THE MILITANT Weekly Organ of the Communist League of America Opposition Vol. 111, No. 12 Telephone: DRYdock 1656 NEW YORK, Y, Saturday, March 22, 1930.
PRICE CENTS The Springfield and Indianapolis Unite For the Unemployed!
Resist Attack of Bosses and Government Miners Conventions radical The Aberle Mill Strike in Philly The activity of the Communists and riots. He thereby admits responsibility for Left wing in presenting the facts about the the trouble and brutality at the Union The deep crisis in the Miners Union, district organization of the of unemployment crisis in the United States Square demonstration. What Whalon for years the backbone of the organized gent 313 delegates. The Kansas district, and in making demands upon the bosses boasts about (until such time as the buslabor movement in America, was drama which broke from the Lewis organization and the government for work or compen Iness men and higher ups told him to tized during the past week by the simulsation for the unemployed workers, have in a body, sent 45, Ohto 28, Arkansas 19, be more discreet) is also done more quietly taneous holding of two conventions. One Oklahoma 15, Iowan 13, Pennsylvania 7, In.
drawn the fire and wrath of the capital by police, Federal men, etc. throughout convention met in Indianapolis under the dlana 6, Missouri 5, Wyoming 3, and 1st class and various governmental agen the country. The use of the Labor Spy chalrmanship of John Lewis and put Kentucky cles upon the Communists. Hoover and. Continued on Page 3)
stamp of approval on his reactionary pol The Springfield convention concluded Wall Street, Tammany Hall and Whalen, icy. The other convention met in Spring its sessiong Saturday, March 15, with the Mathew Woll and Secretary of Labor Davie, et al, are endeavoring to screen the acute Heavy Unemployment Among presiding: fleld, 11. with Alex Howat of Kansas election of National omcers for the reore The Springfield convention ganized of Alex Howat, fa.
misery of millions of unemployed workers Clothing Workers which represented a bloc between the mous leader of the Kansas miners, WAS by raising the cry of RED around the Illinois organization, controlled by Fish elected President by acclamation. Adolph burning issue of unemployment, NEW YORK Unemployment has sharp wick, the Howat Brophy Progressive Germer, former national secretary of the Close upon the heels of the unemly affected the members in the clothing in group and the long dormant Socialist ele Socialist party and prior to that a National ployment demonstrations on March 6th, a dustry, according to reports of officials of ments, proclaimed the formal spilt with Executive Board member of the vicious campaign against the the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union. the Lewis organization on a national scale of was elected vice president, defeating groups, particularly focusing upon the The busy season, which usually starts and announced itself as the reorganized Powers Hapgood. John Walker, prestCommunists has begun. For the moment about November 15th in the bigger shops, of dent of the Illinois Federation of Labor, It takes its most violent and vicious form has failed to absorb thousands of union About one thousand delegates attended was elected secretary treasurer. The Inin New York City under the leadership of members. It is estimated that to 10 the Lewis convention at Indianapolis, of dianapolis convention adjourned its sesCommissioner of Police Whalen and his of the union membership is totally unem these the only solid bloc came from the sions over the week end Awaiting the official thugs, promptly endorsed by Mayor ployed during the present season, which anthracite, the great majority of the bitu address of President Green of the of James Walker and the business men of the will end about May 1; that another 20 minous delegates being payroll agents scheduled for Monday. The appearance of city. This campaign against the Communhave been able to get in only two to representing defunct local unions in Green at this convention indicates the do lots 18 taking numerous forms.
Among six weeks work; and another 30 have disrupted districts. The bulk of the soft cision of the of Executive Council these are: had only part time employment, three days coal miners who retain organization in to support the Lewis faction against the The Proposed Frameupe and Police out of five. Half of the New York mem ot were represented at Spring Springfield insurgent body.
Brutality bership has been totally or partially unem feld. 45 delegates attended this convention, ployed during the season, of these, Illinois, the largest remaining Split ja Miners Deepens The arrest of Communist leaders The holding of the rival conventions and an endeavor to railroad them to priand the actions taken by them have the son for their activity among the unemeffect of deepening and confirming the ployed. Every known obstacle was utile split which has been long brewing in the ized to prevent the release on ball of the miners organization and reduce the progNew York arrested. Only after repeated by Whitten arbitrated. The mayor has appointed pects of an early re unification to the efforts and after exorbitant ball. 12 500 an impartial arbitrator and is endeavorminimum. The action of the Springfield each) had been placed, were they released, The greatest labor demonstration in ing to settle the matter. At the time of convention in appealing to Green to call to stand trial on charges of felonious as this city since the Battle of Broad Street this writing, the Aberle Mill bosses had a unity convention under of sault and provoking an unlawful assembly in 1910 between the police and thousands agreed to arbitration which will no doubt augpices is construed as a diplomatic gesat the March 6th Union Square demonstra of striking street car men, took place on result in sellout of these militant ture to aid the fight of the new union to tlon in New York City. The outcome of March 9th, when a crowd estimated by the strikers. of support. The Lewis convention the New York trials will to an extent decapitalist papers at 35, 000, met at the declared war on the Springfield gathering The demonstration at the funeral of termine the scale of repression and terror open air funeral of Carl Mackley, 23 year Mackley was handled very gingerly by the and demanded action of the of against the Communist movement and laold textile worker of Kensington.
authorities.
