roosevelt’s party, has mobilized machine guns and poison gas bombs on the Goodyear mill property. Roosevelt's Relief Director Hopkins has issued the threat that the strikers will not get relief unless the strike is sanctioned by the Roosevelt-N.R.A. boards. The capitalist press in every city of the land is shrieking against the textile workers. The “hardships” of the strike are emphasized; the “embarrassment” to the New Deal. The employers and the government—state, city and national—are preparing a bloodbath against the textile strikers. One of the main weapons of the employers and the capitalist press to break the strike is the use of the “red scare.” The American Detective Service on Aug. 21 sent a letter to all textile employers of+ fering strike-breakers and “reliable guards.” The main line of strategy which this detective agency proposes to break the strike is contained in the following sentence: “For thirty-six years we have assisted manu- facturers in preventing strikes and weeding cut the reds and trouble- makers among good workers. We are in a position to furnish con- fidential, definite and reliable information necessary to defeat their itant fighters in the strike, the most active leaders among the workers in the fight against the stretchout, the low wages, the discrimination and violence practiced on strikers. . Hee does it happen, then, that Francis Gorman, Thomas MacMahon and William Green, make identical statements regarding the “reds” that are made by the employers the fink agencies and the capitalist press. Why is it that Gorman has in the capitalist press told the workers to “have nothing to do with the Communists?” Why is it that Thomas MacMahon stated in the Boston Record (Aug. 29): “This union does not stand for any radicalism or any Communist doctrines, or anything which is inimical to the best interests of the United States. In nearly all recent textile strikes of any importance, radicals who had no connection with the United Textile Workers have entered into the strike. It has always caused embarrassment.” Why is it that William Green urges “drive the Communists out of the trade unions?” The reason is that in their hearts, Gorman, MacMahon and Green were opposed to calling the textile strike, tried by all means to prevent it, and only the insistent demand of the textile workers forced them to finally call the strike. ‘The reason that Gorman, Green and MacMahon use the same | tex | is organized solidly in m: textile workers to lay down and not fight. Did Green and Gorman send cut a ca!l to every A. F. of L, labor union to mobilize their forces to support the textile strikers? Not at all. Are Green and Gorman taking any steps to mobilize the entire working class in protest against the government mobilization of police and troops to break the strike? No. Instead, they direct their fire against the “reds,” just as Green did in knifing the San Francisco general strike. The textile workers can defeat the drive of the employers and the government to smash their strike. They can win their demands. But they can win their demands only by the most aggressive fight, only by complete unity and solidarity of all textile workers. The strike can be won only on the basis of a strong united front of all the le workers. It can bi on only if the labor movement as a whole it support of the strike. G employ by their raising of the red scare. By raising the simultaneously with the employers, of “throw out the reds,” the Gr and Gormans are trying to split the solid unity of the strikers. $s The (Continued on Page 2) , Gorman and MacMahon are playing into the hands of the NATIONAL GUARD IS CALLED IN S.C. AS SOUTHERN WORKERS WALKOUT AND COMPANIES ARM BEGIN Walkout Set For 11:30 Saturday Night in Telegram By SEYMOUR WALDMAN (Daily Worker Washington Bureau) WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 30.—Finally responding to the two weeks’ roar made by the incessant demands for action of nearly 600,000 cotton tex- tile workers throughout the country, Francis J. Gorman, hairman of the Special S mittee of the United (A. F. of L.) The st | the notable the | rank and file over a dilatory strike leadership, went to 500 U.T.W. lo- cal unions of cotton textile workers, It reads: “To all local unions, Greetings: , Strike of all cotton textile workers | will begin at 11:30 o’clock your sg all pre time Saturday night. vious i Wool, sil ‘Signed FRANCIS J. GORMAN, ‘Chairman, “Special Strike | United Textile America.” [The time set for the strike, by the Gorman leadership, is in ef- fect a violation of the instructions of the national convention, which instructed its leaders to call the strike on or before Sept. 1 and to give the employers 12 hours notice. The calling of the st for Saturday night gives the em- ployers more than two days notice, as there is no work on Sunday or Monday, which is labor day.] Gorman, at his afternoon press \conference, made clear that the laconic “stand by” order sent to “the silk, rayon, wool and synthetic yarn membership,” is part of the A. F. of L. leadership’s program to continue conferences with the Na- tional Labor Relations Board and to begin them with the woolen, silk, rayon corporation executives, de- pite the fact that 0.008 of this Committee, Workers of turned to get, -| that the U.T.W. \If necessary our representative will | « be glad to call on you without obli- Gorman announced strike leadership has ordered telegrams to be sent to Peter Van Horn, Chairman of the N.R.A. Silk Textile Code Au- thority, asking for a conference, The same holds good for the woolen and worsted divisions. We hope to complete negotiations before Mon- day. Unless the employers comply with the same demands made to the Cotton Textile Industry there will be a str m was reached. Gere man added, during a conference participated in by the U.T.W, ecutive Council; Frank Schweitzer, secretary the Silk Workers; of Elizabeth Nord, chairman of the New England Silk Conference; George Hummel, of Pennsylvania; Harry Walton and Alec Williams and Isidor Friedman, of Pater son, N. J. It developed that Gorman con- ferred with Garrison last night, McMahon, and of the U.T.W. h M:. Garrison -at he told the sur- . “Mr. Garrison is lexploring the possibilities of set- | tling the strike. But there will be no settlement unless we get con- cessions,” said Gorman. The concessions, declared Gor- |man, mean the A. F. of L. five- | point program, part of which calls for arbitration and Garri- among ment of work in ‘¢o- N.R.A. and the partment in “an investi- "of conditions in the tex- | tile industry and a talk late this | afternoon with George Sloan. prese compulsory ition of the union. (Continued on Page 2)