PAOR THE MILITANT SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 1932 The Economic Month Organization Notes Railroads Strike Policy in anake ratesare me roletan eugere conducted only weapon por efter aftenerive of the theme other readers when necomers: aid numbers the United Front of Southern Miners Imperative Further Decline in Production and in Workers Living Standards The Strike Weapon and its Rejection by the Misleaders CLEVELAND, OHIO. Our steadily, licials in utilizing Line capitalist mach growing mailing list in this city has tinery UI Chy government to suppress the ally resulted in a branch of the Left Working class rugbis.
In the purely Industrial disputes be Louring the eight hour duy into reality In attempting to give a brief econ similar period. New industrial capital Opposition now engaged in active work. The Alinneapolis, brauch in addition to tween the bosses and the workers con u tue runtouds.
omle analysis of the past few months, issues (a portion of which sums will Reports coming into the ottice are to the and a prognosis for the immediate tu be used for the purchase of goods in effect that our new Jewish organ Unser forums is also conducting stody class ing conditions, the only its regular public activities, meetings and cerning hours of work, wages and work. Since the Eight Hour Day movement ture one should observe the following the next few months) have been con Kamf found a ready response and is. Elements of Marxism. Similarly the workers have to promote weapon the in 1910, strike policy and strike strategy trends. First, the actual Algures on spicuous during the month of February being quite well distributed among the rst steps have been taken for the or their interest with, is the strike. In a bottom of bankruptcy and today the and protect has steadily drifted towards the very production and general business activ by their almost complete absence.
ity (steel, cotton cloth production, shoes, political struggle wherein the workers strike is practically discarded as a weatcar loading, electric power production, marked a continuation and extention of stantial order for literature and for ship in this city has gained new recruits ment, the strike can only serve as eers are concerned. Instead of training The first two months of the year active work is being expressed in a sub anization of a youth club.
ST. LOUIS, MO. Our small member are alming for control of the govern pon, in so far as the Brotherhood leadbullding, etc. of course, adjusted for the general wage slashing campaign, additional copies of The Militant.
seasonal variation. Secondly a study this time attacking the organized indu For a long time there have been many to their ranks. In addition, it has estab supplementary weapon, as an aid or help and organizing the railroad workers to should be made of commodity prices. stries, namely railroads and building sympathizers of the Left Opposition in lished convincing proof that although in the general struggle for political powere, berak bere the declining curve of sentrades. horizontal 10 per cent wage Cleveland. The several efforts made small in numbers, active work will bring er and control. But when workers or be the only weapons they have against eral business activity can be expected cut to some 1, 500, 000 workers employed the past by party bureaucrats to break results. Recently the branch held a Aght only for better conditions, or to cast it aside or to hang it up in the attended, precipitant fall of commodity prices. wage for this group for the coming for Cannon and for Shachtman did not which our comrade Roberts defended they have, from being taken away from keeping the strike weapon ready and keep the wages and working conditions closet and to keep it there. Instead of Capitalists will begin to replace worn year, approximately by 200, 000, 000. The in the least deter the sympathixers but the Proletarian Dictatorship against the them by the boss, then the strike is the in good machinery, and invest the easily obtain proposed 25 per cent cut in the building on the contrary added to their ranks. celebrated American democracy. That for use when necessary, ed credit in new industry only when trades has this peculiar feature at Last summer, comrades Clarke fensive purposes.
pact after another with the railrond they feel that they will not be confront tached to it, namely, that the great Stamm put in an active period of street weekly open forum. Attendance at the Therefore, we think that without 11basses, always and inevitably ed with their competitors purchasing in majority of the workers in the industry speaking, literature sales and collection Glotzer meting held in St Louis as well at the expense of the workers. The recent March at reduced rate the raw ma are already receiving much below the Militant subscriptions. All in all, es at subsequent forums testify to the lustrating this point further, the aver: terials that they purchased in January scale. The proposed official wage cuts this helped lay the foundation for a fact that the worker audience found it age worker will agree with us when we Chicago peace pact was just another ex.
In connection with the actual commo: can but nean, not the adjustment of now active branch.
