davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

When workers first began to organize labor
unions the bosses passed laws, in their kept legs-
latures, making unions conspiracy. Workers
were hung branded, mutilated, imprisoned and
suffered all the tortures of bourgeois law for the
crime of conspiracy, for organizing unions. 1t is
popularity supposed that the old Conspiracy laws
had been dead and forgotten for long time 1t has
remained for well-known "friend of labor to dig
them up again.
Samuel Untermyer, millionaire lawyer, liberal
and "friend of the working man, is prosecuting for
the second time officials of the plasterers union
of New York City on the charge that, because the
organization is powerful enough that the bosses are
afraid to fight it, therefore the union is conspr
acy The theory is that in order to be lawful, the
union must be weak.
Untermyer is no exceptional instance of a
"friend of labor" One and all they love labor
most when labor is most helpless. They want to
come to the rescue just when labor is about to
be hung, drawn, and quartered. And if no one else
will put labor in that desperate plight, they will
do it themselves. Perhaps they will stage a last
minute rescue, just in time to get labor back
to work in good health and at reasonable wage.
Labor generally however, is getting belly full
of such friends. Better be friendless and strong,
than have world full of friends like Untermyer,
McAdoo ct al, whose kindness is the sort that kills.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

The air in Washington is thick with peace
rumors There is loud talk of Coolidge calling a
new naval and military disarmament conference.
Senator Lodge, the historian of the reactionary
republican party, is falling all over himself in an
attempt to make history by putting forward a new
peace plan whereby the United States enter
the League of Nations thru back door. Senator
Pepper of Pennsylvania, the reputed best legal
mind of the Old Guard, is on his hind legs keeping
pace with Sir Oracle Lodge in connecting peace
schemes and is advertising his own quack remedy
to secure world brotherhood
Why all this fight for peace among our militarist
capitalist peacemakers? On the basis of our ex-
periences with our ruling class we inclined to
think that all of this noise is merely camoufage to
hide the aggressive plans for new increased mill
tary and naval preparedness now being worked
out by the general staff of the employing class. II
the increased volume of the noise for more power
full navy means anything at all this is already
obviously true.
But there is another incident which turns the
scorching searchlight on the fraudulent peace
maneuvers of our capitalist clique. While Coo
lidge, Lodge Pepper and horde of other employ
ing class agents are mounting phrases about the
earnest desires of the American government Tor
peace, the same government is working overtime
devising the most effective weapons of internal
destruction.
A certain English Professor Matthews is re
ported to have invented death ray which can
destroy whole cities at a distance of miles. This
new messenger of imperialist peace is said to be
of so deadly character as to be able to decimate
regiments of soldiers at stroke. disappointment
with the lack of enthusiasm that first greeted his
invention, Mr.. Matthews turned to France for
recognition. The French imperialists, of course,
welcomed the inventor with open arms Now, the
United States, hearing of the mad scramble for
this new agency of heish destruction, has Joined
the race to secure control of the invention and is
feverishly chasing the death rays. There is no
doubt that the government paying the highest price
will win monopoly against England and France
and the United States stands the best chance of
winning the race.
Apparently, chasing death rays is the shortest
and only road to peace that our employing class
knows.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

IT. u. e. L. program for amalgama-
tion, labor party and other meas
ures. 1t is not difference Of opin-
ion"
Comrade Foster depicts how these
bureaucrats trade of organizational
power for personal favors, how they
often become immensely wealthy,
their intimate relations with politi-
clans of the capitalist parties which
keeps organized labor in leading
strings in this manner
Such a subject could be we'll ex-
banded into book, and it is notable
that, according to the Labor Herald
custom of condensing the most valu-
able matter into brief and readable
form, Comrade Foster in the May is
sue has given the very essence Of so
important a work BY it he makes
clear that the necessity Of fighting re-
dictionary labor bureaucracy is bound
up with the fact that it is the outpost
of capitalism in the camp of labor,
and no attack can be made upon cap
italism without making first contact
with these petty bourgeois sentinels.
No better and more vital article has
appeared upon any labor union sub
ject for many months.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
Capitalist Agents in the Unions

