The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-15

lies, have resorted to a des-
perate move to force a wage
increase. More than 1000
coal diggers at PEGS, Hungary, re-
ceiving 50 a week, have barricaded
themselves in the mine pits, threat
ening to commit suicide en- masse
if their wages are not raised to $3.50
a week. They have been under
ground more than 48 hours at the
time of writing. A group stands at
the entrance to the tunnel of the
self-entombed miners with axes to
stop any efforts at rescue"
Rather than suffer the slow
pangs of death by starvation"
they say, I'VE will commit suicide
by smothering ourselves unless
you grant our demands within
| twelve hours"
With their wives and children
above ground facing starvation,
mans situation must indeed be des~
perate when 1000 prefer to kill
| themselves rather than to continue
to live under the miserable condi-
tons of Hungarian fascism.
DEDUCED to the level of the lowest
~ paid coolies Of the Far East, the
Hungarian miners have adopted
some of their methods of struggle.
/ For example, at the San Yue Towel
4 Co. in Shanghai, several years ago,
/ hundreds of textile workers barri-
caded themselves in the plant and
declared a hunger strike. They were
demanding relief and back pay.
Japanese workers very often climb
/ factory smoke stacks, threatening to
Jump off if they are molested and
vowing to starve to death If their
fellow workers wages are not raised.
Chinese, Indian, Indo- Chinese and
Japanese workers sometimes commit
suicide on their employers doorstep
as sign of protest against starva-
ton pay, inhuman treatment.
EVERY worker will be aroused to
Il pitch of fury at conditions
which drive workers to prefer to
make a slaughter house of mine,
to shed all of their blood at one
stroke rather than ooze it out over
long period of starvation in dig
ging coal. But such heroiSm, such
desperation, such readiness for self
sacrifice can be turned into more
offensive, more fruitful channels by
other forms of struggle.
The bosses may feel little en-
barrassed by having all of their
miners commit suicide at one
time. But they can stand the shock.
Unemployed miners are plentiful.
Recently in one mine in South
Wales over 2e0 miners were buried
alive, and the bosses found no diff
ficulty in replacing them imnedls
ately, without the slightest qualms
Of conscience.
DUT let us see how the Social
d Democratic members Of the
Budapest Parliament came to the
support of these workers. They
sent kilograms to the fascist
Premier Julius Goemboes and to
the Ministry of Commerce calling
on the government TO stop the
miners from committing suicide.
In other words, they call on tbs
very force that has driven the mill
ers to take this desperate measure
to come to their rescue" They 90
not call on the workers throughout
Hungary to come to the support OF
their brothers, to take sympathetic
strike action, to force the employ
ers to grant an increase in pay,
which would save the miners lives,
They call on the fascist govern
ment apparatus to slaughter some
OF the miners in order to save the
rest so that they can continue to
live-and starve. Instead Of insplr-
ing the miners to more militant
action, to fighting and not COM
hitting suicide. the Social-Demo~
Gratis call on the fascist govern-
ment to COW the miners into SUBJ
mission.
NEW signs of an impending
~ storm in fascist Germany are
numerous. First, the fascist BUTCH
ers are sharpening the AK for our
heroic Comrade Ernst Thaelmanfl.
The vigorous efforts this time to
rid themselves of Thaelmann show
their fear of the rising wave OF
anti-fascist struggles OF whom the
living Thaelmann is the outstand-
ing leader and symbol though under
a thousand locks.
Then the religious battles in the
Protestant Church against the
Nazi state church is q screen for
the development of sharper class
battles, struggles Of the still relig-
ious workers against fascism;
growing inner class conflicts of the
bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie.
Because of the terror. the religious
anti-fsscist demonstrations are first
70 show open manifestations of the
still greater class battles to come.
On top of this comes the new
signs Of bankruptcy. of the onrusl1-.
ing economic catastrophe of Ger
man fsscisn. Hitler pleads for
funds to stop starvation for 17000,-
0c0 Germans. At the same time, he
denounceE and ends the trade
treaty with the United States. Fas-
cisn not only tightens its inner
walls against the world, but helps
its competitors to build still higher
their walls against German exports
and credits. The ending of the
trade treaty with the United States