This new branch is self impressed with our presentation, maintain that the strike is the only ample of this bankrupt polley, dity prices, one should attempt to esti. wages to 25 per cent below the present making arrangements for a meeting for our St. Louis branch has now also taken we the beat the lat boa nompons can be Strike Policy vs. Cooperation Policy mate the actual stocks on hand, of raw scale. which in many The Brotherhood leaders, like all la materials and of manufactured goods, mean an actual wage increase) but ra visit.
cases would comrade Glotzer on his national tour the first steps toward the organization one at that. But good weapons can only of a youth club.
be used effectively when placed in the bor leaders, are confronted with two (quantity, not value is the factor to be ther a further reduction of the already hands of individuals who possess the nec main alternatives: they must either fight MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Our comlooked for most estimates are of pre reduced prevailing rate of pay.
essary skill and determination to use or surrender to the bosses. For worksent depreciated value, not of quantity. Our three months subscription drive them at the proper time. And this is ers there is no escape from one of these According the latest available re rades, always active in this city utilizIn connection with this item one should ports of the Departanent of Labor, the ing their good working class contacts on the way and already brings good equally true about the strike weapon. two processes. We are compelled by the also examine the figures for construc number of people employed continues to are now raising very fundamental is response. In subsequent issues we will Let us note briefly how the strike wen circumstances to choose one of two tion contracts awarded and building decline; the total wage paid decreasing sue growing out of recent events. They carry exact accounts of the responses pon and strike strategy have been used roads upon which to travel, either to permits granted. Also important, are even more rapidly. Thus the drop from demonstration held on Bridge Square. As ments our supporters will have noticed hoods in the last fifteen years.
From our early announce by the leaders of the Railroad brother victory or to defeat. Since 1916, the new capital issues. These of course December to January for factory emBrotherhood leaders have steadily kept indicato purchases to take place in the ployment was from to 68. whereas is known to our readers, it was broken that we propose this drive as one means The last time the Brotherhood leaderthe railroad workers on the path which immediate future. Thirdly, the condi payrolls declined from 56. to 62. up by the police under orders of the whereby we can render practical aid to ship made any pretense at using the leads to defeat. The sign posts which tion of the working class, in the form of this ever widening spread between workers were arrested and have since which also spells increased financial movement for the eight hour day on the were such inventions as: The and o.
strike weapon effectively, was during the directed our leadership along this path wage cuts, employed, total the two curves merely indicates the been sentenced to pay fines ranging from assistance. Such wage, etc. etc. should be considered. results of the wage cu ting campaign.
assistance is very railroads in 1916. Two strikes were Cooperation Plan: the Watson Parker Fourthly, there should be taken into the worker fortunate to be kept on the 10 to 26. The Farmer Labor mayor is sorely needed consideration any special items that may payroll is finding less and less in the inforcement of his threat that there question. The other, which is yet more hour day for railroad workers. The first struggle bence Pacts Matual admira This, however, is only one side of the of taking effect to bring about the eight Class Collaboration instead of Class organized and came within a few hours Law to prevent strikes in labor disputes have arisen, such as the recent govern pay envelope each week.
ment measures, or any special large As special emergency measures, shall be no more workers meetings on important, is the one of seriously tak strike was called off with the enactment tion and cooperation between Railroad scale measures planned or advocated by the Bridge Square.
ing up the task of extending the Left of the Adamson Eight Hour Law. The) and Brotherhood Officials. These were any specific industry. Under this last past two months saw the birth of the heading should be included any meastwo much heralded banking measures The official party, yet suffering from Opposition press. Each step in our pro railroad owners took the Adamson Law the slogans which were used as weatherures that have some bearing on the the Reconstruction Finance Corporation the issue of the right of the workers brought results in extended influence of having it declared unconstituational and defeat. The Brotherhood the Third Period adventurism, is raising gram of expansion so far taken have to the Supreme Court with a view cocks to steer the railroad labor move ment towards the swamp of surrender and the Glass Steagall subject, but do not properly fall under nection with our article on the glassings. This is not the correct slogan tablishment of the weekly Militant, of second railroad strike came within a few which offered less resistance to their (In conto defend themselves and their meet for the Left Opposition views. The es Another strike wote was taken and the chose this road because it leaders any of the above headings. The above Steagall bill, misleading sentence, in such a situation where the funda the Young Spartacus, of the Greek or hours of going into effect when the Sup. Personal interest and ambitions than the was a road rigid plan, should succeed in giving one crept inte due to last minute revision, mental issue of the right of free speech san, Communistos and of the Jewish or reme Court came out with a to a brief yet general sketch of the eco The sentence reading. But how nomic condition and immediate pro that does nothing but make legal that as the proper slogan recognizing also steps. The extended influence achieved it was necessary for the railroad work algamation and well led struggles against.
