In the World of Labor Their by James Burihan Government Just What Happens On Election Day?
Hitler Secret Weapon Unity For the Miners SOCIALIST APPEAL FEBRUARY 24, 1940 United Mine Workers staged a great comeback, SOCIALIST APPEAL enlisting the bulk of the miners in its fold. In Illinois, too, it recouped its fortunes and won the Vol. IV, No. Saturday, Feb. 24, 1940 majority of the miners. The was left Published Weekly by the with a shell.
By Paul Stevens SOCIALIST APPEAL PUBLISHING ASSN.
at 116 University Place, New York, Meanwhile the officials, at the end of following declaration for his party, according to Telephone: Algonquin 8547 their rope, turned to the Executive Council of Increased Attacks Against Socialist Action. the AFL for affiliation. Bill Green chartered this Our Belgian Comrades. The believes that our national unity, Editors: dual union for 10 other reason than to make This week United Press carried the following the allied cause and securing a just peace could VELIX MORROW MAX SHACHTMAN be served best by limiting our military and naval trouble for the CIO and John Lewis. After dispatch from Brussels: participation to defense to our own large terriGeneral Manager: Assistant Manager. The Cabinet, which met unexpectedly today, two years, with twenty organizers in the field, an tory and lands belonging to the British and GEORGE CLARKE SHERMAN STANLEY was reported to have discussed means of strengthenormous payroll a wretched policy of colFrench adjacent to Canada. That would include ening legislation against persons disturbing in Newfoundland, the Bahamas, Bermuda and such laboration with the operators Joe Ozanic, the ternal order. It was believed that the Cabinet was islands as Miquelon and St. Pierre.
Election Day next November will be pointed to with Subscriptions: 00 per year: 00 for six months. union president, now admits disastrous defeat. anxious to suppress the activities of communist Allegedly opposing the sending of Canadian pride by defenders of the American system as con Foreign: 00 per year, 50 for wix months. Bundle The coal diggers still in the are up in reagitators who, it was alleged, recently provoked troops overseas, the leader makes clear orders: cents per copy in the United States: cents strikes, especially among coal miners.
vincing proof that genuine democracy prevails in that this is not due to any real opposition to im this country. On that day, they will argue, the adult per copy in all foreign countries. Single coples: cents. volt. Local with a membership of 550 defied The most recent strikes among Belgian miners perialist policy. On the contrary, he appears to be the International and reinstated Reed to mempopulation, of its own free will, without coercion and were those of the Levant de Flenu company in the concerned only to obtain the most adequate de by secret ballot, selects its own chief executive, to Reentered a second class matter December 1, bership. Local 1, the most powerful in the union Borinage region, the traditional stronghold of our fense of allied imperialist interests on the West1939, at the post office at New York, under the gether with the other major officials who govern the Belgian comrades, the Revolutionary Socialist Act of March 3, 1879 with a membership of 2, 200, reinstated Battuello Party (P. Several weeks ago this column ern hemisphere. As against the openly war mon nation. In the case of the Presidency, all citizens over gering policy of the social reformists in the in defiance of the International. And now local reported suppression of the party legal organ 21 years of age may vote for anyone he wishes who is our comrades are participating in the election after local is demanding that an election for in La Lutte Ouvriere and its reappearance under native born and more than 85 years old. What further struggle under the slogans: the title Action Socialiste. The paper had to evidence could be required to show that the people ternational officials be held within 60 days or FIGHT WITH THE SOCIALIST For a Workers and Farmers Government! Exrule themselves, that they have the kind of governchange from the mining region to Brussels. It is dues will be withheld. This is one revolt the consequently safe to assume that the Cabinet acpropriate the 50 big shots! For Workers Control WORKERS PARTY FOR: Production! Down with Imperialist War!
ment which the majority wants to have. skates won stop by red baiting and extion is directed against our Belgian miner comUniversal suffrage and the secret ballot are, in Job and a decent living for every worker.
pulsions. The coal diggers are fed up.
rades.
