The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 18, 1934, Page 1

NEW WAGE CUT LOOMS IN STEEL PLANT mt ea ——— ARRANGE RED WEEK. -ENDS TO RAISE “DAILY” FUNDS! Yesterday's Receipts Total te Date «+B 472.70 «+ $19,297.99 Press Run Yesterday—48,700 Vol. XI, No. 250 Entered as second-class > x ‘4, S Daily <QWorker CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY U.S.A. (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL) © matter at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Aet of March 8, 1879. NEW YORK, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1934. E (Six Pages) NATIONAL DITION Price 3 Cents LEIBOWITZ AIDE THREATENS DAVIS Roosevelt ‘Jobless Insurance’ Plan Offers No Reli Plan for Cut Follows on Heels of Slash for Office Help PROFITS HEAVY Expect That Move Will Arouse Steel Workers to Strike Action A new wage cut for the steel workers is predicted in the current “Iron Age,” organ of the steel trust. The magazine, commenting on the renewed decline in steel production from 24% per cent to 2314 per cent, | sees little outlook for an upturn in | the industry. This is the latest step in the wage cutting drive of the employers, backed up by the reorganized N.R. A. “The atmosphere has _ been cleared,” says the Iron Age, “of much doxbt and confusion not only by the growing tone of con- servatism manifested by the new N.R.A. as it attempts to get its bearings, but more especially by the unequivocal assurance of Donald Richberg that no changes in the price provisions of the steel code are contemplated. ... “Eyen though the danger of price demoralization now seems to have heen forestalied, it is a ques- tion how long present wages can he mainiained if business volume Coes not increase.” The “Iron Age” proceeds to. show. that there is a decline in the con- sumption of steel in most branches of industry. Steel orders’ from the automotive gindustry have sunk. to one of the lowest points this year, with little outlook for a rise this season. Most railroads are curtail- ing expenditures. and tin plate pro- duction has declined. The wage cut being planned now follows closely uvon the recent 10 cent cut for all white collar s in the steel industry. Their working time was reduced from 514 to 5 davs, with a corresponding 5 wage cut. ‘The cut now being predicted by the Iron Age recalls the recent statement of Thomas Girdler, pres- ident of the Republic Steel Corp. “The Steel industry,” said Gird- ler, “in its endeavor to co-over- ate with the government’s pro- gram, has heen paying higher wages than the industry can af- ford. New I wish we could con- tinue to pay these wages or even better wages tmdefinitely. Money taken in must provide not only for wages but for ‘lividends to steckholders as well.” A recent report on profits of 11 leading steel companies, including the Republic and U. S. Steel, show a net profit of 20 millions for the three months of April, May and June. The frank prediction of a wage cut, it is expected, will serve to arouse a much greater rank and file movement among the steel workers, as it is now apparent that in the spring, when the steel industry op- erated at over 60 per cent of ca- pacity, quickly filling orders, the A. F. of L. leaders co-operated with the corporations to keep the work- ers from striking. Now the “no strike” truce is designed to prevent the workers from fighting the wage cut. Workers’ Book Shop Wrecked by Vigilantes in Minneapolis Raid Labor Spy Chieftain GOV, LEHMAN F. D. R. PLAN Hired Professional’ Men for Thug D They Stormed Bergoff’s Office, Saying That He ‘Gypped’ Them This is the second of a series of articles revealing the methods used by a network of labor spy agencies which are operating from coast to coast under the aegis of Roosevelt’s “New Deal” for the working man. The articles, of which this is the second, will present documen- tary evidence to prove that a large percentage of the blacklist- ing of workers following recent great strike actions was a result of the spying and undercover work of these agencies. In addition, the articles will outline ways and means to com- bat professional labor spies and strike-breakers. By EDWARD NEWHOUSE Article II. The keynote of amiable Peter Bergoff’s confidences to: the writer" was struck in his next to the last remark. He said: “In every big strike there's bound ta be people killed. That's some-hing you can’t help. My men stand for law and order. They carry guns only where trouble is expected. Most generally they use only hickory sticks and tear gas,” The last thing he said was: “Son,, Friday, when a decision on a re-/ this textile business is nothing com- pared to the old Press Steel s rike in McKeesport. There was 48 killed and wounded in less than half an hour. And