davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
TWO CONVENTIONS

mittee several facts were revealed. First that
Clemo was expelled from the U.M.W.A. follow
ing the 1920 sell out. Second that there is not
a single local of the U.M.W.A. in Alabama to-
day, and no district organization to send Clemo
as delegate. Third that it is common know
edge that Clemo is labor spy. After these
facts had been aired the convention voted 20
seat Clemo
Jim Crow.
The convention was made up of some 2T5
delegates. Of these 20 were Negroes from the
Longshoremens Union and a couple from locals
Of the Plasterels Union. Some 10 women were
present. Tie Negro delegates were of course
segregated from the others in true Jim Crow
fashion. The delegates present were almost eX-
cusively from the highly skilled trades. The
textile workers had a negligible delegation
There was not one delegate to represent tn
20 odd thousand steel workers in the state,
Not one to represent the thousands of coal and
metal miners. In other word it was a typical
A. f. of l., convention.
The convention had not one word to say about
the recent wave of lynchings that has swept
the South. Not one word to say about the
terrible social and political oppression of the
Negro workers. From start to finish it was
a Jim Crow convention.
AS to the organization of the unorganized
workers. the keynote of the convention was
sounded by Paul Smith, one of the worst scoun-
drels in the entire labor movement and at pres
ent chairman of the Southern organization
campaign of the A. F. of L. in his speech on
the results of the the campaign. Smith said:
eve have come here on the invitation of the
Southern workers (read bosses-T.J.) to help
them. We realize that we must help the
ployers of labor if the workers are to be ben
Gifted and we are anxious to be of assist
ance. We have made considerable Roadway
in our organization campaign, but the en-
ployers, some of them at least, are unfavorable
to US, though why l don't know" Such was
the convention of the Alabama State Fedora
ton of Labor.
Quite Another Matter.
The coming Southern Conference of the
Trade Union Unity League will be quite anoth-
er matter. There will be no ex-Governors or
present governors with the blood of working
class victims still on their hands, to welcome
this conference. This will be a conference of
1oorkerS, direct from the bench and the face
in the mines The largest delegation will be
from textile, next will come metal, and after
metal mining. The overwhelming majority of
the delegates will be Negroes.
Far from being welcomed by the bosses and
high officials of the state, the T.U.U.L. Con-
ference will meet in an atmosphere of raging
white terror. 1t may be broken up by the
police. 1t may have to meet underground. But
it will meet and lay the basis for the building
up the revolutionary unions into the mass
CARNATIONS of the Negro and white workers of
the South.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
Negro Masses in South Africa

country, and particularly the so-called Anti
Riot Bill, which will establish an open Fas-
cist Dictatorship, by giving the Minister the
right of prohibiting meetings, publications and
of deporting without trial any workers from
the province or from the country.
1t is expected that the Conference on May
Is will be we'll attended, since the sharpening
economic crisis is bringing in its wake much
suffering to the native toiling population, which
works at wages averaging nine shillings a
week and still smaller pay for the land work
ers. The native in South Africa is deprived
of all social economic and political equality,
and even the churches do not permit the at
tendance of natives in the churches jointly with
the white population. There is a growing dis
satisfaction among the natives, which express
es itself in the recent uprsings in Durham,
Worcester and other places.
The South African Delegation will expose
ell these conditions before the International Nc
gro Labor Conference. The South African ma
tves are glad to have the opportunity of meet
ing the oppressed Negroes of America, Haiti,
French Equatorial Africa and all other coun-
tries, in order that all the forces may be united
in the struggle against mperialist oppression,
and also that the Negroes may be able to unite
their forces in the struggle of other colonial
people and with the workers in the capitalist
countries.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
PRE-CONVENTION DISCUSSION
The Needle Trades Under the Surgical
Knife of Self Criticism