which is actually taking place should its mucb broader appeal. line with has been expressed concretely in manyers to use the strike weapon to squeeze To sum up the economic developments the instances the Eight Hour Law out of congress and In order to make it a little more clear of the past two months, one can but have been concluded, namely, the con this our branch is insisting that tinued withdrawal of gold by foreign Communist forces take the initiative in Building of the Left Opposition press it had to be used again to squeeze agree to the ordinary worker as to why the say, that as yet there have appeared no countries. The entire attempt to in calling a free speech conference to bring is the best means of further extending ment with it out of the Supreme Court Brotherhood leaders adopted the policy aligns of any immediate revival. The crease commodity prices by increasing organized mass pressure behind the deits influence. It is a vitally important by the narrow margin of to Inment instead of fighting it so as to promonths of Jamary and February con the avallable money to circulation is mand. When presented in this manner means of building and strengthening of neither case was the strike weapon used mote and protect the railroad workers tinued the kaleidoscopic decline in pro based upon the false assumption that the opportunity is enhanced to hammer duction begun over two years ago. The it is possible to inject into the process one more lesson home to the Minneapolis the Communist movement as a whole.
but it was ready for use if necessary, interest, we will point out several things.
steel Industry which ordinarily shows of circulation, additional money despite workers, namely the one true HELP BUILD THE LEFT OPPOSI and the strike weapon was the thing The Brotherhood leadership have organan improvement during the first quarter, TION PRESS! which furnished the necessary influence arate craft unions. The same type of ized the railroad workers into 21 sepcontinued to perform at about 28 to 27 the fact that business does not destre rol of the Farmer Labor Party city of per cent of capacity. The hoped for yet to explain how the possible increase the additional sums. The bankers have organization which the Locomotive Enrise in steel production to be brought in currency will result in an actual ingineers launched at Detroit, Michigan in on by an increase in automobile procrease. Were the government actually 1868. And we still cling to this out ofduction failed to materialize, because able to inject new money into circula: date craft system of organization. It of the lack of improvement in the protfon, then this would be a factor in While miners in the Eastern Kentucky as dangerous to the community. Ser forced back into submission to the u would be to the railroad workers 10duction of new cars. The index of auto tending to bring about a temporary rine Helds continue to fight sporadic battles vile creatures of law and order like. gentry. They are now again and expensive crafts unions into an interest to amalgamate these 21 useless mobile production declined from a high of Judge Jones and Sheriff Blair covered firmly in control in the Illinois fields by of 12 for the first week of January, to in prices. But the present measures for thelr existence the machinery dustrial union, but it would not be to are valueless in this respect. Actuall law and order is getting ready to themselves with infamy. This question writue of support from the operators and the best interest of craft union officials one of 26. for the last week of Free ruary. Despite the streaming headlines to do so. Their big salaries separate to the contrary, Ford has not yet be Ing factor, and not the effect of money and April the remaining forty defend the state of Kentucky an exception. On the soft coal fields they have themselves them from the rank and file and so focusses the destroyed the union.
gun any substantial production. Freight of Marx, prices are not high or low. Their case dates back to May 6, Last Yesterday it was Pennsylvania or West in circulation. Summed up in the words ants of the Harlan County murder con the contrary, it merely spiracy frame up are to stand trial class struggle there at the moment.
United Front Necessary the interest of the Brotherhood officials car loading and electric power output because there is more or less money in runs in the opposite direction from that showed similar declines, the latter dropThere are, of course, as long as the of the members. Therefore, we are not ping during the two months period from circulation, but on the contrary. there year, when during the Evarts strike in Virginia, today Kentucky. One more miserable conditions remain and inten one union but tweny one. It would be is more or less money in circulation, be a battle, provoked by the company gun object lesson in the function of the an index of 222 to one of 218, registeringesuse prices are high or low. The comand one miner were killed. Wm. Hight celebrated American frame up method. many still on an Isolated local scale. members to have freedom of expres thug, Sheriff Henry Blair, three gunmen capitalist state forces, including the sity, bound to be new strikes, perhaps to the best interest of the Brotherhood a rate of decline much greater than that of the past two years as a whole. plete futility of the present currency and The latest reports of building activity measures is summed up in the above ower and Jones, president and as a means of coercion against the There are bound to be new rebellious upsion in their unions so they could adsecretary of the Evarts local union, who workers is recorded. The all important surges where the gentry convocate amalgamation, reduction of of one of the most important industries of sentence.
were the first defendants tried, are al question is: To what extent do the trols. The rebol forces are bound to telal salaries, elimination of gng laws the country, showed no bettering of its The danger of America going off the ready serving the life sentence imposed werkers translate these lessons into srow. They face a common enemy, the and secret work, but this would present paralyzed condition, the figures gold standard (inflation in the strict upon them.
