The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 19, 1935, Page 1

te Students: Get Subs from Your Classmates Press Run Yesterday—44,500 Daily, Worker CENTRAL ORGAN COMMUNIST RTY U.S.A. (SECTION OF COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL > NATIONAL EDITION Vol. XII, No. 43 > * New York, N. Y., under Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at the Act of March 8, 1879. NEW YORK, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1935 (Six Pages) Price 3 Cents SERVICE MEN! STRIKE FOR YOUR DEMANDS Prices and ‘Profits Rocket As U.S. Court Backs Inflation NATION-WIDE Knight Has No Answer SSR FRIENDS Thousands Picket Bi To Scottsboro Defense PAPER SEIZED SLASH TO HIT REAL WAGES Further Cuts in Value of Dollar Loom in Wake of ‘Decision WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 18— The spectre of new increases in the cost of living and a riot of profit- grabbing that rivalled the halycon days previous to the 1929 crash, arose today as the Supreme Court, by a yote of 5 to 4, upheld the right of the Roosevelt government to violate the gold clause provisions in government bonds and its right to devaluate the dollar. Speculators, bankers, and inves- tors rushed wildly into the markets, cheering and singing, as prices soared madly upward bringing a new golden rain of profits on the announcement of the court's de- cision, The right of Roosevelt to cheapen the dollar and raise prices through inflation was upheld by the court. in its ruling against two private claimants who demanded that they ) be repaid $1.69 cents of the new cheap currency for every gold dol- lar that they had invested in gov- ernment and private gold bonds. Approves Inflation The essence of the court’s ruling was that Congress has supreme rights that take precedence over contracts. The decision gives the stamp of approval to Roosevelt’s price-raising inflation policy, and removes all legal obstacles to further inflation- ary cheapening of the dollar. a result of the decision, cap- italist speculators and bankers all over the country leaped into one of | the wildest speculative whirlpools seen since the days before 1929. Stocks leaped upward from 3 to 10 peints in a torrent of buying. > a result of the rush of buying orders the Chicago grain market, the biggest in the world, was ferced to close its doors for fear of a‘run- away” market, with the price of wheat soaring madly. Cther exchanges to close down, as speculators flooded them with orders to buy, were St. Louis, Chi- cago Stock Exchanges and Phila- delphia. Prices Rush Upward Basic commodities rushed up- ward. Cotton soared more than $1 a bale, holding its gains despite heavy profit-taking. At the time of closing, the Chi- cago Exchange registered wheat up 1-2 cents, corn up 2-234 cents, and rye up 134 cents a bushel. Abroad the dollar dropped rap- idly, reaching $4.89 in London, as the vision of further cheapening of the dollar rose from the court's de- cision. % The court ruled that in both pri- vate and government bonds, no. loss had been shown by the suitors, and that chaos would reign throughout | the business world if their action were sustained. With this decision, the steady rise in the cost of living, which has been ed on Page 2) (Contin Nazis Behead Rival Fascists BERLIN, Feb. 18—A red poster \ with black type, with the word “ex- ecuted” in bold face letters two inches high, was the first news re- ceived by the world that two women spies had been beheaded by Hitler in the notorious espionage intrigue between the two fascist dictator- ships, Germany and Poland. The secrecy of the entire proceed- ings and the medieval sadism with which the women were killed has filled everyone here with horror and disgust. Small groups gathered to read the execution notice, and si- Jently and without comment left the scene. However, it was not the murder of these spies of a rival imperialist power that brought sombre expres- sions to their faces. It was the knowledge that this fantastic butch- ery was typical of Hitler fascism, the silk hat worn by the execu- tioner, the ancient hatchet used to * chop off the heads of the women, the inquisitorial secrecy and brute feudalism, all of which have been used and may still be used in the future to do away with anti-fascists and militant workers. The spies had been sentenced Saturday by the “People’s Court,” | the same executioner’s tribunal be- I. L. D. Attorney’s Proof from Jury Unassailed of Exclusion of Negroes in Arguments Before U. S. Court — Recess for 2 Weeks By Marguerite Young (Daily Worker Washington Burean) WASHINGTON, D. C., Feb. 18.