NEW MILITANT Official Organ of the Workers Party of the VOL. 2, NO. 21 (WHOLE NO. 73 NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 30, 1936 PRICE CENTS Tobin Plug Uglies Day to Day Report Shot, 15 Jailed Slug 574 Heads At Cleveland, Ohio In LA Bean Strike Unjons Rap Cotton Lords Co. Plot Ape Hitler Fascists Gain Spanish In Belgium Nears Split Dunne and Geo. Frosig Attacked by Thugs By JOHN WEST and MAX SHACHTMAN Red Squad Unleashes Terror Against WalkIn New Union. Busting Campaign a conservative combination of re not the underlying issues of princi out of 5, 000 Agricultural Workers; by Reactionaries CLEVELAND. The struggle formers of all brands similar to the ple are obscured by the emphasis tween the Right and left wings of Detty bourgeois mess into which the laid on the confusing organizational Defense Funds Urgently Needed the Socialist Parts, dramatized socialist Party of Wisconsin has aspects they assume. Nevertheless, MINNEAPOLIS, May 22. The campaign of terrorism directed two years ago by the victory of the been dragked by association with those speeches that broke through Militant group at the Detroit na the Farmer Labor Progressive Fed the organizational crust and touchagainst progressive trade union leaders in Minneapolis reached a new tional convention and the adoption eration organized in that state ed the political heart of the conflict, LOS ANGELES (By wire. Two agricultural strikers were shot peak Thursday morning, May 21, when Vincent Dunne and George of the much discussed Declaration under the aegis of the LaFollette were the ones that aroused the down and fifteen more arrested and held in high bail, as Los Angeles Frosig, organizer and vice president of General Drivers Local No. 574, of Principles. reached a new cli dynasty.
keenest interest of the delegates notorious Red Squad attempted to terrorize the five thousand agriwere attacked and severely beaten by five thugs driving a black Buick max at the nineteenth national con. On this score, Norman Thomas and created the clearest demarca cultural workers now on strike in this county.
sedan. The militant leaders of the truck drivers union were distribvention of the Socialist Party. Fol delivered his most decisive remarks tions This strike is the first big agricultural strike since the conviction lowing the action taken by the ma of the convention. Contrary to Prelimi ary Skirmishes uting leaflets advertising a union meeting and talking with a truck jority of the 250 delegates from all Hoan, he stressed the necessity of The first test of strength came in of Chambers, Decker, Norman Mini and five others in the famous driver at the Omaha freight yards when the sedan drew up and the parts of the country, the New York socialism and of a socialist cam. the vote on seating the disputed Sacramento eriminal syndicalism case in April, 1935. It is the first five assailants leaped out, attacking Dunne and Frosig with black Old Guard, led by Louis Waldman, paign in the presidential elections New Jersey delegations. The Nareal sign of recovery from that blow, and may be the signal for a wave jacks. Both were badly cut and bruised. As the attackers climbed James Oneal and Algernon Lee, has and dismissed the Farmer Labortional Executive Committee, func of strikes similar to those of 1933 and 1934.
back into their car, one of them turned and said, This is a warning.
definitely parted company with the Party with simple reference to the toping as a credentials committee Socialist Party and is organizing impossibility of its organization in and represented by reporter KruThe two strikers were wounded by thugs armed with shotguns, Two of the thugs were recognized by Frosig and Dunne as a part an association of conservative so 1938, at any rate. His remarks ger, proposed the seating of the who broke up the picket lines. The police then followed up, arresting of a crew of eight tough looking characters who last Saturday morncial democrats all its own. The tre about those labor leaders who had Militant delegation. Oneal, as mififteen Mexicans and Filipinos on the preposterous charge of assault ing drove up to the leading platform at the Chippewa Water Company mendous significance of this separajumped on the Roosevelt bandwag. nority reporter, proposed a contra with a deadly weapon! Strikers are shot and strikers are then arwhere 574 officials were talking to the drivers. They announced they tion for the future of the revolu on with the slogan of Roosevelt or ry motion. The proposal rested for shooting! Bail was fixed at 2, 500 each. This is the second tionary movement of the United Reaction were entirely in order. was upheld by a vote of 115 to 55.
were representatives of the Teamsters Joint Council of the American States is evident when one com Thomas rightly compared this piece The minority was composed of the mass arrest in the strike, forty having been locked up last week.
