davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23

Democratic Congressman appear toI
be Mortified at the tariff that the
Republican Congress proposed to put
through. They are making the amaz-
ing charge that the tariff will operate
for the enrichment of few at the ex-
pense Of all humanity. The charge
they make, is of course true, that is
what all protective tariffs are for. But
the amazing thing is that they make
it.
The American Congress, as all other
Democratic" parliaments, serves the
function of protecting and enlarging
the scope of the capitalist system.
The only purpose of the capitalist
system, if it has a purpose, is to do
just that very thing against which
the Democrats in Congress are so
strenously objecting, namely the en-
riching of the few who own the means
| of production at the expense Of the
many who do the producing. These
same Congressman are allowed to
draw their tremendous salaries ard
pocket their graft because they are
the representatives of the capitalists
and they are sent to Washington to
protect the capitalist interests. They
were not sent to represent the capital
lists in their particular geographic To-
eality. They were sent to represent
the capitalist class in general.
Intelligent workers are not much
interested in Congress or in Congress-
men. But this situation as it is de-
veloping in Washington has lesson
attached to it that workingmen will
do well to profit from. 1t is this: Re-
presentatives cannot always be trusted
to represent those to whom they are
responsible.
The capitalist class is fast learning
this lesson. They are taking the great
er part of the power away from then
representatives in Congress and else
where. They are using them to foo
the workers while they keep the rea
ord ,v,,Do,+ar+ ,1o1,or- ,,,nnro 49,, n ., i,
WELD them at their will. They know
that when they delegate their power
the delegates sometimes serve theil
own petty interests instead Of the in
terests of those they represent.
/ The working class has not We
learned this lesson. The members o.
| the trade unions still delegate uheil
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23
THE VETERANS CHOICE.

Unless the gains of many thousands of years human
perence thrown to the Winds the veterans Of the World
War will find difficulty in making choice between the Amer
lean Legion and the World War Veterans These two organizations
stand at the opposite poles insofar their attitude upon working
is an adage that still holds good The activities of these organa
ons are sufficient proof of the stock from which they spring
One ought feel grateful The Nation for the splendid series
of fevag articles which it printing the American Legion
The energetic persistent efforts of the writer Arthur Warner
have gathered of the fruits of the Legion that show in
unmistakabe evidence it's true character organization OF
reaction and willing tool of the most predatory forces in America
The inoran attitude of the Legion toward lawful public
preston alone would count for much against at earlier stage
in American history Four years of governmental and mob
preston however prevailed weaken the public conception
of the value of this constitutional right The Legion has officially
and unofay conducted raids reprsas threats ashngs
tagonsm labor nons it has attempted to dictate the policies
local and federal government and in instances has sue
ceeded Its entire public policy par with the Ku Kux Kan
to which bears psychological knshp and to which will in
evab closer physical alliance the field of its opera
tions develops
Take on the other hand the attitude of the World War
Veterans organization 1t has besmched itself with in
tolerance Of DIVERGENT opinion has not seeked impose its will
upon community thru budozg public officials conducted
raids upon newspaper Offices held and feather bees in
rural sections.
BY the actions Of its recent convention has taken unusual
progressive attitude toward the great public questions Of the
BY resolutions adopted will send its delegates to the Central
Labor Councils learn with Labor the way out Of economic md
political difficulties viii send delegates to the convention Of the
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23
A LESSON IN REPRESENTATION.
By NORTH ]. LOEB.