practical endeavors to meet it.
conl operators and their agents. Their against the interest of 15, 000 craft ofeven showing an aggravation of the con sense of the term) becomes greater Next to Harlan county, in Pineville, Support the Relief and Defense! objectives are common. Surely the main ficals like Robertson. They want gag.
dition of the industry. The New York daily. Gold continues to be drained In preparation for the coming trials events should be one of common strugand secret work to barricade themselves lesson from all of the recent and past laws, censored magazines, obligations Times combined weekly index registered from the country. In the first month of nine strikers and relier workers are a new low for the depression in the last the year the total decrease of cold about to go on trial indicted for crim reports from Kentucky testify to the in gle. And no doubt there will yet bol against the organized criticism of the week of February. The index is now at stocks was 37 million, while for retinal syndicalism. They have been hold creasing persecution and intimidation the of common struggle. And no rank and file. It would be for the inter60. as against 69 for the beginning ofruary this sum had mounted to 67 mil. in Jall since Jan. 4th. This frame up by company gun thngs of witnesses who doubt there will yet be opportunities tol est of railroad workers to have one the year.
lion. In addition to the above there grew out of the strike conducted by appeared at the Hightower Jones trial.
rebel strong union for all workers in the The only figures reporting increased exists the ever mounting deficit of the the National Miners Union which be Throughout the fields down into Tennes fight for a united front of all railroad industry so they could better gan on Jan. 1st. The trial which fol soc, to which the strike has spread, the miners against the common enemy.
activity of a substantial nature have national govenment, which will pro It is so also in the very urgent mat protect and promote their interest been those of shoe and cotton cloth probably reach well into the three billions lowed closely upon the heels of the das hysterical red scare is being kept alive company gun thuit 18 the cover under which the per ter of relief for and defense of the against the bosses. It is against the induction. In the production of cotton for the present fiscal year, unless new tardly murder, cloth, the rise from an Index of 91 in tax measures are rushed through. The offlineer Simms the young Communist secution proceeds, and, as so often be present victims of the class struggle interest of the labor leaders to build this consequenti fore demonstrated, the perfidious ofl. Kentucky. There is yet no reason why kind of org renewed efforts should not be made to they cannot fight the bosses and are for the last week of February, had of all kinds beginning with the Federal Savagely wreaking their vengeance chals of the of all that merely an aggravating effect upon the Government. Thus reads the National upon these coal miners, who dared to is left of that organization there are establish a measure of unity in these therefore forced to cooperate with them.
their attempt to obtain better conditions, the working hand in glove with the oper endeavors. We would not even propose So, the way things stand in the railroad market, the sales in no way being able City Bank report, expressing in civilization. ators Agents to crush unionism. Eastthat the General Defense Committee brotherhoods today, it is the desire of to consume the increased production. words the fear of the stability of the companies of northern and the D. should be able to affect the officials to avoid at all costs strikes The stocks on hand increased, and de government bonds. The financial who own the mines, have outdone the ern Kentucky has long remained an unvicious persecu organized field. To keep it so is the atma direct unification. But for the com and struggles because they have not got spite the temporary rise in price brought crisis rather than being alleviated, ts southern bourbons in reaction of this black horde.
mon oljectives united front activities the kind of organization needed to put on by the Shanghai events, the price facing much greater stumbling blocks. tion. They found bigotted a successful strike and it is against trend continued downward for the per Private German bonds are now being ary tools who could serve to their lik. The impoverished coal lod. An Interesting toature to be in talked of, in addition to the publle debt, ing, so much so that even the liberal stantly harassed by starvation, are even tempted the appuat should be passed have the cooperation polley instead of miners, con ever, is not go ar being seriously at their interest to build one, and hence we vestigated in this so called consumers in the discussions of defaulting. There writers from the Theodore Dreiser com now suffering further wage cuts bring on to the workers everywhere to support the strike polley.
