The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 18, 1935, Page 1

Premium To Use “Hunger Revolt” Cartoon Book Secure Subs Press Run Saturday—60,400 Daily QA Worker CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST PARTY U.S.A. (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERWATIONAL ) Vol. XII, No. 42 —- * Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at New York, N. ¥., under the Act of March 8, 1878 NEW YORK, MONDAY FEBRUARY 18, 1935 NATIONAL EDITION (Six Pa ges) Price 3 Cents 200,000 SET FOR SERVICE STRIKE TODAY ank and File Slate Wins Three Out of HEAVY VOTE ROLLED UP BY MILITANTS Fraud Charged to Group Backing Reactionary Candidate PATERSON, N. J., Feb. 17.—The Rank and File Ticket scored another significant victory in the elections for general manager and organizers of the Silk Workers Federation here, Saturday, by electing in an overwhelming majority three can- didates for organizer. The outcome on the results of the vote for gen- eral manager is still in doubt, The rank and file is demanding a re- | count, charging wholesale fraud by the supporters of Al Williams, the reactionary candidate. The vote as announced officially stood at 879 for Sarkis Phillian of the Rank and File Ti , to 939 for Williams. The ciected organizers are Louis Valgo with 665 votes; John Troy, 540, Elias Hajjar, 547. The ganizer elected was George with 451 votes, who did not : Rank and File Ticket. Lovestonites Lose The “progressive” group, Love- stnnites, met with acrushing de- feat. Their three candidates for organizer received 108, 124 and 88 votes each. Workers charge that the election board controlled by Harry Ross, sup- porter of the reactionary Williams of the Jacquard department, had been giving out many extra cards from the Jacquard office to inel- ligible and “extra” voters. It is felt certain that a review will easily wipe off the slight margin given Williams over. Phillian. Keller Aids Williams ‘The vote for Williams was mus- tered by the united front between the Lovestonites, Jewish Daily For- ward agents and the Williams clique in the Jacquard department. Eli Keller, the former general manager, and discredited Lovestonite, it is now apparent, deliberately withdrew to throw what support he had be- hind Williams. Combined with a rank and file- controlled Executive Board in the plain goods department of the local, election of rank and file full time officers puts a fighting weapon in the hands of the silk workers for the stoppage against wage cuts they have decided for recently. Gieca to Urge More N.R. A. WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 17.— President Roosevelt will ask Con- gress tomorrow for a two-year ex- tension of the N. R. A. He is asking for its extension in order to further strengthen the monopolies, and to sharpen the repressive measures against labor. He wants to reorgan- ize the N. R. A. in order to further reduce living standards, increase profits and smash the labor organi- zations. His message was expedited by the growing wave of strikes. Just as the N. R. A. was first introduced two years ago to crush a rising strike movement, so now Roosevelt will ask for the strengthening of the dicta- torial and repressive measures. They will be used to attack the unions and the strikes of workers, which are rapidly developing, and further the development of company unions. The growing disillusionment with the N. R. A., even among the small employers, found expression in an attempt by certain Senators to hold an investigation into the monopoly practices favored by the Roosevelt administration. The small mer- chants and manufacturers have complained that they ae marked for “slaughter.” - Demagogues like Borah and Nye are pressing for another investiga- tion of what has happened to the small man. But the administra~ tion is afraid that such an investi- gation will turn up facts such as were uncovered by the Darrow beard, and consequently willl try to steam-roller through the revised N.R. A. Japan Pushes Attack HARBIN, Feb. 17—The com- mander of the Japanese troopé in Jehol has called a conference of officers in order to study the ques- tion of further inroads into Chahar. Under the protection of armored cars, the Japanese have begun to ‘construct strategic roadways and airplane fields in the regions which have just been occupied, eive the endorsement of the. AGA Editor of Daily Worker PLOTTING WITH MAYOR INST TRUCK STRIKE and Publisher Proves Story Newspapers and Union Chiefs Planned to Break Strike That LaGuardia, and Publisher. metropolitan newspapers invo exposing the strikebreaking confer- ence. Under the head “MAYOR | PLOTS TO BREAK UP TRUCK | STRIKE,” a sub-head said, “Meets | With Publishers Against The Threatened Walkout of Teamsters.” | The story itself stated in part: | “A conference of Mayor LaGuar- |dia and the largest publishers of | the city to combat the teamsters’ strike was held Wednesday after- noon at City Hall, the Daily Worker MINE STRIKE 1S OUTLAWED Amended Injunction Bars All Strike Activity at Glen Alden (Special to the Daily Worker) County Court amended the injunc- tion against the United Anthracite Miners of Pennsylvania, yesterday to include an order that the officials \of the union must immediately call off the Glen Alden Coal Company strike. The injunction, which has | deen in effect since Feb, 6, barred | | picketing or any other strike activ- |ity including the holding of meet- ings in any of the towns where the |eompany’s properties are located. | This is the first time on record | that such an order was issued by a |final form was immediately served upon the officials of the union, The grievance board of the Glen Alden miners met for a half hour, but postponed action on the matter until Monday afternoon, The antine order and will meet it with still greater strike activity, and ef- forts to spread the strike to other regions. Frank Petrowsky, of Larksville, one of the two strikers murdered Thursday, will be burried tomor- row. Thousands of miners will at- tend his funeral. The Communist Party, pointing to the serious situation facing all miners in the Anthracite, calls for unity of the miners of both unions to defeat the injunction through mass picketing and demonstrations. The Glen Alden Company has declared a two-day work holiday in order to be able to send its fore- men to the houses of the miners to solicit scabs. Miners living in com- pany houses are receiving eviction notices if they refuse to go to work. By S. W. Gerson Conclusive proof of the charge of the Daily Worker that Mayor LaGuardia, wealthy publishers and high union officials plotted to avert or break a teamsters’ strike in New York City a few weeks ago is given in the recent issue of Editor |in the appeals of Clarence Norris On that date the Daily Worker ran a front page story | WILKES-BARRE, Pa,, Feb. 17.—| Judge W. A. Valentine of Luzerne |county court, The injunction in its | miners are aroused against the Val- | The charge, published in the Daily Worker of Feb. 1, was never denied by the Mayor or the owners of the various | exerted by the toiling masses of the ved. o~ learned from yesterday. | “At this meeting the Mayor re-| ceived the support of the capitalist newspapers of the city in a fight | to stem the strike movement in the |guise of moving “food, fuels and | Newspapers.” i Now Editor and Publisher, organ | authoritative sources | (Continued on Page 2) MOVES CITED ON ABYSSINIA Mussolini a Rushing Troops as Statement | Is Issued ROME, Feb. 17—While Italian mobilization of troops and supplies continues to flow across the Medi-| terranean Sea to Italian Somali-| land, the Abyssinian government, in @ message released here to the world Press, declared that Mussolini’s imperialist drive “is not justified by | any military measures on the part | of Ethiopia.” Negadras Yesus, charge d'affaires for Abyssinia here, released his gov- ernment’s statement to the Italian Foreign Office. Yesus also pre- sented full evidence that his coun-| try had never taken an aggressive | | Position against Italy and that no | Abyssinian troops had ever had oc- casion to concentrate on the border. | Yesus also indicated that Musso- lini’s playing at “negotiations” and | |at the same time speeding up war | Mobilization on a vast scale, would | certainly provoke a bloody conflict | in Abyssinia. | Mussolini’s War Moves | Against Negro Nation’ Hundreds of Negro and white workers assembled at the New Star Casino yesterday in protest against the mobilization of troops for the invasion of Abyssinia by fascist Italy. Resolutions were adopted for for- warding to the Italian Consulate- General demanding that Mussolini keep his hands off this Negro! country. | Speakers at the meeting included | Tom De Fazio and Joseph Maglia- | cano of the Italian Bureau of the Communist Party, Richard B.