differences between various cliques IN the ma
chine, for a possibility to come together.
Failure to fight Shelly for his conferences
with Dubinsky and for his endorsement of
Schlesinger to the convention of the company
union, while being a member of the National
Organization Commttee)
The needle trades industry for the last de-
cade has undergone a tremendous change.
From a highly competitive industry it became
more and~more centralized with finance capt.
tai, gradually assuming maj or control. Stand
ardized prices, standardized styles, introduce
ton of new machinery, were the order of
the day. This naturalization of industry was
quite apparent already in 1925. The right
wing, whose darling creature is the class col
laboration policy, has never conducted real
struggle in the interests of the workers. How
ever, in the early stages, when the industry
still competitive, when they still could
count on one group of manufacturers against
the other, they gained some concessions for
the workers even though the strikes were not
strikes in the real sense of the word. When,
however, a small group of jobbers and chain
stores became the real controlling factor in
the industry, the socialist bureaucracy gave
up any pretense of struggle entirely. Hence,
the process of complete company unonization
of the industry The right wingers don't
need any more the workers. Decisions about
strikes, taxes, ETC., is being prearranged, first
with the consent of the bosses. AS a result
of this the state power-the police, the courts,
are openly cooperating with the social fascists
because the latter served their masters, the
bosses Confronted with this formidable COM
bnation of the social fascist, the bosses and
the state the left wing could only come out
victorious if broad masses are involved in
struggle. Individual strikes, surprise general
strikes, insufficient preparation for them,
failure to draw in the unorganized into strug-
gle cannot help to build militant industrial
union. The Needle Trades Workers Industrial
Union was born as result of these changes
in the industry. The Needle Trades Workers
Industrial Union was born to lead thousands
upon thousands of exploited needle trades
workers into struggle for better conditions.
The Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union
was born to give leadership to these masses.t
What it has accomplished and what it has
failed to do, the next article will deal in.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
BY TOM JOHNSON.

THE Alabama State Federation of Labor open
ed its 2Sth annual convention at Tuscaloosa,
Ala. on May r. The Trade Union Unity
League will call to order its first southern con-
ference in Chattanooga, Tenn. on June 6. 1t
will be interesting to compare the convention
of the State Federation, its compositions and
results with the conference of the Trade Union
Unity League.
The Birmingham Labor Advocate fascist
labor sheet supreme, characterizes the conven-
ton as the "stormiest session ever held by the
State Federation since its organization" The
convention lasted from May u until a. m,
the morning of May Is. Even according to the
Labor Advocate" nothing was accomplished.
Almost the entire time of the convention was
spent in squabbles over the removal of Presi-
dent Hurst and Secretary Grffen on the charge
of borrowing 81 900 from one of the largest
printing concerns in the state, without the
knowledge of the other Federation officials.
This pair of worthy thieves were finally kicked
out by the convention.
Their Good Friend"
The convention was opened by the president
of the Tuscaloosa Central Body, who promptly
turned the chair over to a good FRIEND of
labor in the person of Mr.. Norfleet Harris,
the president of the Tuscaloosa City Commits
sion! The next speaker was another good
friend of labor" Ex-Governor William W. Bran
don. The present Governor of Alabama, Col.
BIB Graves, was invited but failed to put in
an appearance until the second day of the con-
vention, when he, too spoke This is the same
Graves who in 1920 commanded the State Mil
tia which succeeded after bitter struggle and
after the murder of several miners, in smash
ing the 1920 coal miners strike in Alabama.
The credentials committee reported the sec
ond day of the convention and the fight started.
In the first place some of the more naive
delegates were opposed to the seating of the
delegation of the Mobile Street Carmens Union
on the ground that this organization had last
year built a new hall and headquarters with
non-union labor. This matter was finally re-
ferred to the national headquarters of the A.
F. of L. at Washington. Bill Green promptly
wired the convention that such little thing
as one A. F. of L. union scabbing on another
should under no circumstances cause the I'M
seating of delegates, and the Mobile delegates
resumed their places in the convention.
The second fight centered around the person
Of one J. L. Clemo former Secretary of Dis
trict 20 (Alabama) of the United Mine Work
ers of America. Mr.. Clemo, with the able
sistance of Van Bitner of West Virginia fame,
sold out the 1920 strike of the miners. This
no one disputes. Since this time it has been
common knowledge that Clemo is on the pay
roll of the Alabama coal operators, ready to
smash any new efforts of the miners to organ
ize. Clemo showed up at the convention rep
resenting himself as delegate" from District
20 of the U.M.W.A. In the credentials COM
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27

