2 SOCIALIST APPEAL JULY 20, 1940 TWORKERS Labor In Minneapolis Observes FORUM The First Anniversary of WPA Strike TSELLING THE APPEAL dismayed who What the Last War Taught Some American Workers MINNEAPOLIS, July 14 The labor movement of this city this been in a much stronger position and fight for decent appropriaweek celebrated the first anniversary of the great WPA strike of today.
tions for the unemployed, beWrite to us tell us what going on in your part of the 1939. Some of the leaders of that strike in Minneapolis are still in If there is still a WPA pro cause, they said, The governlabor movement what are the workers thinking about. tell the federal prison at sandstone, serving sentences on the charge of gram at all in the United States, ment can find the money, the APPEAL SALES NEWARK ELECTION CAMPAIGN NEEDS APPEALS us what the bosses are up to and the men and the local cops conspiracy against the WPA law.
if the government has not yet government hasn got the GOING WAY UP!
and the Stalinists send us that story the capitalist press didn An editorial in this week NORTHWEST ORGANIZER, militant dared to draft and regiment the money.
500 to San Francisco!
Newark, The Newark organ of the Teamsters Joint jobless into the army, if the new print and that story they buried or distorted our pages are open The money was there all right branches are doing well with the Council, commemorates the oc son and the federal government: months relief bill provides jobs. the almost daily war appropria 500 to Los Angeles!
Appeal. We are trying out an exto you. Letters must carry name and address, but indicate if you 500 to Boston!
periment, and will let you know do not want your name printed. It is difficult to remember that solidarized itself with the man for an average of 1, 900, 000 work. tions now reveal this clearing it 400 to St. Paul!
the results soon: there was a time when WPA ein tyred defendants and flooded the is. the workers can thank them not care to appropriate it for the Some of the branches do their 100 to Youngstown! house to house work on a wide class, with a clear forceful minders, when it paid the prevailing Presidente Roosevelt erant et ema Minneapolis labor movement. The that the politicians and some sec 100 to Toledo!
scale by going into one neighborImperialism Is Not hood one week, and then moving New or Revolutionary tion movement on its way, com were denied jobs in private indus. shame of Roosevelt that he curtly rulers of this country that there t have the courage or the unprecedented enthusiasm, the com next. The others are concentratPushing the APPEAL with un on into a new neighborhood the rade Halstead withdrew from the try were retained on WPA, when rejected the broad popular de are still limits beyond which they derstanding to fight for it.
rades of nine branches, to date, ing on one neighborhood alone, Editor: movement into the role of a sym some WPA workers made from mand to pardon all the strikers. cannot venture safely. In the struggles to come, may throughout the country have going through with the paper For the sake of those socialists pathizer. He later joined one of 70 to 108 monthly. All that was The Fight Was Right The workers unemployed the toilers everywhere take new drastically increased their bundle one week, and then the next both by the rise of the new the splinter movements.
changed by the Roosevelt Wood (even revolutionary) phenome In spite of the differences be ruin relief law that went into ef The fight made by organized of the United States, by storm working class districts, methods are bringing good renon of Fascism will you please tween himself and our organizafect a year ago, and it was labor in defense of union stand kind, are now confronting one of brave fight conducted last year, orders. Week after week they take ing talks with the workers. Both print these verses found quoted tion, the Los Angeles section of these terrible alterations in relier ards was a thousand times just the darkest and most reactionary and vow anew to resist tyranny factories, mills, union hallsalsults.
in an old travel book, copyrighted the Socialist Workers Party sal standards that precipitated the fied and correct. The instincts and periods in human history, an and to fight for the right to life, still in 1905. Except that the Abyssin utes a rebel. We are sure his spontaneous strike of half a mil understanding of all the hundreds epochopila terrible new imperial the right to decent jobs at union ways pleasantly surprised by the The attitude of the people we accord them.
anti war. Although here and there ians are now called Ethiopians work will be remembered by the lion workers in New York, Penn of thousands who participated in Ist World War. The approaching wages for all who wish to work excellent reception the workers come across is on On this first anniversary of and that the rulers of Italy are working class.
sylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, the 1939 strike were sound to the entrance of the United States into This is not a new experience to we do come across a few who now called Fascists, these lines We offer our condolences to his Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakocomot is always better for organ of capitalism and the desire of the Great WPA Strike 1939, the comrades in auto, who have have been won over by the war might have been written yester wife and sons.
tas and elsewhere. The strikesed labor to resist stubbornly the wealthy American industrial organized labor dips its banners been carrying on mass activity pressure, these still constitute a day.
