DECEMBER 14, 1940 SOCIALIST APPEAL The Cango LANGIPATA Negro Struggle LABOR WITH WHITE SKIN CANNOT MANCIPATE ITSEL SKIN IS BRANDED. KARL MARX They Have Their Plattsburgs An Indictment Of Jim Crow in It Time the Workers Got Wise, and Demanded WORKERS Plattsburgs Army and Navy By ALBERT PARKER Stalin Purges His Playwrights Writing Plays In Stalin Domain Is Dangerous Occupation war.
The Hampton Institute By EUGENE VARLIN to represent a cross section of The Timer correspondentſ the lives and welfare of the com Dr. Milton Konvitz has written an exConference Any draftee can safely trade his chances of gaining an of American life bankers, brokers wrote, The idea of a son of the mon soldiers mean less than dirt.
To understand what happened at the much tremely timely and pointed article, The Legal ficer berth for a nickle beer without feeling he has tossed away writers, craftsmen, and scholars. a United States justice peeling do leading men under conditions of Their only qualifications for Status of the Negro in the New Army which publicized Conference on the Participation of the any reasonabie, or even probable, opportunity.
Negro in National Defense, held last week at The present officer selection system embodies in a perfected Across section of American life tatoes, a college professor waiting war is their training in exploiting has been issued by Contemporary Law Pamphlets of the New York University School of Law Hampton Institute. Va. it is necessary to un form the methods developed during the World War period. or without a single worker or on table and a high goal polo play. Inbor.
er polishing his own shoes may as a press release in mimeographed form. The derstand the reason the conference was held and the 156, 000 commissioned officers who ruled this army in 1917.
The Military Training Camps sound rather fanciful, but this all THEY HAVE THEIR CAMPS; article certainly deserves to be published and the things it set out to do.
18, only 16. 000 came from the draftee ranks, and most of these Association caves nothing to took place. And in the pres LET HAVE OURS! widely distributed as a pamphlet.
As a full page advertisement of the Institute were carefully selected on the usual army criteria of superior chance when it comes to the selec. ence of photographers, of course. Any ordinary worker. trained Konvitz demonstrates that the appointment put it. Defense Conference Marks New Era. education, proper back ground, of Benjamin Davis as a brigadier general, Symbolic of a new era ahead for Hampton was and leadership experience (pet organization. Its membership now it operates on a plan of selection bined Boy Scout camping trip and struggle, is a thousand times more rather than being an indication of the demothe two day conference. Nationally known ty bosses in civil life. The odds consists of 65, 000 officers, includ.
In the army, of qualified to lead workers under which it terms Impartial. Three stum tour.
war than any capicratie nature of the army and navy, is another authorities, both Negro and white, concentrated against any drafted sorker geling those it trained during the men of wide business and military course, these gentlemen, as off conditions instance of our traditional practice; namely, to their thoughts on specific programs of both imting out of the class of those who World War. Although nominally experience review the applica cers, will have the workers to do talist boss. And infinitely more shine the second lieutenant boots a private organization, it functions the dirty work quailfled, by virtue of mechanical single cut an individual for honors, at the same mediate and long time value on how the Negro are many thousand to one. tions entirely in conjunction with The theme of democracy re training and machine work, to time to keep the mass of Negroes in inferior This impartial plan of selec.
may best serve the country in the interests of The ruling class, two years be the War Department.
tion was described by the ceived quite a play in this same operate and direct modern millstatus or suppressed.
total defense and national unity. Their discus fore America entry into the last The revival of the Plattsburg Timer, June 20, as follows: The Times article. The Plattsburg tary weapons and equipment. To prove this point, he takes up the history sions covered comprehensive subjects Military war, had already established the camps in preparation for the com selection of successful applicants camps are described as the great Just as the bosses have their and nature of the two amendments to the Selecand Naval Defense, Industry, Family Life, Labor. plan for a sufficient supply of ing war was announced by the (was) prescribed by the War De est leveler democracy can prod own private military training and tive Service Act which are supposed to prohibit The Consumer, Youth, Education, Business, The boss minded officers despite any War Department on June 15. The partment solely on the basis of duce. Living, sleeping and eat: officers training camps, so the discrimination because of race or color, and shows Press, Mor and Mental Hygiene, riculture, sudden and huge expansion of the New York Times headlined the their education their experience, Ing with men.(whose) thoughts workers must demand and estabhow ineffective and disregarded they are while army.
