The Daily Worker Newspaper, December 5, 1934, Page 1

AT OPEN UNIT MEETINGS, COLLECT FUNDS FOR THE DALY 's recei StH Needed in Press Run Yes: 9365.48 - 910,06L.14 terday—41,400 Vol. XI, No. 290 ie Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 8, 1878. Daily .A Worker CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY U.S.A. (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL ) NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1934 NATIONAL EDITION (Six Pages) Price 3 Cenis ,20 MILLION ON HUNGER DOLES Arms Makers Plan for Big War Profits S NYE HEARING SHOWS COLT IN WAR ROLE $i x-Year Preparation for Conflict Brought Out in Testimony By Seymour Waldman (Daily Worker Washington Bureau) WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 4—As early as 1908 American arms and munitions manufacturers antici- pated the large profits to be made from the sale of munitions and armament to the various European governments that were preparing for the imperialist world war, cross- examination of Samuel M. Stone, President of Colt’s Patent Manu- facturing Company, by the Senate Munitions Investigating Committee | disclosed today. The munitions hearings, which were resumed today after the Roosevelt administration had ad- journed them just before the recent elections to avoid expected em- barrassments, were heli before a large gallery of spectators, news- papermen, and munitions manufac- turers attended by their retinue of lawyers, chief editors and other servants. Newspapermen noted the presence at the press table of William Maple, former professor of journalism at the University of Missouri, who now works directly for the duPont ammunition and textile dynasty as managing editor of the latter’s two Wilmington, Del., newspapers. U. S.Manufacturers Tie The first round of hearings showed the close working arrange- ments between the munitions and armament companies and the vari- ous U, S. government departments for the purpose of facilitating sales of armament and munitions to clients all over the world. That this tie-up continues even during the hearings was illustrated the other day when the printed record of the first round of wit- nesses revealed that four exhibits implicating the U. S. and Colom- bian governments and the Driggs Ordnance Company had been stricken from the record. After Stone insisted that his firm had no reason to believe, in the years preceding 1914, that war was coming, despite frequent trips to Europe where officers of the firm conferred with the Ozar’s officers and capitalists and with other European governments, Chairman Nye confronted Stone with the lat- ter’s own affidavit made in 1926 showing the opposite. Expected Big Business “The officers and directors of the company felt assured of a large amount of business in firearms manufactured under our patents and because of this knowledge and their confidence in the future of the company practically elvery member of the board of directors materially increased his stock hold- ings in the company, purchasing stook from time to time at market prices whenever the stock was avail- able, and in some cases borrowing money to make the purchases,” Stone’s 1926 affidavit declared. “Were you preparing for five years or more for a market you felt confident was going to exist?” Nye inquired after reading the affidavit to Stone. “T shall have to rest on the af- fidavit,” was the reply. “Has anything happened your mind since then?” “T believe not,” Stone answered. “In 1908 you and your company were preparing for a wartime ship- ment of arms,” Nye told Stone. “I refer you to my affidavit,” Stone replied stubbornly. Says “Abuses Exist” Manley Hudson, Bemis professor of International Law at Harvard University, preceded Stone on the witness stand, He declared, “It is admitted abuses exist and that they create a serious international prob- lem.” Hudson, in arguing for a “li- censing system,” pointed to Great Britain’s use of such a system. How- ever, he did not point out that Eng- land is one of the world’s greatest (Continued on Page 2) New French Budget Sets Big War Fund PARIS, Dec. 4—The Chamber of Deputies passed the 1935 French budget today by 471 votes to 122. ‘The Communist and Socialist dep- uties voted against it in a bloc. War appropriations are heavily provided for in the budget. The haste with which it was passed sets a record for recent years. The budget leaves an estimated deficit | Of 594,827,461 francs ($39,199,130), Radio Priest Daihinea Himself Opposed to Jobless Insurance By A. B. Magil (Special to the Datly Worker) ROYAL OAK, Mich., Dec. 4.