Federation of Labor, but did not attempt any violence. There was a pares the split in Cleveland in 1936 of deception with such treacherous Right wing delegations drawing The Los Angeles labor movement is rallying to the defense of the large number of members of Local 574 present at the time at the with the split produced by the Arst slogans as Wilson or War In 1916, their main strength from Massa strike. Relief and defense are being provided by a trade union comChippewa Water Company platform. The car in which the eight men post war crisis in the Socialist Par pointing out that just as we had chusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, mittee under the leadership of the International Ladies Garment appeared at the Chippewa Company was also a black Buick sedan.
ty at its Chicago convention in sot Wilson and war, so the victory parts of Pennsylvania, Washington, Workers Union. The Socialist Party has provided bail for a score of Local 574, after winning three famous strikes in 1934, was expelled tion marked the triumph of the course would mean Roosevelt and egates. The majority vote was strikers. The Non Partisan Labor Defense has provided counsel, from the International Teamsters Union in April, 1935 by Daniel Hillquit Oneal Right wing and the Reaction. He insisted that the only made up of a combination of the taking care of the prisoners needs, and raising money for bail bonds.
Tobin, president, for alleged non payment of per capita tax. Ever ousting of the Left wins assemblea genuine choice before the workers delegates supporting the Militant Defense funds are urgently needed. They should be sent to the since that time, Tobin, together with other local and national craft convention, on the other hand, re ism or Reaction and Imperialist gates from Wisconsin. The vote of Non Partisan Labor Defense at 124 West 6th Street, Los Angeles.
union of leaders, has been seeking to smash Local 574 and pudiated the fossilized representa. War. Even if his speech was grave: the majority was not greater be build a dual teamsters union in Minneapolis. Since last October, Meyer tives of Old Guard Socialism which ly marred by ambiguous formula cause, due to the contest, neither of Lewis, a representative of William Green, has been here directing the has produced such tragie catastro tions on more than one question the two New York delegations was attack against the drivers union, the leading exponent of industrial phes in the international working that of the Farmer Labor Party permitted to vote until their own class movement not excluded the great stress he dispute was decided by the unconunionism in the Northwest. Lewis campaign against the progressive The convention provided another laid on a straightforward socialist tested delegates.
union movement in Minneapolis has so far met with little success. contrast, however, with the crisis campaign so obviously harmonized Rhode Island and Texas were Last week, Mr. Lewis gave a statement to the press announcing that in 1919. Whereas the struggle be with the sentiments of most of the settled in favor of the Militants the American Federation of Labor would use every force available to tween Left and right in 1919 rep delegates that he was constantly with approximately the same dicombat the dual and outlaw unions. In the past two weeks, three between the revolutionary Marxian Indeed, significant of convention strength up a notch or two after Rally Against Provocaresented a fairly clear cut division interrupted by bursts of applause. Vision, bringing the Left wing Rubber Workers and CLU Concentration Camps Set known progressive trade unionists have been beaten up by unknown current and the Right wing bur sentiment was the fact that while each decision. The section of the Up to Defeat Tenant thugs and told to leave town. The attack on Dunne and Frosig brings eaucracy in control of the party, Krzycki prediction that there Pennsylvania delegation led by tions of Barons Farmers Strike the list of vietims up to five.
