davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
The Wage Cut in
Sheffield Steel

CARRYING out the no wage cut program Of
" Hoover, Green and VOL, the Sheffield Steel
OF Kansas City, Missouri, announced wage
cut Of 10 per cent to take effect Immediately
Not being satisfied with the mass lay-offs of
the past year, which have created terrific
speed-up in the plant they have instituted the
stagger system, where workers are not getting
more than three days work per week. and, in
some instances, one and two days.
The workers in Sheffield are already starting
to see through the misleadership of the A. F.
Of L., as one or two Of the departments that
employed highly skilled labor are organized I'M
der the leadership of the misleaders and today
are working under a wage-cutting agreement
that was signed up last July, with about per
cent of the membership present to take up the
agreement.
The misleaders forced these workers to ac-
cept this agreement, by telling them that unless
they di< the bosses would shut down completely,
rather than give in to the union, or that if they
struck against the miserable existing conditions
they would be beaten, since there we're SO many
unemployed, but the role of the union in this
case Gas in many others) is clear If the men
raise a protest against this wage cut they will
flaunt the yellow agreement in their faces and
say we did not force you to sign it, you signed
It without any pressure by us. They will not
mention the fact that the wage-cutting agree
nent was forced through.
The workers in Sheffield must start organ
izng against this wage cut Immediately every
department in the plant must be organized,
from the nut and bolt to the fabricating mills.
We must not forget the unemployed, we must
organize them into unemployed councils and
help them in their fight for unemployment in
surance both from the state and federal gov
ernments. since we know from past experience
in the textile strikes in the East, the coal strike,
that the unemployed we're not guilty Of break
ing the strike OF their fellowworkers, but rather
went out on the picket line with them.
!, Via ZEade uuien Unity zasgue ia nsAdE In
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10

shop gate election campaign meetings. Here we
will get valuable contacts if we organize the
meeting properly and have our comrades cir
culating among the crowd talking to the workers
and getting names and addresses where pos
sible. We must adapt our agitational material
in the campaign to the shop workers. We must
as indicated above, link up conditions in the
shop with the political issues Of the campaign
in the closest manner. Through the campaign
the workers in decisive factories must learn that
our Party is not merely an electioneering organ
ization that it is the best leader Of the workers
in the shops and of the unemployed in their
struggles for their most pressing needs We
must see to it that our leaflets etc. are distrib-
uted inside the shop, etc.
g We must use the campaign to penetrate
the factories organizationally Where we have
connections already we may be able to set up
some form Of loose Red Election Campaign Com
mittee in the shop ITSELF which can be used as
the basis of a grievance committee following the
campaign. Where we set up Vote Communist
Clubs in the neighborhoods we must find out
which members are workers from big factories
and use these contacts to build our organizations
within the shops
These two examples indicate some Of the WAYS
In which we can use our political campaigns to
penetrata the factories. 1t is necessary to issue
the warning that all this will remain on paper
unless our comrades constantly keep in mind
that the decisive task before our Party today is
the building Of grievance committees, the reyo-
lutonary unions and the Party in the big shons
Our whole Party apparatus, our whole member
ship, every one of our mass political campaigns.
must be swung into swift well planned action to
achieve this end
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
"Dlsarming" tor War