which is posted as its agents and sen
tinels in the headquarters Of organ
lied labor-as spies upon and traitors
to the marshaled ranks of labor.
AS petty bourgeois shopkeepers the
union bureaucracy is interested in la
Dor only insofar as labor is saleable.
AS Foster puts it, "They have the
same interest in organizing and main
tanning the union as has the shop
keeper in building shelves and filling
them with saleable merchandise. .
The article Celebrates how this inter
est inevitably conflicts with the inter-
ests of the rank and file workers.
Here, also, Foster makes clear that
the opposition to the program of the
Communists and the measures advo-
Gated by the Trade Union Educational
league is not derived from any hon
est opinion" on the part Of union Of
ficials. The solid wall of hostility
confronting the militant workers in
the unions is the united officialdom.
These officials are famous mainly for
their stupidity and ignorance, and
Foster correctly points out that moth
ing on earth could unity such pig
gish tribe but the threat against their
material interests embodied in the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

Many years ago Austin Lewis wrote
little pamphlet about the deaden-
ing influence of the petty bourgeoisie
in the revolutionary movement, but
Lewis dealt with the question in the
abstract and referred definitely to the
role Of the petty bourgeoisie in the
old Socialist movement of pre-war
days.
New conditions and the new Com
munist movement has developed a new
petty bourgeois influence, or rather
has brought out in bold relief the pet
ty bourgeois nature of that influence
welded over the working class by the
bureaucrats of the trade unions. 1t
is, therefore, intensely interesting to
learn that so able an analyst as Will
liam 2. Foster has briefly but distinct
ly defined the character and tenden-
cies of this class influence on the or
ganized labor movement.
In the Labor Herald for May Com
rade Foster makes clear that the
trade union bureaucracy has become
special section of the petty bour-
geoisie More definitely it has be-
come that section of the bourgeoisie
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
Recognition of Russia

Capitalist world politics continues to stagger
from pillar to post. On the question of recogni-
ton of Russia it is torn by the contradictions of
class interests demanding that Russia be crushed,
sectional interests demanding the profits of trade,
and the sympathies of the great masses of every
country demanding full and complete recognition
of Soviet Russia, as is. Out of the tangle comes,
not policy, but drift of events, that shows that
Soviet Russia is here to stay, and that politicians
Of realism are being forced to deal with the stub
born fact.
That American capitalism is the slowest in get
ting into this drift of history is explained by three
facts. First capitalism in this country is the
strongest in the world and the most able to follow
its instructive aversion to dealing with workers
government. Second, trade connections with Rus
STA before the war were weaker with America than
with other capitalist countries, and the lure Of
present profits is therefore not quite so strong.
Third, the masses in this country are not yet
aroused to express their sympathies with Soviet
Russia in political way, as, for instance, is re-
ported by Claire Sheridan, who says: ~ have
seen the proletarians both in Britain and France
rise up in wrath whenever the subject (aggression
against Soviet RUSSIA required for discussion
But slow though America may be, for these reas.
ons, the same forces at work. Recognition Of
Soviet Russia must come and come soon.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
Gompers, July 18th, and La Toilette

Three groups with essentially the same ideas,
Gompers, the O. p. P. A.. and the LaFollette
group still 60 their own separate ways. They are
united in their lack of definite program of action,
and they split on the question of who shall lead
the inaction.
The American Federation of Labor nonpartisan
campaign committee (which means Gompers)
issued statement few days ago. 1t expresses
few pious Wishes which it hopes and trusts will
come to the attention of the candidates of the
Republican and Democratic parties. 1t promises
that those candidates who tip their hats to the
statement will be announced as friends of labor"
The G. p. p A. has announced that it wants liberty
and Justice for ALL and has shown that it intends
to split its forces between Democratic and Republi
can parties in an effort to get it both places.
LaFollette has slapped the organized Farmer
Labor movement in the face, is organizing his
committees from middleclass elements, and an
nounces that unless "goOd man" is named by one
of the old parties the citizens of the United States
will have an opportunity to vote for, not party
of their own, but an independent" candidate. The
one positive thing, common to all three groups, is
their confusion.
All of which makes the June 18th, st. Paul con-
vention stand out on the political horizon like a
mountain on the desert st. Paul has issued a
clarion call for independent political action of the
workers and farmers. At st. Paul has been laid
the basis for a real class party of the toiling
masses. At st. Paul the rank and file will find
expression thru delegates selected by themselves.
St. Paul gives a clear lead towards establishing
political power for the hitherto disfranchised
classes st. Paul is the gateway from the present
eaderless, chaotic, confusonist, futile, helpless
ness Of the workers and farmers, into the field of
struggle, of organized power of the beginnings of
achievement.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
SIMON CALLED PETER
Nv ALFRED FRANKENSTEIN