— Attorney General Thomas E. Knight of Alabama today failed to give the United States Supreme Court a single reply to repeated sharp ques- tions on the Scottsboro boys’ plea that proof of the denial of their constitutional rights lies in the un- contested evidence that none of their race “in the memory of man” has served on a jury in the coun- ties where they were convicted by all-white juries. “The sum total of the State’s case,” Knight frankly admitted, “is that if there were no Negroes on the jury roll, it was not because of color.” Walter H. Pollak, retained by the International Labor Defense to argue the appeals before the obvi- ously tense tribunal, unleashed a drumfire of uncontested evidence and legal precedents to prove the| defense’s case. | Two Weeks’ Recess “The case in its cardinal issue (the denial to Negroes of their right to serve on juries) is way beyond | the need of further evidence,” Pollak argued. “Half a century ago the fact of the qualification of Ne- groes for jury service was un- dubitably proved. ” And yet in the Scottsboro case, “it was proved without contradiction .. . not only that no Negro had ever served on a jury within a generation, but also that no Negro ever was called to serve on a jury.” The Supreme Court recessed for two weeks on the conclusion of! argument by Attorney General | Knight. As he neared his finish, | one of the justices by inference in- dicated that the Court might sit} again tomorrow—but Knight has- | tily urged, “Oh, no.” Admits Marks on Rolls Attorney General Knight boldly admitted to the Supreme Court that the names of Negypes are cus- tomarily marked “Ool.” to show that they are Negro voters, on the Tolls of voters in the State of Ala- bama. He did this in an effort to |mainain that it was rolls of voters —and not lists of jurymen, as the defense showed, on which the spe- (Continued om Page 2) 7,000 HONOR DEAD MINER Traffie at Standstill as Toilers Hold Funeral In Wilkes-Barre (Special to the Daily Worker) WILKES-BARRE, Pa., Feb. 18— Seven thousand miners with their wives and children marched today in the funeral procession of Frank Petrowsky, of Larksville, who was killed by scabs last Thursday. Over 200 cars followed the casket to the cemetery. During the funeral marchers were making the proposal that the large crowd march after the funeral to the County Court House to protest the Valantine injunction, which or- ders the calling off of the strike. Many Busses Chartered The Unemployment Councils, Un- employed League and Women’s Auxiliary units of the union took part in the march. Over 20 busses were chartered to bring miners from many regions to the funeral. Street cars made special trips to bring ad- ditional thousands to the cemetery. A suggestion that officials of the United Anthracite Miners of Penn- sylvania be the pall-bearers was rejected by the family of the dead striker. Workers who picketed with Petrowsky were chosen instead. Wherever the mass funeral passed traffic was at a standstill. The latest move of the Glen Al- den Coal Company to break the ranks of the miners is to organize the stores on its side, Grocery stores have sent letters to strikers informing them that their credit is stopped. In Hanover six stores agreed to stop credit. This has aroused the miners to a tremendous anger, and they threaten to boy- cott these stores and replace them with a pro-union store. Union In Session A meeting of the general body of the Glen Alden miners is in session today. The meeting will have to determine the attitude of the union to the Valantine injunc- TROOPS SAIL FORABYSSINIA Fascist. Army in North Africa ROME, Feb. 18.—Volunteers for the impending imperialist slaughter in Abyssinia packed the wharves at Naples today, while ships in the harbor sounded their sirens as they steamed for the Mediterranean. Battalions of troops—divisions of the regular army as well as of the reserves-—continue to crowd the transport ships at every large port of the Italian coast. With a bat- talion which sailed secretly Feb. 10, the reinforcements to date have added 3,000 men to the colonial army of Mussolini's criminal expe- dition against the Negro nation. Reliable reports here confirm a contract between the American Standard Oil Company and the Italian government, whereby oil tankers will supply the imperialists with fuel for planes, An attack by air is the only possible means by which Italy’s colonial might conquer the