Public Health, Housing, Recreation and Reli This was the Plattsburs announcement. Army Training and their leadership in business, and civil viewpolnt may be the Wish their own military training the three chief types of Jim Crowism are congión.
Camp movement, which on una for Dusiness Men. The announce professional or labor fields, as diametrical opposite of yours. system, controlled and directed by tional scale became the Militaryment was coincident with the opevidenced by their positions.
all adds up to the greatest came their own organizations, the trade tinued in the armed forces.
It should be clear from the above statement Training Camps Association. ening of the drive to establish this of give and take world unions.
The first type is segregation, the establishthat these nationally known authorities were The impartiality of the plan universal conseription.
knows.
ment of separate regiments in many branches CLASS ORGANIZATION Just as the workers oppose interested in serving the country e. the consisted of the technical incluThe boss class rallied at oncesion of labor leaders. But even The Plattsburg camps, or is the Just how far this give and. Jboss exploitation in industry. 30 of the service. The second is discrimination as to bosses of this country not in serving the interWar Department now frankly Applications for admission to the a BM Green or a Matthew Woll take extended was described in they must fight against boss ex. placement, so that the Negroes get the worst pos.
ests of the Negro people who get such a raw sible jobs. The third is the numerus clausus deal in this country.
terms them, the Business Men camp at Plattsburg, poured would have been as acceptable as the Christian Science Monitor ploitation in the military sphere.
Uncle Tom at a dinner or South le trouble was had. One agitator militarism, war and capitalist re Under conditions of universal practice.
Training Camps, were and are a That the government itself did not see in this private system of military train. On June 19, the Timer orn Bourbons.
with ideas which swung widely action, it would be foolish for the Courts Won Stop Jim Crow body any serious threat to its publicly announced ing camps run by and for busi: wrote of these boss class recruits. An expressed recognition of the cants were college graduates, the ninated. couple of lellow traving and modern arms. But so Almost all the successful appli. to the left. was quickly eli workers to scorn military train and carefully worked out policies of Jim Crow. ness men, with the material aid In his discussion of the first example, Konism in the armed forces was made clear in the and official endorsement of the danger now facing an unprepared continuation of the tradition ellers who had gotten into the long as the bosses run the army.
vitx deals a death blow to the idea current among United States brought them from tablished by the first Plattsburg camp by misrepresentation were it will be used in their interests some Negro organizations that taking the matstatement of Roosevelt himself, the author and War Department.
It is from these private train banks, brokerage houses, public camp in 1915. Harvard, Yale and given an immediate drumhead and against the worker ter to court can in any way help to solve the executor of these policies: ing camps. limited exclusively to offices, the bench, industries, law Princeton, the most exclusive of court martial by their tentmates It is heartening to know that in this time of problem.
members of the boss class, that arms, and university a sort the colleros, provided the largest and that settled their status. The boss class however. They have We can take a lesson from the He shows that Negroes are promised they stress and strain, when the whole nation is enthe bulk of the officers for the of patriotie Who Who.
percentage.
greatest leveler democracy can their Plattsburgs. We, the workwill get aviation training, when they get it, gaged in a mighty effort to gird itself against new draft army will come. On August 11, in a message to the BUT NO WORKERS CROSS SECTION any challenge which a mad world may hurl at it, PLATTSBURG DEMOCRACY. produce!
ing class, must have our Platts through the formation of colored aviation IT ALL IN FUN Such are the men and the class burgs. Workers Plattsburgs units, and that the White House has stated, you. are to hold a two day conference on the largest comp group at Plattsburg, from which the movement the Times on June 22, continued burg camp began on July Those who applied reported Training at the revived Platts who will rule the draft army. under the control of the Trade participation of the Negro in national defense. Negro organizations will be established in each as a whole derives its name, Pres.