Charles Curtiss at the grave of Emil Bergstrom, For the Los Angeles section movement of mass protest ever than to give up the battle without new sources of raw materials: WPA sewing project. We again ing a big step forward today: have more than paid for our first turned out to be the most popular new repressions of the enemy. ists and bankers for new colories, victim of Bloody Friday at they with the Appeal for months. But real minority among the workers.
Unfortunately the name of the even the auto comrades are tak Thus far the Newark branches poet was omitted. The future of the Socialist Workers occurring in the United States.
am sure will have good cause to Party In Minneapolis the entire la a struggle.
remember it.
bor movement joined hands in The Minneapolis labor move vestment, will bring about vast solidarize ourselves and pay homprotesting the attack on union ment did well to throw itself with changes in the status of the un age to the men and women who previously aided financially by the two 500 a week bundles. We exWilt thou, Italia, spurn their Pacifist Bemoans Our wage scales and relief standards. fervor into the fight. Naturally, employed and the problems that were convicted of conspiracy. National Office. The live wire pect to keep this up, and in a be confront organized labor. with those who have already Detroit Branch now informs us short while to pay off our back Under the leadership of the Min there were not and could not In the last few months alone, with those brothers still incarcer ancial responsibility for its 500served their prison sentences, that it will assume complete fin debt as well. At the next meeting of the neapolis Building Trades Council, the fight would be won. But had Roosevelt has asked for and Con ated in prison, and with the fami a week bundle! We look forward District Committee we are going Snatch the last morsel from thy Class Hatred any assurances beforehand that serfs white lips, supported by the Central Labor there been FIVE MORE MINNE gress has united in giving him. lies of those Juiled by the gov. The way the comrades through creasing over bundle or cathe to hearing from Flint and Toledo. to take up the question of inRavish for murderous strife their Editor: eldest born, do not wish to be too rude or ers Section, the CTO and the local APOLISIS in the nation, five sixteen billion dollars for the war wenment Workers Alliance (but not the Al more cities where the labor move machine more money spent for Makers!
And squander millions on thy use abrupt with you. appreciate lance nationally. thousands or ment took a progressive and nerfederal government hee aan the Against War and the War out the country have rallied their paper is invaluable in our camforces to build the circulation of paign for George Breitman for less ships. For Jobs at Union Wages for the Appeal and the warm recep Senator from New Jersey.
your noble and self sacrificing Minneapolis WPA workers joined ponsible attitude towards their relief in the entire last six years, work for peace. But believe you the demonstration.
All!
unemployed brothers and sisters, much more money.
Make thine ill paid officials and are using a wrong method.
tion given them by the workers SUB DRIVE ed knaves. It is ironical to recall how the strike would have been won How very wrong and cowardly For Union Wages and Condi. Is an inspiration and a fore GOING SLOWLY Subs continue to come in steadDrive thy starved Sons by thou the religious pacifist method as their love for democracy treat and the unemployed would have liberals who refused to demand Jobs!
The real hope for peace hlies in those who today protest so much hands down, and organized labor were those politicians and fake tions on all Government Defense Shadowing of the successful fuily, but at a discouraging low rate. It is to be hoped that the Send them to rot in Abyssinian applied in trade union action.
SAN FRANCISCO ed the Minneapolis WPA strikers large scale house to house work PLACES ITS ORDER will result in an increase in subs And hide the cancer festering at religious basis of all true peace, ties refused to helose dowth one so that you would stop foment projects in the manner customary San Francisco, Calif. We are in the near future.
thy core?
ing hatred against the Boss very anxious to take advantage The past two weeks brought in of the offer of 500 copies of the a total of 32 subscriptions: Yet none the less shalt thou most class. But unless you do stop it, in disputes; how Roosevelt and have no time to read your their opening salvos in the camAttorney General Murphy fired Appeal at a reduced rate. It St. Paul.
dearly pay paper.
might interest you to know that Los Angeles For playing thus the war lord paign to psychologize the AmerWith best wishes, very extensive plans for circulat Boston pompous part, John Paisley strike against the government.
ican workers that You can ing the Appeal have been made Chicago When thou shalt feel, at no far. Baltimore, Md.
and the comrades are very de Omaha distant day, We recall the revelations that By MARVEL SCHOLL centrated in the large industrial BUT THEY LL OUTLAW termined to see these plans car. Minneapolis The people dagger drive through FBI agents were sent into Minne. During the last war, the rising centers of the East, but struck STRIKES THIS TIME ried out.
thy heart.