small Negro country. The Ethiopians have more than once declared that they would defend their country from invasion at any sacrifice. Italy’s northern frontier will not be left, without a powerful army to guard against a move by Hitler to effect unity with German Nazis in Austria, it was learned today. How- ever, in the predatory treaty con- cluded with France, Mussolini re- ceived assurances that for the duration of the drive against Abys- sinia such a development would be prevented by French imperialism. Fibre Strike Firm PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Feb. 18. — Twenty-five hundred workers mostly youth, of the Fibre Corporation of America, manufacturers of paper containers in Manayunk, remain solidly on strike despite threats of the firm to close “indefinitely.” Be- ginning this morning picketing will (Continued on Page 2) be conducted at the plant regu- larly. Reinforcements to Swell , army | BYU.S. AGENTS | Garden pee anon To Score Government’s Anti-Soviet Acts OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Feb | 18—Two thousand copies of the spe- cial “Soviet Russia Today,” broad- | side against the Hearst anti-Soviet | drive, were confiscated by the United States Government here, it | |was revealed today, when Federal | jagents raided the home of Mrs.| | Marshall Lakey, organizer of the} | Friends of the Soviet Union in this city, The Federal ‘agents, working | without a warrant, also seized a large bundle of copies of the cur- rent issue of “Soviet Russia Today” at the Lakey home. This action, following closely on the Spokane, Wash., incident, when police surrounded the hall where Scott Nearing was scheduled to speak for the Friends of the Soviet Union and drove hundreds of work- ers away, Was taken as proof of the beginning of a wide-| spread campaign on the part of the | United States Government to sup-) | press all movements friendly to the |U.S.S.R. following its breaking off of trade negotiations with the) Soviet Union. Eleven Jailed The raid on the home of Mrs. | Lakey was made after her husband, Marshall Lakey, was arrested wifh | lten others for “alleged conspiracy |to obstruct United States justice.” The 11 workers were still in jail |today after U. S. Commissioner George J. Eacock had ordered them | held for the Federal Grand Jury | in bond ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 each. Among the group arraigned were Mrs. Irene Richardson, who ap- | peared in court with her 15-months old baby: in her arms; Marshall Lakey, sculptor and former profes- | sor at Oklahoma City University; | Harry Bender, A. J, Pitts, Obra) Heathcock, Lee Rakes, Mrs. Wilma Connor, Claude Nesbitt. H. J. Sny- der, Thomas Cross, Allen Abston and John F. Neismith. The charges against the 11 work- ers were based on their activities in protest against the arrest here, ten (Continued on Page 2) definite | * | the | conferences at City Hall. | ember, | against such buildings will be called | | off forthwith.’ ig City Buildings As Bambrick Meets with LaGuardia, F. D. R. ‘Aides, Who Act to Bar Strike Mayor Orders Strike Of — in Building Not Cov- ered by Award PLEDGE IS SIGNED Strikebreaking M o v e Aimed at Halting General Walkout While thousands of building ser- | vice workers were striking in hun- | dreds of buildings, James J. Bam- brick. president of Local 32B of the | Building Service Employes Union. | pledged to Assistant Secretary of) Labor Edward F. McGrady and Major H. H. Curran that there would be no general walkout of elevator operators. The strikebreaking pledge was made public by Mayor LaGuardia yesterday afternoon. The statement of the Mayor on ge of the union officials follows: “+All strikes called against build- | ings claimed to be covered by the| Curran award are to be called off forthwith, and no new strike will be called against such buildings pending the consummation of the “ ‘Arbitration agreements of Nov- | 1934, are to be respected. No strikes will be called against buildings which signed said agree- | ments and all existing strikes) “This ends the declaration and pledge given by the representatives of the union to Assistant Secretary of Labor McGrady and Major Curran, and I expect forthwith to mean forthwith.” Mayor LaGuardia's statement and the pledge of the union officials | were made toward the close of a| hectic day in which the city ad. | ministration had strained to the utmost to avert or to break the strike. Beginning at 8:30 yesterday morn- | ing, conferences between the Mayor, union chiefs, real