davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05
of Scott Nearing

Our struggle for a Soviet govern
ment in the United States receives
and requires the aid of the revolu-
tionary struggle of our brothers and
comrades in Latin America (and
throughout the world). Their strug-
gle requires and receives aid from
ours. They are two phases Of one
struggle. Neither can "wa,t until
the other is completed" Neither
should wait. For either to wait
would weaken both phases of the
struggle, weaken our forces and
strengthen those of our enemy.
Nearing's Arguments Examined.
Let Us examine for moment
some of Meanings arguments"
1. Latin America is impotent."
Latin America is not impotent.
Even today, divided as it is into
twenty-one republics, betrayed by
timid tty-bourgeois leadership of
some of its anti-imperialist forces,
betrayed by puppet governments
that have sold out to American i'm
perialism or are its creatures-even
today it already shows growing
consciousness and a growing
strength and a capacity for stub
horn resistance and heroic struggle
that may we'll amaze those who rea-
son as Meanings article does. Look
how many years it took to conquer
tiny Haiti and Santo Domingo
leach half of little island). In
spite of the armies of occupation
and the brutal policy of blood and
fire and rapine, revolt flares up
there again and again. Look at the
Nicaraguan forces, betrayed by their
taint-hearted and corrupt liberal
leaders (Moncada, etc. yet carry
ing on for a year and half against
the American "Devil Dogs" with all
the latest implements of civilized
warfare" The revolutionary army
is still holding out in the mountains
Of Nicaragua.
Remember the "brave and gal
liant" expedition of Pershing to
punish handful of outlaws" I'M
der Villa. With machine guns and
airplanes and tons of explosives and
a whole army division, Pershing
marched grandly in pursuit of Villa.
One moment his vanguard was just
catching up with Villa and the next
moment Villa had attacked and
routed his rearguard. And in the
end Pershing marched out of Mex
leo again, discounted, with Villa
master of the field. So it was with
the occupation of Vera Cruz under
the Wilson regime.
They Have Only Begun to Fight.
Look how long Mexico has re-
sisted many of the demands of
American Imperialism. Now its
government has sold out Lamont
De La Huerta Treaty, Non-Retroac-
tivity of article 81, annlllment of oil
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05
Misleaders in
the American
Labor Unions
By WILLIAM z. FOSTER


The direct corruption of the trade
union leadership reaches its apex in
the building trades. In this industry,
as in no other, the officialdom is
contaminated with graft of all kinds.
Here the bribery of the workers
leaders is carried on most flagrantly
by the employers; here the official
dom is most closely affiliated to the
capitalist politicians, the bootlegging
rings, and various underworld ele-
ments. The building trades are the
cancer spot of the American labor
movement.
The exceptional corruption of the
building trades leaders develops be-
cause the peculiar conditions of their
industry offer them more advan-
tageous opportunities for graft than
usual. The unions are strong, being
made up mostly of skilled workers.
The demand for labor power has
been great for years in the exrand-
ing industry. The industry is still
largely in a competitive state. 1t is
seasonal in character, the work must
be done on the spot, and the contrac-
tors are always in a tremendous hur-
ry to finish it. All these factors
combine to facilitate graft in the
building trades, to enable the leaders
to "stick up" the employers and
workers leaders to form monopolis-
tic combinations together. The en-
ployers agree to employ only union
workers, and the unions contract to
work only for and to use material
produced only by the members of the
given contractors association. These
are the so-called "air-tight" agree
ments. They stifle competition and
give the contractors death grip on
the local building situation, for
which they have to pay a price to
the unions leaders. In all cities
where the unions are strong, this
kind of combination will be found to
exist. 1t is a prolific breeder of
graft.
Throughout the country, in every
big industrial center, rank corrup-
ton prevails in the building trades.
! 1t is difficult to put ones finger on
any city and say it is worse than
the others. Basically the same sys-
tenn of corruption prevails every
where. It's extent depends upon the
strength of the unions, the intensity
of the building boom, and various
local factors. But Chicago stands
out as a noxious example of such
corruption, this being primarily due
to the rapid growth of the city. For
third of a century the Chicago
building trades have been the symbol
of all that is venal and reactionary
in the labor movement. Perhaps the
situation can be best pictured by
tportraying a few of the outstanding
building trades leaders and their ex-
PLOTS.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05
God and Capitalism