the fight of the various tendencies would be a strong Farmer Labor Darlington Hoopes of Reading, who in 1936 18 far more complicated in Party in this country before many had been leaning strongly towards By RICHARD FERGUSON MEMPHIS, Tenn. Thirty five its divisions by virtue the fact months are over. was greeted apa the Old Guard without committing AKRON, May 25. With the mass striking members of the Southern that the bloc which held together thetically, spontaneous applause himself too irrevocably, had been arrest of 31 union workers at the Tenant Farmers Union were against the New York Old Guard followed every statement of a clear challenged prior to the convention Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. late thrown into jall at Earl, Arkansas consists of tendencies which are far cat campaign for socialism. The and on its floor. The Credentials last Saturday night the never end late yesterday, as the strike of five removed from common conceptions temper of the delegates is not a Committee, however, upheld the ing struggle tretween the rubber thousand farm laborers held the on the fundamental problems press much to be judged by their mild claims of the Hoopes group, and workers and their despotic bosses cotton plantations in Eastern Aring for solution in the Socialist interest or outright unconcern in just before the fight opened up over is entering a new and higher plane. kansas in its grip for the second day. Earlier in the day, Peacher, People Front Losses Mir Right Wing Takes Sanctions Because of the fact that so much speeches which were diluted with tenger en fine contest with a schien The arrests grew out of a 12 deputy sherity and large cotton Against Left; Convention depends on the developer prates, the liberabeard enthousiast el a teteponas, bet arown. thus seating bls contingent hour sit down on May 20 inside planteria hand threatened to marrest ror Future for France Postponed reader should have before him as any sentence that smacked of mil. Among the results of this ar the unionists are charged with streets of Earl. The Earl local of rounded a picture of the important itant socialist aims and tactics.
rangement was the loss by the New rioting and imprisoning foremen, the Southern Tenant Farmers UnMADRID, May 28 The Right issues before the convention as can This was even more clearly evi York Old Guard of the outright supervisors and company union ion and all the locals throughout tions in Belgium, the Socialists Committee of the Socialist Party In last Sunday general elec: wing controlled National Executive be given in this space. diencede the apart threedating support of the Reading delegation rats in a bull pen until the man. Crittendon County declare they The Keynote Speeches (the Belgian Labor Party or Party today made the following The underlying issues facing the one of the two contesting delega pon which they had previously agement settled the workers griev. will send all their men to su the Jails to overflowing before they lost ground, losing three seats splitting moves to expel the Left Socialist Parts, but still unclarified, tions from New York dispute rangement were made clear to obfor a total of 70, but despite this wing majority.
were implicit in the keynote which consumed most of the time servers in the discussion of other Saturday evening when it was al starvation wages.
The mass arrests, coming late will return to the fields at present became the largest single party in speeches delivered at the opening of the numeroits sessions devoted arrange ball, is Many instances of terrorism and the Belgian parlament because the congress from June to October. Postponed the national partyession. The contrast between the to organizing the convention itsell. Puestions brought on the floor at most impossible Catholic Center suffered a much Authorized district commit two principal opening speeches. The fight was at bottom a high later sessions, as will be seen be everywhere recognized as a deliber intimidation have been reliably are ate move by the company to crush ported to Unlon bendquarters acgreater loss, dropping about one tees to dissolve those section or those of Danial Hoan and Norly significant struggle between pothe union. All Akron labor is in cording to Mitchell, Secretary fifth of their former strength Old Guard States Its Case tendencies the delegation ganizations deemed not to be comman Thomas, suggested almost the litical As is always the case, the disin. plying wtih all instructions of the form of a debate, an impression headed by Thomas representing the The settlement of all these minor furiated, especially because the of the Southern Tenant Farmers recently Unlon. Workers in isolated areas tegration of the Center was accom National Executive Committee, the which was emphasized by their re general line of the Militant group disputes set the stage for the Now company deputy who panied by the growth of the two latter immediately to superintend petition of key passages for the and that headed by Waldman rep York contest the one which arous wounded five Goodyear workers by have been driven to the cotton firing into their midst, has just fields and forced to work by riding extreme wings. The Belgian Stall the reorganization of the dissolved chief emphasis upon advocacy of a of the development of the political vention. After considerable parlia been acquitted in the same court bosses who stand over them with newsreel cameras. Hoan laid his resenting the Old Guard. The stage ed the sharpest division at the coninists increased their votes from sections.