estate interests and N. R. A. officials have been go- | ing on at full blast. Debt Accord | Break Foreseen The breakdown in Soviet-Amer- ican trade negotiations and diplo- matic ties were deliberately fore- seen and even provided for by the Roosevelt administration, Walter Duranty, Moscow correspondent for the New York Times, admitted in effect in a special cable printed yes- terday. “In a recent dispatch from Ber- lin,” Duranty confesses, “the writ- er laid the initial blame for the breakdown upon Foreign Commis- |sar Litvinoff's failure to clinch the deal in Washington fifteen months ago. The writer now learns pcsi- tively that his criticism was unjust.” The Times writer, long a muddle- {headed critic of Soviet affairs, nevertheless emphasizes that the United States government took the recent series of provocative steps against the Soviet Union, precisely at a moment “when two great na- tions, Japan and Germany, make no secret of their warlike plans and are arming at a feverish speed for a new Armazeddon.” Strikers Mass At City Hall Five hundred National Biscuit Company strikers massed at City Hall Plaza late yesterday afternoon as the rising strike mood of New York labor asserted itself. Demanding that Mayor LaGuar- dia intervene in their walk-out, the | workers bore signs declaring that they had been locked out by their | employers. The strike is now in| the sixth week. | After being shoved from the Plaza by about two dozen police- men who came rolling up in radio cars, the strikers sent a delegate, Benjamin Benson, to negotiate with the Mayor’s office for a meeting with a delegation. Benson, who represented both the drivers organized in Local 807 of the | International Brotherhood of Team- | sters, and the Inside Bakery Work- ers Federal Union, was met by Cap- | tain John Harten, Police Attache to the Mayor. Explaining to the| HEALTH HEAD | Guardia's | deemed to be dangerous to the life| and health of the persons residing (Continued on Page 2) x trike Demands The Building Service Workers are striking for the fol- lowing demands: Union recognition, no discrimination, no stretchout system; a maximum 48-hour work week, with the rest periods taken from the 48- hour period. Wages demanded | are a minimum of $26 per week for the lowest paid category | on buildings from 19 stories up; category on buildings from 1 3 to 18 stories high, ; $23 minimum for lowest paid| and a| | minimum of $20 for lowest aid category on buildings to 12 stories high. HERDS SCABS Attempt To Recruit Strikebreakers from | City Employes | The Health Department officials | of the city, following out Mayor La strikebreaking instruc- | tions were yesterday attempting to mobilize an army of scabs against | building service strikers from city employes, under the hypocritical slogan of guarding “health.” They are not concerned with the risk of | accident by putting untrained scabs on the elevators. City Commissioner of Health John L. Rice sent a telegram to the Building Service Employes Union| warning that the city will enlist | strikebreaking forces from among} city employes. The telegram of Rice, which the} union officials made no comment | upon and did not answer, said: “Be advised that the termination of ele- | vator service in buildings over six | stories in height used for residen- tial purposes or the failure to sup- | ply adequate heat in any building! used for residential purposes is| therein. (Signed) John L. Rice. That this slogan of “health” is | issued to hide underhanded strike- | breaking is seen in the fact that a | newspaper man asked LaGuardia | yesterday, “Don’t you know that Bambrick has stated that one | elevator operator is being placed | in every struck building to operate the elevator in case of emer- | gency?” | LaGuardia refused to comment because to recognize this state- ment would be to blast his whole ‘| strikebreaking strategy. | LaGuardia is not concerned with | the health of the 200,000 building! service workers who are demanding decent wages and conditions. He 1s) concerned to save the profits of the | Realty Board members and to smash | the New York unions. LaGuardia’s strikebreaking mo- | bilization began on Saturday. The | health inspectors and other workers | in the Health Department were) called to the office at five o'clock Saturday afternoon to be ready to| be sent out as scabs in case the! strike started Saturday. They were | kept waiting for more than an hour (Continued on Page 2) | | Toher, |drag on for months before a deci-| | moment