And one each for Allentown, fist method of fighting against workers and directed to the sew tributing factors to the greatest zona four leading copper coun could still afford to grant the MINNEAPOLIS Mr. Paisley religious paci apolis, disguised as unemployed cost of living was one of the con every section of the country, Ari. During that period capitalism Youngstown, Toledo, Rochester, Egitdio Mattina Easton, Pa.
war is indicated, presumably, ing project to spy on the strikers. wave of strikes which have ever ties were tied up for three concessions they demanded. To REPORTS Houston, New York, Michigan, by the envelope in which he Minnesota, California, and South sent his letter: its back con ments by a federal grand jury for dropped while apparent wages And we recall the mass indict struck this country. Real wages months.
day the story is different. Instead Mpls. Minn. We are very America.
The California oil fields which of a rising capitalism, we have much inspired by the results of Tell your contacts not to let tains an anti war declaration the flimsy charge of conspiracy, rose living costs so far out supplied eight million barrels of today an economic system which our APPEAL house. to. house the war pressure get them down!
The Death of from that great fighter for a the arrests of strikers in the mid stripped the increases in wages oil per month, or one third of the is fast falling to pieces.
work. Workers are reading the Tell them that in this fair demoFrank Halstead better world a President typicale of the night, the astronomical that by the end of the war real nation output. were tied up for Roosevelt, as spokesman for paper, some get extra copies to cratic land the Appeal is certain Editor: of pacifism In general: it does hand picked federal juries, and very graphic picture or how gigantic strike among the the capitalist class, knows full take to their places of work to ly good for another six months not fight against capitalom the sentencing of 32 of our broth real and apparent wages stood in Northernestolering the summer he United States can come out of shortly we plan to solicit the they ever collected for 100 penIt is with deep sorrow that we ers and sisters.
report the news of the death of against one manifestation of Frank Halstead, of Los Angeles. capitalism, war and it there Proud of Labor Record and the profits garnered by the 1917 saw 70, 000 men fighting for the projected war with its present neighborhoods for subscriptions. Inies!
United States Steel Corporation higher wages, union recognition, able to whip the labor movement Comrade Halstead was one of fore necessarily denies that But labor memories of that is shown by the following figures: and better working conditions.
the founders of the Left Opposi capitalism and war are inex strike and its aftermath are not tion movement in Los Angeles. trieably tied together. Thereby altogether dark. It is with treA strike among the seamen on to a pulp before the country is Apparent cost Real of the et cope Reale Profits sfth the Great Lakes stopped 64 ves sent into the war.
Previous to that, he had been a it serves to defend capitalism. mendous pride that union men Year rates living rates Corporation sels carrying wheat and iron ore member of the Young Peoples This issue of the APPEAL and women can recall how 1914 102 103 99 52, 716, 390 from the middle West.
against the aliens, the WPA Socialist League in the days be carries an important article staunchly organized labor acquit 1915 102 105, 97 104, 433, 846 in Chicago a strike among the workers, conscription, the use of fore the War, a member of the 316, 436, 899 meat packers was averted by the Sherman Anti. trust Act Industrial Workers of the World, the Committee on Militarism in fense of the strike victims in the 1917 112 142. 79 544, 994, 879 the War Labor Board. This same against unions all these are only and an active member of the pro Education. The struggle again. very teeth of the government 1918 130 174. 74 500, 808, 116 agency stopped a strike which fore runners of what is coming.
gressive group in the Machinists st pacifism is a very important opposition: how unions throughThus we see that while appar. railroad system of the country. bor movement will be subject Fifth columnist is hurled al ment park and of many picnics would have tied up the entire The persecution to which the la part of the struggle for an ef out the country sent in generous ent wage rates rose from 102 in They also prevented the coal once the war is under way will ready at everyone who speaks and swimming parties and more When the writer of these lines fective working class mobiliza contributions to the Central La 1914 to 130 in 1918 they actually miners in Pennsylvania and Ala be designed with one purpose in against the war or who questions than one young couple haare YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, July 12 voir, is also the site of an amusearrived in Los Angeles, comrade tion against imperialist war bor Union WPA Defense Com fell 25 points because the cost of bama from striking.