— Father Charles E. Coughlin, radio priest and organizer of a new po- tentially fascist movement called the National Union for Social Jus- tice, in response to questions by your correspondent today declared himself opposed to unemployment insurance. Concerning the revelations made by General Smedley Butler that powerful Wall Street groups had |tried to get him to organize a fas- cist army, Coughlin stated that he knew all about it six months ago and still knows many things that have not been revealed. He refused to discuss it further and denied that he had been approached by these Wall Street interests. The statements came in the \course of a press conference in which Father Coughlin, while pro- fessing to be opposed to both capi- talism and Communism, declared that he was pinning his hopes on President Roosevelt as the savior of the ccuntry. “If Mr. Roosevelt doesn’t make good, we're done for,” he said. “Does that mean there will be a dictatorship?” a reporter asked. “Yes,” Coughlin replied. “The President is the last man up in the ninth inning with two out. He may not be the best batter in the world, but he’s the only one we've got.” The radio priest, a vigorous lusty man of 42, was shrewd enough not to oppose unemployment insurance categorically, leaving himself room to do an about-face when pressure of the masses will make it expedient to do so. “I favor the State secur- ing the right to work for every man so he can save for the future,” he said. “The trouble is that fifty per- cent of our population is uncul- tured in regard to saving. A man earns a hundred dollars a week and will squander all of it. Calls Insurance Stopgap “Unempoyment insurance is only a temporary stopgap and it means taking away individual initiative. It may be necessary now, but after all, this F.E.R.A. money that’s being spent is really unemployment insur- ance.” In the course of the conference Coughlin, who has repeatedly de- nounced J. P. Morgan and other bankers, referred to Morgan as “a lovely person” and said the bank- ers were not to blame, the fault lying with the system under which they were functioning. He denied that his movement was being supported by financial inter- ests or that he was tied up with any (Continued on Page 2) Forty-Two Face Nazi Court in Wiesbaden (Special to the Daily Worker) BERLIN, Dec. 4 (By Wireless) — Forty-two workers of Wiesbaden, Social-Democrats and Communists, are now on trial in the Supreme Court of Justice on charges of hav- ing continued the struggle against to |fascism in anti-fascist organizations and broadening the influence of the Communist Party in Wiesbaden. The trial is taking place at Kassel. Coughlin Knew of Plot For U.S. Fascist Army, He Tells Daily Worker U.M.W. RANKS RAISE SLOGAN ‘OUST LEWIS’ By Amy Schechter PITTSBURGH, Pa, Dec. 4.— “Pile up the vote for the rank and file candidates on the International ballot and expose the election rob- bery by the Lewis machine, demand a special convention to bring charges against Lewis, and sweep the Lewis machine out of office in the Pittsburgh District.” This was the call broadcast by the confer- ence of rank and file U. M. W. of A. miners from Westmoreland County, Fayette County and the Pittsburgh District, held at Arnold City on Sunday, Dec. 2, to plan final action on the International and District elections scheduled for Dec. 11. It was a fighting conference re- flecting the rising anger of the miners against the action of the Lewis machine in ruling off the ballot John F. Sloan of Danville, Illinois, rank and file candidate for U. M. W. of A. president and the other rank and file candidates for International office. endorsed by hundreds of locals throughout the country. Favor Special Convention The conference emphasized the fact that John L. Lewis has admit- ted the eligibility of these candi- dates for office by placing John F. Sloan, as well as George Green of Shenandoah (District 9), and James Emery of Danville, Ill., on the bal- Jot as candidates for U. M. W. of A. delegates to the A. F. of L. con- vention. (Emery also as candidate for teller), proving that ruling them off as candidates for leading offices is only the Jatest machine election- stealing tactic. Speakers from several locals re- ported that the members got so hot when they found that the rank and file slate had been kept off the ballot that they voted to pack up the ballots and send them back the way they came with a protest “telling Lewis what he could use them for.” The conference decided after dis- cussion, however, that negative ac- tion of this sort would only play into the hands of the machine, and voted unanimously to get out the largest possible vote for those minor offices for which the rank and file candidates had been permitted to run, as the most effective means of Lewis’ robbery of the presidential election, of registering the will of the rank and file, and mobilizing the membership for the fight for a special convention. Growing sentiment was reported from all the districts represented for