The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-04

2
Communist agitator and organizer,
and now active in the struggles of
the farmers of Iowa and the West.
Mann has known Browder and
Mother Bloor as well as other lead
ing American Communists for many
years, and in 1921 all three were
delegates to that historic trade union
congress in Moscow which resulted
in the formation of the Red Interna-
tional Of Labor Unions.
"All three of us were on the con-
stitution committee of that congress"
Mann later told a reporter for the
Daily Worker.
AS the workers pressed toward him
at the pier, scores extending their
hands in an effort to greet Mann, the
latter was placed in taxi and driven
to the Office of the U. S. Congress
Against War Earl Browder, Mother
Bloor and Donald Henderson and
the representative of the Daily Work
eri accompanied him.
Mann-as recently as January of
the present year-was in jail. Sen
fenced to serve six months for lead
ing q demonstration Of Londons I'M
employed last year, he was freed by
mass protest after spending two
months in the Brixton Jail.
Dynamic, Despite Years
OF medium height, rather stocky,
with iron-gray moustache, Mann's
Joviality and animation give the i'm
preston of years of intimate activi-
ties among the masses. His eyes dart
about eagerly as he replies to ques-
lions.
you were here about 20 years ago
on speaking tour, weren't you?"
Mann was asked.
Eyes, in 1918, but before that, too.
I came here for the first time so
years ago-in 1888 I was 81 years
old at the time and worked in Brook
lyn for six months as a machinist
for Havemeyer and Elder, sugar re-
t1ners, That was the year the Brook
Ign Bridge was completed, and took
part in the celebration"
In 1918 Mann came to the United
States again-this time at the invi-
tation of Justice" a labor paper
published in Pittsburgh. William z.
Foster, now leader of the Com
iAlul1lob d1lyt dllNi Dill I1dy WOOkl
helped arrange nearly 70 meetings in
various parts of the country for him,
Mann said.
Born in Warwickshire, England, in
1856, Mann went to work in the coal
pits at the age of nine, after two and
one-half years of schooling. Later he
was apprenticed to a firm in Birming-
ham, and learned the trade of ma
chinist, or engineer, as it is called
in Britain.
Tells of Many Struggles
Mann came to the forefront as a
leader of unusual organizational
ability in the British eockworkers'
strike in 1889, and from that time on
he took an active and leading part
in scores of labor struggles not only
in England but in other countries as
well.
This strike, Mann said, involved not
only the ports of Great Britain, but
affected the ports of the entire world.
Twice the British veteran leader
went to South Africa at the call of
the gold miners who asked his aid
in their struggles. The first time was
in 1910, and the second time in 1922
On each occasion Mann remained six
months, giving the gold miners the
value of his years of experience as
q fighting labor organizer.
Since 1927, Mann has visited the
Soviet Union six times, once-in 1927
when he was on his way to China
"The British working class has time
and again shown the greatest soil
darity with the Soviet Union" Mann
said. "This is seen whenever the Eng
lish imperialists try to terminate re-
lations with the U.S.SR"
"GThe Example of the US.S.R"
Asked about the influence upon him
Of the Bolshevik Revolution, Mann
said that from the very first days
I could see That they were furnish
ing an example for the workers of
Britan as well as the rest of the
world"
Describing his political develop
ment, Mann asserted that "as far
back as 1886, I took an active part
In celebrating the Paris Commune of
1871, and have continued to partici-
pate in the anniversary celebrations
down to the present time. I gladly
accepted the name Of Communist
from the date of my first reading of
the Communist Manifesto, written by
Marx and EngelS."
I'm 1927" Mann told the writer, 81
went through the Soviet Union on my
way to China, before the Kuomin-
tang had betrayed the Chinese work
ers and peasants to the imperialists."
With Browder in China
Snilingly pointing to Earl Brow
der, who sat beside him, Mann said:
IT spent a good deal of the six
months in China with Earl, and many
meetings we both addressed from the
same platform.
During the six months spent in
China, 1 addressed 1873 meetings.
Many of them had audiences as large
as 100000 and in Hankow, on May
Day, 1927, spoke to at least 10000
workers and peasants"
With misery increasing among Bri-
tain's 100000 unemployed, the Ma
tional Unemployed Workers Move
ment was finding increasing support,
Mann reported.
with a working population of a.
100000" the veteran leader stated,
100000 unemployed creates quite
r,r0l,1arr1 and the government is And