power to union officials, who as many
bitter experiences have proved, do
not always repretent the interests of
the workers. 1t is notorious how time
after time the union officials in many
unions have betrayed their member
ship, sold them out to the bosses, or
wavered in crisis and led the work
ers away from sure and glorious
victories to disastrous defeat.
No one can DE blamed in such
disasters except the rank and file
members of the unions. They should
know that union officials, business
agents and other representatives of
the workers can lnot continuously re-
present the Interests of the working
class. Living and working apart from
the masses of the workers, the inter-
ests of these Officials soon become
different from the interests of the
workers. interests of their own de.
velop which they serve before those
of their members.
But the interests Of the workers
working in the mills, factories and
workshops do not change. Their in.
terests are always in the struggle
against the BOSSES and the boss sys.
TEN. 1t is on the job that the interests
of the workers are identical. 1t is or
the job that the workers are having
to face the great struggle for work
ing class liberation. The workers mus
come to recognize that it is on the jof
they must meet their problems.
Who can serve the interests of thu
workers on the job? Can the business
agent who has his office miles away
Can the international president of the
union who has not worked in sho
for many years and may live fal
distant? No, the workers ON the jol
] are the only ones who can be counted
upon to serve the interests of th'
working class, day after day, in strug
gle after struggle. 1t is on the job
that the workers must form their or
|
ganization. In each shop, in ever.
place where workers toll together the!
must have their committees whicl
will be the base Of their unions. Thei
representatives must be workers VIII,
are working side by side-with thos
they represent. AZ
/ Workers who Know what they war
and know how to get it are forminl
I their shop committees.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23

our leaders get sentences of five, ten,
fourteen and twenty years-not for
hanging anyone to lamp post, but
for organizing workers to change the
method of producing and distributing
food, clothes and houses.
. Al, over the country, all over the
world, except in Russia, there are
bosses against us, and the govern
ments declare our strikes illegal, send
the troops to drive US back to work,
arrest, imprison and deport our lead
ers.
In New York Benjamin Gitlow, Har-
ry Winitzky, James Larkin, |. E. Fer
guson and C. E. Ruthenberg have
been sentenced to five to ten years
each.
On Ellis Island and Deer Island there
are aliens to be deported. Their fa-
miles are with them, except those we
brought away, sick, penniless, job
less, and except those who died.
Every week there is a new victim,
picked up in "red" raid, to be bailed
out and defended.
The National Defense Committee is
a committee of workers.
Only the workers can handle these
cases.
Only the workers wish to handle
them.
The National Defense Committee
defends those already in Jail, gives
them decent food when possible, pro-
vides for the deportees and their fam
lilies, brings them back from Ellis
Island, tries to find them jobs, and de-
tends and balls out workers who are
arrested every week for acts in the
interest of the working class.
! The National Defense Committee is
the only defense committee which
does this work.
The Committee needs at least $685..
600 to meet expenses already incurred
for this work and in order to continue
the work.
National Defense Committee.
New York DivisioT
DR.. Geo. M. Dunaif, Treasurer,
339 Stone Ave-, Brooklyn, N. Y.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23
SOVIET SHIPS ATTACHED.
lRv The Federated Press.l

(By The Federated Press.l
New York.-The discovery Of the
two Russian ships Benza and Tobolsk,
which were quickly and quietly taken
from their moorings in the Hudson
here after the Russian soviet govern
ment, through Attorney Charles
Recht, brought suit to recover them,
has led to a sudden change of heart
on the part Of "big business" toward
the Russian government Hardly had
the federal process servers discovered
the ships, which were illegally sold
by Boris Bakhmetieff, bogus Russian
ambassador, than the National City
Bank of New York let it be known
that IL the Russian government sue
ceeds in recovering possession of the
ships the bank will at once begin to
file claims against the Russian gov
erments representatives designed to
tie up the two craft indefinitely. 4
The bank is said TO claim that it
sustained damages Of about 81 100000
by the seizure Of its property in Mos
COW by the soviet government. The
threatened suit is regarded as direct
retaliation for the attempt to regain
ownership of the two ships for the
Russian government. An element in
the situation is the announcement that
Mr.. Recht, as attorney for L. c. Mar.
tens, former Russian government re-
preventative here, has served notice
on the Pere Marquette line Of Michi.
gan and Its hacker, the National City
Bank, that he intends to sue for the
possession Of the steamship Rogdai
another Russian vessel said to have
been stolen by the Representatives
here Of the Russian counter-revolu'
tionary groups.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23
Crisis in the Communist Party of Germany
By Karl Radel in the Moscow Pravda", May y 1921.