The events of against its participants.
bor in general in other sections of the McPherson Square, in the heart of that They realize the possibilities the week are the undoubted prelude to a country But already in many parts of of what might happen if the thousands great working class district, this vast long drawn out struggle between the two of unemployed desperate workers in that the country efforts are made to rallroad crowd gathered to pay its last respects to organizations for supremacy in which court the Communists.
district become aroused. The of the murdered strike picket. His death action, appeals to the of and open bureaucrats have all the while acted their wave of terror, brutality and occured on March 6th when he was shot battle in the coal fields will all be resorted usual role of lightning rods to divert to.
by a strikebreaker employed in the Aberle provocation against the radicals and comwrath and militancy of the workers. duplication of the historic United munists and any rising militancy by the Mill, where a strike involving more than a Garment Workers Amalgamated Clothing the signincance of this tremendous gathworkers. Every form of weapon club thousand workers has been stubbornly Workers contest is to be anticipated in its fought for over a month.
and blackjack, gun and horses, machine Despite the ering, as well as the continued fighting many aspects.
vlclous issued spirit of the strikers, is a lesson that injunction by Judge guns and tear gas is either brought into McDevitt, which prohibited more than should be of great value to class conscious The depth of the rank and fle revolt play or held ready for use against the workers and to communists.
against corruption and reactionary leaderunemployed and those leading the struggle pickets, despite the utmost brutality of Kensington is the very heart of ship in the United Mine Workers, despite on their behall. Almost every capitalist police who arrested persons living in the. Continued on Page 6)
the absence of the Communistic Left wing paper in the country reports the extremes neighborhood, merely for being on their which is split off in the National Miners to which the loud mouthed Whalen and own steps when ordered to go indoors, and Union, was graphically revealed at Springothers like him went in their brutality who is the against men, women and children gathered at the unemployment meetings and demon fought with all the vigor and courage that to Trotsky against Lewis. It rose like a tornado on strations.
the workers of Kensington are noted for.
the very first day of the Springfield conThe Labor Spy and Blacklist of Militants Since the demonstration before the Monarchist Spain bas added itself to vention, sweeping Fishwick out of the bier of Carl Mackley, the striking workers the list of capitalist states that refuses The method of OPEN LABOR SPYchair and installing Howat in his place and have maintained their militant fighting admission to Trotsky for necessary sending the credentials of Farrington back ING and BLACKLISTING on behalf of the spirit. Within a week another shooting medical attention. So Trotsky, exiled by employers by police and other governmentto the credentials committee after a has taken place. strikebreaker, Peter the bureaucrat Stalin, remains at Constan vage attack on him from the floor led by al agents, thus plainly showing that govMarpone, fred three times into a crowd tinople, where thousands of Russian White Brophy and the Progressive bloc. It was ernment and law are instruments of the about his home to protest his scabbing.
Guards intest the city and are a constant capitalist clagg. Police Commissioner Whafurther shown in the bitter and angry asFourteen persons were wounded.
len of New York has declared that he has menace to the life of Trotsky.
sault on the Illinois officials, whose poltturned over the names of alleged Com Militancy of Strikers Outstanding imperialist powers and the Sta cies and actions have been in no way Fighting took place also at the Rogers munists to employers that they may be linist bureaucracy alike reject Trotsky, the different from those of Lewis, as crooks dismiled and deprived of a velihood Hosiery Mill in Germantown where nearly organizer and leader of the Red Army, and cheaters. which accompanied the debecause of the opinions they hold; and a hundred strikers, half of them girls, leader of the victorious Petrograd Soviet mand for their removal; in the inability to were arrested. The Rogers strike is called and Lenin comrade and co worker.
The that he favors and will pursue such hold the entire Illinois delegation in ling in sympathy with the Aberle strike. The a blacklisting policy in the future. Whalen workers of the world will yet seal their for the seating of Farrington; in a numAberle Mili textile strike is led by the condemnation of Stalin and his bureauc. ber of progressive amendments to the admits that he maintains stool pigeons in of radical organizations, particularly among The militancy of the strikers racy that persecute, imprison and even constitution, and in varlous other proposals shoot the Opposition, the Bolshevik Lenin which got the support of the Communiste, to frame evidence against has had the of oficials worried.
majority or of The bureaucrats are cooperating with the ists, the standard bearers of the internathe radicals; and that, turther, he instructs strong minority of the convention.
hiu atnni niganna to ninyoke violence and politicians in every way to get the strike tional proletarian revolution (Continued on Page 8)