After seeing Simon Called Peter,
now playing at the Great Northern
one has a strong and itching desire
to go after Jules Eckert Goodman
and Edward Knoblock, the dramatic
butchers who ruined Robert Keable's
novel to make the play, with large
bottle Of some effective but torture
some poison in either hand. For
Keable's story and what might have
been a good play are both spoiled by
one of the most asinine happy end
ings ever put on a stage.
The play deals with the effects OF
the war on bourgeois minister.
Peter Graham leaves his church and
his rich congregation to serve in
France as British army chaplain
But when a small group attends his
sermons, and only because of regard
for him and not for what he has to
say, he doubts the value Of his preach
ing. A British officer explains that
nobody wants his sort of religion, a
religion of words and phrases. He
advises the padre" as they call him,
to get down from his high horse and
learn the unrestrained and lewd
psychology of men at war.
The padre" does so, and in the do
ing learns to doubt that religion has
any value at all. There occurs an
episode in French cafe, in which
is a startlingly vivid air raid. A
friend of the preacher is killed in the
raid, but dies without wanting the
prayers of the church of England.
There is also an adventure with a
prostitute, which further destroys his
belief.
Graham falls in love with an army
nurse, and lives with her for a week
in a London hotel when they are on
leave. He declares his intention of
quitting the church, and his intention
of marrying her. But she refuses, be-
cause she says he is still too much of
preacher. She says he will go
back to his sumptuous church and his
rich congregation to preach again the
same old stuff And she is right
So far so good. But in the final
scene the play falls fiat and far. 1t
represents Peter Graham preaching
in his robes of priest Of Jesus.
Clack, clack goes the scissorbill. He
winds up by telling his hearers he
will quit the church because he has
sinned according to the laws of the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
ELIJAH

Elijah" by Mendelssohn, opened
this years North Shore music festival,
at Patten gymnasium, Northwestern
university, last Monday night. The
soloists were Louis Graveure, bari
tone; Richard Crooks, tenor. Merle
Alcock, Contralto, and Monica Ora
ham-Stults, soprano. There was a
chorus of thousand voices, thanking
the huge bank of organ pipes in the
center of the stage.
Elijah" deals with the famine and
misery of the Jews, the miracle work
ing Of the prophet to bring them back
to the worship Of the Jews, and his
subsequent light, ending with his re-
solution to devote his energies to a
second reclamation OF Israel. The
music, unlike so much of Mendels-
sohn, is powerful, almost classic in
spirit, and so dramatic that the ora
torio might well make an opera.
1t was Graveure's evening, as far
as the solo work went. The words
of the prophet were given to the bari
tone. Graveure's voice is most
unusual baritone, for, unlike the dark
profundities of Russian, German and
American singers of low voice, it is
light and high in quality, yet low in
range. His interpretations of the
prophet haunting the priests of Baal
to perform miracle, and of the hope
less and tired Elijah cast out into
the wilderness were especially fine.
Musically, the chorus is next in inn
portance. 1t is no small task to train
a thousand singers to the point where
they can put over even a mediocre
performance of such a work as Eli
jah," and this was no mediocre per-
formance. The work of small cap
pella choir, singing the words of the
angels of the Lord, gave a peculiarly
beautiful and mystical effect.
The other soloists had little to
do, but that little done with perfec-
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
"BehoId This Dreamer"
BY FULTON OURSLER.
1.-THE Macaulay Company, New York
Ry GEoRoE MeLAueHLIN.


