THE MILITANT Weekly Organ of the Communist League of America Opposition Vol. III, No. 5, Telephone: DRYdock 1656 NEW YORK, Saturday, February 1, 1930 PRICE CENTS Police Murder Steve Katovis Communist Worker Shot Down in Cold Blood Naval Conclave Shows No Unity Green Stabs Marion and Gastonia Federated Press Jis patch More than one week of the London from Richmond, Va. reports that Naval Conference bas already passed by in a speech there William Green, without much more being accomplished president of the of distowards the limitation of armaments claimed all connection and responthan the coming to the fore of a number of sibility of the Federation with the conflicts and disputes between France and Marion strike situation, where six Italy, Japan and England and the like. In strikers were massacred by comface of the obvious striving of each of the pany thuge, or with Gastonia, where imperialist powers involved to hold as six workers face life long imprismuch strength as possible against its nearonment in a frame ur over the killest rival gives the lie to all the pretensions ing of a cop. Green role in the of the diplomatic pirates to disaramalabor movement has rarely been exment. pressed more brazenly than in this Italo French Conflict incident. He is not only crawling before the Southern mill owners, The first part of the conference, as pleading with them to recognize soon as it gets down to work. will be the him as best labor overseer for developing conflict between Italian and the bosses, but is deliberately French imperialism for Mediterranean stabbing the Marlon and Gastonia power. Italy is playing hard for support workers in the back. His speech from the United States for parity with glves the Southern reactionaries France, which will give Mussolini a bigger an open hand, advantage in his attempts to become an So far as am concer even stronger Mediterranean force. The you can repeat all the Marions contention of Italy is that its naval and Gaston as you want that is strength as compared with that of France the essence of Green remarks.
should be estimated not so much on the Green is prosuming to speak in basis of the present situation and relations the name of the of Every of forces, as on the prospective position militant worker in the of of Italy. In other words, Italy has in mind must reply by repudiating Green such an extension of its imperialist interests as will place it on an equal plane and his crew and driving them out of the labor movement where with France in the immediate future. How they are working in the fnterests this virtually unconcealed declaration of of labor class enemy.
Italy belligerent intentions can be reconciled with all the high sounding phrases about permanent peace in the Kellogg Pact naturally remains unexplained by the inperialist statesmen, There is very little it any prospect that a satisfactory agreement between the Following directly upon the United two Mediterranean rivals will be reacbed States visit of president elect Oritz Rubio, at this conference. The past history of Mexico announced that it had broken all imperialism indicates the contrary, that is diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.
that decisive questions of power are only The Mexican diplomatic representative in delayed temporarily around imperialists Moscow has asked for his passports, and discussion tables and are determined de preparations are being made for the refinitely in actual warfare.
turn home of the Soviet minister to MexAnother rift in the conference lute is ico. The pretext for the break in relations the attitude of Japan, which is seeking were the Communist demonstrations in the agreement on its cruiser proposals. Japan United States during Rubio visit, in which is dominated by fear of England position workers protested against the savage camin the Orient and wants to be in a better paign of repression and murder of workers con Ition to counteract British Imperialist and revo Ists that present (exprogress by adding to its own cruiser ican government has been conducting for strength. At the same time, It bas raised the past period.
the delicate question of merchantmen, The break does not come as a particuwhich was passed over with vague words at the Washington conference, The Japlar surprise to those acquainted with the anese point out that there is nothing in development of relations between Mexico the Washington agreement that prevents and the United States in the last couple merchant ships from mounting guns greatof years, The pressure of American imer than six inches providing they are built perialism on Mexico, directly exercized by in a manner that makes this technically the House of Morgan through its partner possible.
Morrow, who was obligingly made Mexican ambassador by Washington, has resulMerchantmen Limitation Hits England ted in the Mexican puppet government being entrained more firmly behind AmeriThere is no doubt that the United can finance capital. The resistance to States is far from displeased at this quesAmerican imperialist enroachments offered tion being raised, for a delimitation of the by the workers and peasants has been use of merchantmen in war time (regardruthlessly suppressed by both the Calles less of the fact that they would be used and the Gil governments. Rubio present agreement or no agreement) can only serve action indicates that he will follow directly to handicap England. That is because in the footsteps of his bought off predecesEngland possesses, in merchant ships of sors.