How British Trade Union Bureau truth, precious rights, and no Marxist will advocate Open the idle factories operate them under Battuello and Reed are fighting the battle of derground, our comrades have shown a remarkDespite all previous attempts to drive them uncrats Deal with Opposition to War country is rather to extend them so that they will workers control.
the Illinois miners. Victory rightly belongs to Twenty Bion dollar Federal public works In Great Britain the movement of opposition apply in fact to all, and not be restricted as at present able ability to readjust themselves under fire.
them. We hope this victory will lead to the long. Their deep roots among the Borinage proletariat and housing program.
to the war has become particularly pronounced through various kinds of racial and property disqualiamong local trade union bodies known as the fications. Nevertheless, a very little examination of Thirty thirty 80 weekly minimum wage 80 needed unification of the mine workers of Illin have assured the continuity of their work. If their past performance is any indication. they will be Trades Councils which are similar in structure what happens on and before Election Day will be hour weekly maximum for all workers on all jobs.
ois.
able with the aid of their devoted following in the to our own Central Labor Unions. The opposition enough to show that universal suffrage and the secret Thirty dollar weekly old age and disability pits to overcome even these latest moves of the springs from the growing realization of the rank ballot are in themselves powerless to guarantee a full pension.
government Their heroic resistance to the war and Ale militants that it is they who by the de and genuine democracy. Expropriate the Sixty Familles preparations of Belgian capitalism is an example cline of real wages and the rise in cost of living AN war funds to the unemployed, of the vitality of the Fourth International under have to bear the burden of a war which is not How Do Names Get on the Ballot?
LAW MAJESTIC EQUALITY increasingly difficult conditions. people referendum on any and all wars of their making. Apparently this movement is giving serious cause for worry to the trade union The Presidency is the decisive political office in the No secret diplomacy.
bureaucrats at the top who are, of course, thorConvicted of stealing two loaves of bread value Only Fourth Internationalists United States today. The extension of the power of 10.
20 cents John Richmond, 22. of Boston, was pued Fight Against War in Canada the executive branch of the government during the An Independent Labor Party oughly patriotic.
11. Workers Defense Guards against vigilante and 25 by Judge Robert Frots. Well, if millionaire past two or three decades gives it in practice the conRecently they have been going over from worFascist attacks.
had stolen the bread, he also would have been fined! From Canada we have just received the latest rying to action. What action? They simply in trolling power over the most important political and issue of Socialist Action, the excellent little struct local affiliates of national unions under 12. Full social, political and economie equality for social issues, including power to involve the country sheet put out illegally by our Canadian comrades.
the Negro people.
their control on pain of expulsion to withdraw in war.
of all the working class organizations in that from Trades Councils which have declared their On Election Day, though theoretically free to vote country, the section of the Fourth International opposition to the war. In other words, they put on is the only one that is actively engaged in the for anyone we wish, the ballot actually prints the.
the struggle against war. The reformist Canadian Bevin, head of the Transport Workers Union, annames of electors for only from two to five or six candidates for the Presidency. In many if not most Commonwealth Federation (Second Internation nounces in the Dally Herald of December 29: al) has gone completely patriotic under the lead Trades Councils that support the peace at States, only two candidates those of the Republican and Democratic parties appear on the ballot.
ership of its parliamentary whip, Coldwell. The any price policy will find that part of the price of The great fear that animated the imperialist pacifist wing under Woodsworth, which repeated their decision is that they will not receive affilia How did those names get there? If the people have powers before the outbreak of war and ani iy wrote a rather strong anti war plank into the tion fees for 1940 from the Transport and Gen no real say about what names they select from on the Workers Union. That peace policy is in con November ballot, or what policies the men named The Progressive Miners Union is headed mates them still is the fear that the war would party program at the Federation conventions flict with the decisions of the Trade Union Con stand for, then the pretended freedom of choice in straight for a blow up which we hope will lead to bring in its wake the destruction of capitalism the war mongering leadership of its parliament gress and the Labour party. The union has a November is largely an illusion. It would be like telleverywhere.
a unification of the Illinois coal diggers inside standing resolution to pay money only to Trades ing someone he is free to select any card he may wish ary representatives, although it has been known Councils and local Labor parties that accept the the United Mine Workers of America, the union to have a majority in the membership. The Stalfrom a deck, but then constructing the deck so that it This is what postponed the outbreak for so inist party seems to have disappeared from the national policy of the and the Labour par contained only two and three representing the overwhelming majority of the long. This is what lay behind the desperate ef field of public action altogether after the switch ty.