1t is probable that the Hoover-Layal discus
sionS will touch on the question OF war debts
and the moratorium, the gold question as well
as ornaments. American imperialism will use
this opportunity as a lever against its rival
Britain on the question of war debts while
France will use American friendship" against
Britain for the part it played at the Paris and
London conferences in July in opposing a
Franco German alliance at that time. Despite
the fact that the antagonisnls and the contra
dictions among the imperialist powers are tear
ing the system apart, the imper1alsts are not
hesitating in preparing for war against the U.s.
SR. The American capitalist press sas an ex-
ample, is carrying on propaganda against the
Soviet Union.
The News of Newport r. l.. on September 10
writes: eff for no other reason than Soviet
Russia Europe cannot disarm. No agreement
that Russia would make could be trusted for
deception Of the capitalistic world is part OF
the approved program Of the Russian Soviet
government. Russia stands there, perpetual me-
mace to peace, perpetual threat
The Sun of Lowell, Mass, on August "a says
the following: I'm order to save Germany from
the danger Of Bolshevisnl, it is necessary that
she should have an understanding with France
for their mutual benefit
NOW that both are menaced by the Com
munistic sweep from Russia, it behooves them
to forget their differences and join in friendly
accord for their mutual advantage.
"In the face of new enemy that menaces
civilization, not only France and Germany, but
England, Italy and all other Christian nations
should stand ready to unite against the Soviet
MenaceP
The Press Of Newport News Va, on Sept II,
reports:
Soviet Russia has the largest army in the
world today, but 1t also has declared for world
revolution. The military strength Of Soviet Rus
STA is not to be lightly regarded. when one
considers that the Soviet government is sworn
enemy of capital and that world revolution is
one of Its aims they Figures giving Russian
military strength assume sinister aspect"
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
By HELEN MARCY

IN the hears Of Harlem, where 100000 Negroes
live within concentrated area, only one Ne
gro was present at the unit meeting which at
tended. Proof that we have not secured or
ganizationsl results among the Negro masses,
this despite the fact that In the past year or
so there has been agitation ON the Levy and
Gonzales murders, the Yokinen trial, the Scots
boro and Camp Hill cases, the organization Of
Tenants Leagues and Unemployed Councils num-
erous open air and mass meetings, etc.
After the murders of Levy and Gonzalez, 900
Negro workers joined the Party, and of these
only 10 per cent remained in the Party. The
conduct Of the unit meetings contributed its
share toward the nuctuation.
The meeting started half an hour late-s:3O
pm. Some comrades came in an hour late
The unit buro had not met the week before,
so unnecessary details took UP the time Of the
unit
The organizer had not read thoroughly the
section committee weekly letter and his in
PRODUCTION Of various tasks was confusing and
undressing since on many points he had to
acuuaint himself right at the unit. He also
had very bad habit Of repeating entire speeches
of other comrades and of chewing his own
words over and over again The attention OF
the comrades was not good, primarily because
of this His points were not clear and de-
eisive.
Although so per cent Of the comrades were
IN great need of training in the Workers School
none volunteered to attend the Fail classes. II
the need for these had been properly stressed
and explained by the organizer, some comrades
would surely accept to attend the school
Not one comrade volunteered to attend the
special class on the Negro question! How is
it possible for comrades whose work primarily
consists in agitating among the Negro workers.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
What Is Communist Discipline
y Based On?

The question arises first Of all, how is the
discipline Of the revolutionary Party of the
proletariat maintained? How is 1t being tested2
How Is 1t being strengthened Firstly by the
consciousness of the proletarian vanguard and
its devotion to the revolution, It's steadfastness,
its self-sacrifice and It's heroism. Secondly, by
its ability to maintain contact and to obtain
approach, to fuse itself, II you like, with the
wide masses of toilers-firstly and foremost
with the proletarian toiling masses, but also
with the non-proletarian toiling masses, Third
ly by the correct political leadership exercised
by the vanguard and its correct political
strategy and tactics, which are conducted in
such a way that the wide masses are able to
convince themselves Of their correctness by
their own experience. Without these condi-
tons, discipline cannot be maintained in q
revolutionary Party really capable of being the
Party of the class which is destined to over
throw the bourgeosie and transform the whole
OF society. Without these conditions discipline
must inevitably be an empty-sounding phrase,
a crooked gesture. But such conditions cannot
be created Immediately. They are the result
Of long effort and painful experience; their
creation is facilitated by correct revolution
airy theory, a theory which is not dogma, but
which has been built up by close association
with the experience of a real mass revolution
airy movement.
tFron Lenin's "Infantiie Sickness OF Leftism,~
written In 1920
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
oReArEAr1oNAL RESULTS AND UNIT LIFE