Halstead was receiving and dis EDITORS.
mittee how the defendants and living which stood at 103 in 14 tributing a bundle of Militants, the Defense Committee attorneys rose to 174. in 18. And that dur 1917 there were 3, 000 strikes.
From April 6, to October 6, trade union and radical political democracy. In Youngstown the armed guards stealthily creeping and speaking wherever he could for the Left Opposition, doing were able to prove to the satis ing this same period the profits The wage increases as a result movement to destroy the threat latest development of the fifth up on them looking for fifth colLONG ISLAND CITY ploneer work in the then white faction of every fair minded per of the Steel Corporation rose of these strikes remounted to 859 which the organized labor move column drive has taken a ridicu. umnists.
BRANCH son the monstrously unjust na over four hundred and afty milspot of reaction. This period ture of the government persecu lion dollars!
in some industries the rate of ment today holds out to the caplnouncing that Milton Lake, Young Peoples Socialist League, Already the leaflets of our marked the beginning of the un BEER and DANCE tion and the innocence of the gov. In the shipbuilding centers such increase was more than 200. talist class.
employed movement into which ernment victims. We recall how as Baltimore, Bath, Maine, etc. source of the industrial water telling the high school students to the small nucleus of the Left Opthe strong arm of labor was able rent rates rose 65. In Detroit supply in the valley, is being beware of the imperialist war, are position threw itself; beginning a Rainbow Ball Room at the last moment to snatch 125 rents went up 380 by 1918!
guarded by men armed with torn down by orders of the local the lar unemployed 10 21 47 Road workers out of the clutches of Auto Unio Convention heavy double barrelled shotguns police because, according to the co operative movement. In this Long Island City District Attorney Victor Ander modity prices were. clothing The average increases in comready to take immediate action local newspaper, they suspect movement comrade Halstead was (in New York)
against suspected saboteurs. fifth column activity.
a leading figure, organizing the 77 food 62. rent (average)
Milton Lake, besides being a reserSAT. AUG. 3, 1940 The war veterans, the Ameriunemployed. Working side by side 15. light and heat 45. and incan Legion, the Mahoning County with comrade Halstead, was CONTINUOUS DANCING cidentals 50. In many cities Bar Association have organized a able to see a real rebel in action; PROFESSIONAL where war industries were conthe CIO has already accepted a sixth column. to deal with a rebel who combined a deep loycentrated the landlords raised the (Continued from Page 1) olation of the instructions of the post in the National Defense fifth column elements by direct ENTERTAINMENT alty to and faith in the working rent every time there was a wage shops lost by the union during the Cleveland convention, in flagrant Council under the leadership of action. When we remember the increase and the raise was in the same period.
disregard of the requests of nu Knudsen and Stettinius. Thus a strike breaking role these selfsame proportion!
the. in Butter retailed at one time dur competitive parts situation over to these instructions, the leader war machine is already being tle Steel strike in 1987 and their ing the war at 25 per pound. six months ago turned out to be ship has not even made a pre constructed under the direct lead consistent anti labor activity we OUT TODAY!
Sugar sold for 35c per pound and a 100 fiasco. The situation is so tense of trying to fight for the ership of Morgan and the know full well that it is the union a family of five was allowed only bad that the officers of the union establishment of a 30 hour week DuPonts.
Manifesto of the Fourth International militants they will attack first.
two pounds per week. White Hour have even stopped making prom automobile industry at 40 hours pay throughout the Yet Thomas, International LORAIN, Ohio Showing some was almost unobtainable.