that’s nothing com- pared to what you’re gonna see in "35, after this N. R. A. goes on the junk heap.” That, of course, was hardly sporting of the old weasel. The N. R. A. has been good to him legisla- tively, judicially and executively, as the Constitutional divisions have it. The codes counten- ance every phase of his wide-flung activities. Lester Eisner, chairman of the New Jersey N. R. A. Board, has even employed Bergoff thugs to break a strike in his Red Bank factory. The workers had struck for the enforcement of the code minimum, Bergoff employed approximately 40 per cent of the gunmen who of- fered such effective aid to the tex- tile mill owners in the recent great strike. At the height of ihe strike he had between four and five thousand men in the field, 1,200 scattered in New England, the rest down Squth. Asked for a de- scription of this “Protection De- partmen’,” Peter, the self-styled “Red Demon,” responded tenderly: “Why, these are mostly lawyers, doctors and professional men. Some of them are former police officials, They receive from $5 to $20 a day. I'm no piker. I play golf with Governors and Senators, The letters you see framed here (Continued on Page 2) (Special to the Daily Worker) MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Oct. 17.— A fascist book-burning orgy was carried out here last night by vigi- Jantes who zaided the Workers’ Book Shop at 6 South Street and con- signed its entire stock to the flames, Driving up to the book store in five cars, the vigilantes smashed the doors and windows, loaded about $300 in books and pamphlets in their cars and proceeded to Superior Boulevard where they started a bon- fire with five gallons of kerosene oil. Five dollars in cash was also looted and files were destroyed. The Bookstore management has issued a call to the workers and all anti-Fascists to aid in ze-building the bookstore and thus strike a blow against Fascism. The first con- tribution was received from a work- er who gave one dollar while look- ing at the raided store. Contribu- tions should be sent to the Workers Book Shop, 6 South Third St., Min- neapolis, Minn. The Communist Party has issued a cail for the immediate holding of protest meetings Yes. the danger signals of an approaching new world slaughter, the heroic fight of the Spanish workers, the growing attacks on American labor, every Socialist Party member must ask him- Self: Why have not the Socialist definite steps toward the realzation of the united Why do they persistently remain silent on the appeals for a united front in defense of the embattled Spanish workers, Socialist and Commu- nists, many of them mowed down by execution front? squads? In Spain the leader of the Socialist Party, Ca- ballero, has been arrested and will be court-mar- tialed. In Fascist Germany, Ernst Thaelmann, im- prisoned leader of the Communist Party, after nearly 20 months of imprisonment is to face a Nazi execution court. Why is there no answer to the Communist Party’s united front appeal for tions, mass meetings for the def prisoned anti-fascist fighters? For what every Socialist Party member must ask, do the leaders of the Socialist Party remain silent as the se) SHIPPERS WRIT AGAINST DOCK UNIONS Brooklyn Merchants) Back Move for Open | Shop Conditions Backed by the Merchants’ Asso- ciation, Brooklyn Chamber of ;Commerce, and Board of Trade, 32 |New York shippers took action through the Kings County Supreme Court to obtain an injunction which would “zestrain the locals of the Longshoremen’s. and Teamsters unions, from interfering with the |movement of freight by non-union workers. “On application by “the” Trade Association with which the 32 companies are affiliated, Supreme , Court Justice James Hallinan is- sued an order against Martin Lacey, president of the Transpo:tation Council which embraces the Long- shoremen's and Teams‘ers locals. Lacey and Joseph Ryan, president {of the I. L. A. are to appear on straining order will be made. The decision will affect all the | other shippers in New York, and | if the court finds that it is illegal! ASK Gumiber | AIDS UTILITY MONOPOLIES | Democratic, Republican Candidates Bound Up With Power Trust BOTH WALL ST. MEN Amter, C.P. Candidate, Fights Plundering of N.Y. Masses By Milton Howard Governor Lehman, Democratic candidate for governor, accuses his Republican opponent, Moses, of be- ing a “reactionary.” Moses, in reply, brings forward | strong evidence that Lehman is tied up with the most powerful, reac- tionary uttlity interests in the State | through his Wall Street connections, |and states that. Lehmen acts in of- | fice as a Wall Street banker. It happens that in this dispute |between two capitalist politicians, both are right. In the present election fight, both | Lehman and Moses are striving for ‘the honor of serving the Morgan- Rockefeller monopolies which dom- inate the state. Lehman a Tory Banker | Moses, with the knowledge that jcomes from intimate acquaintance, ridicules the pretensions of Goy- ernor Lehman to being “a foe of the reactionary interests.” In his Speech the other night, Moses spoke of the Democratic governor as fol- lows: “The record shows that Gov- ernor Lehman is and has been a conventional, ultra-conservative for the unions to enforce the em- ployment of only union men, or! | it will serve as a precedent for the | jother ports throughout the country. | Use Anti-Trust Law | The suit against the unions is based on a number of laws which the shipowners dug up, and includes (Continued on Page 6) U.S.S.R. Now Leads All Europe in Quantity of Pig-Iron Production (Special to the Daily Worker) MOSCOW, Oct. 17 (By wireless). —The US.S.R. now definitely oc- cupies first place in Europe regard- ing the quantity of production of pig-iron. The average monthly production of pig-iron in the U.S.S.R. for the first nine months of 1934 amounted to 851,009 tons. In September pig- iron production reached 915,000 tons. At the same time the Soviet Union occupies second place in Eu- rope regarding the production of steel, surpassing England. The av- erage steel production of the So- viets for the first nine months of 1934 amounted to 769,000 tons, reaching to 834,000 tons in Sep- tember. tomb on such whole question leaders taken any fore we take un’ new imperialist dominates. Detroit conventi: front. joint demonstra- ence of these im- reason, | Cahans and the front, why has | sues. banker. ... “We find that Lehman Broth- pzevent discrimination in the hiring,| °*S (the firm with which the Gov- ernor was associated) were un- derwriters for various security is- We find that they under- wrote and sponsored issues of public utility corporations.” Thus one capitalist candidate” ex- poses. the “democratic” pretensions of a fellow capitalist candidate. And Mr. Moses saould know | whereof he speaks, since he himself j;has the most intimate connections with the very same Morgan-Rocke- feller interests for which he de- nounces his political rival. As Moses was accurate in his description of Lehman, so Lehman is just as accurate in his descrip- tion of Moses as one whose “chief linterest is the maintenance of the ioe of large and powerful cap- ital.” Wall Street Candidates The whole program of Lehman in office has been, like the national Program of Roosevelt, a capitalist |class program directed toward aid- ing @ handful of Wall Street par- asites to reap enormous profit by plundering the wage-workers and impoverished farmers of the state. His “economy program” was econ- omy only for the Wall Street mo- nopolies whose agent he is. One of his first moves was to reduce exemption on incomes taxes from ‘ (Continued on Page 2) AN vital issues, which affect the of world solidarity behind work- ers fighting to the death against fascism? Must we wait until a new Sarajevo actually ex- plodes the toiling masses onto the battle field be- ‘ted actions against the threat of a war? The chief reason why the Socialist Party leader- ship has not acted for a realization of the united front is that the policy of the rabid reactionary Cahans, the Waldmans and the “Forward” group Despite the “left” resolutions of the ion, despite the desire of the mem- bership for more energetic action against fascism, war, and hunger, these gentlemen move heaven and earth to prevent the formation of the united Aiding and abetting them, though by different methods, is Norman Thomas. phrases, Norman Thomas in deeds acts with the While using “left” Waldmans. If he is for the united his voice not been raised on the issue of united support to the Spanish workers, for EDITORIAL SEEN AS MOVE IN ELECTIONS | | Business Interests Reta. sured They Need | Not Worry ‘NO FEDERAL AID Says Government W il | Only Pay Overhead, But No Insurance oi | By Seymour Waldman | (Daily Worker Weshington Burean) | | WASHINGTON, D. C., Oct. President Roosevelt today divulged that his committee on Economic Security, whose report is due Dec. 1,| is considering a so-called unem- ployment insurance plan, under which the Federal Government will pay merely the overhead expenses rather than contributing any bene-| fits to the unemployed. This an- nouncement, quite clearly, wes made with an eye to next month’s elec- tions. Big business and banking, were again reassured that the Ad-| ministration will do nothing fash! such as considering genuine unem- ployment insurance, even for the future unemployed. Asked what sort of pian the Com- mittee on Economic Security and} the group representing Secretary of Commerce Roper’s