The decision about the two principal names to apnation miners.
forts of the British and French imperialists in line that followed the conclusion of the Stalin Since then, the branches of the Bevin union Hitler pact. At the outbreak of the war in Sep have been instructed to withhold fees from the pear on the November ballot will be made at the nastrike a bargain with Hitler by voluntarily giv tember it was still for the support of the demoThe rank and file the led by genuGlasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh Trades Countional conventions of the Republican and Democratic ing him what he threatened to take. This is what ine progressives, has been at loggerheads with parties, to be held in June and July. Preparations for cils. Such blackmail may deal a temporary blow cratic powers. Only our comrades carry on the to the workers opposition to war. But only a these conventions are now going rapidly forward. Bethe arch reactionary international officials of the still makes them hesitate, even now, before tak strong anti war tradition of the Canadian workers.
ginning next month, a series of primary elections will temporary one. For the plan of the Chamberlain ing what they have reason to believe might be union, Joe Ozanic and Claude Pearcy, for some be held in many states to select the convention deleIn the elections to parliament which are now a fatal plunge for all of them.
government to squeeze a major share for the cost time. The dispute came to a sharp climax when of the coming war year from the pockets of the gates.
going on as a result of the dissolution of the In his new book retailing Hitler private con lower house by Prime Minister McKenzie King the International Executive Board of the union workers will undoubtedly give it a new impulse. It might seem that through these primary elections, The next wave will only be more embittered be the people should be able to control the work of the expelled Dave Reed and John Battuello, two versations with his principal henchmen, Herman the is agitating along avowedly imperialist lines. At a recent meeting. Coldwell made the cause of the dastardly steps taken to stem it. conventions, and thus decide whose names go on the leading militants, on charges of cooperation with Rauschnig, former Nazi leader of Danzig, reconvention ballots. This is not at all the case. The the veals that Hitler has made conscious use of this delegate slates at the primary elections are publicized as if they were men pledged to Roosevelt, Garner, fear.
The very issue of their expulsion serves to Dewey, Taft, or whoever it might be; but, with the emphasize the reactionary character of the We may be destroyed, he cried on one ocexception of only one or two States, the pledges are not binding. The delegates are in no way responsible officialdom. few months ago Reed and Batcasion, but if we are, we shall drag a world (Continued from Page 1)
to the people who voted for them; they may do any.
tuello joined in a common action with the Illinois with us a world in flames.
thing they please at the conventions. They are almost district of the to force operators to Is this, perhaps, Hitler secret weapon of All these possibilities are obvi lalism, or will he go down un ons, but is preparing steadily, for der the impact of the Russian the inevitable necessity for using always hardened machine men, ready to do whatever which so much has been heard?
ously closely interlocked. Making working class, aroused by its its armed strength as well, pricomply with state mining laws. The action was they are told. The public pledge to one candidate or due allowances for time lags that peril to the defense of its revo marily in the Pacific against its another is only a temporary device to attract votes successful and as a result will cost the operand interest.
might extend into the Fall and lutionary conquests!
ators hundreds of thousands of dollars in the enpossibly even to next winter, it The answer to that question chief rival there, Japan.