forward by a number of leading Ger
man comrades that the party should
now follow an offensive policy is an
illusion and arises from their failure
to take their present circumstances
into their full consideration. The par
ty must and will fight in dependence
on actual conditions. The party can
adopt an offensive policy only after
due consideration Of the actual state
of things. It's policy does not depend
solely on its own will, it is not de-
termined by the decision Of the Cen
trail Committee independent of actual
conditions. The spirit of activity now
to be observed in the ranks Of the
party, a spirit ardently welcomed by
the Communist international, should
first Of all be expressed in increasing
the revolutionary agitation for an Of
fensive; it should be expressed in an
intensification, both of the organized
legal and illegal life Of the party, it
should be expressed in the constant
fighting preparedness of the party.
The party will be fully capable Of
putting UP a fight whenever the ne
cessity arises, only when the entire
party will be imbued in it's every day
practice with this spirit.
The transition Of the United Com
munist Party Of Germany to a policy
Of attack is in itself fact Of great
international significance. What the
West European movement lacks to-
day is just such parties which would
be able and willing actually to fight
and not only TO discuss theses and to
carry on the propaganda and agitation
Of communist ideas. Not only the
Central Committee Of the German
Party, but what Is more important,
the working masses, and party or
ganizations behind them, have shown
their will to put up a revolutionary
fight. In view Of the fact that the
disintegration Of the German bour-
geoisic is growing daily, the estab-
lishment Of party in Germany which
would be ready to fight, really signi-
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23
w. The International Significance Of
German Events. ~

German Events.
The German Communist Party COM
mited number of errors, in the
March movement. Its main "error"
the sudden change from propaganda
and agitation to active struggle is
the direct result of the past, the res
possibility for which falls first of
all upon the right wing of the party,
on Levi and Daumig, the former party
presidents, who failed to prepare the
party sufficiently for the inevitable
struggle. For this reason, when the
party was obliged to undertake the
defence of the miners of Central Ger
many, the transition to the necessary
action had to lead to defeat. The
second mistake was the failure of this
Central Committee Of the party to
keep complete control of the armed
workers, in having allowed them to
manifest activity when the character
of the movement had not yet become
fully defined, and before it was made
clear whether it would not have been
better merely to proclaim a strike.
But this error was also the result Of
the fact that until recently the deci-
sion Of such questions rested with one
Of the right wing comrades. For
reasons Of secrecy the Central Com
mittee lacked complete knowledge Of
the actual state Of things. Where the
present Central Committee Is really
at fault is in that 1t was not capable
from the very first moment clearly
to define the political significance Of
the movement, and that even now,
with the struggle over, it is still in
error with regard to the actual char
acter Of the movement. The March
movement is the type of movement
which is known in military science as
"active defence. Instead Of empha-
sising the defensive character Of the
struggle, which was forced upon the
proletariat, the party spoke of an
offensive; this made Il easy for the
opponents to create an impression
amongst part Of the proletariat that
the movement was artificially created
BY the Communists. The theory put
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23
National Defense Committee Holds Ten
Day Drive For Funds.
Demonstrations, Collections Meetings. Flower Days. Are
Means Taken by N. Y Committee to Raise
Class-War Defense Funds.