Morgan-domi- nated Advisory and Planning Coun- | cil is workieg on, the President} replicd that he couldn’t answer that now, but that the two groups are 2) | (Continued on Page Anti-Nazi Federation Urges Redoubled Fight to Liberate Thaelmann “The fife of Ernst Thaelmann must be saved,” reads the call issued by the Anti-Nazi Federation yes- terday. “All working-class organiza- tions, A. F. of L. locals, unorganized workers, liberals. and in‘ellectuals are to flood the German Consulate, | to lodge personal protests and to! demand that the courageous work- ing-class leader shall be set free. masses are demonstrating against | the continuation of the torture of | all anti-Nazi prisoners. New York, as an important working-class cen- | ter, has the job of leading the fight for the freedom of Thaelmann. | “The trial of Thaelmann is drawing closer. The move io free | him must take on an unprecedented | force. Just as the fight for Dimi- | troff and his comrades was the | concern of the entire civilized world so must it be in the case of Thaelmann. Every day pickets | must be in front of the German | Consulate, 17 Battery Place, with | lacards and siogans. Only mass pressure will free Thaelmann and Germen hell-holes. telephone to the Consulate. sify the campaign for the “Million Signature” drive. | BODYGUARD HE WILL SCOTTSBO Krumbein To ‘Daily’ Readers Communist Party Organizer Asks Immediate | Action to Prevent RUN HIM TELLS Mm RO MARCH Appeals 7 Discontinuance of Eight-Page N. Y. Daily Worker By Charles Krumbein Organizer, District No. 2, Communist Party I want every reader of the New York Daily Worker to take this appeal as a personal message! the New York District must over the Daily Worker! Every reader in realize the threat that hangs The Management Committee could not have stated the facts too bluntly. If $600 a day is not received fr Committee? The Management could not have stated the facts too bluntly. If $600 a day is not re- ceived from the New York Dis- triict during the next few weeks, and the circuletion substantiaily in- creased, the 8-page paper will be discontinued on Election Day. We must. not allow this! Every reader of the paper should immediately approach the large circles of our sympathizers as well ‘om | 98 his or her fellow-workers in the shops, neighborhoods and organiza- | tions, and ask for contribution | We must get those who contribute |to become regular readers of the paper. Every organization should imme- diately make an emergency contri- bution to the Daily Wo: | The 8-page New York Daily ' Worker must be continued! VOTE SHOWS IN S.P. RANKS Indicating the great desire of the rank and file of the Socialist Party for a program of militant class struggle as against the open class collaboration policies of the “Old ciples of the Detroit Socialist Party convention, shows 5,993 for and 4,872 against, according to reports issued | by the Socialist Party yosterday. These returns, mace public by the “Old Guard” group, reveal that the refusal of the Socialist Party leaders to enter into any united front with the Commu- nist Party has been against the wishes of the majority of the membership. The Declaration of Principles ostensibly repudiates the anti-unity policies of the “Old Guard.” In Wisconsin there were 1,032 (Continued on Page 2) @ campaign demanding the freedom of Thaelmann and Caballero? The Revoluticnary Policy Committee has not been heard on the question of the Socialist leaders’ partic.pation in the betrayal of the textile strike. Silence now means countenancing ing-class. try; devrives the heroic Spanish in the United States. Committee at this stage of events issue. To say that the Waldmans, Cahi hand, and the Thomeses on the o' entirely inert cn the united front fascism and hunger, which would i certain enemies of labor, of the united front. It is a crime against the work- It helps every fascist move in this coun- tremendous power of a united front in their behalf The Revolutionary Policy silent before the Socialist Party membership on this be inaccurate. While bitterly resisting a real united front wh'ch weuld speed the fight against war, of thousands of workers, and draw them into the fight, these leacexs have formed a united front with THE SOCIALIST PARTY, THE UNITED FRONT AND THE ELECTIONS They supported the sebotagin: een. | red-beiting drive gone so far that workers of the cannot remain ans, on the one cher, have been question would struggles againsi inspire hundreds | front. Loczls o: an organic, deep-: strike-breakers in the ranks of organized labor. the Socialist Dubinsky into the official famil the A. F. of L. National Executive Council. Such a united front will not be to the benefit of labor. It wll not aid the Socialist Party members in textile, or