BY GEORGE MCLAUGHLIN.
Charley is a, dreamer, an inchoate
artist married to contented slave
and chafed to fury by his slave ring,
which is inscribed "Filing Clerk" He
meets a girl of charm and plays
awhile in Already. He chivies her away
in disgust when he finds she uses a
lipstick doubtless-garters His
in-laws railroad him to an asylum to
save divorce scandal He escapes
to New York, the modern sphinx,
whose shibboleth and motto is:
Quick, quick; be quick" His car
toons make big splash but he holly
refuses fat job; he will not become
a dreamer, who has accepted harness
and oats" he will draw only beauty,
nothing SO coarse, so ugly as car
toons.
So he meets his dream woman, his
Aphrodite, lovely in mind and body
and soul, and her uncle is a wise old
craftsman, who makes a master paint
er of him.. The world acclaims him
and the book ends in rosy Pollyanna
mist.
A corking book but strangely my
opic. The world is a cesspool but he
still devoutly praises God. 'Tis wild
weird theory that the knights of
Hearst and the Saturday Evening Post
are selfraborted dreamers.
Picture the shy, stifled souls of Ar
thur brisbane and Edna Ferber, of
George Patullo and Mary Roberts
Rinehartl These heroes are word
merchants, there's a streak Of shoddy
in them. Some of the dreamers man
age to compromise enough to join
Roman ROLAND and Oursler in their
safe retreat "above the battle" The
gifts of those, who are not heard at
once and who find no Fairy with an
uncle-cornucopia are strangled at the
daily task in coal-pit, steel mill or
packing house. The best use their
divine fire to heat the Goals in vul-
cans brazier forging the rebel blade
to hack out world in which Prone
Ithean fire will not be stifled.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
UnhoIy CITY of DIsqraced Anuels.

UnhoIy City of Dlssraced Angels.
To the DAILY WORKER: We are
supposed to have an up-to-date chief
Of police in this city, but police
brutalities are just as bad now as
ever before, or worse. Even Deputy
District Attorney Clark-suspected Of
being bootlegger-was badly beaten
up last year in the third degree cham
Der of the city jail. But this was a
mistake" Of course, and therefore
does not count, they say. On the
other hand, former U. S. Senator
Works, who, by the way, is rich
enough not to work any more, comes
out in Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr.'s
newspaper saying that all third de-
gree methods are illegal, and there
fore, all brutality of this kind is a
mistake and often criminal.
The question is: What is the rea-
son for this hot-headed stun? The
climate, OF course. So now they are
fumigating the hot air OF Southern
California in general and this unholy
CITY OF disgraced angels in particular.
Arrest Little Children.
A prominent woman here invited
some radicals from San Pedro to ar
range for an entertainment in Pasa-
dena-a city OF millionaires--an a
group Of children, with their parents.
went to their hall for practice last
week. But the affair was broken up
by six husky brutes who represented
law and order" A mother and
father and several little children were
sent to jail. The charge is criminal
syndicalism and contributing to the
delinquency OF minors. The rotten
ness Of such injustice smells to high
heaven.
The American Civil Liberties Union
IL going good work here. bat more
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
The Turn in the East