In the rush attendant upon publishing
daily newspaper it sometimes happens that
errors creep into its columns. But when
columns of the Communist press it indicates
something more than an excusabe accident
Such an error appeared on the third page of
Tuesdays Daily Worker, under picture of
Cardinal Hayes dedcating a church. The
caption said in part:
"Above we see Cardinal Hayes of the
American ambassadors of the holy roman
pire, officiating at dedication exercises of st.
Stephens Hungarian Church, institution
whose chief function is to keep the minds of
the Hungarian workers sOdden that they
will continue to identify god with capitalism
and allow themselves to be sat on by the para
site ruling class"
This caption clearly implies that god of
today is something separate and apart from
capitalism; that god may be all right if only
he were not identified with capitalism in the
minds of workers. Such a conception is COM
pIetely foreign from and opposed to dialectic
materialism which scientifically demon
strates that, in all class societies, religion
and all it's trappings are but reflex of the
mode of wealth production and distribution.
AS MdIA Sdlu. lHG IclSlOuS WOIl 10 DuC
the reflex of the real world. In pastoral
society god is good shepherd who leads
his children "by the side of still waters" To
the American Indians, who obtained their
existence by hunting, god was a great
spirit" whose existence was guarantee of
happy hunting ground" To the seafaring
Norsemen he guided them on burning pyres
out upon the waves to the banquet halls of
Valhalla, where there was eternal feasting
with the beautiful Valkyres. Under Con-
stantine emperor of Rome, god was
petulant monarch who ruled with an iron
hand. In the middle ages, god established
his church after the manner of the feudal
system and fought vaiantly against the
rising bourgeoisie. Today the god of capt.
talism promises his subjects that the more
miserable and slavish they are here upon
earth the happier they will be after they are
dead. He promises them paradise cover
on the golden Shore where they will walk
on golden streets, wear golden crowns and
play golden harps in the heavenly orchestra.
Since gold is the universal equivalent, the one
commodity that expresses the circulation of
all other commodities. and hence the one
thing the masses haven't got, they are
promised an abundance of it when they are
dead. AS Paul LaFargue said, god promises
them pay checks on the bank of heaven for
the work they have done on EARTH"
Today the concept of god is not merely
identified with capitalism; it is one of the
weapons used by the capitalist class to hold
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05

known as Wall Street, it sees that
they run the government of the Uni
ted States, dispose of it's army anc
n~vy and state department, contro
l its press and schools and churches
and movies, send dollars and gun.
boats to China, dollars and battle
ships, military advisers, financial ad.
visers and armies of occupation ano
good will' warships to Latin Amer.
lea, smash unions, reduce wages
control courts, police, national guards
and armies in the United States
but it does not see how small is the
number of money kings and how
vast the number of their subjects,
how small is the number of the op.
pressors and how great the number
of the oppressed. 1t does not see
that "the great only appear great
because we are on our knees" AnC
certainly it does not issue thesclarior
call to "arise."
1t sees the weakness of the work.
ers of America and their Latin
American comrades in arms because
we are divided, used against each
other, not all conscious of our in
terests and strength. But it does not
see the enormous strength of the
workers of the United States anc
the toiling masses of Latin America
once they are aroused, united, con-
scious of their interests and con-
scious of their power.
Whatever Nearing may have in
tended, and of course l do not ques-
ton his subjective intentions, his ar
ticle has the effect of discouraging
resistance, discouraging revolution
airy struggle against imperialism
and imperialist war, deluding the
workers as to the strength of their
enemy, encouraging passivity. 1t is
the reaction of an individual who
feels impotent by himself rather
than the voice of revolutionary
movement that knows the strength
that is in its numbers. Certainly
such viewpoints have nothing in
common with Marxism-Leninism
no place in an organ of revolution
airy struggle like the Daily Worker
and cannot go unanswered in its
columns.
The sentences quoted from Near
ing's article are not mere "slip OF
the PEN" He has expressed such
views before. Last summer he
upheld the affirmative of debate
which read: Resolved that Latir
America cannot achieve it's indie.
pendence until there is a Soviet
government in the United States
The very wording of the topic
shows a failure to grasp the funda.
mental relationship between the
struggle against American imper.
ialism IN Latin America and the
struggle against the same imperial.
list government in the United States
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05
By BERTRAM D. WOLFE.