industry, is the recent statement made is even talk here of a complete shut mittee and the Waldo Frank committeeing the rate for day men down to 00 the victims in both Harlan and Pine. This cooperation policy has had a most by the New York Cotton Exchange Ser down of the stock market. The frame could be chased out of the field branded a day. Help for both relief and defense ville Kentucky destructive effect on the railroad unions since the railroads were returned to priper cent still sporadic and not sufficiently organweight of all the cotton becoming weaker, vate control after the war. During the goods produdced go into industrial All in all, the conclusions to be drawn Support. Unser Kamf ized, is nevertheless writing another uses. are, that the prospects for immediate brilliant rage in the miners history Young Spartacus» No. war, under government control, when the railroad owners were reaping enormous Commodity prices temporarily stead revival are not great. Unemployment The first three issues of Unser Kami for organization. This is what carries The March issue of the Young Spar profits, the lower paid masses of railroad led in the third week of February, the and the misery of the working class! our organ in the Yiddish Language met a powerful appeal which should be heed taeus, vol. 1, No. 4, is ready for dis workers were allowed to organize with only break in the two months period, will most probably become more accen with a very favorable reception among ed by the workers everywhere. The tribution and sale. Comrades should out serious opposition and thousands of failed to keep their gains, and again tunted. The questions of immediate re all our comrades, sympathizers and Harlan miners defense is in the care send in orders, shop and maintenance workers streamed registered a decline for the final week liet and unemployment Insurance friends. Especially appreciative were of the Genreal Defense Committee, 566 Table of Contents into the rail unions. But after the war of the month. The Annalist index drop must remain at the forefront of our those of our readers whose knowledge Lake St. Chicago, III. The PineFascist Danger in Germany Trotsky profits were over, and the roads returnped from to the low of 91. In the unemployment campaign. Concentrating on of the English language is limited. The ville case is in the care of the D.
Young Communist (Harry Simmsed to private control, then the onslaught factors connected with commodity prices these slogans, and in addition bring worker who is anxious to know about 799 Broadway, New York.
Murdered in Kentucky started on the unions by the railroad no signs leading to the belief that a ing forward the of the six hour the platform of the International Left The struggle of the Kentucky miners, Imperialist War and the Class Strug owners and the craft system of organtbottom has been reached can be seen. day, as well AS that of credits to Opposition, wants to read about it in their strike for living conditions, in a gleAlglo zation simply crumpled. The only thing Although comprehensive figures are dit the Soviet Union, the Communist move the language e knows best.
very large measure depends upon the Yipsels Hold Debate that was saved from the wreckages was ficult to obtain, one is led to believement should attempt to rally around it The financial aid to make the appear face a powerful enemy, well organized. League assistance of workers elsewhere. They The Drive of the Young Communist the Four Transportation Brotherhools, that stocks on hand of manufactured the great masses Workers who ance of Unser Kamf possible, came from whose leaders offered cooperation with goods still remain very high. The ac more and more should become disillu branches, from groups and individuals. an enemy, which has been enabled so The Logic of Theury of the National the bosses in return for the privilege to cumulation of raw materials is growing stoned with the prospects held out for But nevertheless the aid is still urgent car to strike a blow at one section of Socialien collect dues from the members of the so rapidly as to become threatening for them by the capitalist system.
ly needed. Very many of our adherents upon one section while the others were Karl Marx: Revolutionist so called Big Four. Since that time some Industries. Crop estimates for STONE. are vid ims of the deep going crisis and Andres Nin Greets Young Spartacus all the labor skates have adopted the the coming year indicate even greater cannot help to the extent they would kept at work under starvation condiQuestion and Answer Column policy to cooperate with the boss in or yields than the present year. On the der to keep their meal tickets from belike to. We know that at the first op been able to keep these mine strikes tions. The and fact is that they have ATTENTION. BOSTON!
field of building activity the hoped for Most of the portunity those of our ing completely destroyed.
ENTERTAINMENT increase remained in the wishing stage. What Is Europe Heading For!
shop workers have been permitted to reLecture by bring forth their contribution. At this localized. Only a short while ago the The Algures of this year are running On Saturday, March 12th, the Unser main in company unions for the last Albert Glotzer time we are forced to appeal to every Pennsylvania and Ohto miners were on about 30 per cent below those of last one for financial aid. The fourth issue strike led by the National Miners Un Kamf Arbolter Club will hold a vetcher years. Working conditions have been year. For both contracts awarded and is in preparation but to see the light Virginia miners went out under Sunday, March 20th, 1982, P.
West Inka in the headquarters of the Oppost. gradually lost. Workers are being susbuilding permits granted, one is forced their tion, 84 Fast 10th Street. The club win pended or discharged for getting injured at the of day it needs the aid of all our sym. Independent union. These strikes were provide a bar and entertainment. Ad while at work to save the company from to use the words of the National City ELM HILL BLDG.
pathizers.
isolated to their local fields. The remission is 25c. All workers are invited paying them anything. Speed up. erBank Bulletin, lowest by far for any K32 Warren Street UNSER KAMF.
bellious Illinois miners again to attend. Continued on page 4)
be in of of on the were