the latter demand. Twenty local unions went on record at a conference held at Hamarville, Pa., a week ago, it was reported, in favor of a special convention. The conference gave detailed con- sideration to the elections in the Pittsburgh District for which a full rank and file slate headed by the old union fighter Charley Nolker, president of the Curtisville local, was nominated with the endorse- (Continued on Page 2) LENINGRAD MASSES VIEW KIROV'S BODY Many Thousands March in Grief and Anger Past Catafalque By Vern Smith (Special to the Daily Worker) MOSCOW, Dec. 4 (By Wireless.) —December 2 was a day of sorrow and anger in Leningrad. The) thought which filled the minds of | all workers and the fact which | hung over the closed shops and fac- tories was the assassination Sunday | of Sergei Kirov. In the great hall of the Uritski Palace, on a high catafalque coy- ered with flowers and banners lay | the coffin with the body of the| leader of the Leningrad proletariat. | An orchestra, conducted by the fa- mous English conductor, Albert | Coates, played the Chopin Funeral March, columns of workers passed | before the coffin in two endless} streams, and factory whistles had hardly ceased sounding the end of the day when huge columns of working men and women formed at the gates of the Leningrad factory giants, Workers View Body All had one idea—to see their beloved leader again, and once more to declare at his coffin their un- Calling on all Communists and sympathizers to exert the utmost energy in aiding the Spanish workers by supporting the drive of Labor Defense, culminating in International Soli- darity Week, Dec. 10 to 16, the Central Committee of the Communist Party, U.S.A. following statement: “Though thousands of them have been slaugh- tered and tens of thousands are in prison, the Spanish workers continue and extend their heroic struggles against the Lerroux-Robles fascist regime after the October armed uprising. “The chief task before the workers of the entire world in behalf of the Spanish workers is to rally international solidarity, and substantial aid against The International | Labor Defense has undertaken an intensive drive | to collect funds, to organize mass demonstrations, and in every way possible to help the Spanish | their executors and oppressors. workers in Bad ae. UNITED FRONT 1S BROADENED IN CASTILE (Special to the Daily Worker) MADRID, Dec. 4 (By Cable) —A resolution to join in united front with the Communist and Socialist | Parties of Spain and a complete swerving will to struggle for social- |readiness to enter into the Workers ism. By torchlight, carrying in- numerable portraits of Kirov framed in mourning posters and bearing black banners, the workers of Leningrad marched to Uritski Palace, where Kirov had so often taken the platform, Together with the workers marched the Red Army men, prom- inent scientists and students, fa- mous writers and artists. On banners and flags were in- scribed words definitely expressing the idea and will of the Leningrad proletariat—“We will fight like Kirov, live like Kirov, rally closer around the Party of Lenin and Stalin.” Tens of thousands of proletarians | slowly passed the coffin. Unceas- ingly they looked at the familiar face, calm and commanding, almost unchanged by death. They left the Palace, putting on their hats in the street. Thus they went out into! the frost with bared heads, only later, as if suddenly remembering, they looked into each other's eyes, seeming to wish to read there what Jay in their own hearts—the trust in a Party which was capable of training such Bolshevik reliance in the class which produced Kirov, trust in a country which was led (Continued on Page 2) High Court of U.S.S.R. Gets White Guard Case (Special to the Daily Worker) MOSCOW, Dec. 4 (By Wireless).— The case of seventy-one White Guards recently arrested (before the Kirov assassination) in the Leningrad and Moscow regions on the charge of preparing the organ- ization of terroristic acts against the Soviet government and workers has been sent for consideration to the Military Collegium of the Supreme Alliance were the outcome of an il- legal: meeting held today: of the Castile division of the Anarcho- Syndicalist Trade Union (C.N.T.). All those present agreed con- cerning the condemnation of the sabotage and betrayal of the Cen- tral of Anarchists (F. A. I.) and resolved to disrupt all relations with Garcia Oliver, leader of the F. A. I.