Bosses and labor haters, to whom Unions!
There could be no finer manifestation of the major branch of the service, combatant as well ident Roosevelt made clear the as non combatant.
loyalty of the Negro, no more fitting rededicacentral role of these camps as a tion of himself to the cause of America, than the He then asks: Is segregation in the armed source of officer personnel, when forces discrimination in violation of the Act and conference which you are holding.
he stated that On the foundaConstitution. This is Roosevelt nice and flowery way of tion of the Plattsburg camps of An unsophisticated person would without saying: Go ahead, hold your conference, it will be 1915 was built the structure of hesitation say yes. When he reads in the papers heartening to me because by and large what you those camps of instruction which about separate benches for Jewish students in will do will help to get the Negroes to support served so successfully to provide my war program.
the officers essential for the some European universities, he knows that seg.
manning of our World War foreregation is intended as, and is, discrimination.
Whitewashing the Bosses es two years later.
But one who knows the decisions and opinions of The highlight of a speech by Aubrey Wil.
Roosevelt was referring to the the Supreme Court of the United States will need Officers Training Camps, modelBy JOHN WRIGHT Kolkov, the author, obviously felt of indispensable labor reserves to say no. The Court has held that liams was an attempt to set the Negro against Crow for industry. In doing this they The new, silent purge is pruning the ranks of the Kremlin himself a champion of the Soviet led on Plattsburg, and which pro the trade union movement: laws, segregating Negroes in public conveyances, vided 60 of officers in the last most pampered and fabulously paid servants the creative ar Family, and must have made must pay special attention to Look at the Negro in the labor field. Negro and that laws providing for separate educational carry on the work of explanatists. Dramatists and scenario writers have suffered the heaviest sure of adhering rigidly to the youth is faced with the same difficulties that The Plattsburg camp idea was casualties.
facilities, are constitutional.
line of Bolshevik selleritilcism tion among. the intermediate as laid down by Pravda. It is white youth faces, but added to these are the first proposed in 1915 by the no: secondary schools, in the sec.
Konvitz cites the well known case of Gaines prejudiced barriers set up by many employees tortous reactionaries, Cornelius vary depending upon the individuals and circumstances in numerable right thinking Apparently the formulas for the 1940 edition of the purge equally unquestionable that the in ondary schools, in ebildren v. Canada, decided at the end of 1938 by a liberrooms, and school rooms, at al majority, which held that the Negro petiand the discriminatory practices set up by the prickenhamamilend of Korea. involved. Thus the Komsomol and Trade Union bureaucracies responsible people who passed clubs and places of culture. tioner could attend the school in the absence of labor and trade unions. What is the result. Pravda, October 13. a meeting at the exclusive Har were decimated under the formula of bezdelniki and darmoyed the script viewed it in the same Only get skilled jobs as against for white other and proper provisions. The opinion was vard Club Hiki (loafers, scoundrels who eat the bread they haven earned. highly moral light. Pravda itself The All Union Committee in youth less than 10 get semi skilled jobs so written as to make the decision seem to be a Foreseeing America entry into But the formula for the intellectuals is: klevetniki (slanderers. not so very long ago featured much charge of Highest Education Post great victory for the Negro race; and the fact against 20 for white youth. And when they do get full time jobs, the Negro youth averages 49 the war, and the expansion of the Trotsky suggested that the epoch of Soviet Thermidor will go more embarassing family compli. no time in issuing instructions to that McReynolds and Butler dissented also tended to make the decision seem a gain for the liberhours a week for a wage of 75, while the where West Point and the small pre eminently as an epoch of their ten year old son, Mitya, lals on education from which Kol. that they establish rigid control white youth averages 44 hours for a wage of al forces. As a matter of fact, however, the deRegular Army could supply sut mediocrities, laureates and The parents squabble all the time, wholesale. In vain! By the time from the rolls all students not whom they both love passionately. kov hero undoubtedly quoted of tuition payments, and drop cision took two steps backward for one step for 15. 71.