So much so is this the case that many of the chief forcement of these laws to say nothing of the Zero Hour candidates do not even bother to enter states in the is clear that if a clear cut mill will be found not only within hundreds of miners lives that will be saved from primary elections, Senator Taft, for example, high on ONE WAY RACKET In the immediate situation, the tary decision is to be sought, hos the Soviet Union but among the the list of Republican possibilities, is steering clear of needless mine disasters.
masses of soldiers and workers central objective of American imWhen two Minnesota youths were halled before a tilities will spread to all the zones and peasants bearing the brunt perialist strategy is to focus the public primary battles. He is lining up delegates What could be more natural than a united Judge, charged with cheating a pin ball machine by mentioned separately, above. of the boss war on all fronts war as soon as possible into a quietly, behind the scenes in the club houses and comfront of the two miners unions on this vital isusing a magnet to draw the ball into the winning mittee rooms.
The one possible variant is the across the tortured face of the war of the powers against the pockets, the judge fined them and ruled that it is world.
Soviet Union, to crush there the sue? Yet, on precisely this issue the leadSome years ago, many liberal reformers thought illegal to take advantage of the pin ball machine uation on the Western front prop: continuation of the stalemate sitFear the Masses spectre of workers rule and to that direct primaries for convention delegates would ership expelled Reed and Battuello. The charge companies.
throw open to the victorious imIf our imperialist rulers are perialist bloc the rich lands of break the backs of the corrupt political machines. er, with activity confined to large made by the two expelled miners, that the majority of States introduced them. Experience showA. officials acted in this matter in connivance scale use of artillery and aerial compelled, despite their own fears the Russias. It to do this it is for their own rule, to enter into necessary to crush Hitler Arst, ed that they were seldom a handicap, and often an warfare.
with the coal operators, has every appearance of additional advantage, to the machines. In recent this titanic test of strength, they the Western powers will get all From the Allied polnt of view will soon discover the enemy at the aid they need to do so, ecoyears, several States have abandoned direct primaries, truth. Moreover, they present evidence showing and gone back to the standard method of selection by that in June, 1939 the Coal Producers Ass of Can Hide Cold!
the object would be to inflict a home. For they will have to exact nomic and military. It is to see if the State party committees decisive defeat on Germany. seen and they will not exact them that Roosevelt has sent Welles to sacrifices on a scale never before this decision is really inescapable Illinois asked for their removal from their local Indirectly, of course, popular feeling influences to defeat decisive enough to un unchallenged.
positions.
some extent the selection of candidates. convention, Europe. That is why Welles has On the same page of the New York Post seat the Hitler regime and They kpow this. That is why gone on the very eve of zero hour. unless it wants to out its own party throat, has got The expulsion of Reed and Battuello comes (February 20) there appear two items with Lonbring a chastened Reich into even now, well past the eleventh to pick a man with a certain amount of mass appeal, only as a culmination to a seven year reactionary the Allied entente for continued don datelines.
hour, the efforts continue to find who can be put across to the voters. But it remains course that has brought disgrace to what was fact that in the United States today there is no seriwar against the Soviet Union. a new balance, however precari AMAZING BRITISH HIDE WAR BUDGET Even ous and responsible democratic control over the major once America most promising militant union. Commons Won Know Amounts.
From the German point of view razor sharp edge of the crisis OPPORTUNITY political parties and, through them, over the personnel In full revolt against the dictatorial policies of the purpose would be to exploit they find themselves in.
and policies of the government.
the Lewis machine, 50, 000 Illinois miners broke It is neither practicable nor desirable, says a to the fullest extent possible the America Central Role We invite you to come in and treasury official, to present to parliament de German superiority in armaments away from the and formed the ProgresA Labor Party and Democracy American imperialism, repre find out how you can get sive Miners Union in the fall of 1932. They There is no mystery in this fact when once we tailed estimates purporting to cover the whole which cannot long be sustained if sented by Roosevelt, is playing understand that the existing parliamentary and party waged a militant strike against coal operators, cost of these services. It would not be desirable the Allies are given more time to right now a central role in these 00 worth of books Free whip their war machines into efforts. It regards itself as the through our new book machinery in this country has as its object not merely in the public interest.
deputies, Lewis thugs, National Guardsmen and shape. Through use of its tre arbiter in chief and intends to club arrangement or even primarily to express a certain (very minor)
martial law a strike that made history in the If you would know why it would be neither mendous power in the air and un use its power to impose a settle degree of democracy, but to limit and restrict democAmerican labor movement. More than a dozen practicable nor desirable then read the following restricted warfare at sea, Ger ment that will insure its own parracy within narrow and closely guarded borders.