On the first page Of the Daily
Worker of December 4 is picture
Of an American flag captured in
battle by the heroic fighters Of the
Nicaraguan Army of Liberation,
which has been holding out for well
over year now against the Amer
lean military occupation expedition.
On page four of the same issue of
the Daily is an article by Scott
Nearing which declares:
Latin America is impotent be-
fore the onrush of United States
imperialism. They have no 36,167
ton battleships and no 16-inch
guns. Hoover, circling Latin
America on the Maryland, is like
sheep-dog rounding up the flock
on the way to the slaughter house.
One dog can handle hundred
sheep"
1t is fortunate thing for the
toiling masses of the United States
and Latin America that the men who
make up the Nicaraguan revolutions
airy army and the forces of strug-
gle against imperialism generally in
Latin America do not share the pes
simistic views of Scott Nearing. TIC
accept such views is to capitulate
before the difficulties of big strug-
giles, to cease to struggle, to wait
passively for American imperialism
to collapse" to give statistical argu-
ments proving the impossibility of
revolutionary struggles, to surrender
with feeble denunciations but with
out struggle.
The Weaknesses of Imperialism's
Strength.
To view so mechanically the
strength of American Imperialism is
to fail to see the class struggle
within the United States, the class
differences within the very army OF
imperialism, the alliance between
the struggles for liberation in Latir
America and the struggle of the re-
volutionary workers of the United
States against the capitalist-imperi-
alist system, the growing contradic.
tons facing the ever-more aggres-
sive imperialism of the United
States, the growing resistance that
is generated by growing oppression
it is to fail to understand the
whole nature of proletarian and ma
tional colonial revolution and the
unitary connection between them
1t sees guns and dollars, tons Of
explosives and barrels of oils, but
not class forces. Tho it may de
nounce Imperialism, yet if this dead
ly doctrine of passivity pessimisn
and impotence were to take hold o.
the American workers and the toll
ing masses of Latin America, i
would immeasurably strengthen the
power of imperialism to rule and ex
plot and enslave at it's own sweer
will.
1t sees the power of American
imperialism but it does not see thu
topheavy character of that power, i
sees the might of the little handful
of financial oligarchs that is loosely
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05

common struggle on a continental
and world scale.
2. "They (the Latin Americans)
have no 36,167-ton battleships and
no 16-inch guns" To this we must
answer:
First, while battleships can over
awe and 16-inch guns control
coast line, they can never make pos
sible the permanent military occu-
patton of whole continent against
guerilla forces that know mountain
and Jungle and have the support of
the entire population. Military oc-
cupation is only a temporary eX-
pedient and on a limited scale.
Second, the armies and battleship
crews are recruited from workers
and poor farmers in the main and
therefore are not eternally dependa-
BILE instruments of imperialist ag-
erosion. Therefore, instead of tell
ing the Latin American masses their
struggle is hopeless, we must null
tiply thousandfold our feeble work
among the soldiers and sailors. This
will be aided by the revolutionary
struggles of the Latin American
masses (cf. the desertion OF mar
ines in Nicaragua, the mutiny OF
American forces in Archangel) and
will aid them in turn.
3. "One dog can handle hundred
Sheep This may be true. Besides
/ will not quarrel with you as to
whether Hoover is to be likened to
dog. But Comrade Nearing, If
you think that the Latin American
masses are sheep, then you don't
know our Latin-American allies.
Our Heroic Allies.
We have confidence in them, in
their bravery, in their determination
to struggle in their capacity for
struggle. We must strengthen their
confidence in us. We must raise
the fighting power of our Party and
our class. We must multiply enor-
mously our anti-imperialist activi-
ties, our struggle against imperial
list war and pacifist illusions,
against passivity and pessimism.
against chauvinism and provincial
ism. We must multiply enormous
ly our anti-imperialist work in the
unions and among the working
masses. Our work in the armed
forces. Our activities on every front
of the class struggle. We must
make statistics and knowledge a
weapon of struggle, not a substitute
for struggle, not paralyser of
struggle. We must draw tight the
bonds that unite us with our broth
ers in arms in Latin America. We
must support them in every strug-
gle. We must urge them to strug-
gle and we must fight side by side
with them. Together with them we
will defeat American Imperialism
and build a Union of Soviet Repub-
lies on the American continent which
will be a part of the Union Of Soviet
Republics of the world.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05
The Heroism of SANDING and Pessimism