About 1918 a con1rade reported on the sec
ton convention resolution and proposed it for
adoption. He read directly from the resolu-
ton without clarifying or concretizng the re-
solutions. Again the attention of the comrades
was "dutiful" one
Only two functionaries of the unit took part
in the discussion. 1t was 1880 when we ad-
Journed and some comrades had to travel to
different sections Of the city. The children of
the comrades in whose house we met were
waiting for us to go, so they could get to bed.
Other comrades looked physically sick from
having spent three and a half hours in a stuffy
room on a hot night after working all day.
There would have developed good discussion,
If the resolution had been presented earlier In
the evening.
Allowances are to be made for the unit recently
reorganized, mostly non-residents, language Diff
ficultieS etc. But the question remains, "Win
we keep masses of workers in our Party with
this type of unit meetings? OF course, not"
Our units must reflect in vital and healthy
manner the campaigns that the Party is con-
Quoting, the growing militancy among the work.
ers, and our increasing influence among them,
as well as the problems Of the workers in the
shops and neighborhood
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
The Crimes Of the
Reaction in Peru
fA Letter From PERM

IN July, 28th the representatives Of the fascist
" clique which governs Peru and is headed by
Samanez Ocampo, took out of the horrible prison
Of Fronton $50 barred and chained workers and
peasants who were imprisoned there for ten
months, and put them into the steamer Mara
non,. headed for the South, to be brought to the
island OF Taquila and the Mountains Of Madre
de Dios CTaquila Island, situated on Lake
Tiucaca $500 feet above the sea level with a
fierce and polar climate; the mountains OF the
Madre de Dios, uninhabitable regions in the east
Of PERU.
These $50 political prisoners arrested In var
ious parts Of the country because Of their ac-
tivities in the workers revolutionary movement
peasants and natives Of Peru, submitted to a
barbarous prison regime, had to walk barefoot
and in chains to uninhabitable and inclement
places The terrible regime Of SamaneS Ocampo
Is sending these prisoners to sure death!
One conirade, Jose Chavez Bedoya, became in
sane on the road and are known to have be-
come seriously Ill. Among them is an old man
Of GA years and two young boys Of IA and II
years.
This new crime Of the fascist government Of
Sarnanez Ocampo is one OF an innumerable
series he has been committing against the work
crs peasants and natives UndiansJ Of Peru, in
order to protect the interests of the mperialists
the bourgeoisie and native landowners.
The prisons are full Of militant toilers the
Communist Party and the unions Of the Con-
federation General Of Peru are prosecuted and
forced into illegality, the press Is suppressed
M tn AeuWstAt1cna md nEotssA- a ths
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
BY TOM JOHNSON


Work Among the Unemployed. To use this
mass campaign for the penetration Of the shops
we must do the following a. Instruct our
agitators to at all times raise the fundamental
issue of unity Of unemployed and employed in
the struggle. This must not be done mechanic
any-we must be very concrete in it. Thus in
Chicago on the South Side we must raise con-
stantly among the unemployed the necessity Of
unity with the workers still employed in the
stockyards In their struggle against a recent
wage cut We must raise there the question Of
practical help to the stockyard workers in the
organization Of this struggle, We must register
the stockyard unemployed in our movement and
form them into shock troops for the building
Of grievance committees among those still at
work
b. We must call to our meetings Of the I'M
employed part time workers in the factories we
are concentrating on. We must formulate special
demands for these part time workers and we
must mobilize the unemployed to fight with them
for these demands. The part time workers con-
stitute our most valuable link between the I'M
employed and the employed and this link must
be seized on and used. Cd When mass lay
offs take place we must be on the Job organ
izing the laid off workers right at the shop
gates the day they are laid off, for struggle
against mass disrnissals. We must bring to such
shop gate meetings masses OF tbs unemployed
and hold a solidarity demonstration there. In
this way we will get valuable contact with work
ers direct from the shop and with workers stin
in the shop. d. We must draw much more
than heretofore the employed workers into the
struggles Of the unemployed. On this issue we
can penetrate many, A. F. Of L. locals and get
them to send delegates 10 our conference Thru
these delegates we viii be able TO build opposition
groups within the A. +. Of L. and to improve
our contact with workers in these unions stin
employed.
Election Campaign. 10 ore This campaign to
build shop organization we must: ~ Instruct
the comrades collecting signatures to find out
if possible where each worker who signs works
This will not BE- hard 70 do We must then copy
off the petitions the names and addresses Of
workers in big factories and visit them for the
purpose Of drawing them into the grievance
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
Not a Good Hitching Star

