SOCIALIST APPEAL SEPTEMBER 24, 1938 Imperialist Smokescreen At Latin American Congress Pinning em Down SOCIALIST APPEAL Vol. II No. 89 Saturday, September 24, 1938 Published every week by the SOCIALIST APPEAL PUBLISHING ASS at 116 University Place, New York, Telephone: National Office: Algonquin 8517 Subscriptions: 00 per year; for six per. Hind order cents per copy. Single coples cents.
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Entered as second class matter September 1, 1937, at the post office at New York, ork, New York under the Act of March 3, 1879.
MAX SHACHTMAN Editor HAROLD ROBERTS GEORGE CLARKE Associate Editors STANLEY Business Manager file pressure.
reactionary attack on the strike branding it as rebel, outlaw, Sillegal. The papers received a special dispensation from the comittee and in return they spat out their full venom upon the strike. This is a fact the strikers should bear in mind for future reference.
BY JAMES CASEY Perishables are still moving with the per By GARCIA CESTERO every other sense. Unity for judge from the declaration, it is mission of the committee. But as long as they MEXICO, D, The Pan what? The unity of forces finds thing that scarcely exists for GOLD RUSH ON ALL STREET move, the strike has a big dent in its armor. No American Trade Union Congress, its justification only in the action Latin America. The word is menThe stampede for war gold is on!
called by the Mexican Workers of these forces, or that there is tioned once, in the appendix, with doubt a big howl will go up about starving Confederation (C. took not the slightest question. For the out explanation. Actually, it is At the cost of a new maelstrom that beclouds Europe horizon the public. The strikers will let the gentlemen, place here from Sept. to Sept. revolutionary and real means for around the struggle against imand the sweat of labor at home, Wall Street bourbons are Alling who don give a hoot whether the public The Congress was attended by the emancipation of the Latin perialism that all the fundamenttheir depositories with freshly plucked riches.
starves the year around, keep howling while they delegates from most of the Latin American workers through the al problems of Latin Americane Statistics on the pre war wave of profits for the large corgo about their business winning the strike American countries, by John taking of political power by the volve. Behind the theoretical void porations offer an astounding contrast to the plight of more than Who said the public will starve? The union Lewis, representing the o. proletariat, the declaration does of the declaration, it is in this 13, 000, 000 American families, whose average Income last year was Leon Jouhaux, of the French not even substitute any defined that its consciously fraudulent equal to 471, and are another sad commentary on the vaunted can very well go to the farm organizations and General Confederation of Labor and consequent reformist per character emerges most clearly beneficence of the New Deal administration. And, of course, the cooperatives up state, who are being ground and Gonzales Pena, spective. Abstract unity be. The new Confederation is not daily newspapers, without exception, have failed by oversight or down by the milk trust and a half dozen other the Spanish Minister of Justice comes an end in itself. Beyond weapon for the struggle of the other convenient reasons to print a single line regarding the new monopolies and make an arrangement with (the justice so well known to that there is no perspective at all. Latin American workers for floods of yellow metal into the coffers of the Morgans, Rockerevolutionists in Catalonia. The next paragraph indi emancipation, but an instrument them. They will supply the city with all the cates the task of obtaining. to chain these workers to an imfellers, du Ponts, et al.
perishables it requires and at the same time, the With its pompous and empty full economic and political auto perialist grouping) the demo It is a fact that more than one hundred companies with sespeeches, the Congress was curities listed on the New York Stock Exchange or the New York strikers will be building up the confidence and scarcely distinguishable from the nomy for the Latin American cratic imperialism. what frony Curb Exchange enjoyed bigger earnings, as the moneybags are nations and the liquidation of that this resolution was voted on support of the farmers. Such an arrangement is parade like demonstrations of rewont to call it, in 1937 than America fattest boom year. The operative at this very moment in the strike of cent years. It concluded with the feudal survivals. All this with in Mexico. against another profits of 29 companies alone have totaled 507, 000, 000 more than the aim of elevating the econo grouping. Fascism. creation of a Latin American mic, social, and moral conditions General Drivers Local 554 of Omaha, Nebrasin 1929.