THE appeal of the Provisional Committee call
ing an International Negro Labor Confer
ence in London in July, is finding a warm
response among the workers in South Africa
The South African Federation of Nom Eu
ropean Trade Unions has issued a call for
Conference to be held in johannesburg on Sum
day, May IS. The call is addressed to all the
South African Negro organizations, to the af
filiated organizations of the S. A. Federation
of Non European Trade Unions, as we'll as to
all workers in the mines, factories and on the
land. 1t is hoped in this way to reach, not
only the organized workers, but also the unor-
ganized and particularly the miners, who are
living in compounds under almost unbearab!e
conditions.
The main purpose of the Congress will be to
discuss the question of the international Negro
Labor Conference and to secure the proper
delegation. The Agenda also includes various
questions appertaining to the conditions of life
and work of the natives in South Africa. The
Conference will discuss the question of a strur-
que against imperialism in the light of the
economic crisis, and the struggle for the estah-
lshment of the Native Black Republic of city
and land owners.
The Conference will also consider various
bills now pending in Parliament, which are d-
rected against the Labor movement of the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
Our Tasks in the South

the basis of reports given at the Plenumas
to the Party units and the Left Wing Work
mems Circle group, was counting on something
it did not have What was actually there can
be judged best by the fact that the Party unit
no longer actually functions and the Left Wing
Workmen's Circle crowd came down to City
Hall on May Day with their water bills in
their hands.
In other things also does the dead hand of
the past weigh heavily on the present. Lack
of adequate organizational preparations for
staging real fights still manifests itself. An
American Negro Labor Congress meeting, call
ed in Atlanta to protest lynchng, held
without any organizational preparations. 1t is
not really true to say that the meeting was
held, for all of the comrades connected with
the meeting were in Jail half an hour before
the time scheduled for the meeting to open.
Not the Way
Mass meetings to protest ynching cannot be
arranged in this manner. The comrades must
realize that lynching is one of the means of
terror that the Southern CAPITALISTS do not in
tend to give up without a determined struggle.
Any mass meeting in the South against lynch
ing, is going to be met with the sharpest re-
sistance by the capitalists. Without organiza-
tlonal preparations, meetings called to protest
lynching can and in many cases probably will,
result in other lynchngs, We must guard
against this.
In my opinion the national office of the
A.N.L.C made mistake in specifically de-
clarng that there should be Negro chairman
of its Southern meetings. For while the AN.
L.C. is an organization vocing the specific
racial demands of the Negro masses, on
class struggle basis, any fight against lynch
ing must be a united front affair, united front
of Negro and white workers, and not only in
the audience but as speakers, chairman, etc.
In our mass work, in the building of the
T.U.U.L and revolutionary unions much quiet
determined work will be necessary in order to
overcome the gap between theological and or
ganzational strength. There must be less mass
meetings and more group and shop gate meet
ings. We must raise the political conscience
ness of the workers in the shops. For this
more shop papers must be built up The work.
ers are with US ideologically but have not
quite reached that stage where they are willing
to take hold on a mass scale. We must over
come this.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27

