SOCIALIST APPEAL TUESDAY, JULY 11, 1939 There are other ways, too. There is notably In the Disease Ridden Slums We See an Indictment of Boss Rule Unskilled Workers IN THIS CORNER HAROLD ROBERTS sciate Editora: wideAping Their Brothers Political Strike strikers.
SOCIALIST APPEAL Vol. III, No. 49 July 11, 1939 the question of connecting up the demands of the building trades workers on with Published tulee a week by the SOCIALIST APPEAL. PUBLISHING ABS the desires and needs of the at 116 University Place, New York, Telephone. Algonquin 8541 The Facts Collected by the Housing Authority, Though algn: 00 per yearUnited States: cents per copy Bubecription. 12. 00 per year: 00 for slx months. For The unskilled workers, on the same projects, Only Partial, Present a Damning Picture of Vermin InAll corelan countries. Single copies centant per copy in Bronx and Manhattan subscriptions are: 91. 60 for six are today largely unorganized. Top pay for the fested Slums in Which One Third of a Nation Lives By Max Shachtman Recenterede at second change anetter Februara obtener unskilled is about 55 a month, not enough to By RUTH JEFFREY sion was recorded, as of 1936: softpedalled fact. The very The action of the Stalinist youth organization 1. 1879.
live on by a long shot. These laborers are hungry Couched though they are in Overcrowding was not con worst slums are more than pro representatives on the resolutions dealing with for organization, and the building trades unions conservative figures and confined to cities of any particular portionately filled with Negroes dictatorship at the American Youth Congress, MAX for MAN have a responsibility toward them. Their sup servative phrases, the facts size. It prevailed in small and assistance is far less than offers a significant commentary on the developFELIX MORROW port is needed, not so much to tie up the projects which the United States Hous cities, as well as in those with proportionately meted out ment of the Communist Party line, and on polMembers: ing Authority has picked up in a population of 500, 000 or more. them. Where assistance does perhaps, but certainly in order to win its surface scratching slum In the Central region over reach them facts such as these itics in general.
EMANUEL GARREwe Manager. JOSEPH HANSEN SHERMAN STANLEY spread sympathy without which the strike can clearance campaign (and crowding among families in are uncovered: The Stalinists began, a few years ago, to deck not win. If Congress can be forced to amend which it will mail free to any small cities was almost as one tenement house just themselves out in democratic garments for a FIGHT WITH THE SOCIALIST the laws so as to provide the prevailing one present a shocking ple great as in the large cities, demolished on the Bedford.
while in the West cities with a Dwellings Site of the Housing very deliberate and well thought out purpose. The wage rate, it can also be forced to amend the WORKERS PARTY FOR: If we could see the entire population of less than 25, 000 Authority of the City of Pittswild eyed adventurism of the Third Period had laws so as to provide better wages for the un country from coast to coast in averaged a slightly greater de burgh, the notorious Wesley ended in disaster. The hope that friendly relations Job and a decent living for every worker. skilled workers.
bird eye view, nearly one gree of overcrowding than the Row tenement, twenty four Ne could be maintained with the Hitler regime, on the half of its populated surface larger cities in this area. In the gro families were living. There basis of Russia (and the Comintern s) traditional Open the idle factories operate them under If the building trades unions understand the or as the President would have south overcrowding was the were no bathing or sanitary workers control.
strategical needs of a political strike, we are sure it, one third would look like greatest in the smaller cities facilities whatever; there were hostility to the Versailles Treaty, was speedily dis3. Twenty Billion dollar Federal public works that they will come to understand the pressing the population, pale, underted location of the city, relief and ets for all twenty four families elled by the belligerent avowal of designs upon Soviet territory. With the signing of the and housing program.
need of linking their demands with those of the diseased, fights losing battle low income families frequent the sixty four children scramFranco Soviet pact, the Seventh Congress of the Thirty thirty! 80 weekly minimum wageunskilled workers.
against a plague of cock ly shared a haliway toilet or an bled over rank weeds and Comintern in 1935 decreed that henceforward Bol30 hour weekly maximum for all workers on Meanwhile, more power to the strike!
roaches, bed bugs and lice, and outside privy.
heaps of rubbish; and one All Jobs shevism was equivalent to support of class collives in daily embittered intl. FACTS ARE member family occupied a laboration, a passionate attachment to democ5. Thirty dollar weekly old age and disability nacy with armies of rats AN INDICTMENT single room Unfortunately racy and a holy war against fascism.
pension.