about 13, 000 in 1932 to 35, 000, add Denounced Claridad. Largo Farmer Labor Party which, in struggle in the Socialist Party is mentary jockeying, Oneal led or in which the company will try to high powered rifles. Lan(Continued on Page 4)
get convictions against union men caster, planter in that region, himing six seats for a total of The Caballero paper, as an enemy of his statement of it, clearly meant still embryonic and more often than sell drove several people into the most spectacular gains were scored the party, and demanded that it imC. Supports Men by the budding Fascist party of mediately settle its debts, amountfields to work at the point of a Responding immediately to their gun. He remarked that he would the Rexists, who participated in ing to several thousands of dollars, brothers need of assistance, the build a dam across the lake there the elections for the first time, and to the party printing works.
Central Labor Union held a meet with the bodies of dead Union obtained some 250, 000 votes. Took steps to publish, in ading of its Defense Committee, men. state official driving No People Front in Belgium dition to the Right wing controlled which aided so greatly in the Good through Eastern Arkansas reported According to the Daily Worker, El Socialista, an evening news year strike. The Committee has a large group of day laborers at the results of the Belgian elections paper. Claridad is an evening appealed for legal aid from the work on the Blackfish plantation are a brilliant confirmation of the paper. American Civil Liberties Union. It Stalinist policies in France and Claridad and the Madrid or Editor Note: The following not serve the working class. When The Minnesota Farmer Labor party published a special resolution near Widener, Arkansas on u.
elsewhere, particularly in Belgium. Sanization, largest of the party sec is a statement on the Farmer capitalism was in its ascendant was built in the 1920 by just the sharply condemning Goodyear re Highway No. 70. He reported furThe Socialists lost and the Fas tions, denounced the actions of the Labor Party question adopted by phase, a reformist party could have sort of devoted militant workers fusal to bargain collectively with ther that a man stood close by cists gained, because, mind you, and declared the Socialist a Conference e of the Socialist served the workers and farmers of who are assembled in this conven the union, and attacked the man armed with a high powered rifle.
there was no People Front in Bel Party cannot consent to be the ob Party of Minnesota, and submit America. Today with the decay of tion. The radical and revolutionary (Continued on Page Continued on Page 2)
gium. Instead, in Belgium the ject of this farce and comedy and ted by it to the delegates at the capitalism, reformism can no long. workers built the Farmer Labor Socialists are united in a National called for election of a new Cleveland Convention of the So er play a progressive role in Amermarty in Minnesota. We made thouUnion with the reactionary parties as a question of life or death for cialist Party. In shortened ica.
sands of good Farmer Labor conof the Clericals and Liberals (T. the party.
form it was submitted for a wote Today several groups in the verts and broke our own party in Repard, Daily Worker, May 25.
The struggle in the Spanish So to the Convention, and lost after United States seek to bring into the process. The Minnesota FarmOur emphasis. cialist Party, long developing, came vigorous defense by left wing being a national Farmer Labor er Labor party has been the main The Daily Worker takes on trust to a crisis when President Azena delegates. It is of particular in party. These groups make the political power in our state since the credulity. inexperience and invited the Right wing leader, Interest and importance, coming most irresponsible and false prom 1980. It has elected senators, gov By MUSTE to undermine the union. The union ignorance of Its readers in its atdalecio Prieto to become premier from the one State in the union ises to the masses as to ac men, mayors and other state and occurred recently in the Akron rublose the ground which they have to what a ernors, representatives, Several sit down strikes have men, unless they are prepared to Farmer Labor Party is able tack upon the policies of the Bel and form a coalition cabinet. Prieto where a Farmer Labor Party is gian Socialist. In the sphere of and the were more than actually, and has for some time complish. All these groups seek to municipal officers. During this peber plants including the Goodyear won in their strike struggle, must domestie or foreign policy if there willing to do so but the volume of been, in existence and in power. build their national Farmer Labor rlod the Minnesota Farmer Labor where a great strike came to an work to win over or eliminate nonThe is any difference between them and protests from party organizations party on the basis of class collabor party cannot record any gains com end only two months ago. Last union or anti union workers.