} Moore of the International Labor Defense, and Harry Gannes, associ- | ate editor of the Daily Worker. EDITORS’ ORGAN ADMITS COURT HEARS HEARST FICHT SCOTTSBORO CASE TODAY Review of Trial Mirrors the Mass Campaign Behind Boys [Benjamin J. Da Jr., editor of the “Negro Liberator,” will re- report the continuation of the Scottsboro hearings from the United States Supreme Court chambers today, for the Daily Worker.] By Louis Colman When the United States Supreme Court justices file into their seats today to hear the continuation of the argument by Walter H. Pollak and Haywood Patterson, Scottsboro boys, this very act will be an indi- cation of the tremendus pressure world demanding the lives and free- dom of these boys. The United States Supreme Court is supposed to be in recess for two weeks starting today. Instead, this recess will be broken into when Mr. Pollak continues his argument on the constitutional question of the denial of their rights to the Negro people. He will be followed by Lieutenant-Governor Thomas E. Knight of Alabama, former attor- ney general and now special pros- ecutor of the Scoitsboro boys, who ON U.S. SR. ~1S ASSAILED | Plans Are Rushed for Mass Demonstration | — j One hundred and fifty thousand copies of a new broadside were is- | sued on Saturday morning by the Friends of the Soviet Union to rally | thousands of New York workers to the mass demonstration next Mon- | |day evening at Madison Square ; Garden. The broadside calls for the |defense of the Soviet Union, now facing a greater threat of war since the breaking.off of U. 8S.-Soviet trade negotiations by the State De- partment. The demonstration next Monday jevening will mass the strength of | the workers of this city in solidarity | with the workers and farmers of {the Soviet Union, and _ protest jageinst, the action of the United | States Government, which has, by | breaking off trade negotiations, de- ‘nied employment and jobs to 400,000 | American workers. Lundeen to Speak Heading the list of speakers at | | the demonstration will be Congress- | |man Ernest Lundeen of Minnesota, | | sponsor of the Workers Unemploy- | ment Insurance Bill, H. R. 2827. A | mass movement of tremendous pro- Portions has sprung to the support | | of this bill, fighting for its passage | at Garden | | Four Posts in Sil Building Service Men! Strike and Win! AN EDITORIAL The thousands of building service workers of New York have voted unanimously for an immediate strike, against the anti-labor decisions of LaGuardia’s arbitration board and for higher wages and better working conditions. The 200,000} workers, led by the Building Service Employees (A, F. of L.), have to this date been LaGuardia’s compulsory arbitration board. They voted to strike against the unsatisfactory decision just announced by the LaGuardia board which robbed them of their demands. robbed of their demands by In the present situation, when LaGuardia is mobilizing all the strikebreaking forces, when he is trying to head off and failing that! to break the coming strike, delay to come out on strike would weaken the building workers’ fight. The strike should be made effective at once. The building service workers voted for an immediate strike. They should not allow Bambrick or anyone eise to sidetrack an immedi- ate walkout. Every day's delay, every hour's delav, allows the Realty Board and LaGuardia to strengthen their strikebreaking plans. The issues of the strike, which LaGuardia and the Realty Board are attenipting to becloud, are clear. The building service workers are fighting against starvation—they are demanding decent wages and working conditions. They are (fighting for a just union agreement. Already, the entire strikebreaking apparatus of the Realty Board and the city administration has been mobilized to attempt to crush the | strike. Mayor LaGuardia again appeers as the general of the strike-break- ing forces of the employers. LaGuardia has already made known that he wiil use police, firemen and other city employees to run the ele- vators and act as scabs. Remember, the policies of Mr. Bambrick in the past have not been the best to further the demands of the building service workers. Re- member how he dissipated by negotiations and time-killing arbitration will argue for their legal lynching. |i Congress, and thousands of New | proceedings the splendid sirike in the garment center in November Osmond K. Fraenkel, constitutional attorney, who has been in charge of the appeals for the International Labor. Defense-since-the last~Deca- | tur trial, will follow Knight with rebuttal argument. Court Reflects Pressure The court has already showed in innumerable ways its consciousness of the pressure of thirteen million Negroes and millions of white work- ers and sympathizers whose eyes are upon it in this case. A tripled detail of capitol police lounged around in the corridor out- side the court while the case was being heard Friday. The doorkeeper nervously insisted that Benjamin J. Davis, Jr., who reported the proceedings of the (Continued on Page 2) Over Cuba HAVANA, Cuba, Feb. 17—The lackey government of Cuba today began to carry out the Wall Street mandate to crush all working class leadership here by ordering the editorial. board