A Ten Day Drive for defense funds
for Class-War prisoners, deportees
and families has closed in New York
City. Under the auspices of the New
York Division of the National Def
ense Committee ten day drive was
opened on June II and closed on the
21 with a large public meeting at
Central Opera House.
A series of public meetings in all
parts Of the city, collections and ap-
peals to all sections of workers,
flower days and demonstrations were
adopted as measures to draw the at
tention of the workers Of the city
to the work of the committee in CIV
ing defense and relief to political
prisoners and their families.
The drive started off on schedule
time with busy headquarters, meet
ings in all sections of the city with
hundreds of volunteer workers. Many
thousands of leaflets were distributed.
This leaflet states in part:
We know you work for wages.
We know that one in five of you
is unemployed.
We know the bosses are cutting
your wages, attacking your unions
and locking you out.
They would see you all starve be.
fore they would open factories and
trade with Russia.
You and your fellow workers must
fight the bosses wage cuts and lock.
outs through your unions and shor
committees.
And you and your fellow workers
must fight the laws which are fight.
ing you.
In Vera Cruz the workers had 8
short, quick, snappy general strike
to prevent the deportation Of theil
leaders.
In the United States your leader.
are imprisoned or depOrted becaus,
the bosses want to break up YOU
unions, lower your standard Of living
cut you off from workers all over In,
world who are organizing in the Rec
Trade Union international.
They call us the mob-an unoIgan
lied crowd. And we soon will be al
unorganized crowd if we let all oul
leaders, our most class conscious lead
ers, be imprisoned and deported.
We must stop these attacks now.
We must stand by our imprisoned
fellows.
Almost every state in the union ha,
criminal syndicalism, sedition o.
criminal anarchy law. And old law
are revived for the purpose of "get
ting" our leaders. And the Fedora
Government deports aliens and leaves
their families to starve in order t,
preserve "our" institutions.
In England, Colonel Malone, M. P
told the workers they would neve
make headway until politicians lik
Winston Churchill who tricked tn
country into a capitalist war an,
were hanged to lamp posts. He wa
sentenced to six months imprison
ment.
In this country, the land of liberty
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23

Capitalism has idle factories and
idle factory operatives, while the mass
of the people are hungering for the
things that might be produced. 1t has
empty houses, while the workers are
crowded into foul tenements. And the
capitalists have the nerve to preach
efficiency to those who produce the
wealth of the world, and who would be
glad to produce enough for all, if the
capitalists would only give them the
chance!-The Forge.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23

final victory Of the proletariat.
Recent events have also proved one
more thing: that the party has chang
ed its policy Of agitation to one of
struggle against whom we hith-
erto considered to be Communists,
comrades who have belonged to the
Communist international either since
the last congress, or for many years.
A number of organizers, writer's and
emissaries of the former fraction of |
the left Independents were grouped
around those men. This proves that
we have to deal not with the devia-
tion Of one or two men, but with al
definite political bureaucratic bodyl
which, while fully adhering to the!
theory of communism, nevertheless
fears an actual struggle. This body
may be said to be younger brother
of the Dittmans and the Dissmans
who fear even the theory of commun-
ism. The bureaucratic element in the
party which publicly dared to declare
its solidarity with the renegade step
, made by Levi proved that in the event
of the party deciding against the will
of its bureaucrats the latter are pre-
pared to destroy the entire discipline
of the party.
The German Communist Party
eventually will be able to compell
these elements to submit to the will
of the party organizations. 1t will not
permit some II men of the parliamen.
tary fraction to treat the decision Of
I the party with contempt. 1t will not
permit party members to publish a
! journal in conjunction with people
who have been excluded from the par
ty for treachery. In this struggle for
revolutionary discipline the party will
be fully supported by the Communist
International which understands we'll
enough that what is happening in
Germany really represents continual
tion of our struggle with the "Cen-
tre". When the Communist Interna-
tional at the Second Congress opened
wide it's doors to the working masses
which adhered to it's slogans, it was
fully conscious Of the possible danger
Of having, together with the wave of
revolutionary workers, an influx into
it's ranks of elements whose sole dis
tinction from the Hilferdings and the
Crispiens is purely verbal Being
aware Of this danger the Second Con-
gress of the Communist international
took corresponding precautionary
I measures. One of the first conditions
was that all parties affiliated with il
should periodically register all its
members. At that time this seemed to
many quite superfluous. The present
events in the German Party have
proved this condition to be necessary
The proletariat has to carry on its
struggle for power under such diff.
cult conditions that it is not at all
surprising that many Of it's leaders
and especially the intellectuals and
bureaucrats of the old epoch become
apprehensive, and begin to withdraw
The leading workers see all these diff
ficulties, as has been proved by the
decisions carried out by all local or
ganizations without exceptions; they
, take into consideration all errors with
the aim of making further progress;
so soon as these mistakes have beer
rectified and the difficulties over,
come. This is the international mora
to be drawn from the March event;
, in Germany.
-O----------
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23
PRIZE WINNERS-ATTENTION