t0uHEN thieves fall out" the old saying
runs, and has a new application in the
fight between the Lewis gang in the United
Mine Workers of America, and the Howat-
Fishwick- Harrington crowd. Lewis, headquar-
tiers in indianapolis, and his rivals, headquar-
tiers in Springfield, ILL.,, have fallen out so
completely that they have organized gunner
and espionage systems on each other. Both
are experts in stealing elections and other
things, and both are for the coal operators
different groups of operators, which is the
main reason for their falling out.
Where Power Lies.
Lewis victory is the securing, by what
means your. correspondent knoweth not, but
has pretty good suspicion of letter signed
in Frank Farrington's own inimitable hand
writing which now appears plastered over two
pages of Lewis official organ, the United
Mine Workers Journal harrington is, for
mer president of District ~ of the U. M. w.,
who, in 1926. was caught taking $4,000
year from the Peabody Coal Co. He admits
it, but such are the ways of thieves, that now
he is the power behind the throne in the
Howat-Fishwick "Reorganized u NJ. W."
The letter shows that this Peabody Coal Co.
agent was the real originator of the "reor-
ganized u NJ. W." and had to club Fishwick
into line One paragraph is amusing:
81 regret to advise that large part of the
Illinois miners, particularly those in Franklin
County and the Peoria District have no con-
fidence in Fishwick and are rebelling against
his leadership. He, in turn, is so vain and
egotstical, ! think there is little difference
between he and Lewis in that respect, that
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
By H. KORETZ.

EXACTLY two years after the explosions, the
Needle Trades Workers" Industrial Union
was launched Should we not ask ourselves
why it took US fully two years to be con-
WINGED about the necessity of building new
industrial union? Is not this in itself proof
of political blindness of a vacillatlng leader
ship? This exemplified revolutionary lead
ership" was fully under the influence of the
great leader, "Mr. Lovestone," at the time.
1t was the expert exponent" of feminist
strategy-Mr. Lifshitz, who bitterly attacked
the writer for insisting at a discussion meet
ing, that the launching of the National Or
ganization Committee, meant laying the base
for a new union outside the A. f. OF l.. 1t
was the same lieutenant of Lovestone, who in
sisted that the Los Angeles local does not
withdraw from the I.L.G.W.U., even after the
National Organization Committee was organ
lied.
For two years we failed to amalgamate our
own Joint Boards, Curriers' and Cloakmak-
ers). Each fighting its own battles, hav-
ing separate offices, separate committee, sep
arate lawyer-a separate craft theology. While
at the same time the entire labor bureaucracy
has united against us, by organizing the IA
nous committee for the preservation of the
labor unions Unhampered by any outside
basis of the Shop Delegate System We have
failed to draw in the out-of-town centers into
the struggle, most of them left wing locals,
which instead of helping us, helped Sigman
against us. For one year and a half, we
Unanswered with the so-called Centrist Move
ments (Shelly, Sorkin, Winnick etc), with the
result that the bulk of the membership re-
manned outside both the right and left organ
izations. The masses said: eve are waiting
till peace will be concluded, and union
established, then we will join
Instead of mobilizing the masses for de-
termined struggle we have mainly concen-
trated on maneuvers on top, thus creating illu-
sions among the masses of a possibility for
reproachment. Instead of coming out to
the masses with clear cut statement about
the absolute impossibility of building a union
together with the right wing social fascists,
we, ourselves, were responsible for paralyzing
the struggle. This was due to the fact that
the leadership at the time, under the influ-
ence of Lovestoneism, falsely calculated on
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
"Bui'd Five Year Plan in Four
Years"

LENlNGRAD, (By Mail).-3,000 scientific
workers who heard lecture by Lunacharsky
on the role of technicians and specialists in the
Reconstruction Period sent the following tele.
gram to the Central Committee of the C. FIJI
S. IT,:
THE engineers, technicians, agronomes, phyt
sicians and scientific workers of Leningrad in
assembly here send their fiery greetings to the
headquarters of the working class and pro.
claim their readiness to stand with the prole.
tariat and give without hesitation all theiI
strength, knowledge and experience to the
building Of socialism, and to strain all their
energies IN order to carry out the Five-YeaI
Plan in four years; that they will carry on
vigllant struggle against all enemies of the
land.s
we will stand in the ranks of the struggling
proetariat to socialism from all the attacks
OF international capital, trying to crush social.
ISM with their crusades and fascist outburst,
against the workers.
Long live the vanguard of the proletariat--
the All Union Communist Party Hail thu
world social revolution"
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
Shortcomings in Lower Party


