The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-14
Havana TRADE
UNION LEADER
THOT MURDERED
Added to Long List of
UniOnists Killed

The story below of the white
terror in Cuba will be followed by
story written especially for The
DAILY WORKER by its own cor
respondent, a worker connected
with the Cuban labor movement.
"a
NEW YORK, Aug. 12.-sensatlonal
stories of what is happening to ac-
tive trade unionlsts in Cuba are COM
ING to Latin Americans in New York.
This United States-eontrolled sugar
island, owned almost completely by
the National City Bank, is the scene
Of kidnapplngs and murders Of union
men. Letters from the editor of FL
Llbertsrio, liberal Journal suppress
cd a week ago, to the New York Gull
tura ohrera tell the storles-paraIIel-
ed best in Fascist Italy.
Havana Federation Head VanIshes.
Alfredo Lopez, secretary of the
Havana Federation of Labor, was kid
mapped July 20 on his way from home
to the local Office. He has not been
heard of since and his body has not
been found. His friends and family
firmly believe he was thrown into the
bay near Moro Castle where sharks
are plentiful.
The police say Lopez went of in
foreign ship because a conspiracy
charge was pending against him. The
charge appears to be a frame-up, al
leging that Lopez and IA others held
secret meetings on the roof OF the Ia
Dor center when the building roof is
not fiat and could not be used for
meetings. The district attorney had
refused to proceed against the work
ers on the fimsy evidence.
Workers Murdered.
Lopez was a linotype operator. His
wife and five children are frantic with
worry. The oldest boy sick in a hos
pital. Before Lopez disappeared, sew
eral other workers had mysteriously
vanished. De Armando Andre is known
to have been killed and a man named
jail A liberal journalist from Sagua,
Enrique Varona-One of the railroad
strike leaders, and others have dis.
appeared.
On July 16 Tomas Grant Of the rail-
road brotherhood was killed in Ciego
de Avila and Antonio Penichet, a jour
nalist and secretary Of the Cuban Con-
federation of Labor, likewise. The
police told these two when they ar
rested them that they would be treat
ed as enemies in war"
Hang UnionIst.
Early in July Santiago de Cuba was
the scene Of the first execution in 2s
years. Salvador Aguilera, an active
unionist, was the gallows' victim. And
now the house of representatives is
considering a motion that would au-
thorize the acquisition of 10 more
death chairs. Ell Vulvani, TERRA, FL
Progreso, (organ of the Cuban Labor
Federation) and FL Libertario-liberal
and labor papers-have all been sup
pressed.
Maehado suppresses Unions.
Cuban workers are organized in syn
dicalist unions. The confederation was
formed a year ago, August 1925, when
representatives of 1913 unions of 2OO,-
600 members assembled at Camaguey.
President Machado of Cuba decreed
the suppression of Cuban unions and
the staff of the official union paper was
charged with conspiracy. The Cuban
Confederation is not in the Pan-Amer-
lean Federation of Labor with which
the American Federation of Labor is
affiliated
Ruled BY Wall Street.
Cuba is dominated politically and
economically by United States cap
italists. The National City Bank owns
most of the sugar plantations and rail-
roads and general Enoch Crowder is
official representative Of the United
States in Cuba to tell President Ma
chado what to do.