| of Catalonia, The voting of the united front rapprochement with | the Communists and Socialists was | declared, not only on the basis of | direct actions but of the entire struggle for power by the prole- tariat. Workers Enter Federations All the decisions of the meeting | Were announced to the C. N. T. Ex- ecutive. The hundreds of thousands of Anarchist workers of Castile in- dicated that they would uncondi- tionally enter the revolutionary Federations of Asturia, Galicia, Leon and those of a greater part! of Aragon, Catalonia and Andalusia. | In the question of participation | in the next efections of town coun- cils, it was resolved not to place Anarchist or Syndicalist candidates in office but to recommend that members vote for candidates of the united Workers Alliance. Wherever such nominees would not be put up the voting is to be in favor of Communist or Socialist Party can- didates. The government announced the arrest of the leader of the red army of Asturias, Ramon Gonzalez Penja, in the village of Ablama. He had been hunted for weeks by the secret police net-work. Two days ago two adjutants of the red forces and an assistant of Penja, Sanchez Dutor, were seized. Their lives are in the greatest danger, At Barcelona a secret meeting of the Communist Party was invaded | by the fascist police and 25 workers were arrested. Arriving at Pam- plona, 18 revolutionaries from Gijon and 17 from Barcelona were arrested and nearly all were court-martialed and sentenced to 30 years’ impris- onment, Incarceration in the cold, dark and damp dungeons of the Court of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics. medieval Fortress San Cristobal means slow death, Aid the Spanish Workers! Statement of Central Gomuiies: Com tariat Party, U.S.A. Solidarity Week, the Titernational has issued the “The Central Party appeals to a’ to all workers, rallying support fighters, for the peasants! Show brothers by Re d Ma ayor Elected in 165 French Towns PARIS, Dec, 4—Communists were elected to mayoralties in 165 towns and cities throughout France, ac- cording to the final tabulation of | the recent elections. With 100 per cent of the coun- | cillors Communists in 156 of these towns, Paris is now completely sur- | rounded by industrial cities adminis- | tered by elected Conimunists, These returns reveal the immense | pressure being exerted on the reac- tionary French government and ex- | plain the recent frantic shuffling | of ministers and cabinets and their defeated efforts to saddle French | workers with a fascist dictatorship. | | Only the widespread influence of | s the united front of Socialists and | |Communists could so effectively |have held off fascism and increased the Bissebid of the French proletariat, | it is everywhere admitted. | |Spanish Officer Faces | |Death for Aiding Revolt, (Special to the Daily Worker) MADRID, Dec. 4 (By "Vireless) 2m |Lieutenant Torrens of the Civil Guard, who in the October fighting had refused to order his soldiers to! fire upon Spanish workers and had | himself gone over to the revolu- tionary forces, was sentenced to} death this afternoon. The lieuten- jant’s heroism is known all over Spain and united action is already being mobilized to save him from| execution. |Paris Taxi Drivers Victorious in Strike | (Special to the Daily Worker) PARIS, Dec. 4. (By Wireless).— Taxi-drivers here have won their fight for a shorter working day and higher wages. Despite the scabbing of White Guardists who acted as chauffeurs, the strike was supported | wholeheartedly by the public, | | MONTGOMERY WARD PROFITS RISE NEW YORK.—According to a re- | port published by the Eastern Bureau of the Federated Press, the Profits of Montgomery Ward, great | Chicago mail order house, increased 1,400 per cent during the first nine months of 1934 as against the first nine months of 1933. to exert the greatest energy “Make International Soli mobilization of support for our all mass organizations, strations a success, | defense of the oe nae workers.” “This campaign is to culminate in International Dec. 10 to 16 with mass actions | before the Spanish consulates, in every city in the country where these consulates exist, strations before the National City Bank, and the International Telephone and Telegraph Co. offices as these organizations have supplied tens of tTfou- sands of pesetas to the fascist forces of Spain. in demon- Committee of the Communist 11 Communists, to all sympathizers, in for our Spanish brothers. y Week a mighty the heroic Asturi embattled Spanish workers ar your solidarity with our Spanish deeds in your trade union, in by making these demon- by collecting funds for the rs BOSSES MAP NEW PROGRAM TO GIVE FDR, By Milton Howard NEW YORK.