ficient reliable officers, the first toadies. According to Stalin, especially over the upbringing of Kolkov had finished his play, an. paid in by the date designated.
ward, for it upheld the constitutionality of segWilliams thus places the full blame for industrial discrimination against Negroes on the regation, mitigated only by the requirement that to assure an adequate supply of the designation should be cor their boy. Mitya, spolled by his techambered all the people who lidem. Everybody is buss boss class officers, rected to read slanderers. mother, neglects his studies, but mattered, obtained all the Indis. And in the midst of this activ proper facilities within the state need to be prounion movement as such, without bothering to In a pamphlet published by the The slanderer of the month father always get glowing reports pensable approvals, in short by the ity tired bureaucrat in search vided for qualified Negroes.
indicate that this is not true of the CIO moveMilitary Training Campus AssocOctober) is one Kolkov, au about his son progress in school. time his play reached the stage of relaxation walks into the Gorki ment, and not true about many AFL unions. In ciation in 1916, the purpose and thor of a play entitled The Kov. crisis ensues when Kollow Me and its problems had altered state Theatre and there staring Army is Law Unto Itself this way, he whitewashes the forces chiefly res role of these camps was clearly rov Family. This play was learns on returning from a pro beyond recognition, at least in him in the face struts a spoiled Konvita discussion of the second type of disponsible for discrimination in industry: the boss indicated: The success of. staged by the Gorki State Thea longed stay in the provinces that Pravda eyes.
and horrid brat, a blurred image crimination is well known to readers of the Soes who own and control the factories that Jim last summer camps at Plattstre, the initial performances were Mitya has been kept back another New policies demand new plays. of his pet at home, attended by cialist Appeal, especially las reflected in the Crow or exclude colored workers. And he white lourg for business and profes creeted with ecstatic, if stereo year in the same grade. His wife Small wonder, that Kolkov play his nurse, cranky and capricious stories we have been carrying on the washes the government which, if it wanted to, sional men has demonstrated the typed, reviews, scores of other utilizes the opportunity for carry is, as the French say mildly, mal issuing insolent orders, yelling Philadelphia case.
could easily have passed a law denying war coneffectiveness of a short and in theatres rushed production plans ing out a long contemplated plan. propos (evil to the purpose. For just like papa. Take off my Since the military arm is well nigh autonotracts to those factories that discriminate against tensive course of military train when suddenly Kolkov master Gathering her possessions and instance, the prominent characters shoes. Give me a clean shirt!
ing in helping to qualify educat. plece was derlated. On October Mitya she leaves Kovrov in favor are mostly married party mem. Always referring to his mother. mous. he points out, it is difficult to conceive Negroes.
ed men to fill the great deficieney 13 Ponda Indicted his play as of a mutual friend, the jurist Bo bers, and at the same time all the Mama ordered you to keep me in of legal means to eradicate these forms of disYes, some trade union leaders are guilty of in commissioned officers that Slander Against the Soviet Tamrovsky, another party member, families in the play without ex cleanliness. Mama suld you crimination. The provision in the Draft Act that Jim Crowism, and we of the Socialist Workers would arise in case of nationally. damned the Gorki Theatre and this newly constituted fam. ception break up. Even Gavrik, must feed me well. Slaps his no man shall be inducted for training and service Party have pointed out again and again that this emergency.
for befouling its stage with it, and fly immediately departs to a the homeless wait, is a by product nurse face, and justifles himself, unless and until he is acceptable to the land and can be corrected only by persistent and organ The bankers and bosses every generally berated all the respon summer resort. Kolkov falls in of a broken home. His father Mama told you m a nervous naval forces for such training and service vests be upset.
ized action of the progressive white and Negro where were quick to grasp the production. Not one among them, of his son. End of Act One. Jealousy. Kolkov surpassed him. Pravda, October 13. The nurse unlimited discretion in the military and naval authorities. That the forms of discrimination Williams has a lot of nerve talking about Plattsburg were soon established lense sign of political perspicae a courtroom. In it Kovrov deliv. yet so original, almost poetic. an breaks into cold sweat and shrieks referred to are abuses of discretion is apparent; someone else when he himself enforces a policy ity, not one saw in this play false ers a very long speech which ob explanation for the presence of a in the ears of all responsible peo but they are probably damnum absque injuria, of segregation in the NYA, of which he is ad.