In these blighted areas live government summary of Wesley Row is not the only rotthe American masses. the this survey indicates that ser ten slum dwelling occupied by How Serious the Change Expropriate the Sixty Families. free American people. Here ious overcrowding and inade Negroes or whites either, for All war funds to the unemployed.
flourishes the American Home guate toilet facilities were not that matter. Forty percent of Virtually at a stroke, the workers were denied people referendum on any and all wars. This past week the British government in both their independent and their leading roles and in (almost) all the touching the only failings investigators Pittsburgh dwellings are subassigned the part of voting and fighting cattle of India adopted, by decree, a series of laws strictly beauty of a woman magazine observed in these slum dwell standard in the sense that they No secret diplomacy.
the democratic bourgeoisie. The French Stalinregulating the activities of any foreigner who the under privileged youth who tion with those two factors. The pair.
editorial. Here are conceived ings, despite their preoccupa need some form of major re ists resurrected Joan of Arc and Browder re dis10. An independent Labor Party.
comes to India.
CONDEMNS NEGROES covered his childhood affinity for George Wash11. Workers Defense Guards against vigilante fill our schools, streets, fac. summary ends: tories and employment agen The housing ington, and Thomas Jefferson and that other great Visitors must register with the police as they and Fascist attacks.
information TO DISEASE, DEATH American, the Fourth of July spieler. Communism cles.
move about from place to place; they must concollected in the Health Survey. Unless special public NO WONDER EPIDEMICS of the Public Health Ser measures are extended and became Twentieth Century Americanism, Roosevince the British that they come only as tourists START IN THE SLUMS vice was confined exclusively radical health measures are apvelt the torch bearer of Progress, and all members vehement Democrats.
or on business; they can stay only for a maxiNote an incidental footnote in to the problem of overcrowding plied, it does not seem likely a government bulletin on health and to the adequacy of toilet that the Negro group in PittsHow was this drastic change of policy carried mum of months. conditions in slum areas: facilities. It did not take into burgh will grow appreciably by through so easily in the In the first place, it The nation wide strike of building and conAnd these are the same Britishers who talk The newspapers recently account the many other aspects natural increase. The birth rate was not so easy. How many members quit the reported a particularly dram of deficient housing, such as is not sufficient to offset the party in disgust will not be known for a long time, struction workers on against the coolie about fighting for democracy! If a visitor as atic example of the fact that the use of one room as a com high death rate. In 1933 Nebecause published figures are not yet available.
wage rates established on July by the Roose much as shakes hands with an Indian nationalist But it is no exaggeration to say that those memold frame buildings are often bined kitchen, dining room, liv groes, being percent of the infested with vermin, beyond ing room and bathroom. Con total population in this city.
bers who did swallow the new line did so because velt Woodrum Starvation Law can and must who is fighting for the freedom of his country from British rule he can be kicked out as an hope or possibility of extermin gestion in the halls and on the suffered 14 percent of all the it was whisperingly explained to them that it was be successful. Congress is in session and will be not to be taken seriously undesirable element ation. The Syracuse Housing streets, lack of adequate venti deaths, 15 percent of infant forced to amend the law, establishing payment Authority is in process of de lation, absence of sunlight, in deaths, 24 percent of the deaths Not to be taken Doesn all of this have a familiar air about it? molishing several blocks of sufficient natural or artificial from pneumonia, and no less lieve in this democracy. exactly. We don bestuff, it goes without of prevailing hourly wage rates, if the labor Isn this business of passing laws by decree, slums preparatory to putting illumination, dilapidation of than 35 percent of the deaths saying, but it ought to make us popular with a lot up a large housing project with buildings, and fire and other from tuberculosis.
of people and gain us large number of recruits movement puts sufficient pressure to bear.