4, 000 tons or more and a speed of 15 knots, about 3, 150, 000 tons compared with only The reasons given for the break are 880, 000 Americaa tons and 250, 000 Japanese, the hackneyed ones of Bolshevik propaThe exclusion of merchantmen would ganda in Mexico. The fact that Boltherefore give America theoretical ad shevism naturally grows out of the soil vantage of some 2, 700, 000 tons. Needless of the class struggle in Mexico as it does to say, England will balk like a mule at in every other country is conveniently igsuch a proprosat.
nored by the American controlled Mexican Steve Katovis, member of the Building the demonstration as well as bystandert Maintenance Workers Union and the Com and curiosity seekers were mercilessly munist Party, is dead. He was shot in the clubbed and pummelled by the brave back by Patrolman Harry Kiritz of the police, on foot and horseback, armed with New York police force in a conflict that night sticks, black jacks, brass knuckles followed an attempt by police to break up and pistols.
a mass meeting called to express solidarHundreds recelved at least one or more ity with the members of the Food Clerks blows from the police; more than a score Union on strike against Miller Market in were severely beaten. Party leaders who the Bronx.
attempted to speak were beaten and kicked Steve Katovis is the first workers to while they lay on the pavement, Robert be shot by the police in a labor struggle in Minor of the Dally Worker had to be New York for years. The uniformed thugs treated by a doctor for injuries, as were have received their orders to club and a half dozen or more others. Comrade shoot in order to prevent the organization George Clark, of the Communist League of the rising spirit of the workers. vic(Opposition. was beaten about the face tim had to be found in order to warn the and head by a number of police. virtual workers, who are losing their jobs in the reign o! terror existed for almost an hour.
industrial depression or baving their wages The attitude of the capitalist press cut, that they can expect any resistance to towards this demonstration of police horbe met by the most violent and murderous The capitalist rors was characteristic. The Telegram anrepression by the police, nounced: Curb Demonstration of 1, 000 class is desperately afraid of the developCommunists, but Sticks Fall on Many Innoment of a militant movement of the Amercents. That is, the clubbing of Communican workers. It will use the most brutal ists is quite in order, but innocents. measures to crush even the first signs of must not suffer. The Mirror, the morons such a movement.
picture paper, could find nothing wrong Savage Attack on Demonstration with the savagery of the police except that The demonstration of the Communis: It made martyrs out of the Reds and helped Party at the City Hall following the death of comreade Katovis was the occasion for to manufacture more of them! And it fa no less characteristic that Norman Thomas, another manifestation of Cossack Sadism.
The police of Mr. Whalen, under whose repeated the profound subway philosophy in his protest telegram to the mayor, administration New York underworld of of the Mirror, Instead of a call to the gambling, bootlegging, racketeering thugworkers to protest the police terror and gery and general corruption have had free rein, salled into the peacefully assembled find ways of crushing it, Thomas wired workers with bloodthirsty fury that has the mayor placing the responsibility to the cracked skulls and bleeding faces o!
not been equalled in New York since the the workers upon the Communists: Why days of the war hysteria. Participants in unnecessarily gratify Communists mania for martyrs?
United Front against Police Terro Not a mania for martyrs is involoved, government. What it is really interested but the capitalist and police mania for in, is to give every assurance to its American masters in Wall Street and Washing As usual, they begin their attacks upon smashing every working class organization, ton that it will have nothing to do with the most militant section of the working the workers republic in Russia.
class, the Communists. Tho assault upon That the break is part of the inter the Communists is a forerunner and an national campaign of the bourgeois world, inseparate part of the attack upon the headed by the to press against the working class as a whole. That is why Soviet Union is only too plain. The fact every worker must help to repulse and dethat the Soviet Union has moved to the feat this attack. The Communist movement Left in the past period, under the pres by itsell in the present stage of its numersure of the workers and the fight of the ical and political weakness cannot sucRussian Opposition, has been a sad dis cessfully defeat the police terror. For that appointment to the imperialist world which purpose is essential to set large masses hoped that the movement to the Right of workers into action. It is necessary to would continue uninterruptedly to the develop a broad movement of the workers point where Russia could be made a colony and all labor organizations ready to form divided among the imperialist bandits. The a united front to drive back the monster Intervention of Stimson in the Manchurian of police brutality. The conscious work stuaton, the threats of Henderson and ers, who detest the Cossacks and their MacDonald to break off relatons with Rus deeds, can be rallied for such a movement sia, the recent intimation from Washingif they are not repulsed by narrow Bectarton that the present radical policy of the ianism but approached in a spirit of proletSoviets makes recognition an indefinitely arian solldarity. The gavagery of the postponed issue. and the present action police, who can carry out their jobs with of Mexico, are all part of one attempt to less difficulty when the Communists are force Russia further away from the soc separated from the rest of the labor move.
ialist path and toward the road of compro ment can be overcome when the courmise with imperialism.
ageous handful of revolutionary workers As for Mexico reasons for the succeed in rallying the fraternal support of break, they become pitifully thin when it tens of thousands of workers.
is known that no protest at all is made by This can and must be done. The moveits marionette rulers against the bold and ment resulting from it will be the best ruthless propaganda. both verbal and memorial to Steve Katovis, the martyred military that the United States conducts worker rebel, and the most effective reply in Mexico 365 days in the year.
to capitalist terrorism.
Mexico Breaks with Soviet Union WHITTINSVILLE, Mass. FP) Hard times in the textile industry have knocked 75 more workers out of Jobs at the Whitin Machine Works. Although the number normally employed is between 000 and 3, 500 oply 000 are on the job now.
BOSTON Benito Mussolini, Italy leading Fascist, has been invited to speak at the American Legion convention in Boston this year. The American reactionaries feel an international solidarity with their Italian brothers.