sla or starving in the ranks of the unemployed. Responding to events such as the Svanish armed the betrayals of Gorman and Gren, and anti-Red campaign, the Socialist Party memte’ is more and more expressing its desire for the un! out for the united front. Th SCOTTSBORO UNITY WISH MARCH IS SET FORSATURDAY | Thousands of Negro and white workers will reaffirm their faith in |the leadership of the International Labor Defense and the Communis® “Throughout the entire world, | Guard,” the referendum just com- |Party in the fight to save the Scotis- pleted on the Declaration of Prin-| boro boys on Saturday at 2 p.m. in |a militant parade through Harlem | Streets, At the same time it was reported | that maturing plans for the Emer |gency Scottsboro Conference to be |held on Sunday in St. Luke's Hall, | 127 W. 130th Stzeet indicate a wide | and energetic response of Negro and white worke: tudents, intellectuals and professionals as weil as organi- | zations composed of all these groups. | Response to the conf e call |reveals that the treacherous efforts jof Samuel Leibowitz and Negro re- |formists to sidetrack the fight | against the execution of Heywood all anti-fascist prisoners from the votes for and only 109 against the| Patterson and Clarence Nor.is on Wire, write, | Declaration, while in New York, Dec. 7 has redoubled the dete-minz- Inten- | where such leading Socialist Party tion of all hones individuals and \ (Continued on Poge 2) It is clear that they have a united front with Messers Green, Ryan, Gorman & Woll. They have rooted united front with the chief Gorman in selling out the textile workers, and they support Green and Woll in their on labor. This united front has the despicable Green has adopted ving away in any other industry, fascism, the danger of a new war, their f the Socialist Party are cominz is the real sentiment (Continued on Page 2) ef .D. LAWYER OF TOWN’, PLANS MADE |Agent of Lawyer Who Turned Against I.L.D. | Talks of Violence ATTACK IS FOILED White Attorney Acts as the Liberator Editor | Gets Warning | Samuel Leibowitz called the of- fice of the Daily Worker yester- | day morning and demanded a of a on the Scottshoro case appeared retraction story which in the Wednesday (Oct. 17) issue, He was told that all the facts in the story were 100 per cent core | rect and so there could not pos- sibly be anything to retract. | ear MONTGOMERY, Ala., Oc: | A threat to have Benjamin J. Davis, Jr. editor of the Megro Liberator and an attorney for the Interna- tional Labor Defense, “run out of |town” was made here yesterday | morning by John Terry, private sec- |retary and bodyguard to Samuel S, | Leibowi.z, it revealed today. 1l— | The incident occurre fi of |the State capitol. Devis was 2c- |companied by C. B. Powell, white | Birmingham attorney Terry, it was learned, walked up to Davis and engaged him in conversation. “Tl have you run out of town,” he finally said. When Davis told him he would not ge: out, Terry made a threaten- ing gesture as though to draw a pistol. At this moment Powell in- vervened. He has as much right to be here as you have,” he told Terry Powell stepped between the two and prevented possible immediate physical violence to Davis, which seemed to threaten in advance of the violence threatened in Terry's “I'll have you run out of town.” Terry's background and connec- tion with Leibowitz is described in (Continued on Page 2) Horthy Seeks Quick Death For Rakosi PARIS, Oct, 17.—Word from Hungary stetes that rather than release Mathias Rakosi, Hungarian Communist leader whose long pris- on term has expired, the fascist Horthy government of Hungary has brutally intensified his suf- ferings with the deliberate inten- tion of quickly killing him. On the |excuse that “further charges” carrying the death penalty will be brought to light at the impending trial, the fascists are prolonging | R 's torture, although his ‘term | of sentence has long since expired. Rakosi, a member of the first Hungarian working class govern- ment, was arrested in 1925 while | organizing the peasants and work- A fascist sentence of death, overruled by a storm of world pro- test, was changed to eight and one- | half years of pricon at hard labor. | Eight and a half years of tor- ture and cruelty have passed and has not been released. reading matter, news of y sort and even sufficient food all been gradually withdrawn the Gomboes. dictator- gz at all costs to pre- returning to the g class. 2 for the defense of wll be held Sunday after t 2 o'clock, at Irving Plaza, | Fificonth St. end Irving Plasa, New | Yor The call for the conference is istued jointly by the Interne- tiorcl Lebor Defense, the National |Committce for the Defense of | Mathies Rakosi and other orsani+ zations, m him,