The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 22, 1934, Page 1

| | } | Of Strikers Are Ignored An Editorial N ITS report just issued, the Roosevelt textile “inquiry” board admits the ‘“‘deplor- able” —and then orders the textile workers to end their strike and go back to the looms. The Roosevelt report praises the “industry,” that is to say, the employers—and ignores the three definite de- mands of the strikers. Sealed with Roosevelt’s loud approval, it offers the hun- gry, overworked, exploited textile workers exactly noth- ing but the promise of fur- ther “study,” and a_ strike- breaking command to go back. But meanwhile, the workers are to surrender to the bosses just when their strike is strongest! Sloan, the textile employ- ers’ spokesman, what the Roosevelt Board is doing for the bosses, when he says: “A hurried examination indicates that the report recognizes the far-reaching improvements for employ- ees effected by this indus- try under the cotton tex- tile code and the economic difficulties with which this industry has been con- fronted in recent months. “Tt would also appear that the board makes no attempt to pass upon the demands of the strike com- mittee for changes in hours and wages but has recom- mended that further studies on these subjects be made by governmental agencies.” That is exactly right. The Board praises the “indus- try” and ignores the de- mands of the striking work- ers. * * * NORMAN is hedging on the report. He is waiting to see what the workers thing of it. But all the time he is trying to see how he can ac- cept the Government’s strike- | “arbitration”| breaking through some face-saving de- vice. The strike must not be end- ed this way! The strike should be ended only that their three definite de- mands will be granted before’ they return to work! Second, the striking work-| ers cannot place any reliance in the long-drawn negotia- tions and maneuverings of Gorman and the Roosevelt “experts.” The control of the strike and of all decisions must be placed immediately in the hands of the workers who are on the picket lines, those who are fighting the employers in the front lines, The thing to do now is to change the present picket committees to Strike Com- mittees, to take full charge of all decisions. All decisions to be ratified finally by a democratic vote of the strik- ers themselyes—and no one else! No decisions from above, forced down the strik- ers’ throats, but real author- ity to rest in the Strike Com- mittees elected on the picket lines. And third, the strike should now be strengthened by new efforts to win the sup- port of other trades, in sym- pathetic strikes, in solidarity meetings, in mass marches and flying squadrons. The strike should be carried for- ward to new heights, not al- lowed to slacken for a min- ute, while the Roosevelt ex- perts “study.” * * * PECIAL attention should now go to the South. It is a crude and vile lie that the New England papers are spreading about the Southern workers “cracking” and go- ing back to work. That is only a sneaky attempt to sow (Continued on page 8) conditions in the mills} appreciates | Yesterday’s contribution brought the total to $8,429. tributions for the $15,000 International Labor Defense, 80 E. 1ith St., New York City. Vol. XI, No. 228 the Herndon-Scottsboro Defense Fund The Demands | N.Y. Workers! Answer Terror! March Toda i BG Pee | y to Demand Relief for Jobless! of $93 to & : Needed—$625 a Day Send con- | Yesterday’s Receipts . $7 fund to the ’ Total to Date $7,187 - Press Run Yesterday i CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY U.S.A. (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL) 26 Ri Cerne Sale We 1 ee ae tee EW YORK, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1934 (Eight Pages) Price 3 Cenis STRIKERS! FIGHT FOR DEMANDS! Workers Go Today To Mayor | Groups Will Parade to City Hall Despite Police Terror NEW YORK.—Th victims of |Mayor LaGuardia’s hunger relief program will demonstrate in thous- |ands at Union Square today at 10 | o'clock, the United Action Commit- tee on Work, Relief and Unemploy- ment declared yesterday. The mass resentment caused by Mayor LaGuardia’'s attempt to pre- in charge of the demonstration, will | insist upon the right of the workers to march through the streets and present the workers’ demands to Mayor LaGuardia at City Hall, backed by the mass demonstration of thousands. The workers assembled in the Square will be asked to declare | whether they will permit LaGuardia to deny them the use of the streets. In a statement to Mayor La tion Committee declared that it will not submit to the police ruling pro- | hibiting the mass march to City | Hall today and that the .workers | will be asked to go through with