regulations and frontier land regu-
lations, etc.. But the revolution
airy determination of the workers
and peasants is unbroken. Under
the leadership of the Communist
Farty, which is growing with as
founding rapidity in numbers and
understanding, they are beginning
to organize their forces for strug-
giles which will make those of the
period of 1910 to the present seem
like child's play.
The revolutionary forces of Latin
America are not exhausted and
broken. They are only beginning to
grow. The very strength, the very
aggressiveness, the very encroach-
ments and advances of American
imperialism in Latin America,
arouse the masses, unite them on a
continental scale, strengthen the
forces of resistance and struggle.
The march of the dollar has created
the Anti-Imperialist League and
makes it increasingly a mass force
in every country. The aggression of
American imperialism and the
supine cowardice, treachery ard cor
ruption of phrase-mongering petty
bourgeois governments, the tyranny
of autocracies set up and controlled
by Wall Street, the growing differ
entiation of classes, have resulted in
the enormous growth of worker and
lpeasant forces under leadership of
the most advanced sections of those
classes. Increasingly the working
class assumes leadership over all
revolutionary forces. Communist
Parties, sure signs of the maturing
of the working class and the rev.
olutionary forces, are growing up
il, countries where there were none
before. In countries where there
were little propaganda sects they
are becoming mass parties. The
Communist Party of the United
States, too, is becoming increasingly
critical of it's former neglect of this
important phase of the struggle, in
creasingly conscious of its tasks and
is in process of transition from a
mere propaganda organization to
the leader of masses in struggle on
many fields.
Sandino's Heroism Has Aroused
Latin America.
The heroic struggle of the Nicara-
guam Army Of Liberation has in
spired the masses throughout Latin
America, set the continent aflame
with the spirit of revolt, with the
demand for unified struggle, with
impotence at the treachery and
cowardice Of the Latin American
governments, with determination on
the part of the workers and pea
SAINTS to take affairs into their own
hands.
The population of Latin America
is almost equal to that of the United
States. It's area ditto. With the
exception of Brazil, all speak the
same language, have common his
torical tradition. Most of them
have a roughly similar class struc-
ture and all have common enemy.
The population of the United
States Something which Nearing
forgets) is made up of exploiters
and exploited. The exploited are
many, the exploiters few. The enc
mics and oppressors of the Ameri-
can workers and working farmers
are the same as the enemies and OPP
pressors of the Latin American
masses. Both must carry on their
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05

the masses in subsection to it's rule. The
worker who accepts the illusion of a master
in the skies can be more easily subjected to
tempt to make it appear that god is separate
from capitalism, or that the masses should
worship non-capitalist god, is an anti
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05
Two Varieties of Prisoners

The Atlantic federal prison parole board in
recommending the release Of Thomas W.
Miller, former alien property custodian, who
as sentenced for graft in connection with
The administration of his office, gives as it's
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05

Communist concept. 1t is pure christian So
cialism, one of the most poisonous doctrines
that ever cast it's blight upon the working
class movement and such viewpoints have
no place in Communist publication.
Religion, in all its forms, is the opium of
the peoplei
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05

DISCHARGE UNION FARMERS.
LONDON, (By Mail) Big land
owners have discharged over 400
farm hands for being members Of
the National Union of Agricultural
Workers,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-05
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
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The Bismarck tribune., 1928-11-17