These few quotations just and sympathizers. And, once we have won them This is a political strike. It differs from the preventing people from moving about except assitance. Demolition hazards were not recorded.
under the eyes of the police, etc. quite familiar has actually been delayed by The Public Health Service in scratch the surface. The story on that basis, why, it should be a simple matter to usual economic strike and therefore requires a teach them to be real reds. At the same time, it all of us?
the pressing problem of what cicated, however, the close re of how tens of millions of to do about the rats. It is esti lationship of these factors to Americans really live in this will take the edge off bourgeois criticism and atdifferent strategy to win. The usual economic tack, and enable us to penetrate into circles that Strike is directed against a private employer. If brutal dictatorships let not forget the dirty rats in the area as a whole (200 and normal growth of chil nity has still largely to be told. would otherwise be closed to us. Our democratic successful it cuts off his doing business and makpretensions will be, so to say, the Trojan horse per former occupant) and that dren. Maybe it is not an acci It is obvious that the United work of these British imperialists in their colAuthority ing profit during the strike, and he is impelled onies. They are doing their best to ape and out rid of them and thus prevent reports confine themselves to which is at best, by its own which will be innocently allowed to enter into the very heart of the masses and within which will be to settle the strike by the drain on his pocket strip the fascists when it comes to the denial of neighboring areas from becom. cne or two factors at a time. figures, helping only percent, concealed our revolutionary ideas. This is not book. In the well organized building tradus elementary rights.
ing doubly infested. No wonder All factors, surveyed in one the aristocracy of slumfantastic speculation; it is substantially how Dimcpidemics start in the slums! paper, might produce a more dwellers, certainly will not itroff outlined the strategy of the Stalinists at the unions, a few banners and pickets are enough to But all the King horses and all the King Bad conditions are admitted damning document than any! solve the housing question. OnSeventh Congress; it is how it was explained turn the trick in the usual strike.
men cannot prevent the 400, 000, 000 people of to be of nation wide prevalence capitalist government would ly the slum dwellers. that is, for a long time, with a knowing wink, by rank and file communists But in this strike the boss isthe masses themselves when the Indian Empire from carrying on their battle and not at all confined to large care issue to its citizens.
Going a little more deeply in they organize the power that is Apart from all other considerations, the main for independence and freedom from the British vey, Overcrowding and Sant to the depths of the slums, one theirs, only they can help them trouble with this cunning scheme was that it was tation. the following conclu becomes aware of a carefully selves.
conceived in violation of the laws of nature and of politics. No matter how clever and staunch its originators may have thought themselves, no matHe is not being hurt in his pocketbook. There ter how sure the sincere rank and filer was that he would remain, in his heart of hearts, a real revolutionist and that he would come out with it as President Roosevelt The Press soon the situation warranted throwing off the This difference between an economic and a shrewd disguise the murderous logic of the posipolitical strike what difference in strategy does By Arthur Hopkins tion adopted developed with full and predictable force.
it demand if the strike is to be won?
Even though he still believed he was playing an Page the Relief Administration. Under the headFirst of all, it requires as many banners and Continued from Page 1)
something announced earlier in the day lours to be worked by the rest astute game, still deceiving both the bourgeoiste pickets as possible. In the ordinary building looked. dispatch tells how a 51 year old Hodson one Roosevelt direct that if the doesn want would more than fill the gap and the proletariat, Browder let more of the cat out of the bag than he thought when he testified betrades strike, a single bannerman may be enough; Lincoln, Nebraska, world war veteran has solved heutenant and the other an ar. to work for the government, they left. In other words, if the fore the McNaboe investigating committee in New he is there primarily to make it clear to prosnot only the grasshopper but the problem of hu dent New Dealer associated that its business, Murray present law remains in effect, with Mayor La Guardia the countered: When the half the building trades work York. Quite rightly. at least in one sense. he man existence. He carries a butterfly net and is pective workingmen that a strike is in progress thus able to catch 250 grasshoppers daily which strike action meant head on wants competent men on its ers employed up to July pointed out that it is impossible to reconcile the there; the sight of him is enough usually to keep he eats raw. His theory is that they are not only collision between the labor projects, it appeals to the un would be fired. For the present accusation of hidden revolutionary aims with the movement and the Roosevelt ion. All construction projects law forces the skilled worker fact that the people recruited by the nowathe job tied up.
edible but delicious.
administration.
will have to shut down. Labor to work twice or more hours days are won to its fold by the emphasis on capBut in this strike, the banners and pickets Indicating his understanding crs cannot work if skilled per month than formerly for italist Democracy and the need of preserving it.