the | Parade as scheduled. The workers will march to City Hall where an elected delegation | will present to Mayor LaGuardia their demands for immediate ap- propriations for Winter relief and union wages and conditions on all relief jobs. | mand for increased cash relief and | endorsement of the Workers’ Un- | employment Insurance Bill, the de- mands cal for the scrapping of the Bankers’ Agreement, an end to the when | payments to the bankers, and tax-| the workers get a guarantee) ation on large incomes, inheri-| | tances, corporations and utilities to provide unemployment relief funds. The committee statement, in part, | said: | “The United Action Conference on Work, Relief and Unemployment filed application ten days ago for permit to march to City Hall. No | reply was received from the police | department until forty-six hours before the march. Now that all preparations are made, the police commissioner flatly refuses to issue the permit.” Through Workers’ Sections To the police department's reply | that the parade “would interfere | with business,” the committee cited | the numerous parades for visiting diplomats, to Salvation Army “Gen- eral” Evangeline Booth, the NRA | parade, etc. “Following the May Day demon- stration,” the committee stated, “the police commissioner announced that | henceforth all parades would be di- | verted from the business districts to the residential sections. The pro- posed route for today’s march is through workers’ neighborhoods.” The United Action Committee, citing the attempts by former Po- lice Commissioner Grover Whalen to stop the March 6, 1930, and the May Day, 1930, marches, called upon all workers to assemble in the streets facing Union Square at 10 vam. today, as arranged by the United Action Committee and the participating organizations. The Committee called upon the workers to maintain firm, disciplined ranks, resist any police provocation, but to express their determination to march, Urge Protests to Mayor All organizations were urged by the United Action Committee to wire immediate protests to LaGuar- dia and to send mass delegations to the City Hall demanding the un- qualified right of the New York unemployed to march against the starvation plans of the City, State and Federal administration. This refusal to permit a march and City Hall was reaffirmed late Thursday night after a meeting be- tween representatives of the Com- mittee and LaGuardia’s secretary, Major Dunham, “There is not another city in the world that does as much for the jobless as New York,” Dunham said. “There is no reason for anyone go- ing hungry; he can apply at the Municipal Lodging House.” With- out taking up with LaGuardia the issues involved at the meeting, Dun- ham replied to the questioning of vent this demonstration will result | | in further swelling the ranks of the} | demonstrators, the committee said.) The United Action Committee, | Guardia yesterday the United Ac-| In addition to the de-| by any route between Union Square | GORMAN Main Demands 1 In the Strike The textile workers, 1,000,000 strong, from Maine to Ala- bama, are fighting for the fol- lowing main demands as adopted by. the recent convention of United Textile Workers’ Union: (1) Hours: Two shifts of 30 hours per week with no exemp- tions. | (2) Differentials: The estab- || lishment of four minimum || wages: Unskilled, $13 per 30- hour week; semi-skilled, $18 per 30-hour week; skilled, $22.50 per 30-hour week; highly skilled, $30 per 30-hour week. (3) Machine Load: The revi- sion of all work loads on the basis of reason and ordinary common sense. (4) Recognition of the Union: Reinstatement of aH workers victimized because of union membership. (NOTE:—For detailed statement of wage demands for each category of workers and machine loads in each department see the Daily Worker of Tuesday, September 4.) 40,000 Seamen In East Ports Strike Oct. 8 Longshore Rank, File Push New Agreement, , Oppose Ryan NEW YORK.—The date of a strike of 40,000 seamen of the At- lantic and Gulf regions has been set for October 8, in a cali issued yesterday by the International Sea- men’s Union, The Marine Workers Industrial | Union endorsed the I. S. U. call | but added a call to licensed officers and seamen of lines exempted in| the I. 8. U. call. Victor Glander, secretary of the I. S. U., sped to Washington yes- | terday to meet with the officials of the National Labor Relations | | Board, indicating that the I. S. U. officials intend to use this strike |to force the companies to negoti- jate with them for recognition of | their union and probably submit ; the economic issues to arbitration. Longshore Strike Looms | The M. W. I. U. pointed out to} | seamen, in its call and in confer- | }ences of the officials of the union | ‘held’ with ships’ delegates, that | there is a possibility of a longshore- men’s strike in the same region on | October 1. The M. W. I. U. states that if this strike materializes the | |seamen should respond on that | date, | The M. W. I. U. statement out- | lined definite preparatory steps to | | be taken by all seamen, irrespective |of union affiliation, together with the unorganized to carry the strike through under rank and file lead- |ership in joint strike committees, |such as led the recent West Coast | | strike. The economic demands of the I. S. U. call are lower than those drafted at the Atlantic Unity Con- ference in Baltimore on Sep‘. 