later in the evening is conducted in such
manner that the new members do not get the
meaning of seventy-five per cent of the words
used, besides the comrades who introduce the
discussions of the opinion that they must
speak from 40 minutes to an hour, which pre-
vents even the old members from partcipat-
ing in the discussion due to the lateness of
the hour. Our unit meetings must be conf
Quoted in the following manner:
Every discussion in the executive must be
followed by an explanation, why this decision
was reached. Our comrades must get part of
their political education in the every day work
of our Party. Especially at unit meetings, our
leading comrades must learn how to introduce
subject for discussion in Is or 20 minutes
which will result in having discussions at
every unit meeting with a large number of
members participating Our unit organizers
must learn to come to the meetings not only
with military instructions given to the army,
but the unit organizers must be the political
leaders in their respective units
Talk Their Language.
Our Party, at the present period of sharp
ened class struggles. is attracting the most
exploited sections of the working class These
workers, however, are not acquainted with our
termlnology We must speak to them the Eng
lish that is being used by the ordinary work.
ers. They are not ready to take order from
unit organizer unless they know why these
orders are given to them. Experience has
shown that those units that have managed
to keep the new members recruited in our las l
drive find them the most active participants il
the life Of the units compared with the old
members-who are getting tired, stick to old
traditions and have remnants of language
federationism. The workers joining the Party
at the present period, do so, not because the
Party sponsors humanitarian ideals, or culture,
but because it is Party of struggle in the
full sense Of the word, and they will be ready
to struggle provided we will manage to keen
them in the Party.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27
"When Thieves Fall Out. >. :"

he will not be guided by the advice of, nor
openly accept the aid. of anyone. In fact when
Judge Jones rendered his decision, Fishwick
told Ameringer that he knew he would win
the decision because God was with him and an
of the churches had been praying for his sue
cess. Ameringer told him that he thought
harrington had rendered him greater aid than
God"
With the S. p. In II.
Ameringer, it may be mentioned, is a So
calst party man, editor of the Illinois Min
er, the Fishwick official organ.
The letter has postscript on the back, in
handwriting, which says in part:
"Since this was dictated, there has been a
complete change in policy due to meeting
with Fishwick that lasted nearly all of last
night. In fact up to last night Fishwick had
no policy for the future. He has finally adj
mitted he needs help. I am going to Frank
lin County at once to try and line up the men
for the district" ii. e.. for the "Reorganized
UnonO. "a district convention will be
called. :" 1t was, and after a little
furry, harrington stayed in, with Howat the
new president, and Fshwick still running the
Illinois district, as much as Peabody Earring
ton would let him.
The miners have nothing to gain from either
of these ciques of takers. They have a union
a real union, the National Miners Union.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-27

The Dolly Worker is the rarty's
hest Instrument to make contacts
among tie masses of wOl kers, to
build mass Communist Party.
The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1930-05-02
FR0ID PIONEER
DIES SUDDENLY

Hans Tackle, well known pioneer
farmer Of near Froid, dropped
dead in one of the business houses
of that town Monday evening at
700 o'clock as result of heart
failure.
DIR. Darland was Immediately
called but he was past all aid.
The deceased, who was AZ years
OF age came TO Froid in 1906 and
took up a homestead. He leaves
two children, aged 6 and 4 years
a boy and a girl. He was separ.
ated from his wife.
Hans Tackle was born in Nor
way and come to this country
many years ago. He was a mem
Der of the Sons of Norway Lodge
of Froid. He had been in poor
health for some time prior to his
passing.
G. f. Fulkerson of the Fulker-
son-Nelson Mortuary of this city
prepared the body for burial anC
the funeral was held Wednesday
afternoon at two o'clock in the
Froid Lutheran church, Rev. Ha
gan of Redstone saying the las
sad rites.