"He who gazes at stars may fall in ditch
is an old saw, but the moral of this incident
should probably be: He who speaks to a star
may be thrown in a ditch.
Anyhow, in one of the N Y. sections, there
is funtionary of whom this story is told
A Woodworking unit financial secretary, after
the Unit Buro had decided that two workers
who we're remiss in their dues should be given
exempt stamps, called on the Section Financial
Secretary about it. The latter referred him to
the fmctionary who is the main item on this
menu of crocodile delcacies r.
When the comrade from the unit got inside
the door and was just clearing his throat to
say something he met with the command
GET QUIT" and this was made Impressive
by REPETITION.
The comrade from the unit went back to the
comrade who sent him into the lions den and
got only the same orders; he would HAVE to
see this functionary.
Another attempt, but only two words we're
spoken when GET OUT, 1 say, GET OUTm
sent him back again wondering if this person
was the functionary he was supposed to see, or
some wild man, who had managed TO get into
the office
No. his description fitted the functionary and
back again he was sent to inquire about nothing
more devilish than exempt stamps. But by this
time, the comrade who somehow, for reasons
unknown to 'bureaucrats, resents being treated
like door-mats, was insistent
Never mind! The intruder must-"GET OUT.
or I'LL THROW YOU QUIT" On second thought
however, the law Of physics amended the order,
He would call the provost guard to help. But
the summoned comrades refused fatty to carry
out the eviction decision, one Of them renon-
strating with the star performer, while the other
led the offender who wished exempt stamps out
Of the line Of fire and assured him:
you'll have to excuse. . Hes that way
to EVERYBODY"
Which seems good reason for not excusins
him at all.
Anyhow, when the recent Party PIsnum dis
cussed hitching its wagon to q star, feurativsN
speaking, it didn't mean this sort Of shooting
star
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10

workers, peasants and native Indians are ter
rorized. 1t is an immense wave Of imperialist
crimes and attacks, aimed to choke the growing
revolutionary movement OF emancipation Of the
exploited and oppressed masses OF Peru
In the Talara massacre were shot down On
the streets, without any pretense Of trial. More
than 200 workers were massacred in the regions
belonging to the petroleum companies. (Talara
is petroleum region exploited by Yankee and
English companies One worker was beaten
and tortured in the streets Of Arequipa More
than $50 natives were assassinated In Patapo
and Pucala. In CananatA neln than 70 psslA
ants w. kpfuk l.--.A' ~ la ~ ssa -
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10

assist the workers in the organizational work,
and is opening headquarters at 713 Indepen-
dence Ave. Right in the Sheffield district we
will have supply of literature on hand at all
times. The headquarters will be open from in
Chr naakpiur to a ~ ndQhA =
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10

"NOt a single class in history
achieved power without putting for
ward its political leaders and spOkes-
men, capable of organizing the move
ment and leading it." (Lenin.l
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-10
On the Carrying Out OF the
18th Plenum Decisions
HOW TO USE THE PARTY APPARATUS AND THE POLTT-
ICAL CAMPAIGNS OF THE PARTY TO BUILD THE SHOP
ORGANIZATION

committee or union in their shop BY ali means
possible we must use the opportunities for talks
with workers afforded by the collection Of sign
atures for the drawing of workers from the big
factories into our movement
b. We must bring our campaign into the big
shops. This means much more emphasis on
The Washington times., 1931-05-21
POLISH WHEAT I
j PLAN STUDIED

LONDON, May 81 G.N.SD.
Faced with the futility of con-
tinuing it's sessions unless some
definite proposal gains the ap-
proval of all the delegates of
the II great wheat-exporting
countries to the international
conference here, 10 nations to-
day we're intent on obtaining the
support of the United States to
the Polish suggestion for a wheat
quota system to limit exports of
the grain.
Samuel r. McKelvie, head Of
the American group, and his as
sociates were the only dissenters
to the Polish proposal as the
conference opened today.
While Russia favored the plan,
its demands for a return to its
1914 quota. when one-third of
the wheat consumed in the world
was Russian, were expected to
draw the fire. of Canada. Argen-
The Washington times., 1931-05-21
NEW LOWLEVELS
On CURB MART.