2. These demands were endorsed by crews of 53 ships, in addition to the delegates of 5,000 seamen, long- shoremen and radio operators. Licensed Men Called Besides the demands of the un- licensed men presented by the} M. W. I. U,, it calls for the licensed men to strike and present their demands for wage increases and} improvement of working conditions, | A vital issue in this strike will be the winning of shipping halls in all parts, controlled by an elected committee of seamen. | The M. W. I. U. states that the | strike must demand the recognition of the unions of the seamen’s choice and to ensure enforcement of the demands, recognition of ship’s com- mittees, representing all depart- ment, and unions of the men on each ship. These committees are to be empowered to enforce safety | conditions to prevent a repetition of the Morro Castle tragedy. Below are the general demands of the strike as formulated by the | Atlantic Unity Conference and en- dorsed by the M. W. I. U. Deck-boatswain, $85; carpenter, $85; quartermaster, $82.50; able seamen, $75; ordinary seamen, $50 for the first year, and $10 increase for each succeeding year; deek boy rating to be abolished. Higher wages for boatswain and carpenters on passenger ships, Engine department: Watertenders, oilers and storekeepers, $85; firemen (oil), $75; firemen (coal), $90; coal passers, $75; wipers, $70. | Stewards’ department: Steward, $130; chief cook, $110; second cook, $90; third the committee “You have the May- or’s answer; there will be no par- ade Saturday.” cook, $75;' messmen, $65; messboy rating fe U. T. W. CHIEFS ADMIT TO CALL WORKERS BACK TO MILLS; RELIEF FIGHTS SPREAD IN SOUTH |the “investigation” of the stretch- | bership meeting of the Communist. |One thousand copies of the Daily | | STARE g Governor Ely Calls Out | More Troops to | Guard Secabs | By Carl Reeve (Daily Worker Staff Correspondent) BOSTON, Mass., Sept. 21.—A sell- | out by the U. T. W. leadership was | in the air in the New England strike | area today, as U. T. W. organizers praised the arbitration program of Roosevelt, which robs the strikers of their demands, as a “great vic- tory.” U. T. W. Organizer Batt; speech in New Bedford today clared that the mediation board’s | proposals “take power from John- son and Sloan and put it in the| hands of a neutral board. It is a} real victory.” | The reaction of the rank and file ftextile strikers was otherwise, and |Temarks were heard in the crowd |of strikers as Batty spoke: “They | | have started their dirty work” and | “The sell-out has begun.” | There was almost no applause at Batty’s speech and no applause dur- | ing the course~of it. Battydid not | say @ ‘word, about the fact that |the sell-out proposals, endorsed by | | Roosevelt, drive the strikers back \to work without granting any of | their demands; that the sell-out |proposals are the old chestnut of | « | investigation, reports and arbitra- | tion, which the textile workers have been fed for two years, while work- ing under low N. R. A. wages, ter- riffic speed-up, and long hours. Ignores Wage Demands | Batty had the nerve to state that out, with not even a report until February 1935, is a “real victory.” He predicted that the “board will deal with the stretch-out in an ef-4 fective and constructive manner.” He did not mention wage or hours demands. Batty’s position is typical of the entire U. T. W. leadership in New England. The newspapers here predic’ that the textile council of the U. T. W. | will order the strike ended to-| morrow. Refuse to Call Meetings The U. T. W. leaders continue to refuse to call union meetings. In New Bedford, for example, even | the daily strikers’ mass meetings have been cut down from daily meetings to meetings of one or two a week. The strikers who at first | came to the meeting places every | day stopped coming when they saw that not even mass meetings were being called. | In New Bedford an open mem- | Party was held Wednesday night and eight strikers joined the Party. Worker are distributed in New Bed- | ford every day. Ely Calls Out Troops In Massachusetts the threat of Governor Ely to call out troops to protect scabs was made good when ACTS STRIKERS HERDED INTO CONCENTRATION CAMPS READI Here is seen one of the groups seized by Georgia National Guardsmen and imprisoned in a camp near Fort McPherson on the outskirts of Atlanta. quartets are afforded the strikers. Only one meal a day and no sleeping Protests demanding an end to this terror should be sent at Milita Sicilians Defy once to President Roosevelt and Governor Talmadge of Georgia. Court Ban on Mill Picketing (Special to the Daily Worker) ALLENTOWN, Pa., Sept. SeEe'G 21.