One outcome of the estrangement between the
japanese and American governments the
exclusion of Nipponese that will very soon out
weigh all other considerations is new turn in the
relations between Soviet Russia and Japan.
Taking advantage of its present unassailable
economic and political position the imperialist
Washington government dared do against Japan
what it has for years shrunk from doing. This
compels Japan to seek new friends, if not to un-
make old enemies, at least. A reproachment be-
tween Soviet Russia and Japan in the Pacific will
do more than anything else to make the Yankee
ruling class toe the mark and accord the Japanese
the same treatment now accorded European immi-
grants In view of the center of gravity of the
economic development steadily veering toward the
Pacific, such realignment would be of inestimable
significance in world politics
Thus the reports of a settlement of the old diff
culties between the Soviet republic and Japan are
of paramount interest at this moment. From
Picking it is reliably reported that Japan has
agreed to recognize the Soviet Republic, to
ate Saghalien, and to cancel the old czarst debts
In return the Soviet government will grant certain
concessions to the japanese in Eastern Siberia
and Northern Saghalien.
In the history of Soviet Russia's foreign rela-
tons this is an event of international significance
that is mot exceeded by the British recogni-
ton of the Sovets," according to of the abest
observers of world politics The American
immigration policy and the swing to the liberals
in the recent japanese elections have undoubtedly
played decisive part in precipitating the change
in attitude on the part of the government of Japan
This resumption of friendly relations between
Soviet Russia and Japan is bound to have its effect
the attitude Of the American capitalist govern
ment towards the Workers and Farmers republic.
Judging by the way foreign affairs are developing
in Europe today, one cannot blink the fact that
the United States has dismaly failed in its attempt
to isolate Soviet Russia.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
DfIfl mi I: kJ i

church. Thru the house comes Julie,
the nurse, crying, "Peetah, Peetah
forgive me-"
Acting, costumes and scenery are
good. Noel Tearle makes a good
preacher, and Frieda Enescort good
Julie. There is splendid work on the
parts of Jetta Goudal as Madeleine
the prostitute, H. Tyrell Davis as the
lieutenant killed in the air raid, and
Harold de Becker, as the private who
tells the preacher his reversed collar
sis too damned nosy."
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

United Shoe Machinery Corp. announces net
earnings for the year of s,O54,941. surplus of
over $21 100000 shows the corporation books.
1t was an uneven and unsatisfactory" year, the
presidents report states Reports from the shoe
workers indicate that 80 per cent Of them operated
at a loss for the year. Wages were reduced, hours
heightened, unemployment was rampant If the
year was unsatisfactory for the capitalists, what
would you call it for the workers?
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

ton. Richard Crooks has had his
praise sung in these columns before.
His rendition Of the famous aria, eff
With All Your Hearts Ye Truly Seek
Me" demonstrated the high silken
quality Of his voice and his dramatic
interpsetative ability.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
Report On Muscle Shoals.

WASHINGTON. May 2s.-The Sen.
ate Agriculture committee today IA.
vorably reported the Norris govern
ment ownership plan for the opera.
ton Of the gigantic Muscle Shoals nj
rate and powder project
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
Are Unemployed "Idlersv?

ATLANTA, Ca, May U.s. Leland
Harvey started something when he
told police his occupation was poker
playing" Chief of police Jett or
dered an immediate roundup OF idlers
and 140 were arrested.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29
THE VIEWS OF OUR READERS ON
LIFE, LABOR, INDUSTRY, POLITICS

publicity is necessary, for Chief
yollmer's Scientific police methods
Of today" are copied from the Spanish
inquisition-with some deviIish tricks
added to it for good measure.
The painters strike is still on-but
good hopes are reported. Those ar
ticles in the DAILY WORKER about
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

this struggle against the open shop
did lot OF good. as the sale Of the
paper among painters increased 400
per cent. This put 100 percentism
into the back seat in shame once
more.-L p. Rindal, Los Angeles, Cal.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

Lady Aston, the american parasite
who became a naturalized British sub
ject because there was no title fac
tory in the United States, ventured
into Glasgow to oppose the labor can
didate and assist her friend, an ex-
army officer, who is running on the
Conservative ticket. There is much
unemployment in Glasgow and Lady
Aston feels" for the poor, but the
best way out of their troubles. She
says, is to forget them and refuse to
listen to the pessimistic speeches of
the Communists. She has many
friends in The Highland Light Infan-
try, stationed in Glasgow. Nancy"
is one Of the gay ladies who are used
by the ruling class to tickle the fancy
OF the soldiers who may be needed
at any moment to die for the safety Of
the aristocracy and the capitalists.
But the Glasgow workers have listened
to better propagandists than Lady
Aston and her bunk will not impress
them. The Highland Light Infantry
can have her all to themselves as far
as the workers are concerned.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-29

The
vanzet held while the
be roughly ransted WORKERS. greetings
Of Nicola
In the future Yours, psxoomeo vansstL