Modern Book Shop These borders are defined by the property relations of item which appeared under the much smaller many would seek to cripple the amount rule in world affairs. Ir martyrs stand as an eternal monument to that 27 University Place, Allies and, if not to achieve com possible it will seek to do so by capitalist economy and the interests of the owners of headline: struggle plete conquest, at least to carve manipulating its economic weap. xxxxxxxx property COAL SHORTAGE IN LONDON GROWS itself a larger share in the world But, soon after, leadership of the union was Inside those borders, some democracy is permisspoils as the price of its particisible, at least until capitalism in order to save itself seized by a reactionary group that paraded as coal shortage in London and elsewhere in pation in a joint enterprise TREASURE CHEST is compelled to resort to fascist totalitarian politics.
militants. In short order they made a mockery of England is reaching an acute stage, it was dis against the Outside those borders, attempts at democracy beclosed today, with widespread discomfort and Stalin Downfall!
OF REVOLUTIONARY MARXISM the name progressive. They kept the come subversive agitation. The parliamentary maFrom the standpoint of the chinery, the two party system, are designed to de suffering in the poorer districts. for a song out of the unorganized coal fields of West VirStalinist regime in the Soviet Unfend those borders, and thus to limit democratic conginia and Kentucky, thus cramping its growth by Officials said there was no actual shortage of ion, the entire perspective, in any trol by the masses in such a way that it cannot interBound Volume. Socialist Appeal coal but that the winter and war conditions had or all of its facets, spells the utfere with capitalism.
restricting it to the narrow confines of the state most peril. It means that Stalin, disrupted transportation.
of Illinois. They expelled the militants and began FIRST MONTHS 1939 These general considerations indicate one reason against his will and against ali 00 why it is so vain to hope that the workers can ever a red baiting drive that must have made even the Undoubtedly it would be neither desirable his instincts of self preservation, SECOND SIX MONTHS 1939 00 use either the Democratic or Republic parties to Lewis of that time blush for shame and envy. nor practicable for the worker who slaves at will find himself engaged in maTOGETHER (including postage. 00 achieve their aims: by their very nature these parties jor conflict with the powers and They converted the union organ into a Coughlinsub standard wages in war factories to know that led tight in the Ger alliare anti working class, and workers support them only at the cost of making their own aims impossible.
ite Huey Long fascist rag that forgot about the reason for their heat less homes is the billions ance. Continuation and extension Bound Volume. New International For the workers to anywhere on the political miners problems and spent its time railing the government is putting in the war budget. of the war will mean the downarena, the first step has got to be to break out of the 1938 00 international bankers, jews and communists. But even concealing the war budget won hide fall of Stalin, framework of capitalist that is, anti working classFrom the standpoint of the 1939 50 politics; specifically, in this country, to break away Slowly the union dwindled down in membership the fact that despite the coal shortage there is workers of Russia and of the TOGETHER (including postage. 50 from both the Democratic and Republican parties, and until only a few thousand miners remained, held still plenty of fuel to feed the blazing fireplaces rest of the worid the question build a workers party with a workers program and by their enduring resentment to the murderous in the mansions of Messrs. Churchill and Cham is: will Stalin, when he falls, PIONEER PUBISHERS workers candidates. If this isn done, the choice in drag the Workers State down berlain.
November isn worth the time it takes to walk to the Lewis methods they remember and because of with him will he go down un116 UNIVERSITY PLACE NEW YORK, polls. vote over who is to be warden is not very job control in their mines. But the There are some things you can hide. der the blows of world impercrucial when the real problem is how to get out of jail. Powers Gird For Spring Crisis