Workers Confederation, with If one leaves the written text What is most portentous about the figures is that the largest ka (reported elsewhere in this issue. The same headquarters in Mexico City, and of the masses. With what jealous aside for a moment to consider profits have come to those corporations dealing in war supplies.
kind of cooperation was an outstanding factor the presidency in the hands of care the declaration avoids speak the discussions at the congress, Statistics are excessively dull reading for the laymen, but in feeding the men during the long drawn out Lombardo Toledano. The only ing of political power! This is no doubt remains. Lewis acted their perusal provides damning proof of who has been paying the precisely the nub of the question. solely as an instrument of Roose1934 strike in Minneapolis and in helping them concrete product of the Congress Only the taking of political power velt in furthering North Amerwas a declaration of principles by the proletariat will free the ican penetration into the rest of bill for the last two capitalist crises and all the preceding ones.
win. New York drivers can profit by this ex forming the basic of the newly. Latin American nations from the the continent. Leon Jouhaux, who Accordingly am listing a few examples of the returned pros.
ample created confederation.
perity that is being confined solely and secretly to those who do The rank and file committee appears to en This declaration of principles of feudal survivals, lead the peas discussions and in the lobbles of yoke of imperialism. purge them played an important role in the bulging business out of human slaughter.
joy the complete confidence of the men and to Monsanto Chemical Corporation, a du Pont war supplies be wide awake as to its job. good omen for hollow phrases, bombastic crant masses out of barbarism, and the congress, is the conscious and concern, Increased its profits by 364 per cent over those of cumlocutions, all covering the open a new road to all of society. cynical agent of French imperialthe strike! Now it is necessary for every union crassest of reformist Ideas Reduced to Absurdity ism. Lenin denounced him for 1929 with sales of 88, 202, 000.
Douglas Alrcraft, which builds war planes and is conman to exert the utmost vigilance in guarding Plous Hopes Let us note in passing how the it nearly 25 years ago.
trolled by the Morgan du Pont Interests, boosted Its profits by the pitfalls that lie in the path. Phoney labor The declaration avoids the anxiety to remain vague leads to The aim of the operation was 175 per cent over 1929 with sales of 20, 950, 000.
leaders and smooth talking, politician friends use of even the word proletarlat absurdities. The resolution speaks clear: to make the new Confederainstrument for the penet Mesta Machine Corporation, a subsidiary of the House of and speaks of manual and in of the economic autonomy of tion of labor will not miss a trick to break the the Latin American nations. Does ration and strengthening of the Morgan U. Steel, had profits of 161 per cent over the 1929 tellectual workers. It proclaims this mean seeking some kind of democratie imperialism in Latin strike. Watch their fingers! good eye is as record.
necessary as a strong hand to win a strike. social regime which now governs autarchy ála Hitler? No, it is America against Italian and Philips Petroleum, of the Rockefeller Mellon Estate interests, enjoyed profits 50 per cent higher than in 1929 with the majority of the countries of question of defeating foreign German influence. This struggle the earth. This regime is capital imperialism. But that the resolu. is assuming, moreover, an urgent sales aggregating 145, 933, 000 Patriot Progress It character with the approach of Union Carbide, another Rockefeller Mellon Institution, ism. Why not call it by its name? tion does not want to say had profits of 12, 782, 000 more than in 1929.
The patriotic bandwagon of the Communist For the quite simple reason that covers itself with a formula that war, for the central and southern Americas are e rich reservoirs of du Pont Nemours of Delaware swelled their profits Party is swinging into high gear. Throughout the regime that the declaration is vague and absurd.
