The daily worker., 1927-04-02

TODAY, the Freiheit (Freedom), our Jewish Com
4 munist daily, celebrates its Fifth Anniversary.
1t is time of congratulation for the thinking work
ers speaking all languages, in the whole American labor
movement,-that such staunch fighter Of the working
class has trumphanty thru five of ceaseess
battle in the of toll The future looks bright
with new successes awaiting The Frehet in its efforts
to win greater of workers for their class
fight leading the way to labors complete emancipation
Recent events have shown that The Freiheit is not
only the standard bearer of the militant workers who
speak and read the Jewish language. 1t fights, and
fights brilliantly sector of the American work
ing class front against capitalism important and
essary sector that has helped strengthen the spirit and
morale of labors entire army
AS the mouthpece of the Jewish workers who
stitute large and able part of the left wing in the
needle trades unions The Freiheit incurs alike the
enmity of Abraham Cahan, of The Forward the yellow
Socialist organ of Morris Sgman head Of the reaction
in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union
with other betrayers of the Jewish workers. well as
William Green, president, Matthew Wol, vice president
and other officials of the American Federation of La
bor whose prime task is to keep the workers loyal to
capitalist interests seeking to turn their faces against
their own struggle.
The Freiheit came into existence shortly after the
organization of the Workers (Communist) Party.
1t established by the joint forces of the Jewish
Federation that had withdrawn from the Socialist Party
the previous in 1921 and the Jewish Section of
the Communist Party, that had been forced into an
illegal existence by governmental persecution. They
combined all the best elements among the revolutionary
Jewish workers in this country
This became very evident and soon with the barrage
laid down against the left wing in the Jewish section of
the American trade union movement by the Socialist
Daily Forward"
At first The Forward attacked the left wing and The
Frehet almost exclusively the issue Of the Soviet
Union.
When the Frehet and the left wing were urging ev-
cry possible support of the Friends of Soviet Russia
that raising relief funds in this country in aid of
the famine stricken in the First Workers Republic the
socialist Forward" doing everything possible in
effort to hamstring this effort to joining with
the capitalist prosecutors in demanding examination
of the funds collected.
At that time the yellow leaders, still in control of the
needle trades unions the necessity of maintaining
English-languaye organ and threw great of
money into the everempty treasury of The New York
Call, the socialist daily, operated under the thumb of
Abe Cahan..
Two big significant facts in this period were: (1)
The drift of Jewish workers from The Forward TO The
Frehet and; (2) The failure of The Call to hold any
support among English-language reading workers
suting in its suspension. These two facts in
dications pointing to the growth of the left wing
The left wing did grow in New York, against every
obstacle that raised against it, especially the gang
ster methods employed to ntmidate the rank and file.
This growth, rapid it was, could not have been
achieved without The Frehet 1t The Frehet that
kept great of workers informed daily as to
every phase of the struggle In those locals of the
ternational Ladies' Garment Workers Unon the Fur
riers' Union, the Amalgamated Clothing Workers
Union, the capmakers and other needle trades unions
not reached by the Frehet and other left wing publ
cations, the reaction to maintain foothold
The lack of information the part Of the workers
to the militant viewpoint in the left wing struggle gave
strength to Cahan and Hiquit, Schesinger and Sgman
Kaufman and Schachtman The loss Of Italian daily
was especially felt, and very severely.
The Freiheit was a great power in achieving the
triumph of the Joint Action Committee of the l. L. G.