davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
Struggles of the Cuban Sugar Workers
By Fred Ellis

tended to become easily politicalized,
mobilizing around the illegal Com
munist Party vast masses of the
decisive sector of the Cuban prole-
tariat in direct struggle against the
Machado terror regime sustained by
Yankee imperialism
The bloody bourgeois landlord Ma
chado dictatorship recognized the
revolutionary significance Of the
sugar workers strike movement, and
modified against it its entire armed
force, viciously intensifying the per-
secution of the illegal Communist
Party and the revolutionary trade
union movement.
The revolutionary movement of
Cuba, the Communist Party and the
trade union movement made very
important strides in the course of
the struggles in the sugar industry.
In the first place, the Party and
the c. N. o. c. National workers
Confederation of Cuba) have ex-
tended their influence immensely
among the most numerous and basic
section Of the Cuban proletariat, the
sugar plantation and mill workers.
The Party membership doubled. The
National Sugar Workers Industrial
!. Union attracted into its ranks new
masses Of both agricultural laborers
and mill workers. The strikes under
revolutionary leadership for the
| first time attracted into the orbit
of the mass movement the Negro
workers and the foreign born work
ers (Jamaicans, Haitians, Chinesel
who hitherto were looked upon with
distrust and considered as strike
breaking elements by the native
workers.
The peasants (colonos) were drawn
into the movement on the basis of
| their own specific demands and
under the leadership of the working
class a2d its revolutionary vanguard.
The strike struggles led to the IN
masking OF the counter-revolutiona
character OF the Junco group rec
emily expelled from the Communist
Party and shattered their oppor-
tunist theories that no struggle can
be led in time of crisis and that
strikes are impossible without prev
ious consolidation of the union.
With the termination of the Sugar
milling season, the Communist Party
of Cuba and the revolutionary trade
! union movement directed themselves
toward continuing to lead the econ
omic struggles Of the sugar workers,
linking the demands of the few who
remain employed, with demands
by the vast masses of plantation
and mill workers.
The continuation of this struggle
will revolve around the demand for
Social Insurance and immediate I'M
employed relief at the cost of the
bosses and the government.
The workers and all toilers of Gu
ba, as well as those of all other
colonial and semi-colonial countries
dominated by Yankee imperialism,
look to the working class of the
United states and particularly
to its revolutionary movement, for
support to their struggles. We must
here point out again that our work
ing class movement in the United
States has not hitherto sufficiently
fulfilled its revolutionary duty to ex-
tend its utmost support to the econ
onic and national emancipation
struggles in the colonies and semi
colonies of the United States.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
]. NEvAREs

With the close Of this years sugar
milling season in Cuba, there also
eliminated q stage in the develop
ment of the Cuban working class
movement, which is of the utmost
significance for the entire revolu-
tionary and anti-imperialist strug-
gle in the Caribbean countries.
The sugar milling season this year
was to be carried out under the
conditions of the intensified and still
deepening crisis of capitalism and
its imperialist domination in Cuba.
The conditions surrounding the mill
ing of the sugar crop we're those laid
down by the drastic crop restric-
tons (from 2,700,000 tons last year
to 100000 tons this year, provided
under the Chadbourne Plan, and the
Hawley-Smoot tariff of 2 cents per
pound of Cuban sugar.
The burden of these measures
put into effect by Yankee imperial
ism was shifted on the shoulders
of the already starving working
masses of Cuba and particularly
upon the large mass of plantation
and sugar mill workers
No Passive Mood
However, the masses of workers
of the sugar plantations as we'll as
those of the mills were in no mood
to accept passively those worsened
conditions. The opening of the sugar
milling season found the workers
ready to resist further wage cuts and
to struggle against imperialism and
the terror regime of Machado.
This was further made possible by
the fact that the ground for the
workers struggle was prepared by
the First Sugar Workers Conference,
which took place on December l,
1882, on the eve of the milling seas
on, under the leadership of the re-
volutionary trade union movement,
the Confederation Nacional Obrera
(National Workers Confederation of
Cuba) and of C.ie Communist Party
of Cuba. This Sugar workers Con-
ference, made up of worker delegates
from the different sugar plantations
and mills, discussed and formulated
demands to be raised by the workers,
laying the basis for the organization
of these workers into the Sugar
Workers Industrial Union.
Strikes Develop
Strike struggles developed through
out the island and particularly en-
braced the sugar plantation workers
as we'll as the mill workers of the
Santa Clara Province, whose actions
were prepared and led by the United
Front Action and Strike Committees
The strikes were characterized by
the revolutionary combativeness and
initiative displayed by the masses,
such as the formation of armed
groups which in many cases re-
PEELED the attacks of the Machado
military and of the company guards,
and forcing their demands on the
mill arrangements in the form Of
mass delegations, etc.
Particularly outstanding is the
example of The Nazabal mill in
Santa Clara Province, which was
seized by the workers who hoisted
the red flag. In this mill, as in
others, the workers not only were
able to resist the wage cuts but
succeeded in forcing increases; par
ticularly striking is the case Of
the agricultural workers in planta-
tions of Vega Lazarraga whose mi
litant strike under revolutionary
leadership not only won for them
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
NATL STUDENTS
LEAGUE GREETS
CUBAN STUDENTS
Plan to Raise Money
to Support Their
Struggles