of the magazine “Masas” to appear tomorrow before Emergency Tribunal No. 1, on the charge of conducting a Communist publication. This tribunal, equivalent. to a court martial, is prepared, reports state, to deal out unusually savage sentences to all editors of the maga- zine, These are: Doctor Juan Mari- | nello, the most popular intellectual in Cuba, professor in the Normal School and editor of the working class newspaper, “La Palabra”; Re- gino Pedroso, the greatest proleta- rian poet of Cuba; Juaquin Cardoso, anti-imperialist fighter, who was a delegate to the Second Congress Against War and Fascism in. the United States, held in Chicago; and Jose Manuel Valde Rodriquez, well- known intellectual. During the past few days the Emergency Tribunal has handed | down sentences up to one year to individuals merely charged with reading this publication. Marinello being the editor. All workers’ organizations are urged to protest the savage terror by send-| ing telegrams to Preside) Mendi- etta, Havana, Cuba. | York worker who are backing H. R. | 2827 are expected to attend the mass demonstration. Waterman Wise, editor of “Opin- jion;” Corliss Lamont, author of | | “Russia Day by Day” and “On Un- |} derstanding Soviet Russia;” J. B./ Matthews, Professor Charles Kuntz | and Dr. Reuben Young. Other na- | tionally prominent speakers will | | represent labor, professional, reli- | | gious and cultural organizations. | | War Threatens U.S.S.R. | Pointing out that the breaking | | off of negotiations strengthens Jap- | ; anese militarism in its war plans jagainst the USSR. the F.SU.| | broadside carries the headline, “War | | Threatens U.SS.R.” An editorial | entitled “Driving Toward War” | (Continued on Page 2) ‘New Rift Seen In 8S. P. Ranks. ae | | A sharp rift in the leading ranks | of the Socialist Party is revealed by | |the Socialist “New Leader” this | week in a statement by its editor- jial board which announces that | Norman Thomas has withdrawn his | usual weekly column from the | paper, | Strongly hinting that Thomas is | | working toward a separate news- Paper, the board’s statement says,, | | “We regret Comrade Thomas’ deci- sion to withdraw his column. That | \it, should have been made just as j the Militant group is considering | establishing a weekly newspaper in | opposition to the New Leader may | be more than a coincidence,” The rift revolves around a dis- | pute between the Indiana State or- ganization and the National Execu- tive Committee of which Thomas is | a member. The Indiana group had | | taken action to withdraw from the Socialist Party because of the party membership’s recent approval, in} |@ referendum vote, of the Declara- tion of Principles as the party pro- | gram, The National Executive of-| fice then ordered the Indiana | group to give up all its records to) the national body. Thomas criti- | cised the manner in which the New | Leader had handled this fight, and | James Oneal, editor, had replied that Thomas was using his office | to promote his own faction. By Moissaye J. Olgin (This is the second article of a series on the situation of steel workers.) Out of a total of thirty-two open- hearth furnaces of the Carnegie Steel Company in Duquesne, Pa., only four or five have worked con- sistently during the past eighteen months; only nine are working now. The plant employed 6,000-7,000 in 1929, It now employs, on the basis of the stagger system, between 3,000 and 4,000 workers. The work is gen- erally two to three days a week. This information was given to me by Bill Spang, chairman of the rank-and- Steel Workers on Jobs Starve Without Relie} EMPLOYEES OF LARGEST STEEL PLANTS AVERAGE $5 TO $8 A WEEK In Claireton, Pa., in the coke and steel works, five open-hearth fur- naces are working out of 16. They | Work alternately, sometimes a whole ; week in succession; somes they stop altogether for a week or two. Of the 6,000 workers employed in 1929, about 4,000 are working today—all on the basis of the stagger system. If the workers were engaged eight hours a day, six days a week, no more than 1,500 would be needed for the available work. This infor- mation was given to me by Roy Rollins, member of the rank-and-| file committee. | In Braddock, Pa., in the Carne- file committee of thirteen, Bie steel_mills, three blast furnaces are working out of a total of thir- teen blast furnaces and sixteen open-hearth furnaces. Another blast furnace is being prepared. “It does not mean very much,” a worker thoroughly familiar with the Brad- dock situation told me. “The mills make a show of running in order to give the impression that better times are coming.” In 1929, there were 5,000 workers in the Carnegie mills