—Following the an- nouncement of a new open shop drive made at its open session on Monday, the National Association of. Manufacturers yesterday con- tinued to set the stage for a new Grive for profits at the expense of the American working class and the labor movement by presenting, in response to Roosevelt's recent ii vitations, a program for recovery, demanding the immediate estab- lishment of “policies that will pro- | vide a sound foundation for faith and confidence” of private capital. At the sanw'time, complete sup- port of Roosevelt's policies by mo- nopoly industry was express by A. P. Haake, Managing Director of the National Association of Manufac- turers, who hailed Roosevelt's poli- cies yesterday as “realistic.” Hail Roosevelt Wage Cut As evidence of the which the leading indu the country approved, Haake cited Roosevelt’s recent slashing of wage rates on all federal work relief projects as “the most significant single evidence of that recognition of fact.” Meeting in the second day of its | sub-sessions, preparatory to the en- | lJarged Congress of American In- dustry, that will bring the coun- try’s leading industrialists together | “realism” on Dec. 5 and 6 here at the Wal- | the National | dorf-Astoria Hotel, Association of Manufacturers pre- pared to lay its proposals before the Roosevelt government with assur- ance that it will get what it want It was made wholly clear in the} submitted Program For Recovery that the new “recovery” drive now | being worked out with the closest | co-operation of the Roosevelt N. R. A. heralds not only an organized | | effort to spread the open shop, but | a blunt attack on all relief for the unemployed. The drive to reduce all govern- ment expenses, except, of course, debt and interest payments to the bankers and bondholders, aimed | mainly at relief appropriations, was further emphasized in the program (Continued on Page 2) By ¢. A. HAT HATHAWAY Editor, Daily Worker ARTICLE I )W should one view the decisions made at the Boston meeting of the national executive committee of the Socialist Party, (Dec. 1-2) par- ticularly its actions on the United Front? Did the Socialist leaders move forward or backward on this ‘most vital of all questions? At the outset it is necessary to emphasize that they tried hard to avoid any clearly-defined stand. They refused to declare openly and directly either for or against united working class action. But, by this refusal to say either yes or no, they merely in em their desire, if at all possible, to block working class unity against fascism, war and hunger. They could not ignore the grow- ing pressure of the workers in and around their own party for united Yet the sonmmittee would rota Guard’ Program With Thomas’ ‘Liberal’ Trimmings Adopted at Boston Sessions as cae Move ‘One Step Forward and Two Steps Backward’ not fight against the “old guard” opponents of such a course who threatened to split the party. The result was what amounts to a miserable and cowardly abandon- ment of the newly adopted Declara- tion of Principles and a desertion by the so-called “militants” of their professed support for the United Front. One can characterize the outcome as ONE STEP FORWARD, in the form of empty, meaningless United Front phrases for the left- ward moving Socialist workers, and TWO STEPS BACKWARD, in the form of very real concessions to the reactionary “old guard.” As to Decisions What specifically were the de- cisions reached? 1, Phey decieved ‘tm priaeigis” for unity, stating “the Socialist Party heartily beieves in working class unity.” 2. In the same breath this pious declaration is refuted. “However,” they say, “the national executive committee hereby decides not to conduct negotiations for a united front with the Communist Party or so-called splinter groups until the next national convention.” In other words, they “believe heartily in working class unity,” but not for two years—until 1936! 3. They could not close their eyes | to the increasing participation of | Socialist Party branches and local) organizations in united front ac- tions with corresponding Commu- nist Party organizations (New Or- Jeans, Chicago, Newark, 1 County, etc.), and appeared to agree to a continuance of such local joint actions, 4, But here also a careful read- ing of the resolution adopted shows that the intention was not to fur- ther, but rather to limit such joint local struggles. At no point in the resolution do they specifically give permission to their locals for par- ticipation in united fronts. They do state, however, that “before any branch or local of the Socialist Par- | ty shall take part in any united | ‘front activity with the Communist Party, the consent of the State Ex- | ‘ecutive Committee in organized, and) of the National Executive Commit- tee in unorganized states should be obtained.” united front activities where they | are unable to prevent them; they; purpose to block such actions | wherever possible. In the bigegst in- dustrial States (New York, Penn- sylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, etc.), | where the Party is controlled by the “old guard,” this decision, if accepted by the membership, would make impossible the participation of Socialist. organizations in any form