REVIVED IN 1940 hood and distortion of Soviet real Vously exasperated Pravda. He homeless wait on a Soviet stage, ple. Art has the capacity of injuries without remedies.
ministrator, a policy which sets up white pro FOR THE SAME PURPOSE ity. lashes as un Soviet the educa but even this superb stroke only generalizing things! How true. Konvitx discussion of the third type of Jim jects and Negro projects and does not per The Military Training Camp Pravda dwells in detail on Kol Lional methods of child raising aided in his downfall. Let us Besides, a worker may wander Crowism is one, as he points out, which has remit mixing of the two races on any NYA pro Association, organized in Febru kov opus. The main characters followed by Olga Alexandrovna, grant. Pravda comments cau into the theatre. Or maybe a stuceived very little attention, although it is a very jeet, even in the North where many of the white ary 1916 by the veterans of the in the play are Kovrov, engineer he talles at length about Commun: tlously that there is such a famdent just dropped from the rolls.
important point. The White House laid down the and Negro youth whom he separates used to first Plattsburg camp, continues and party member; his wife, Olga ist views on the family. in ily, maybe more than one. But why, anyone in the audience is procedure: The strength of the Negro personnel attend school together.
today as a powerful quasi military Alexandrovna, a party member: short, proves his rights to the when a family of this sort is taken apt, especially under the impact child. Kovrov eloquence, apart from the entire surround of art, to start generalizing a few. will be maintained on the general basis of continues Pravda sarcastically. ing reality one obtains a false stray ideas.
proportion of the Negro population of the coun The Nationally known fails to sway the court. The day, worse than that! a vicious To crown it all, Kolkov meddles try. That is, since of the population is Authorities judge interrogates the child. Mit generalization, a slander against with another issue: hooliganism. colored, of the armed forces will be colored ya, it appears. would prefer to the Soviet family.
As for the round table sessions of the auPravda passes it by without com too.
thorities, they were not much better.
live with both his father and Kolkov real sin. however, is ment. But hooliganism has also Roosevelt Imitates Hitler mother. Whereupon the court dis As an example, consider the authorities misses Kovrov plea and rules an aborted family with an idyllie state importance. It has pennot in failing to counterbalance become a problem of greatest It is amazing that these announcements scheduled to sit and solve the problems of the that the boy must remain with couple and a budding Stalin. Heldustry and institutions that the aroused scarcely any protest. Here is an importaNegro on Industry and Labor. his mother.
tion of the the numerus clausus practice from Eumade his mistake in centering authorities are finding it very difOne administrative assistant of the National joint campaign to aid politi them to more than a concentra In the third act Mitya degener. His play on the ethicational prolrope, a practice made notorious toward the end Defense Advisory Commission; one superinten cal refugees is now being con. tion camp in France or Germany, ates completely. He longs for his tem, which Pravda belligerently ficult to differentiate between a of the Nineteenth Century when the Cuarist govducted by the International Re: dent of the Ford Industrial School; one director ernment fixed a quota to govern the admission to the of the Department of Social Sciences, Fisk liet Association and the New chairman of the Freda dren, and stops attending school points out is a problem of great hooligan and a worker. beWorld Resettlement Fund.
altogether. He becomes ruder and est state importance.