The following were winners Of
prizes at the July A picnic held at
Spring Grove, Wellesley, Mass:
No. 316 d. Zianeli-Kodak.
No. 20 Leo van Vagt-Wrist wa y.
No. az 3, Beryoli-Gillette razor.
Call for prizes at Room 10, 724
Washington St., Boston, Mass.
The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-23

International Former Combatants which in itself means much in
res,ect to an orientation toward internaonaism.
To those veterans Of the World War who seeking organ
zation with which to affiliate which contains broad view
tolerant attitude toward upward progression and ympathe
feeling towards the aspirations of the there be not
moments hesitation to which organization I'd join
Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-05-02
S ACTION
MAY CLOSE HELENA
DAILY NEWSPAPER
Apparently an Unauthorized
Action May Cause indie
pendent to Suspend.

Helena, May 1.-If threats of Hell
ena's printing pressmen's union No ..
are carried out Sunday night and Mon
day, the Helena Independent will not
be issued Monday, missing the first
regular issue in the 81 years of it's
existence
Pressmen in job offices all over the
United StatesSare demanding the A
hour week, the Helena local having ask
ed for such hours two weeks ago, but
being refused by commercial printers
throughout Montana. The controversy
is understood not to involve newspapers
printed on web presses anywhere.
The Helena Independent is publishc /
on web press entirely distinct and
apart from the Independent Publishing
company's commercial and job printing
rooms. Web pressmen are not employed
by the Independent, even temporarily,
in the job press rooms. Web pressmen
on the Independent have been working
on the average of five to six hours
daily, it being understood that their
maximum time should be seven and a
half hours daily. or As hours weekly.
When Editor Will A. Campbell came
to the office late Sunday evening he
was handed a communication under seal
of the Helena Printing Pressmen's
union Number 8, informing him that un-
less he granted the A hour week as
demanded by the pressmen in the job
office, his paper would not be run by
the web pressmen Monday morning
Mr. Campbell did not reply as it was
the first intimation SO far as known
anywhere in Montana that the web
pressmen would be in any way in
volved. The matter has been taken up
with the international officers.
Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-05-02
WOULD REFUND
FEDERAL DEBT
BY NEW PAPER
Secretary of Treasury
Plans to Retire Notes
for $7,5OO,OOO,O0

= Washington, May 1-Plans of the
treasury for refunding the govern
ment's shcrt-term debt, including the
Victory notes, into treasury certificates
OF indebtedness maturing between
l925 and 1923, are outlined by Secre-
tary Mellon, in letter to Chairman
Fordney, Of the = house ways and
means committee.
Including the Victory notes, approx
mately $7,50O,OO0,OOO in government
securities fall due within the next 80
months. These Mr.. Mellon regarded as
lump, and his program contemplated
the issue from time to time as market
conditions are favorable" of certifi-
Gates of indebtedness. carrying over the
retirement of such as are necessary to
the date of maturity of the third Lib
erty loan.
Would be More Manageable.
This program" the treasury head
more manageable and facilitates the
refunding operation which will be
necessary in connection with the ma
turity of the Victory notes."
The treasury can expect to reduce
the outstanding short-term debt about
81 ,O00. 600. 900 before the whole amount
natures, Mr.. Mellon says. He adds
that substantial progress has already
been made in that direction. but any
program for retiring the debt must
prepare the way for larger operations
than have been the rule in the past.
No change in the treasury's policy of
issuing certificates of indebtedness to
meet current requirements is antici-
mated