NEW YORK, May 81 1.N.S0.
The protracted downward move
ment in curb stocks assumed a
more critical aspect in today's
session as stop-loss orders and
liquidation was forced onto the
market in large volume, carrying
a long list of important issues
to their lowest levels in years.
Cities Service, one of the popu-
lar leaders in bull market sessions
of a now forgotten day, stumbled
down almost points to a new
all-time low at 924. on enormous
volume. The preferred followed
suit with break of 514 points to
a new bottom at 7112.
Liquidation was not so urgent
in the utility group, which had
been giving way persistently all
through the past fortnight. Elec-
trio Bond and Share slid off "a
to a new bear market low at SO:
Eastern States Power "B" was
off 12 point to a new bottom at
IL, and Northern States Power
"a" was off almost 2 points to
1865. American Gas and Elec-
trio, however, showed individual
strength with a sparkling per
formance that carried it up 31a
points to 641s.
Aluminium was a sore SPOT
among the specialties, slumping
to 118 for a loss of 9 points, and
a new bottom for the year. Other
usually active members of this
group, were quiet, with changes
of generally minor significance.
Investment trusts were moder-
ately lower, with Graymur Cor
poration turning reactionary with
a dip of 15s points to a new
low at 221s.
The Washington times., 1931-05-21
Unbalanced Stock Yields
A Danger Says Haney

time. Just now, however, they
look especially high because Of
the uncertainty of the earnings.
Not only is the earnings out
look for the next few months
poor, but the trend of earnings
during the next year or two does
not promise any return to the
levels of 1928 and 1929.
Need Drying Out
I can see no probability of a
resumption of the old, rate of
growth in the physical volume
of industrial output, and COM
modify prices are almost certainly
at a permanently lower level.
Furthermore, the Street seems
to be just waking up to the fact
there are too many shares of
stock outstanding-that great
overcapitalization exists. This
means it will be more difficult to
maintain earnings and dividends
per share.
1t is not likely the stock mar
ket will become settled until
overcapitalization, over valuation
and over payment of dividends
are corrected. And among the
worst offenders are the utilities.
The Washington times., 1931-05-21
U. S. Trade Experts
Named for P0rLeu

The State Department yester-
day named seven delegates selected
from the foreign service. all of
them experts in foreign COM
merce, to attend the national
foreign trade convention in New
York, May 27-29. They are:
James J. Murphy, head of the
Consular Commercial office;
Harry. A. Mcbride, executive as
sistant secretary of State; Consul
General Marion Letcher. Antwerp:
Consul Louis H. Gourley, Sac
Paulo, Brazil; Consul Louis War.
ren, Barranquila, bia;
Consul Leroy Webber, Chefoo,
China; Consul Walter A. Foot,
Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.
The Washington times., 1931-05-21
COSTS
DROP IN APRIL

Retail food prices droped about
2 per cent in April from March
prices. Since April a year ago
the decrease has amounted to
18 per cent, the Bureau of Labor
Statistics announced today.
The decline in Washington was
only per cent. In Baltimore
it was 2 per cent. Dallas, Tex,
and Springfield, Ill, led the list
of 81 cities with declines of 5
per cent.
Butter, with a decrease of 6
per cent, topped the list of "a
food articles that declined in
price. Coffee declined 5 per
cent, fresh eggs and cornmeal,
4 per cent. plate beef. oleomarga-
rine, cheese, bread, flouor, navy
beans, pork and beans, canned
corn. tomatoes and peas, and
bananas, 3 per cent; rib and
chuck roast, sliced ham. milk.
macaroni, rice, sugar and prunes,
2 per cent: Sirloin and round
steak, sliced bacon, canned sal
mon, evaporated milk, rolled
oats, tea and raisins, l per cent.
Six articles increased in price.
with potatoes, at 4 per cent, top
ping the list. Onions increased
3 per cent, hens and oranges.
2 per cent, pork chops and leg
OF lamb, l per cent.