— | Mayor Lewis of Allentown after aland Howard Payne, Southern A. F. brief conference with the silk bosses /of L, leaders, are seriously threat- today issued a proclamation limit-|ening the great textile strike in the ing picketing to ten at each mill. strategic South. At a meeting of the Strike Com-| | mittee it was decided to hold a mass | unions are putting up the most | |demonstration, at Fifth and Liberty | heroic fight that working men and | Sts. and to proceed in a mass picket | women have |line to the mills, ry Arrests of Strikers ~ Mount in Georgia Districts; Thousands Demand R } |A.F.L. Leaders Act to | Bar Mass Picketing | In Front of Mills | By Harry Raymond (Daily Worker Staff Correspondent) CHARLOTTE, N. C., Sept. 21 |The cap-in-hand attitude and class |collaboration policies of R. R. Law- rence, John Peel, George Grooge While the workers in the local participated in in | these regions, the top unions leaders The Unemployed Leagues issued a | are doing everything in their power at the Hampton Mill in Northamp- mation of the Mayor, ton, Mas. Although the sheriff On Friday, at noon, hundreds of called these troops out to protect | workers poured into the lot at Fif Ely’s name, the request and sending | a: of Your Struggles if You Build Circulation, its} a | pierced the air, ind Liberty Sts. determined .,| Workers, and finally a vote was| The Daily Worker can Better Aid |taken whether or not to march to, silk mill. th | to} troops was admittedly based on break this proclamation prohibiting Ely’s published promises to protect 'mass-picketing. At the demonstra- scabs with troops, jtion several speakers addressed the A deafening el Gas Sales to Attack Strikers Bared at Arms Investigation By Marguerite Young | munitions makers. (Daily Worker Washington Bureau) WASHINGTON, D. C., Sept. 21. —Tightening the purse strings may } be the method used to curtail pub- lic disclosures by the Senate muni- tions investigation to suit the wishes of the arms manufacturers and their brother imperialists in other basic capitalist industries, particularly steel and marine. This appeared today as the Nye- Vanenberg Committee made ready | to close its first series of public hearings after adding their rec- cord new official evidence that Government “control,” such as em- (Gontinued on Page 8) bargoes, is a mere bagatelle to the | other weapons of force to National |Guard units as what the official) |called “the best insurance police | | against social disorders,” the latter | |referring to demonstrations of un-| employed, strikes and other peate- ful struggles of labor for a decent | living. The committee has (Continued on Page 8). aN NCTE TST NTN EN NTO neT eNO NENTS NSN rT nT nvr Ne rTuste vr rere nets OT tervve wt™ nv sNinsnttnris rireirrfe} yar cnn¥lttopenrT su nWsnN SEN SE Nan ST SCTES Er aaa . spent more | than half of its $50,000 appropria- tion, it was learned today, and the question of where to get funds to ee a heavy rain at Roanoke vi leaflet calling the unemployed toto eliminate the flying squad activi- for the first time in the strike a this demonstration, and the Com- company was called out at midnight | munist Party issued 5,000 leaflets last night to guard strike-breakers | exposing the strike-breaking procla- ties which were so successful in closing scores of mills. They have jeven attempted to stop the mass |picketing in front of the bayonet- | bordered mills. Leaders Delay Relief Plans For two weeks these ‘leaders’ have |promised that they would see to it that a relief organization is set |up and all strikers needing relief would get it. But the solemn prom- jises have turned out to be false. No relief is forthcoming. only relief that the strikers get _| they collect themselves from neigh- bors and friends. Some of the work- ers who have been facing National Guards daily on the picket lines have not eaten for three days. Due to this situation defections |of the strike front. It is estimated that 3,000 workers have returned to} Today's tesvi-|work in the South, driven back by jmony and evidence showed how|hunger and the refusal of the top the chief of the militia bureau|U.T.W. leaders