when his entire attention ‘ president of the local declared: | UTILITY MEN VOTE TONIGHT Special Meeting Will, Determine Strike in Power Company Strike action may be taken at a special meeting of Local 102 of the | Brothephood .of Utility Employees of Brooklyn, workers of the Edison | Company, at seven tonight at Eagle | Building, 307 Washington Street, to decide on the next steps, in protest against the suspension of six of its! members for union activity by the company. In answer to a letter by James EF. labor representative of the Brotherhood, requesting that he ar- | range an immediate hearing, Mayor LaGuardia yesterday referred the workers to the Regional Labor Board. At the Board the case may sion, which the company will un- | doubiedly disregard, will be made. The mayor gave this answer at a was absorbed in mobilizing every | city agency in New York for break- ing the elevator strike, and if neces- | sary a power workers’ strike, in order to defeat the workers’ de- mands. Scores City Threats Replying to the strikebreaking statements of Maurice O. Davidson, Commissioner of Water Supply, Gas and Electricty, who stated that he} has broad police powers to deal with the situation, Local 102 replied that. it will supply power to indispensible public agencies. James F. Donegan, | | | | “Things have come to a sorry pass, when the head of a city de- partment can threaten workers with | policing their jobs, particularly in| an industry which is making huge profits and which is displacing more | workers with automatic machinery | than any other.” Telegrams were dispatched by the Brotherhood to the Mayor, Regional | Labor Board, and National Labor | Board, declaring that unless steps | are taken to reinstate the six sus- pended workers, the union will be} forced to take direct action. | Mr. Toher declared that the ap- peals were made after every effort to obtain a hearing from the com- pany heads was exhausted. The | | union followed ail the moiions | which the company prescribes in | such cases without being able to (Continued on Page 2) | - Building Workers! All Out on Strike to Win Your Demands Building Service Workers:— All out on strike at once to win your demands. Further delay and arbitration your demands. All out on a general city-wide walkout of Build- ing Service Workers. The 200,000 Building Service Employes of New York City, if they come out at once on a general city-wide strike of all building service workers, can enforce their demands. The strike is already par- tially on. Thousands walked out, demanding union The building service wages, hours and conditions. workers, who are organized in the Employes Union (A. F. of Lo, The building service workers their own demands; they have voted for strike. \fere which Ernst Thaelmann, Ger- ‘men Communist leader, is sched- ‘uled to appear in the near future. Further delay will only aid the Realty Board and Mayor LaGuardia’s administration to prepare their strikebreaking forces, Strike last Friday night voted unanimously for an immediate strike. the real estate just demands, will rob you of ministration to strike. defeat. be: Building Service | or the general Employe in the have decided on workers. action will force Further useless arbitration will allow the Realty Board to recruit its scabs, will enable the city ad- Delay plays into the hands of the building own- ers. Delay weakens your fight and may lead to ‘There has been too much delay already! The slogan of the Building Service Workers must Either the Realty Board meets the demands of the Union on wages, hours and recognition at once, Meyor LaGuardia has used every strikebreaking measure in his power to defeat the demands of the He endangers the lives of all tenants by mobilizing police, firemen and other city employes, ready to act as scabs to run elevators, althouch they have had ne training at this hazardous job, sharks to give in to the workers’ take further steps to break up the walkout of every Building Service city takes place today. AN EDITORIAL Mayor LaGuardia from the very beginning has carried out the wishes of the employers, the build- His “arbitration” board has given the Realty Board everything they want. LaGuardia has shown that his administration is ing owners, the bankers. the administration of the bosses. LaGuardia is trying to use the force of his police, firemen, and other city departments, to force the Building Service workers to endure starvation wages, to undergo great hardships, long hours and rotten conditions. LaGuardia does