June laws and an innocent acci of Jews to the Russian universities and schools University: one representative of Hampton InThe International Relief Asso The New World Resettlement ruder to grow ups, acts like a hoo Sons and daughters of workers dent.
of higher learning. That this practice is a denial stitute; three officials of the Urban League; one ciation is the oldest antifascist Fund is working to resettle the ligan on the street, and learns to and peasants had just been driven But from Kolkov play one of the very essence of democracy is in part shown race relations officer, Personnel Division, Fed labor reliet organization in this families of Spanish anti Fascists, steal. Even his mother begins from the Soviet schools to form could readily conclude that the by the fact that every anti Semitic government eral Works Agency; and one representative of country. For fourteen years it has now interned in France, in a co to worry.
an industrial labor reserve. Only families of party members. en has made use of it.
the Bureau of Employment Security.
rendered invaluable service to operative colony it has established Meanwhile her lover Borovsky the Mityas, the children of gineers, jurists and other respon Very quietly this obnoxious practice has That means: zero representatives of the trade anti fascist fighters abroad. It is in Ecuador. Oswald Garrison Vilkets bored with her worries, and the privileged, can now attend sible people are the breeding been introduced in the United States, in the very union movement, and zero working men or now helping politically endanger lard is National Chairman; Mar still more with her personally school, because their parents alone places of hooliganism!
ed refugees in Sweden, France, garet DeSilver Treasurer of the It seemed to me. sums up the can pay the tuition. All the state institution created to defend our democracy. It needs this?
wails women, present.
is wrong in itself and as a precedent, dangerous Yet, whatever else it might do or avoid doing, Portugal to get visas for countries Fund.
jurist, Borovsky, that loved her resources were being mobilized in Preda.
This campaign is endorsed and a lot. But once we started living October to educate the populace In a concentration camp Kolto everyone who can be identified as a member however much it might desire to curry favor viding them with the necessary supported by many leading trade togetber suddenly sensed that to understand the historical sig kov may have an opportunity to of a racial or religious minority, and to every with Roosevelt, there was one thing this confunds for travel and sending unions, including the Amalgamat it wasn so. don love her at nificance of this latest victory compare notes with another in American who prizes his heritage of freedom and ference could not avoid doing, and which served them monthly aid.
ed Clothing Workers, ILGWU, and all. Mitya decides to run away The Presidium of the advertent slapderer, one Avde equality. The practice is as indefensible as it is to expose Roosevelt: it had to adopt a resolution Almost all of these refugees by fraternal organizations such as with a homeless wall who has convened in solemn session ana yenko, author of the novel Lore. unprecedented (as a governmental policy. yet opposing Roosevelt anti Negro policy in the have no other organization to the Workmen Benefit Fund. become his pal and preceptor; but resolved: but really celebrated for breaking know of no legal measure that might be taken armed forces and to ask for an end to certain help them. They are the ordin The anti fascist refugees belong in trying to board a train, he The trade union organiza. all records several years ago in to stop it.
phases of policy. It wasn a very strong resolu ary humble people, penniless, tin at the head of every Christmas slips, falls under the wheels, and tions must explain to the work loving Stalin. Avdeyenko slap All in all, this pamphlet is very helpful tion; on the contrary, it was weak, inadequate known, but the most courageous list. Send contributions care of 18 killed. The lone witness of ers, the state employes, and ped together in an absent minded figthers toward an understanding that legal means will members of their families the moment a scenario dealing with and vague but it shows up Roosevelt because against reaction. The George Novack, Joint Campaign Mitya tragic end is his faithful takes pride in significance of an organized pre high life among the Komsomol very probably do nothing to help the problem.
he will not end Jim Crow in the armed forces.
helping for Political Refugees, Room 405. nurse, who runs after him. calls these brave men out to him, but cannot catch him. paration of cadres of new work bureaucrats. Playwriting, it turns What is required is the struggle which our party (Another article on the Hampton Conference whose records in their native West 43rd Street, New York Curtain.
ers from among the urban and out, is hazardous occupation has outlined: for trade union control of military will appear next week. lands and in emigration entitlel City.
In writing this problema play, kolkhoz youth, and the creation under socialism.
training.
Unions Back Campaign For Refugee Relief who and