To the Comite Pro Reorganization
de ala Izquierda; COMMITTEE for the
Students; to the Unorganixed Re-
evolutionary Students Of Cuba; to the
Cuban Emigres, who are carrying On
militant struggles against Yankee
Imperialism,
Greetingsl
The National Student League
halls the Comite Pro Reorganization
de ala Izquerda (the only revolu-
tionary student organization in Gu
ba which fights for the interests
of the Students, halls the revolu-
militant struggles against Yankee
Imperialism, against Machado and
Sumner Welles, tools Of Yankee i'm
perialism, and against the reformist
and reactionary elements in Cuba
which are attempting to impede
their struggles. We offer our solidar-
ity in this great fight-not the fake
solidarity which the Pan-American
Union stands for, but a solidarity
which grows out Of common prob
lens and the need for common
struggle against common enemy,
dilhtG 4lllpclidllSlua n SOuudIlty
which we are trying to substantiate
by concrete struggles on behalf Of
the revolutionary students Of Cuba;
which speaks of demonstrations OF
organized protests in the schools and
elsewhere, and Of attempts to raise
money to aid the Cuban students.
Cuban Week (July 23-29)) during
which we are holding protest meet
ings against U. S. Imperialism,
against Machado, running lectures
and affairs to raise money in sup
port Of the Cuban students, giving
wide publicity to the role Of the
U. S. Imperialism in Cuba, mobiliz-
ing the American student body. will
be the starting point for a more in
tense fight against U. S. imperial
SIN, fo- wider and greater cam
paign on behalf of the revolutionary
studentS of Cuba.
National Executive Committee
National Students League
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

Sugar Co., Cuban American Sugar
Co., Cuban Dominican Sugar Co.,
Cuba Railroad, Sugar Estates of ORR
ente, Punta Allegro Sugar Co., Beattie
Sugar Co., Warner Sugar Corp, Los
Cerros Copper Co., Havana Electric
Railway, Light and Power Co., Amer
lean Telephone and Telegraph Co.,
international Telephone and Tele-
graph Corp, American and Foreign
Power Co., United Fruit Co., Inter
national Harvester Co., Sinclair Con-
solidated Oil Corp, Standard Oil Co.
of New Jersey, Texas Corp, Standard
Brands All Of these, and many
more companies in Cuba, are linked
with the biggest banking houses of
Wall Street, such as Morgan, the
Chase National Bank and the Ma
tional City Bank. One of the lead
ing directors of the Cuba Railroad
has been w. H. Woodin. Secretary Of
the Treasury. Others of the Roose-
velt inner circle are identified with
companies with heavy interests in
Cuba.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

Union Nacionalista, A. B. c., etc.
1t has been announced that Welles
will soon inform the opposition
groups of the steps which the Ma
chado Government is ready to take
to guarantee democratic rights.
What is the aim of the Roosevelt
Welles negotiations? 1t is an effort
to have the native exploiters and
their followers who disagree with
Machado to come to some agree
ment suitable to American imperial
ism so that they can unite their
forces to prevent revolutionary mass
struggles. The capitalists use the
pretext of protecting American
property and investments in Cuba"
for their intervention. The so-called
mediation by Welles is active, open
intervention by American Imperial
ism in Cuban affairs. Under threat
Of military intervention, Welles is
trying to unity the various bour-.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
Cuba Colony Of United States Imperialism the Caribbean

IT is to pay interest on bonds, and
dividends on stocks Of these COR
porations, many of which also exploit
labor in the United States, that the
workers and peasants of Cuba are
being attacked by the strike breaking
government of Machado. The same
interests would still demand their
toll from the sweat and blood Of the
Cuban masses regardless of what dc
tatorship may succeed Machado when
he has served his day for his banker
masters.
1t is these U. S. companies that
speak for American Imperialism
throughout the same wage cuts and
lay-offs and stagger plans that they
use at home against the workers, in
Bethlehem, in Bayonne, in Chicago
or Cleveland. 1t is they who are re-
sponsible for the ipeonage and forced
labor and oppression that will go on
so long as bourgeois landlord gov
eminent exists in this most important
outpost of American imperialism in
the Caribbean.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
BY ROBERT DUNN