this to Profits of the building owners. LaGuardia carries on his vicious strikebreaking to comment. could have deecnt of their families. in the health of try to save the | workers. James Bambricl “health” under the slogan of guarding the of | employers, tenants. This is a hypocritical cloak to hide La | Roosevelt. These Guardia’s anti-labor action, his strikebreaking, his | tration and delay, vicious union smashing acts for the employers. now out, LaGuardia, when told that the ning to keep one elevator operator available in each building in case an emergency arises, refused union is plan- “(Cont This statement of the union blasts | and exposes LaGuardia’s hypocrisy. | If LaGuardia were interested in the health of the workers, he would instruct the employers to settle, so that the 200,000 building service workers cram the rotten settlement of his arbitration board —the employers’ terms—down the throat of 200,000 ing his negotiations .with the representatives of the with LaGuardia, is weakening their whole front. If Bambrick continues this delay, | conditions, and guard the health But LaGuardia {; interested only the employers. He is trying to ‘k, head of the union, is continu- and representatives of negotiations, this endless arbi- is tending to isolate the strikers | he will be play- eaged on i Paya 2) | etusidreds of Buildings Tied Up—Firemen and Police Mobilized PICKETS MILITANT Thugs Hired by Realty Board to Terrorize Service Men BULLETIN At seven-thirty last night it was announced at union headquarters that LaGuar- dia had requested the union not te extend the building service strike during the night. It was made known at headquarters that this dees not apply to Tuesday morning. It was also said at union headquarters that all those now out will remain ovt and con- tinue picketing. Despite eorts at City Hall to spike the spread of the building service men’s strike yesterday, latest reports from strike head- quarters show that all strikers in the fur area and along Broadway near 2nd Street remain om on strike last night. Thousands* of building serviea workers walked out on strike yes terday tietng up hundreds of Man- hattan buildings. The strike spread rapidly as the day progressed, and soon included all buildings in the fur district, between Fifth and Eighth Avenues, from 14th Street to 33rd Street, Harlem buildings, and many buildings in the Broadway and 42nd Street, area. Some of the biggest apartment and office build- ings in the city were tied up by the walkout. The strikers conducted militant picket lines, and many were obvi- ously indignant when word came that James Bambrick had suddenly declared in the afternoon that the strike would be held in abeyance pending arbitration which will con- tinue throughout the night. The strike continued in most of the buildings. These thousands walked out on strike in the face of the biggest strikebreaking mobilization the city has seen, Mayor LaGuardia had mobilized all available police and firemen, and employes of the health and other departments to act as strikebreakers. Threats were made by the Realty Board to have the militia called, and the Realty Board mobilized an army of strong arm thugs and private detectives, many of them with known criminal records. Will To Strike Strong But the will of the building sere (Continued 0 on. mn Page 2) Anti-Negro Bill Fought in West OLYMPIA, Wash., Feb. 18.—A bill against inter-racial marriages has just been introduced in the Wash- ington State Legislature here. Aimed against the growing unity of white, Negro and Filipino workers in the northwest, the measure follows close upon the passage by the lower house of the Ott Bill, which would bar the Communist Party from the bal- lot The West Coast shipowners have not forgotten that in the recent ma- | rine strike, which resulted in higher wages for longshoremen and sea- men, the Negro stevedores were in | the lead in the battles on the picket line, and Negro and Filipino sea- men left their ships. The League of Struggle for Negro Rights has launched a campaign to defeat the bill Y. C. L. Urges Youth to Attend the Garden Rally Monday Night The District Secretariat of the New York Young Communist League issued a call to the youth lof New York to give every possible | support to the mass meeting in de- fense cf the Soviet Union, calied by the Friends of the Soviet Union, for Monday, Feb. 25, at Madison Square Garden. All unit meetings of the Y. C. L, are to be called off for this night and are to be held on the following day.