In 1937 by 88, 081, 000 over the previous top year in peacetime proposes to substitute for it is further paragraph de raw materials far from the great the United States the loyal followers of Stalin also capitalism, only a capital mands democratic rights for the battlefields. The phrases about prosperity. These profits are exclusive of many hundred millions more by du Pont subsidiaries. are lustily singing the Star Spangled Banner at a Hercules Powder Corporation, another du Pont Morgan hundred mass meetings; a hundred speakers pro cording to pious hopes. The world careful not to indicate the means only to cover the fraud, to direct in 1938 gives us some idea of the of securing them and not to in the workers will to struggle to war supplies unit, showed a per cent gain over 1929 with claim their willingness to lick the boots of their sales of 44, 568, 000.
extent to which these hopes can dicate how they are related toward the end of submission to capitalist masters.
be realized. the present world. In this domain the policies of so called demoThus one can go on and on through the Wall Street groups, On the Pacific Coast the tour of Earl Browder The lines that follow define the also, in the decline of imperial cratic imperialism.
showing how these corporations have been amassing millions at and William Foster became a veritable orgy system that must prevail in Latin Ism, a purely trade unionist strugAvold All Problems an unprecedented pace in the face of widespread unemployment of flag waving, unprecedented in the history of America. We are told that it must gle cannot but lead to failure.
Theoretically, the declaration of and with more than 20, 000, 000 persons on the relief rolls deprived the Communist movement and comparable only ploitation of man by man. This won except through revolutionary ism. Not a single one of the real be based on the abolition of ex Important successes cannot be principles 1s beyond all critic of adequate food, shelter and clothing.
to one of Wilson Liberty Loan drives. is the only socialist sentence struggle, with the perspective of problems of Latin America is BULL MARKET COMING This national campaign is not a haphazard af in the declaration comes first overthrowing the social regime dealt with in it. These gentlemen and is followed by details on the true workers democracy can thought that the jereminds of Financiers and high government officials, while maintaining fair but a vigorous reply by the Twentieth a strange silence on the reaping of record pre war revenues, have regime that is desired, which is be assured only through the es European reformism, made still Century Americans to those who would sully disclosed as capitalism pure and tablishment of a Workers State more affected and stupid, were been Issuing Innocuous statements with respect to the recent dips the reputation of the Communist Party as the simple, an ideal capitalism, serenof the stock market. This downward trend is a temporary move5. Then, finally, comes the good enough for the Latin Amer ment, motivated by a series of causes, including the usual mandace defender of American capitalist institutions ely democratic and from which paragraph on Fascism. Confusion ican masses.
pulations for catching suckers, but it certain to be followed, in From the Dies Committee hearings have come all wars of aggression are pro here achieve its height. The adaptation they have made for the event of war, by a sweep upward such as has not been seen scribed. To spread such pipe struggle against Fascism consists the specific problems of this conweird tales of plots and revolutionary strat dreams today, in September, 1938. in denunciations and, always. tinent.
in years. Nor is Wall Street much concerned over the talk of socalled regulatory legislation to curb speculation.
egy which, though laughed at by the nation can only be a conscious, shame unity. Here too. he only ation is an instrument in the hands a real struggle Practically, the new Confederapress, disturb the patriotic sensibilities of BrowInstead, the Wall Street leaders are focusing greedy eyes at ful, arrant fraud.
against Fascism Unity for What?
der and his minions.
revolutionary struggle forming of the democratic imperialisins.
the huge sums of European moneys shipped to these shores in The second paragraph of an integral part of the revolution. All the theoretical smoke is no late months to escape the effects of native currency depreciation, True, Mr. Dies is somewhat of a patriot himthe declaration speaks, or means ary movement of the proletariat thing but a screen to hide this due to conditions at home.
self, and hasn a disagreeable third period to speak, of the means to be em toward power.
quite real fact. It cannot win the France, for example, has millions upon millions of dollars lurking in his closet, but Mr. Browder and his ployed in arriving at the desired Silence on Imperialism Latin America workers liberaheld here and an outbreak of hostilities would almost immediately party are willing to give him cards and spades end. In one word, it is unity. Let us note that we are tolation but only new forms of servigenerate the flow of gold into the hands of American Industrial and still beat him in the game of ferreting out national, international, and in nothing about Imperialism. To tude.
ists and manufacturers for all kinds of products needed by a warring power. enemies of the people.