Brennan. Cermak made a losing
but magnificent race for United
States senator, and won much pres
tige by the way he put over the
local Democratic ticket. He is al
ready at work rehabilitating the
county organization.
One of the severest blows to the
Grove Thompson outfit is the loss
Of control of the sanitary board -
an organization that spends some
$60,O0O,00O a year, and that is, con-
scquently, prize plum for unscru-
pulous political leaders. Tim Grove,
president Of the board, who worked
hand in glove with States Attor-
ney Grove Though they were not
related), was badly beaten, and De-
neen and Ccrmak between them con-
troll the new board.
Neither Deneen. Cermak nor
their leading candidates are of the
typical "reformer" type. They did
not need to be. All Chicago asked
was that it's present bare-faced
gang of sharpshooters be replaced
by men Of known honesty, ability
and determination to enforce the
law; and it got that, in full meas
ure.
At all events, the rule of gang
sterism is ended. The era of pine
apples and machine guns is done
for. Chicago has proved that the
underworld's grip on her govern
rhent was not unbreakable.
The Bismarck tribune., 1928-11-17
WHEAT TRADING
EASY AND dull.

Minneapolis, Nov. 17.-(AP)-
Extreme dullness and mild ease
marked the wheat trade today.
Prices held within narrow range.
Close in wheat was easy with prices
Id to 3-8c lower for the day. Coarse
grains were slow and irregular.
Oats were quiet with prices steady
to firm with no pressure of offer
ings here or in outside markets.
Barley futures were firm and quiet.
Rye futures started higher and fell
back. Profit-taking and a uuieter
pit demand gave flaxseed futures q
setback of 2 cents.
Cash wheat offerings were light
and demand was good. The premium
basis in general was steady to firm.
Damaged offerings were quiet.
Winter wheat was in light supply
and basis was steady.
Durum was steady with fair to
good demand.
Corn offerings were ample and
demand was quiet to fair. Trad
ing basis was easy.
Oats were in quiet to fair demand
and the tone was steady.
Rye was steady with a fair to
good demand.
Barley was firm to strong at 81
to 68 cents.
Flaxseed offerings were small
and demand good. Premiums were
firm.
The Bismarck tribune., 1928-11-17
CHICAGO LIVESTOCK

Chicago, Nov. 17.-(R-(U. S. D.
A. = Hogs 1900; mostly steady
with Fridays average; top 1920
paid for a load of strictly choice
around 225 pounds; shippers 200
holdover, 1000 butchers, medium to
choice, 250-3OO pounds $685. to
1920; 10000 pounds $500 to $9.15;
130-160 pounds 1885 to $500. Pack
ing sows $500 to $3.50. Pigs, medi-
UNI to choice 90-130 pounds $500 to
$8.75.
Cattle-500; compared to week
ago good and prime weighty steers
unevenly higher; comparable grades
yearlings and light steers steady to
25 cents lower; lower grade light
steers and yearlings SO cents lower;
light mixed and heifer yearlings ex-
cepting srictly choice kinds so cents
to $1.00 lower; butcher heifers shar-
ing decline closing heifer trade al
most demolarized; fat cows so cents
lower almost unstable as week
closed; cutters weak to unevenly
lower; low cutters steady; bulls so
to rs cents off; vealers steady;
stockers and feeders Is to 40 cents
under Monday; extreme top heavy
steers and yearlings $500; all
weighty steers selling at $17.OO up
ward speciality.
Sheep - Receipts 1000; receipts
al direct; for the week 81 doubles
from feeding stations $4,000 direct;
fat lambs closing around Is cents to
$1.O0 lower with native throwouts
off 50 cents; fat sheep generally
steady; feeding lambs 1885; fed
westerns $13.25; fat yearlings $11.oO
fat ewes $3.50; feeding lambs $13.25.
Bulk prices for week: Fat native
lambs $1,000 to 1880; fed westerns
$12.75 to $3.50; native throwouts
$1,000 to. $1O.75; yearlings $10.50 to
$11.0O; fat ewes $500 to $3.50; feed
ing lambs 1915 to $500.