France plans to construct a submarine to rehave a twofold task: not only to keep the job place the Phenix, which sank recently with a 1088 of the political nature of the craftsmen are off the job, less wages. typical example But he was right in only one sense; and wrong in another, namely, in that he secretly believes that strike, President Murray in his Murray pointed out. There are is one category, under which tied up, but equally important, to publicize to of 61 lives. Gad! What magnificent spirit interview with the press de usually four or five laborers at skilled mechanics are now to if it is ever decided to make another left turn in the entire public the fact that the job is tied up, French bosses display with the lives of other perciared: The best way to pro tached to one skilled union mework 120 hours of work for policy, all those recruited by the on the demsons.
and why it is tied up. That requires not only test is to carry through the chanic. 85. 20 as compared to the pre ocratic basis will string along merely because kind of action we have just entens of thousands of pickets and banners, but a Browder apparatus so decrees. committee of the United Blind Workers of corsed. The only people who coming from Murray office Nearly three times as many Asked by the newspapermen vious rate of 884 for 43 hours.
kind of banner that is not ordinarily used by the Minnesota will meet with the executive board of The Logic of Politics the Minneapolis Central Labor Union to plan a can change this law are the what would happen in the event hours of work!
building trades unions: big signs explaining to campaign to alleviate the living conditions of blind Congress and President Roosevell handed them a telegram PRECEDENT people who made it that is, of a prolonged strike, Somer DANGEROUS There is a logic in political lines that no person, the public just what the union demands are and workers of the city and state. Some Minneapolis velt, against whom the strike is from Col. Harrington, nano movement can escape. Once the Stalinists took why they are justified.
workers may be blind, but they re not dumb.
their democratic course, they were confronted logically directed.
tional administrator, or that at least half the skilled That would not only mean with such widespread skepticism that, ever since, Secondly, these pickets and banners must be WON LAST dering dismissal of all men abBulletin Business fundamentally and necesworkers would dropped they have had to spend most of their time going STRIKE backed up by sent from the job for five consarily moral as a condition of its own existence, from but also that the to the most radical extremes in order to prove In grim answer to a question secutive days, says Henry Ford own mouthpiece. Camertheir sincerity. Where the ordinary bourgeois from a reporter whether he be NO RELIANCE ON remaining men would receive on. He assailed crack brained leaders who politician, for example, merely states his patriot lieved the strike would be suc. CAPITALIST PRESS substantial cuts in their actual preach to gullible people that business is naturally income.
ism, the Stalinists find themselves compelled to evil and necessarily predatory.
cessful, Murray replied: This But over and above these shriek to the pitch of blatant chauvinism. Where is our second experience with The issues in this strike are vicious effects of the new law Massed, organized public opinion will win this the on the matter of the clearly defined, and if the labor is the dangerous precedent a quiet and unostentatious manner, that he is not an ordinary bourgeois democrat merely states, in strike; the first step to organize that opinion is to Judge Calvin Chesnut, New York Federal prevailing wage. The last movement does not depend on provided by the government a believer in dictatorship or fascism, the Staliniste tie up the projects; the next step is to explain, District judge, declares that the case of Judge strike, in 1935, lasted six weeks the capitalist press to provide for are now compelled to eat course after course of Martin Manton, found guilty of accepting bribes and proved successful in main the public with the necessary for years it had been univerexplain, explain. To depend upon the daily capicrow and even to denounce communism and dic.
and sentenced to two years in prison, is unprece taining the prevailing wage Information, but issues leaflets sally recognized and admitted tatorship in the same breath with fascism and talist press to provide the public with informa dented in the 150 year history of American Juris rate.
in the millions to explain its by government officials that Nazism.
tion about the strike and the issues involved prudence. You bet it unprecedented. He was not In a resolution adopted by the stand, overwhelming public wage rates paid by government only caught, but actually sentenced to prison!