Assuredly there will be many cries for tightening of the NeuThey are even willing to give Mr. Dies lestrality Act, as a means of keeping this country out of the war, sons in uncovering subversive activities, as a but any enacted legislation is bound to be interlaced with loopcurrent series of articles in the Daily Worker Hull Notes On holes so as not to interfere with the bloody harvests of American imperialists.
by John Spivak demonstrates. Me. Spivak, Mexican Oil who may not be a full blooded ferret, but surely PROFITS, PRICES UP AGES DOWN qualifies as a member of the rodent species, in By JAMES BURNHAM number of specific plans and Assuming the remote possibility that Congress passes meashis first article takes the Senate committee to AKRON. Evincing greater in The Presidential Purge, the policies.
ures to take the profits out of war, such action would, in the task for not protecting our Brooklyn Navy terest in the problems of Latin surface at any rate, has taken These facts serve to indicate final analysis, simply constitute a division of revenue between American workers because of the the worst beating of any Roose the underlying meaning of the Yard. Nazi spies, Mr. Spivak infers, are steal the war industries magnates and their government. subserecent visit to Mexico John veltian enterprise of the past dec purge. Its chlet purpose was not ing our naval secrets, are copying our blue Lewis, the Akron Industrial Un ade. For the first time in these to win the nomination of the quent speeding up of production would leave the basic profits structure intact, with the incomes of the Morgans and du Ponts prints and are hindering the building of our ion Council and Goodrich Local six Lean Years, there is rejoic siven candidates in question. soaring to ever higher levels.
navy, yet our Dies Committee does nothing of the United Rubber Workers ing in the camp of the Repub though that would also, no doubt, The new war orders from abroad along with the New Deals to prevent it.
have passed unanimously the follican National Committee. have been a pleasing outcome.
lowing resolution of support to There is no doubt, moreover, First and foremost, it was a gesown rearmament program will open up new jobs, to be sure, but At this writing, Mr. Spivak has not yet ex the Mexican workers and warn that Roosevelt prestige has gen ture to bolster up Roosevelt there will also be ushered in a new era of price boosting and general profiteering on life general necessities. Workers face the posed the subversive activities of working class ning to the State Depart uninely suffered by the severity of mass standing in the country as revolutionists, but that is certain to come. Al ment to keep its hands of the defeats of his candidates in a whole, especially in the heavily dangers of wide slashes in real wages through the inflatinn of Mexico: living costs and farmers, too, will be plagued anew by rising prices the primaries. Like all dema populated northern States.
ready his leader, Mr. Browder, speaking in Oakof seed, feed, machinery, clothing, etc.
land on August 25, publicly called on the Dies Whereas, Chairman John gogues, he thrives on victory, and it is Roosevelt left face that Lewis, pledged cooperation in shrinks rapidly when he loses. He keeps for him the support of the In this rapidly evolving situation America masses canCommittee to investigate Trotskyites. The Mexico last week to the newly relies on the all powerful magic workers and the unemployed and not expect any Assistance or consideration from Democrats zealous Browder knows full well that from the formed Workers Confederation of of his name, but in this instance the masses generally. In the or Republicans, right or left. To meet the wage slashing ranks of the working class comes the real danger Latin America in its fight against the spell of his magic proved in purge he put this face forward. and other attacks of Big Business, they must strengthen the to American capitalism, and that the true patriot miserable wage structures and effectual His mouthpieces in the labor trade unions and tenant farmers groups and organize on the must not shirk the duties of an informer.
degrading working and social Nevertheless, surface appear movements of New York, Penn political field under militant working class leadership. In these conditions of the workers im ances are, as so often, at least sylvania, Ohio, Illinois, etc. could efforts, the Socialist Workers Party leads the way.
The Communist Party will make capital of posed by large foreign corpora partly deceiving, thus point proudly to him as still the ludicrous blunders of the Dies Committee. tions, and Defeats Expected the great champion of the masses creditible as it might seem, tem The danger There will yet be a place for Browder, along Whereas, The open shop Stan noted that Roosevelt, in most of In the first place, It should be against the Tories.
is thus clearly porarily back toward the Repub pointed as the break with with McDonald in England and Thomas in Farm Labor Union dard Oil Co. of the Rockefeller the primaries where he inter Roosevelt speech at Denton, lican Party. Another part flares Roosevelt begins, unless the vaFrance, on the roster of eminent defenders of democracy.