President of the UAW has al UNION OFFICIALS SUCCUMB of the first signs of life in a long Clothing and shoes were prac progress in this field and are atwhile on the part of AFL unions tically out of sight for many tempting to forget the unpleasant tion for the workers in this in Hillman. The militant, powerful these gentry as they do with all And yet the winning of this ready accepted membership on TO BOSS PRESSURE death ques. the advisory committee to Sidney The workers will deal with in this open shop town, the bak working class families. Shoes for subject altogether.
and the ery drivers won a six weeks school children were made with dustry, which strike at the Spang Baking Com paper soles that had to be reAirplane Campaign On Paper re rationalizing its production ev. without the consent of its mem this they need to be organized pany here. Working as a part of placed on the average of once. At least half a dozen resoluery year. The International lead. bership, been committed to sup politically in a labor party as well.
Local No. 52, these drivers won Huge fortunes were made by UAW conventions, the UAW In fight for the 30 hour week but, in the Morgan DuPont National Unfortunately they can expect recognition, pay increases, and speculators who cornered the ternational Executive Board and practice, believes it to be nothing Defense Council.
little help from their leaders. 48 page pamphlet onvacations after the union threat markets on needed commodities the CIO Executive Board on the but impractical moonshine, and This shameful sell out has al From the top officials to the lowCAUSES OF THE PRESENT WAR ened to pull the company drive and held them until the prices immediate necessity of launching sidetracks the fight at every op ready borne its first fruit in the est business agent all are becomROLE OF IMPERIALISM ers in Cleveland. The cIo steel went up. Income tax returns for a nation wide organization cam portunity, as revealed in the reform of the rotten agreement ing 100 pro Ally. Even some of WHAT NAZI WAR SLOGANS REALLY MEAN workers in Lorain also stood 1917 show that there were thou paign to organize the key air cent negotiations on the last GM signed at General Motors, ram the outstanding leaders of the RESPONSIBILITY OF 2nd 3rd INTERNATIONALS ready to cooperate with these sands of new millionaires created plane and aircraft industry. The agreement.
med down the throats of the auto Youngstown truck drivers union, drivers.
by this method.
WHAT TO DO NOW!
fact still remains, however, that After organization of the bakworkers under the guise of na long regarded as the pillar of prothe union is no further along on The New Danger tional defense necessity. gressive unionism in this district, COMPLETE PROGRAM!
ery drivers of other companies in FEW OF THE STRIKES the road in this job than it was In the last months a new all The union leadership is doing are now capitulating in advance Lorain is completed, the Spang DURING THE LAST WAR at the time it first adopted its important problem confronts the nothing to prepare and steel the to the war for profits and the CALL TO ACTION! contract will be reopened with The working class did not like resolutions. This week we see the LAW. The government, un auto workers for the critical days 100 pro Roosevelt line.
the idea of negotiating a joint these conditions and they did not International Executive Board der the leadership of Roosevelt that lie ahead. Instead, it has But the contradictions these Se per copy to all branches of the agreement which will bring accep hem as reet bankers, has ushered in the new period by sell people are finding themselves in seir has adopted still another resolu pushed through record appropria ing the auto workers down the must certainly cause few 5c per single copy ditions here into harmony with patriotic lot. Economists and his tion that the aircraft industry tions of well over ten billion dol river of the Wall Street war ma twinges at least. They find that Published by the: those which prevail among Clevetorians call the period from 1916 must be organized!
land bakery drivers. This should to 1918 one of turbulent induslars for the Army and Navy, in chine.
SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY in the Democratic Party they sit be the beginning of a real organ trial unrest. During that period 80 Hour Week Dropped preparation to plunge into the (A second article on the down beside the very bosses they 116 UNIVERSITY PLACE NEW YORK, izational drive in Lorain which is there were a total of 11, 430 Particularly disgraceful is the World War to establish the sup problems facing the St. Louis have been fighting for years, that the most backward of the small strikes and 336 lock outs. record of the union top leadership remacy of Imperialism. Sid convention of the Uaw will these bosses, not the union leadcities in the Cleveland area. The strike wave was not con on the 30 hour week. In direct vi leyn Hillman, a Vice President of appear next week. lers have the decisive voice, Chapter Fifth Column Hysteria Running Riot in Ohio at left Spotlights Weaknesses BAKERY DRIVERS WIN SIX WEEK STRIKE IN OHIO The Imperialist War Proletarian World Revolution