THE Island of Cuba, which Theo-
l dore Roosevelt called "a part of
our international system" is an
American "protectorate" seized in the
war with Spain in 1893. Under the
famous Platt Amendment to the Gu
ban constitution Cuba "consented"-
under threat of marine force-to
have the Wall Street government in
tervene at any time the latter saw
fit "for the maintenance Of a gov
eminent adequate for the protection
Of life, property and individual lib
erty."
Under this provision the United
States has interviewed with an army
of occupation several times and has
always opposed any Cuban revolu-
tionary movement attempting to up
set the capitalist status quo in that
country.
INTERVENTION has naturally been
not on behalf Of "life" or 'indi-
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

vidual liberty" 1t has always been
on behalf Of property"
And American property in Cuba is
very considerable. For the six billion
dollars invested by United States
capitalists in Latin American coun-
tries, billion and half is in Cuba.
Wall Street has a bigger stake in
Cuba than in any other Latin Amer
lean country. Cuba is the key to her
Caribbean empire. Investments of
Wall Street in that country have in
creased over $50 per cent since 1912.
Although the United States has its
most important Atlantic naval base
at Guantanamo, Cuba, its still more
strategic stake is in the investments
in sugar, real estate, railroads, public
utilities, tobacco, mines, banks and
government bonds. In these very
tangible items are found the reason
for the iron tutelage the Yankee i'm
perialists hold over this island which
has an estimated population Of about
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

foreign policy of Wall Street, the
United States navy got very i'm
portant naval stations in Cuba. The
United States navy has on Cuban
territory the coaling stations OF
Guantanamo Bay and Bahia Honda.
Strategically situated with regard
to the Panama Canal, Cuba viii play
an important role in the next i'm
perialist war involving the United
States
No war plan of the United States
leaves Cuba out Of consideration.
MAJOR GEN. ENOCH H. CROW
iH DER, testifying before the SEN
ate on the question of sugar tariffs,
declared that in the event Of war the
United States would look to Cuba for
the greatest share of its sugar sup
ply. Not only that, Crowder pointed
out that the American navy would
operate from Cuba for the protection
of the Panama Canal
With the outbreak of war, as well
as with each step towards war prep
arations American imperialism
would strengthen the dictatorship OF
the native bourgeoisie, whether it be
Machado or representative Of any
of the bourgeois landlord opposition
groups.
Wall Street, building a navy sec
ond to none" struggling for domina-
ton in the Pacific and for a greater
share of the Latin American mark
cts, wants to solve the internal diff
culties of Cuba now, in order to pre-
vent the revolutionary uprising of the
masses which will endanger its hold
on this valuable pearl of the Antilles.
THE recent outlay of close TO
billion dollars for war expendi-
lures included large allotments for
strengthening the American military
machine in the Caribbean, particu-
larly around the Panama Canal.
This means strengthening the war
machine in the West Indies, which
includes the Virgin Islands, Porto
Rico and Cuba. The American mill
tarists look upon these islands as a
strong chain around the canal de-
lenses.
CUBA supported American imperial
y ism in the last world war, and
the native bourgeoisie is ready at the
behest of Roosevelt to fling the coun-
try into another war TO help Amer
lean Imperialism gain new colonies
and new world markets
At the first signs Of war, American
imperialism can make pretext to
invade Cuba and attempt to establish
its full military domination over the
island. The Platt amendment gives
Wall Street the right to intervene"
at the first sign Of political distr-
Dances which may effect the billion
and-a-half American investment.
No matter on which front the war
is fought, in the Atlantic or Pacific.
or against the Soviet Union, Cuba
will play an important role in the
war mobilization of American i'm
perialism.
The struggle against Machado and
the Wall Street domination of Cuba.
the struggle for the independence of
Cuba, is struggle against the war
program of American imperialism.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

like Machado, supporters of American
Imperialism, and most if not all of
them, will PROBABLY agree to COM
promise submitted by Welles. How
quickly these leaders will openly sur
render will depend on whether they
can keep their own followers from
revolving against them. Unification
Of the ourgeois-landlord forces
means a blow at the toiling masses
of Cuba.
The fight against the Welles in
PREVENTION in Cuba is being carried
on in Cuba by the revolutionary
workers and farmers, under the lead
ership of the Communist Party of
Cuba.
The Communist Party OF the
U. S. A. supports intellectually the
the brave fight carried on by our
Cuban comrades. 1t has set aside
% to 29 as Cuban Week" The main
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
.MACHADO BRUTAL
WATCHDOG FOR
u. S. IMPERIALISM
Has Killed Hundreds
of Workers
Leaders
BY E. P. GREENE