Cardenas government in Mexico vened, expected his favored can. Maryland, where he called for up in the pension movement of cuum to the left is filled, unless didate to be defeated. This is es union of farm and labor behind the Far West. Still another sec a new political instrument is The bosses can always use a smart stoolpigeon. Mexican people, and to end its exploitation of the tablished by fully authentic re the ostensible aims of the New tion listens more eagerly than forged whereby the independent ports.
Whereas, This progressive step Deal, Atted in perfectly. He was would have been the case five class strength of the workers can Secondly, a sharp distinction obviously talking not to the years ago to the ravings of Sena be mobilized for advance, then None So Blind of the Mexican government has was made by many voters be small and unimportant state tors Smith and George, whose the break will lead either to disbeen vigorously supported by the tween their feeling for Roosevelt where the speech was delivered campalgns boiled down to white sipation and disorientation, or toKomsomol Pravda, organ of the Russian movement and bitterly himself and their action on the but to the broader reaches of the supremacy.
ward reaction.
fought by reactionaries, and local candidate for whom he had towns and plains of North and Young Communist League, complained last Whereas, Secretary of State declared. This was strikingly West.
week that the British Conservatives, blinded by Cordell Hull has sought to nulli shown in, for example, Maryland. But in spite of these compentheir class interests, are paving the way for Ger. fy the action of Mexico by means on the eve of the election, the sating considerations, the extent man Fascist aggression in Europe.
of threatening diplomatic notes Gallup survey which has been of the failure of the purge reStalin young gentlemen so long ago abandefending the oil companies, functioning with great accuracy mains a sign of a certain weaktherefore be it doned the class interests of the proletariat that during the past year made an ening of Roosevelt position. The estimate. Their returns showed abysmal collapse of the New it is difficult for them now to grasp the fact that Resolved, that we go on record Tydings with 60 per cent of the Deal, the blows of the renewed the class struggle does exist and that class inter Hailing the stand for vote, which was exactly what he economic slump, are beginning to ests do now as always. determine the action cooperation with the workers of got.
stir the consciousness of the of the capitalist class in every country.
Latin America in bettering their But at the same time they masses, to puncture the myth of Confronted with this in the action of the Brit.
hours, wages and working condi tested Roosevelt personal popu Roosevelt, the Savior.
tions as a fine exhibition of inter larity, and found him with a clear Under present conditions, the ish last week in giving way before Hitler, the national labor solidarity, and 55 per cent support. Though this normal movement for such a young worthies at Stalin coat tails could do no Condemning the State De percentage is lower than that in process, on the part of the workPROMINENT SPEAKERS better than attribute it to some sudden stroke of partment for its unwarranted in the 1936 election, it had noters and unemployed and poor blindness assailing the British bosses.
terference in the internal affairs dropped as a result of his inter farmers, would be to the left.
What they refuse to admitti that the British of Mexico thereby jeopardizing vention in the Maryland primary. But, tragically, the policy of the the labor gains made up to now. There is every reason to belleve Lewises and Greens and reform FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 P.
bourgeoisie, and the French bourgeoisie likeand that this paradox is typical of the ists and Stalinists provides no orwise, fears not the war itself but the spector of Demanding that America and other states involved in the sanized outlet to such a move revolutionary upheavals that will inevitably other imperialistic nations keepPersonal Prestige High ment to the left. Through Labor Non Partisan League they try to Beethoven Hall, 5th St. and 3rd Avenue come in the wake of a new imperialist war.
their hands of Mexico, and all The recently conducted For whip the gradually rising disconThat is why, in full accordance with their class other colonial or semi colonial tune poll indicated somewhat tent back into the line for New lands.
interests, the Anglo French bourgeoisie is insimilar phenomenon: It showed Deal class collaborationism.
deed paving the way for German Fascist ag.
decisive continuing majority in Discontent Flares Auspices: Socialist Workers Party ASK FOR THE APPEAL The discontent and disillusion gresion in Europe but aggression which shall popular support for Roosevelt personally, but much lower supare thus in part vainly dissipatLocal New York be directed against the Soviet Union!