of the People Front, it throughout Spain forced them to In the United States, as through ation, political trading and compro mensurate with the tremendous en Saturday thirty one militants of Asht is invariably transferred from is all in favor of the Belgians. desist.
out the rest of the capitalist worla, mise; they seek to place in leader ergies devoted to its cause. On Plant Two of Goodyear were sud the picket line to the plant. In this Enough to mention the fact that recent referendum of the party capitalism is now in its declining ship of such a party not workers the contrary, the party has time denly rounded up on charges of ricase the conflict 18 peculiarly sharp.
the economie program of the on the demand of the Left Wing stage. The international drive for but liberal elements, and in many after time betrayed workers oting in connection with one of because the men have maintained at People Front in France consists that the national congress be hela profits by the capitalist class in all cases opportunistic bourgeois poll who elected it to power. The gov these sit downs. What is behind top pitch the militancy which they of sections litted from the Plan in Madrid, demonstrated that the lands places an ever increasing ticians who see in such a party a ernor bas brought in troops during these turbulent developments? displayed during the strike at Good.
of the which Jouhaux and Left wing has a clear majority in burden on the workers. American vehicle to better their own political strike situations against the de As readers of the New Militant year, the other big companies, and Co. in turn lifted from the Plan the party.
workers are not excepted from this fortunes. Up to now, the bulk of mands of striking unions that he will recall, the settement which the employers in the basic indusof Henri de Man, their Belgian colIn a signed article in Claridad burden. The struggle of American the trade union movement has not withhold such troops Farmer marked the end of the Goodyear tries generally are well aware that league.
on the eve of the election of Azana capitalists to retain their place in endorsed the building of a national Labor Mayor Latimer of Minnea strike was by no means fully sat. the rubber unfon actually estabIn the sphere of foreign policy. by the electoral congress, Javier the world markets against the ever Farmer Labor party.
polis bas personally conducted isfactory to the workers. For one lishes itself, the movement in steel Today at this Socialist Party con scabs through picket lines, with the thing, the demand that the Good and automobiles will receive a treas solid for the League of Nations turian rebellion, denounced Azana perialists, batters down living stan vention there are only two dele help of the police which were under year company anion be abolished, or mendous impetus.
and for organizing peace and dis as the candidate of the Jesults and dards of the workers and farmers sates from Minnesota, a state that his control. He has used his police at least that the company definitely Conditions Still Bad armament as the People Fronters rightists. The hostility of the Left of this country, once had a tourishing Socialist against every strike that has arisen agree no longer to finance it, was To. a very signt. Thus the If there was a particle of ground outspokents pro Franco Soviet as and most Socialists voted for a their most elementary democratie Acant reason for this. we social used Farmer Labor police to break went back partly as unlon men, a sett for the assertion that the set the Stalinists would like. Hence, ana. But since then, in a speech rights, to win back any ground ists of Minnesota have had a long up and club unemployed demonstra minority as company union men. tlement of March 21st effected the sharp criticism.
declaring his position in prepara which they have lost, the toilers of and bitter experience with an actions. He has done all this de Now no situation where a real un even a partial adjustment of basic ion and a company union exists problems, that particle is now reOnly Stalinists Excluded The only other difference between clared his lack of faith in the Pop struggles. In such struggles, a na of other sections to observe the to office by the largest majority the one. The employer immediately admits this. The Cleveland Press, gress, Largo Caballero himself de more determined and more militant had a better chance then comrades spite the fact that was elected side by side can possibly be esta moved. Even the capitalist press (Continued on Page 4) nlar Front.
tional Farmer Labor party would real functioning of such a party. (Continued on Page 4) resorts to direct or indirect methods (Continued on Page 2)
Statement of Minnesota on Farmer Labor Party Question The Problem in Akron congressthe policy