That the meaning of the ignominious, self huwould be fatal to the outcome of the strike.
building trades council, the opinion will back the building agencies, whether regular miliating posturing of the Stalinists at the Amer presidents of all international trades workers in foreing Con agencies or the or ican Youth Congress. To prove that they were not is unfortunate that the labor press is so small, Several thousand bankers attending a conven unions were called upon to cress to amend the Roosevelt constitute a floor reds, that they were blown in the bottle democrats, without daily papers, etc. In moments like this, tion of the Minnesota Bankers Association at St. adopt ways and means of Woodrum Law.
for wages in private industries they were forced to vote for a resolution which, in one realizes how organized labor penalizes itself Paul met the secret service in the person of John having the Roosevelt Woodrum The crux of the matter was Wherever government agencies sum and substance, places communism in the Voss, agent in charge of the Wisconsin district. Law amended, in order to pre admitted by by failing to build a real daily press. For the ed in pay.
Administrator have for long succeeded same bag with fascism. Hitler regime, Musso.
The Secret Service is composed of quiet, vent such an atrocious measure Somervell himself, when he ing a certain rate of wages, lini regime, were denounced in the same terms emergency, this lack must be made up for. efficient fellows whose duty it is to protect the industry from tempting private industry stated that most of the men on private generally as Stalin regime and, for that matter, the regime It can be made up for by issuing millions of president, to make life miserable for counterfeitto follow the attempt of the strike the first day. Wednes tends to approximate the same of Lenin in the early years of the revolution. For, Works ers, and who investigate and stifle all kinds of leaflets and distributing them to the general Progress Administra. day would not have to be re rate of wages.
as we understand it, in those years at least both attempts to defraud the government. Well, John, tion, in preventing building placed because the lengthened The Roosevelt. Woodrum Lenin and Stalin called the Soviet republic dicpublic, by special editions of local labor papers, what are you waiting for?
trades workers from receiving edict is, therefore, a terrible tatorship of the proletariat.
by buying radio time for union broadcasts, by a wage rate comparable with against the wage rates of Be it resolved that this Congress of youth Look who talking. John Gail, counsel for INFORMAL HOUSE the American standard of livstrikers speeches on every possible street corskilled workers everywhere, di record its opposition to all forms of dictatorship.
the National Association of Manufacturers, charges ing.
Box 245 regardless of whether they be communist, fascist, ner, by cruising sound trucks, by house to house Kerhonkson, rectly, and indirectly against that the National Labor Relations Board. has The resolution also set up the wage rates of all workers. Nazi or any other type, or bear any other name: distribution of posters and stickers to be dis(Near Ellenville)
been hostile to employers. have violated many special committees in actuThat is the tremendous signifi. That the resolution Gil Green, boss of the windows facing the streets indicating elementary principles of fair play, and that they 120 acres of greenland in the played ality strike committees withcance of the fight now being Young Communist League voted for. Unbeliev.
in each borough under the jur.
have not only not contributed to a reduction of sunbathing: handball. ping pong waged by the building trades that that family is sympathetic to the strike in able? Yes, yes, but literally true nonetheless. Far the volume of labor disputes, but have in fact sown isdiction of the council.
irchery: swimming and horso back riding nearby: dancing unions a fight to prevent the more unbelievable is the fact that his organization a word, by all the avenues of publicity already the seeds of future discord.
Picketing was to begin Fri. UNUSUALLY LOW RATES government from opening the still bears the name communist.
well tested by the progressive sections of the day. 18 Weekly 36 Weekend sluice gates to wage cutting, We have said for some time: There is nothing Horror item: Attorney General Frank Told by newspapermen that Busses met at station hour increasing and mass firlabor movement.
communist about the Communist party except its Murphy believes the LaFollettes of Wisconsin are Col. Brehon Somervell. Tel. Kerhonkson 118 ings on and private in name. How long will we have to wait before it be These are ways to assure the success of the the best political stock in the nation.
local administrator, had dustry alike.
comes possible to drop those last three words?
Not a Private Employer imperialists.
as ons doen profit ideas on her hands Labor Looks Through New York WPA Building Workers Ready for Strike to the Finish be Loads of Publicity