to adopt a militant here promoted sales of gas and | Program. But while the strike has suf- fered some recessions in Burling- ton, N. C., and in some sections of South Carolina and Georgia, Gaston County, the hub of mili- tant mass action, remains solid | and strong for the strike, as does Cherokee County, S. C. where the workers have set up their own relief apparatus, | Strikers Stage Demonstration Several thousand strikers marched (Continued on Page 2) ¢ The | have set in along certain sections | elief Silk Workers Hail Walkout Of N. J. Dyers | (Special to the Daily Worker) PATERSON, N. J., Sept. 21—Silk strikers today cheered the an- nouncement at the mass meeting that the dyers, after more than two weeks of delay, would strike Monday morning. Workers heard Boldanzi, presi- dent of the Federation of Dyers, |state that it was not a fau of the dye workers that the did not come earlier. He also s that when another agreement was |made he hoped that it would e pire at the same time for both and dye workers. A member of Essex County Trades and Labor Council, who is also International | Secretary of the Bakers Union, promised the silk workers the sup- port of his organization in the tex- | tile strike and announced that | within several weeks a sympathy strike would be called of 600 bakers in Passaic, A militant silk worker who forced Keller, Lovestonite official, to give him the floor this morning, reflected the sentiments of silk workers here when he pointed out that much damage has already been done by the long delay in calling the dye strike. This worker further pointed out that silk workers were not held back by contract, which bosses had already violated, and that contract should not have prevented earlier strike of dyers. In connection with the dyers’ | walkout scheduled for Monda: Communist Party, of issued a leaflet to the dyer: which called upon them to “ | Monday—join the general st , Te= ject arbitration. nash the injunc- | tion on the picket line.” The leaf- |let also stated in part: | _ “First, demand that your shop | chairman call a shop meeting im- | mediately. Second, men and women dye workers, picket your own dye houses under the leadership of your | strike committee Monday morning. Third, fight for your demands in the new agreement.” \ 6 TO BETRAY STRIKE NESS “Roosevelt Calls for | Strikers to Return To the Mills By Seymour Waldman (Daily Worker Washington Bureau) ‘ON, D. C. Sept. 21— e commit- the United Textile official of publicati appoi | Winant i le worker deep Sou eréd ional Gu: UL T. 1 “Follow the President” W.-A. F. of L. strike orts showing new mills ial problem Roosevelt declar- Hyde Park. “It is of management and it indicates that the position of the union has been righ parroted |Gorman the same night. “I sin- | cerely hope that all employees now on strike will return to work ., .” announced Roosevelt this morning. The report is * one heard at strike headq Wants Strike Called Off 5. “How do you reconcile your report | with the specific demands of the textile wor your correspond= ent asked Gi or Winant. chairs man of the board bearing his name, “If I were you I'd read the re- port.” “I have read the report.” “Tt see’ “Governo! : Ww are you expecting the U ve Council to call off the strike. “We hope U. T. W. will call off the strike. Gorman, however, did not, meet the 5 S personally this morning, E An official strike headquarters re- leas speaking of him in the third informed _reporte: “AG mans office, strike morning, it was r. Gorman was in cone would be engaged in erences during the day, e speaking for him idents request that off the strike would , given the earnest con “Confe: erences’ with investment included a - talk broker, millionaire emor Winant of New Hamp (Continued on Page 8) A. F. L. Rank and File Hold Send-Off Tonight For Worker Delegates NEW YORK.—Prominent . speaks ers, active in A. F. of L. work, and an exceptionally interesting program are promised by the A. F. L, Rank and File Committee for Unemploye ment Insurance for the mass sends off tonight in honor of the rank and file delegates to the fifty-fourth ans nual convention of the American Federation of Labor at San Frans cisco. The send-off will take place at Irving Plaza, 15th Street and Irve ing Place. This is the first time in years, that the rank and file of the New York locals of the A. F. L. will have an opportunity to have delegates, repe resenting their interests, go to the Convention to present the viewpoint of the rank and file and fight on the convention floor for militant class struggle unions controlled by | the rank and file; for unemployment insurance and other issues of vital importance to the workers in the | A. F. L. and to the labor movement \as a whole. *