AT YOUR NEWSSTAND port of, or even opposition to, aed. Some is finding its way, inA Bona Fide Strike!
New York 100 per cent effective drivers strike is added testimony to the fact that the men rolling the nation commerce over the highways and in the cities are leading the labor move ment in organization and militancy.
Within a few days after negotiations with em ployers for a revision of the present agreement bogged down, strikers went into action and tied up the city traffic tighter than a drum. The strike has been called wild cat because it was salled into being by a ground swell of rank and This description of the strike is entirely mis.
leading and calculated only to break it up. The overwhelming majority of Locals 807, 282 and 816 have voted for the strike. The unanimity of the walkout has compelled city officials to formally request of the union that it allow delivery of newsprint. Few if any cases of scabbing by union men have thus far been reported.
Only the failure of Cashal, International VicePresident, and Devery, president of Local 807, to give formal sanction is used by enemies of the drivers in declaring the strike wildcat. Yet neither Cashal nor Devery have dared to outlaw the walkout, despite their known opposition. That fact alone should prove that the strike is genuinely representative of the sentiment of New York teamsters.
If ever there was a bona fide strike this is it!
The principal demand of the strikers is justified beyond the question of a doubt. The drivers want a reduction of hours from 48 to 40 at the prevailing basic wage. The shortening of the work week will mean an increase in wages for the men now employed. Above all it will mean work, badly needed work, for some if not all of the 4, 000 drivers now unemployed.
Unemployment is the obsession problem of the American labor movement today. One of the few effective solutions to cope with this problen, under the present system, is a division of work through reduction of hours without reduction of wages. The drivers are to be congratu.
lated and supported for taking the bull by the horns. Their strike is therefore not only legiti mate; it is progressive in every sense of the word and deserves the backing of every good union man Up to the present there has been little violence attending the walkout. New York police force, usually rough and vicious with strikers, have not attempted to interfere with pickets or attack strikers. For one thing, they have been overwhelmed by the scope of the walkout and the grim determination of the men to see that no freight moves without authorization of the strike committee.
For another, La Guardia and Acting Mayor Newbold Morris have been attempting to talk the men back to work. They have palavered about disunity in the ranks of the workers as the cause of the strike. But anyone who has seen the wonderful solidarity of the striking drivers knows that talk of disunity in the ranks is so much hogwash. These friends are hanging their hat on the fact that the strike has not yet been authorized But the bosses now say that they will refuse to negotiate even if the strike had legal sanction.
1f LaGuardia and Morris are really serious about wanting to help the drivers, let them prove it by forcing the bosses to resume immediale negotiasions with the union!
The drivers have confidence in the LaGuardia administration. We don We have seen LaGuardia smash relief demonstrations and strikes too many times to have any confidence in his friendship for labor. We take this occasion to warn the drivers not to relax their vigilance because of confidence in the Little Flower.
Already you can hear Newbold Morris talking about protecting the public, about not causing the city any embarrassment, etc. etc.
Judging by past experience, talk of this kind is usually a prelude to hostile, strikebreaking action. Unless we are badly mistaken, if the strike continues, it will not be many days before hell begins to pop on the streets of New York with cops and strikebreakers manning scab trucks. It is the strikers right to believe as they will, but they will do well to watch Mr. LaGuardia ev.
every motion and to rely solely on their own strength The strike is spreading rapidly now. That is good. The only chance the workers have for vic tory is in the tie up of everything on wheels in the trucking industry with the exception of trucks the committee for hospitals and sanitation. The tighter the stranglehold the soiner the settlement. The Minneapolis drivers, famed for their success throughout the Teamsters International won their strikes precisely that way.
The strike committee was prevailed upon to service the big city dailies with newsprint. The reward for this leniency, with the possible exception of one or two papers, was a slashing, Rubber Union Hits New Deal Candidates Lose, But Holds Prestige MASS MEETING WWAR CRISIS IN EUROPE sa tikai labas