of Braddock. Today hardly 1,200 are working—none of them full time. The same situation prevails in all the other steel towns around Pitts- | burgh. According to the best available in- | formation, the Pittsburgh steel area | is working at the rate of about one- third of capacity. Other steel dis-| tricts, in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Milhigan, where lighter steels are produced, show somewhat better figures. The steel industry throughout the | country is now working at the rate! of about 50 per cent of capacity. A decline is imminent in March. But even where there ‘s a certain “boom,” it does not tend to improve | the situation of the workers. The} construction of new, improved steel mills, with the most modern produc- Other speakers will includeJames|.Which could win. Remember how he agreed to the setting up of LaGuardia and the real estate owner's arbitration board instead of preparing for strike action This gave the property leeches time to mobilize their scabs and thugs. It gave LaGuardia time to mass his strikebreaking apparatus At the Friday meeting when Bambrick heard the workers’ mighty voice for strike action he left the meeting to fritter away more precious time maneuvering with LaGuardia. It is true Bambrick did not sign the “award.” But by delaying the strike (the only weapon now of winning the workers’ demands) the advantage goes to those who want the anti- | labor award to go over. By strike, the demands of the workers can be won. This is how union recognition can be forced on the bosses. Here is how the union can be built into a powerful organization to protect the interests of all building service workers. LaGuardia’s intense strikebreaking preparations are similar to the strikebreaking forces brought into play by the employers against the San Francisco general strike. The employers in New York City are afraid of the spread of the building service workers’ strike to take in the teamsters, the longshormen, the utility company employees, and other unions. LaGuardia, who acted as a strikebreaker in the teamsters’ situ- ation, in the waterfront struggle, in the taxi strike, now appears more openly than ever as the head of the strikebreaking forces of the Realty Board and the Chamber of Commerce. Representatives of the Realty Board are already talking about an injunction, and the Hearst press is already printing rumors regarding the availability of the National Guard for strikebreaking duty. LaGuardia hypocritically talks of the “health and fire hazard” in order to cover up the strikebreaking character of his government. But LaGuardia, who for strikebreaking purposes talks of health and fire | hazard, does not concern himself with the plight of the hundreds of thousands of slum dwellers in New York City. He does, and has done, absolute'y nothing for the health of these workers crowded together in filthy firetraps. He does nothing to protect the tenement dwellers from fire, The Realty Board and LaGuardia’s arbitration board are determined to defeat the demands of the building workers, and to smash their strike. It was not for nothing that Lawrence B. Cummings, chairman of the Realty Advisory Board, representing the building owners, declared: “THIS AGREEMENT IS THE MAYOR'S AGREEMENT” in referring to the “award” of LaGuardia’s compulsory Arbitration Board. The employers are trying to enforce this award be- cause, if accepted, it would defeat the demands of the union. It denies the union demands and is perfectly satisfactory to the building owners. If Mayor LaGuardia were really concerned about the health of the workers, if he were really in sympathy with labor as he claimed to be when campaigning for election, he would demand that the Realty Board grant the demands of the building workers. LaGuardia represents the bankers and the empioyers, and therefore he tries to defeat the demands of the building service workers. Is it “healthy” for the people of New York to have to live and work in buildings where untrained scabs, in or out of police uniforms run elevators, and fatal accident is almost certain to occur? Is it “healthy” to create virtual martial law, to create an army of strikebreaking armed thugs? The strike should be called today, at once! Bambrick is conferring privately with the emplovers whose sole aim is to move heaven and earth to prevent this strike for the work- ers demands, This is the fight of the whole New York labor movement. It involves the rights of all trade unions to strike for better conditions, for union recognition, for the building the unions, Every local union, every worker, regardless of affiliation, should immediate show their solidarity and support of the