Gerardo Machado, elected Presi-
dent Of Cuba in the fall Of 1924, has
been for eight years the most brutal
and faithful watchdog which Amer
lean Imperialism has ever maintained
in Cuba to guard its interests there.
A man of great physical strength
over sixty years of age, Machado be-
gan his career as general in the
Cuban army during the War of In
dependence against Spain in 1895.
For many years he has been a leader
of the so-called Liberal Party.
After the rule of President Zayas,
who was unable to find a way out of
the crisis in the sugar industry,
which began as long ago as 1920,
American imperialism chose Machado
as a strong man" who could more
efficiently and ruthlessly exploit the
masses. At this time Machado was
vice. president OF the Cuban Electric
Co., subsidiary of the Electric Bond
and Share Co., Morgan company
closely allied with the General Elec-
trio Co. Henry w. Catlin, American
representative of the Electric Bond
and Share Co. in Cuba, was very
busy behind the scenes before the
election of 1924, and was instrumental
in the election of Machado.
Machado, besides being one of the
largest shareholders of the Cuban
Electric Co., owns cement works,
paint factories and other enterprises
in Cuba. The carretera, a 700-mile
highway extending from one end of
the island to the other, costing
$100,000,000, and the new Capitol
building in Havana, costing O,000,-
900, were both built during the Ma
chado regime. The contracts for
these two undertakings we're mostly
given to companies controlled by Ma
chado, who thus pocketed millions
of dollars.
Machado is intimately connected
with the Chase National Bank, which
controls the government finances of
Cuba. Since 1925 the government
debt has increased from 100000 900
to $215 000,0 In 1923 Jose Obregon,
son-in-law of Machado, was given a
present of 100000 for his share in
arranging a $5O,o00OO0 loan floated
by the Chase National Bank, on which
the latter cleared profit Of $780,
GOO. At this time Obregon was joint
manager of the Cuban branch of the
bank, retained at salary of $19,-
900 year. RS I@xl
Soon after coming to power in 1925
Machado boosted to his Wall Street
masters: Under my rule no strike
in Cuba will last more than twenty
four hours" The workers of Cuba,
through a long series of militant
strike struggles, have shown how
empty was this boast.
Machado, known as the Man of
a Thousand Murders" who boasts of
having withstood eighteen attempts
on his life, has during eight years
slaughtered the chief leaders of the
workers and peasants: Yalob, Brou-
ION, Brook, Wong, Grant, Varona,
Lopez, and scores Of others. In 1929
he sent his agents to Mexico to as
sassinate Julio A. Mella, founder
of the Communist Party Of Cuba, and
leader Of the struggles of the Cuban
masses. It is this same butcher Ma
chado whom American imperialism Is
attempting to maintain in power
through the diplomatic intervention
of Mr.. Sumner Welles, recently ap-
pointed American ambassador to
Cuba.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