of united front struggles with the Communist Party. | 5) Finally, the N. E. C. decided) to conduct “a survey of the polit- | ical scene with the aim in view of | possible co-operation in the forma- | tion of a farmer-labor party.” This | decision provides an insight into the real meaning of the Sooialist ee | meeting by SOCIALIST PARTY N.E.C. SHELVES UNTTED FRONT leaders’ talk of “unity.” pose unity toward the Right, with the . F. of L. bureaucracy, and with the bourgeois demagogues at the head of the Minnesota Farmer- Labor and the Wisconsin Progres- sive parties, with groups which are | wholeheartedly supporting Roose- velt’s “New Deal.” Negotiations with the Communists are to be put | off for two years, but negotiations are to begin at once with the Greens, Wolls, Olsons and LaFol- lettes! These decisions, adopted by a vote of 6 to 5, can best be under- | stood by first examining the de- mands presented to the N. E. C. the so-called guard,” the reactionaries who bit- terly oppose the decisions of the Detroit convention and who openly threaten to split the party unless (Gowbinued on Page 2) Ae They pro-} “old | UNITY URGENT FOR JOBLESS, AMTER SAYS Unemployment Council Addresses Call to All Groups in Nation WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec Preliminary reports t the person out of every s country. Single persons were not included in the F. E. R. A. report, S h the F.E.R.A, report, the National Unemploymen Councils addressed a’ united call to all unemployed groups whi participated in the Nov. 24 de: strations, for relief and unemp! ment insurance. Coming at a time when the sharpest attacks are be- ing directed against the unemployed, the letter cited the contrasting ef- fects of unity and disunity as were shown in the demonstrations of the |New York and Chicago workers. t a | m the one , the letter stated, a few thousand assembled in New York’s Union Square. Here efforts of the Councils to effect unity were met with a refusal for joint participation on all commit- tees. InChicago, onthe other hand, where a united front was es~ tablished, 25,000 workers marched, The letter points out that for the most part ail the groups partici- pating in the Ni 24 demonstra< tions have sp: y endorsed the Workers’ Unemployment Insurance Bill, and the members of the groups have shown their adiness to struggle for the enactment of the Workers’ Bill by taking to the Streets in militant demonstrations around the demand for the enact- ment of the bill. Calls for Elections On the basis of these experiences, the National Unemployment Coun- | cils again proposed to these unem-= \ployed groups that t elect rep- |resentatives to the National Spon- soring Committee for the National Congress for Unemployment Insur- their organiza- tions to send delegates to the Na+ tional Congress. The Councils fur- ther proposed that they appoint a committee to meet with a like com- mittee of the Unemployment Coun- |cils to work out means of broaden~ |ing the united front which shall |lead to a merger of all unemployed | organizations, | The full text of the letter follows: Fellow Workers: On Oct. 23, the National Board of the National Unemployment Council addressed you on the fole lowing questions: National Congress for Un- €mployment and Social Insurance, which will be held in Washington, D. C., Jan. 5-6-7, 2. Unification of the unem- ployed organizations into one body. 3. November 24th demonstra~ tions. Mr. David Lasser, man of your grou that he had no speak on the first two mentioned questions. He answered only on the question of the Nov. 24 demon- ) Strations, declazing that the so- jealled National Action Committee | did not desire the united front with | the National Unemployment Coun= cil, charging the National Unem-~ ployment Council with being “disrupters.” Nevertheless, the door was left open for local united | front agreements. The: Nov. 24 demonstrations have | been held. It is advisable, there- es that we make a short exe amination of the demonstrations and draw some lessons. Mr. Lasser is head of the Work- ers Unemployed Union of New York. Together with the other | Socialist leaders of this organiza- tion, he refused to form a real | united front with the Greater New |¥ ork Unemployment Council, Nevertheless, on Nov. 24, the Uns il participated in The leaders of Workers “Unemployed Union the spokes< nformed us horization to the did nothing to bridge the breach between the workers of their ors ganization and of the National Uns employment Council. On the con- trary, even at the demonstration they did everything in their power to keep the groups apart. Mem- bers of the National Unemployment | Cou however, ‘fraternized with members of the Workers ‘Unem- ployed Union. who asked why | speakers of the National Uneme= \ Gontinued on Page 2) — &