service men. Pro- test against the city administration's strike breaking deeds. Service men! Hold your ranks solid. Set up immediately broad strike committees, elected at shop meetings, representing every class- ification in the trade to lead the strike. Picket every building involved. There must be no final settle- ment without the vote of all the workers involved in this struggle. Workers! Don’t ride on elevators with scabs or walk up in scab buildings no matter what uniform they wear. Tenants! Support the strike! Refuse to pay rent in buildings using scabs or police. Demand union service. Now is the time for a victorious strike to win the just demands (Continued on Page 2) of the workers. No delay! All out on strike! Union | k Union MAYOR ACTS TO SMASH THE WALKOUT McGrady Confers Head Off Plans of Building Men With 200,000 building ser- vice workers ready to go out on strike at any minute, Mayor LaGuardia and the Police Department spent the week-end in perfecting frantic strike-breaking plans. The deci- sion to strike was adopted by more than 10,000 members of the Building Service Employees In- ternational Union, Local 32-B, at an enthusiastic overflow meeting last Friday night at the New Star Cas sino, 107th Street and Park Avenue, stant Secretary of Labor Ed- McGrady conferred with to ‘d James J. Bambrick, head of Local 32-B of the Building Service Em- war ployees International Union, and {other union officials, late last night in an attempt to avert the strike, With the zero hour for the walk- out undisclosed, conferences be~ tween the Mayor, N. R. A. concili- ators and union heads were still be- ing held at a late hour yesterday in an attempt to stem the strike tide. At the same time, while endeavor- ing to work out a strike-breaking formula with the union heads, the Mayor mobilized the forces of the city administration to defeat the strike under the guise of protecting the public health Plan Clubbing Policy Police officials were planning a vicious clubbing policy. A special conference of detective command- ers was held at Police Headquarters at 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon and was addressed by Police Commis- sioner Valentine and Chief Inspector John J. Seery. While no announce- ment of the matter discussed at the conference was made, it is believed that a sharp policy against the strike was laid down at this meeting, The brutal attitude of the police was foreshadowed by the shooting of two strikers in Harlem on Fri- day night. The two men were Albert E. Perry, 25, of 34-35 100th Street, Brooklyn, an‘ Peter Petrony, 24, 1980 West Ninth Street, Brooklyn. Both were re- moved to Harlem Hospital. An- swering inquiries of the Daily Worker, hospital authorities said (Continued on Page 2) N.B.C. Strikers Plan Picketing National Biscuit Company strikers will form a mass picket line this morning at the main plant on Tenth Avenue and Fifteenth Street, in an- swer to the renewed efforts of the company to recruit scabs, the In- side Bakery Workers Federal Union announced yesterday. At a meeting of strikers held Sat- urday, William Galvin, president of the union, stated that despite the arrangements made with company attorneys a few days ago, for a con ference to take place within forty- eight hours, no company representa- tives turned up. The company is continuing .its policy to smash the strike and start its plant with new workers at starvation wages. Galvin also announced that the case of the strikers will be placed in the hands of the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, This, however, was met coldly by the strikers as five weeks on strike has disillusioned most of them with the N. R. A. Interviews with many workers | Saturday dis ed a growing dis- satisfaction with the conduct of the strike, and a demand for more milis tant mass action to force a settle- ment. Several workers declared that since the first week of the strike not a ‘single meeting was called of the strike committee of forty-four, representing the twenty-two departe ‘ments. Attempts at the last two mectings to ask William Galvin questions were ruled out of order, or the meetings were adjourned with- out giving the workers this oppor= tunity, A number of workers reported go- ing to the officials of the union to (demand that co-operation of the Communist Party with the strikers be accepted, but were met with eva- sive answers. The workers, who had @ great deal of confidence in Wil- liam Galvin, especially expressed disappointment at his remarks at the previous mass meeting on how “good Mayor LaGuardia is to the | workers” and that the “police should not be provoked.” A chorus of booss greeted these remarks last week. >