the Roosevelt Administration
Imperialism at the expense of the
toiling masses of the United States
and of the colonies, the. heroic battles
of the Cuban working class, under
the leadership of the Communist
Party of Cuba, are an important
part of the working class fight
against Rooseyelt's. starvation New
Deal" M .,E4
Almost from it's foundation, the
Communist Party was outlawed by
the Machado Government, forbidden
to hold meetings, and its press de-
clared illegal. But despite the terror,
meetings and demopStr ations have
been held against I rMachado and
against American Imperialism, with
the active participation of the Com
munist Party. A demonstration was
held against Coolidge in 1928 during
the Sixth Pan-AmeriGan Union Con-
ference. Growing movement for
unemployment relief and insurance
eliminated in the Hunger March of
December, 1882. The recent strike of
m noo z,,oar ,,,:iI Ks ,.In,+a4io,,
1u,o1o ~; Sts ~ p",4s s,aa,,
t -. 1in PA dofi,t nv lrad
oaii1ouS soi Dut AZ. $500 So ,I p
1 en- - s 49,. ~ Wy $50 Iosnr
a w. rai ~, l, o, utta v.'e "t;o.,
9,lp VI 'i syo .uvio 1..,1a
this strike is of outstanding signifi-
oaliee ~ oiiia si .-s.so
ssi usslo u S,.e nus. Daato 4ii. s.a,
u Ouoa i,laA no o., an i..ioi yeiio 49,
opIiieiie M aie sOfussie a n;aIiiSS
AmericaIl nnperiaissiis--io Is tiCCilig
Aiiieiioai nipei i@i'ei'i III i'S iiio''
S9iiiei soie epo'' sTi"-t
e''tF
THE Communist Parsylot Cuba is IN
roosevelt Weies ,.'lhterVeIition
ouoa' eAposlie ~ 40 al iilipei ians'
uaoVe asaiiise .iie e1pioi'eo iIas'es'
me ooisliliutiise 10y VI Guoa 10
SoiHins ~ oiie set lsu " Uiie Naa-
oiiauo Isiiiie NOV ciIousn ii.ei 'eii
.ioit pyf, 1,iiie'iioail iaiiSin, DuO
I,itoasii I-oiiS. " oaisoa eis VI ny
Suoah woiA eio anu psaSan.s' iLe
ooiiiiiiuiiiaO cry VI SAo" 10 iisi.O
ins asansoe Ille saitoAs poui seoio
laiiuioio iaoyioin, esaieso O,lS W. 1Tn
ooaio' o,ie lneIuieo'es, atlo yio VIC
i1eiio oot-,oA, cru Sa!leo ny -
20 W, Vi'e -, = os - 80,
eia-eiie "a al VI .iieee pa eiT'
az suppo, 0ei S;,' ~ ~ , mp. .a,
81 te oi.e my ss,sles,s - ~ rrars
p $780,; ~ "' to; anaiad1n a p9s S snr
"layrI reforms ), ub;cb i not enti-
in,nerialist and NOT anti rfeudal THE
Conan,lanisf, Party of ,CI,ba Is fighting
auainst renepades from the Cnban
revoi,,tionsrv { movement like SAN
dalio .n1nco who aroi,e that no
stripe can he successful in Cuha
,,,ur co,.,,.. 20 n, -, 80 c,ho
a.,,,',a, ii ~ sDsS .,s, ! - y - oe0a
SIX months period, MAKING greag
SAM aiiioi.s 'ile .siaeaL ~olAeis. ~
11es "tssu Il,e tueoio.un ieSet " .iae
ts 10y tioi's - = mIeliin .lie pass
.i,iee 800 - tias 1891 .iiio 1 3l
enS i' "a uins 4ie paae ~ &C
yeels' ~ iias naaue, iioo' lOlily loeoioe-
"a sans pu0 alsoi.loi same .ioliai
n,,rino tbasa" tbree vesrs tbe COM"
rnunist partv of c,,,ha ! has learned
how IN carry on its..own -indenendent
line during mass STRUGGLES n has
concentrates its worlse on the sugar
nlantations and in. The s,,oar mills
1the stronghold of American i'm
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
The Fight Against Armed
Intervention in Cuba

THE trying bring
between the
opposition
had meetings with various Conferences
representatives officially
opposition
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
Wall Street has a Bigger Stake in Cuba than
in Any Other Latin American Country
s,5oo,ooo.

THE puppet agents of Wall Street in
Cuba have been literally on the
payroll of Wall Street. General Ma
chado, for example, was for years an
agent of the Morgan-controlled Elec-
trio Bond and Share Co. He engi-
neered the leasing, to a subsidiary of
that company, of important public
utilities in Havana. One Wall Street
banking house is reported to have
contributed a cold half million dol
lars to secure the election Of this
"Mussolini of the Antilles" as he likes
to call himself.
OF the total of $1,75o, 900, 900 foreign
capital invested IN the island, at least
81, 500, 100000 has been estimated as
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

COME well-known Wall Street
y dominated companies that have
shared in the looting of the islands
are the Bethlehem Steel Corp. (Beth-.
lehem- Cuban Mines Company, the
Cuba Sugar Cane Co., the American
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

an increase of 100 per cent in their
original daily wages of rs cents, but
after having won the increase, they
struck again, thus succeeding in
bringing their daily wage to 10 cents.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26
Cuban Communists Party.
Most Advanced OF All.
in the Caribbean Area.
Formed in 1925 by Julio Mela and Others, 1t
Has Waged Underground Fight Ever Since
Blu WILLIAM SIMONS

THE Communist Party of Cuba of the most developed
of the Caribbean Communist Parties Formed in 1925
by Julio Mela and Others it has led important
struggles Of the Cuban toing At this tme when
the Roosevelt Administration is trying American
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-07-26

features of that 1Open meetings
with the anwar
forwarded the Roosevelt Administration
ernnent 3sale the special Daily
neday, July 2et) Colecons stamps proceeds
sent to the Cuban revolutionary organizations
We all revolutionary
in this