The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-17
Cuban Masses Struggle
Against Semi>SlaVery
Government Threatens
Harvest of Blood to
Stop Strikes
BY ]. Roias

WHILE the toilers and white
W collar workers in the cities are
striking for better conditions and
against the repressions of the Men
dieta government, all eyes in Cuba
are turned toward the countryside
which is preparing for its annual
sugar harvest (zafra). Sugar is the
keystone Of the whole economic and
political set-up of this Yankee
semi-colony. To speak of the eco
nomic trend in Cuba means to
speak in terms of sugar-the price
of sugar, the number Of tons OF
sugar which will be produced. the
number of days duration of the
zafra.
This years zafra begins about the
middle of January. Because of the
new low production quota fixed by
the New Roosevelt Reciprocity
Treaty Q,902,000 tons, it is cer~
tain that this years zafra, which in
the majority of centrals was about
As days last year, promises to be
even shorter, since some 100000
tons from last years quota still
remain unsold and thus will fur
Their reduce the actual quota of
the 1885 harvest. The dire meaning
of such a short harvest can be
understood only when it is remem-
beTed that large part of the
Cuban toiling population has prac-
tically no other means of subsist-
ence during the whole year than
what it can exc out during the
few days of harvesting.
BourgeOisie Are Fearful
The Cuban bourgeoisie, in the
complete service of Yankee imperial
ism, is well aware of the desperate
state Of the masses and of the in
ffammable situation which their
plight may ignite at any moment.
especially in the interior. They see
the rapidity with which the condi-
tons for revolutionary situation
are maturing in Cuba. It is for this
reason that they are bending every
effort at this time toward the prep
aratton of the violent crushing of
the strikes which will surely arise
during the zafra, as they did last
year.
There will be harvest or there
will be blood" This was the state
ment of the government as an an
swer to the bloody battles and he
roic struggles of the peasants and
sugar workers during last years
harvest and is indicative of the only
solution the government has to of
fer to the serious situation of the
Cuban toiling population.
1t is at this time that the CON
versations" in the United States
embassy between Ambassador CAT
fiery and his favorite, Col. Batista,
and the Wall Street puppet Presi-
dent Mendieta become more and
more frequent. Expenditures for
more arms and soldiers and for the
conversion of the sugar centrals
into military entertainments become
more and more unrestrained. The
military budget has already far
surpassed the record set by the
butcher Machado himself and the
number of armed men, officially
given at approximately $4,000 men
has actually been raised to almost
double that amount Excluding the
ordinary police force and the pri-
vate police of the big Yankee sugar
companies). Batista has announced
that the recently established "se-
cret service" of the army will be
widely used against the Commu-
nists during the zafra.
Cuban Cordially"
The efforts of the government to
pacify the various groups and par
ties of the capitalist-landlord OPP
position have of late taken on an
added impulse. With the slogan of
Cuban cordially" as the basis OF
its appeal, the government is seek
ing to convince these groups that
they ought to abandon all anti
Mendieta activity in the face of this
national emergency" which the
struggles of the toiling masses dur
ing the zafra are likely to inten-
sify.
At the same time, the National
Sugar Workers Industrial Union,
affiliated to the C. N. o. c.. and the
revolutionary organizations under
the leadership of the Communist
Party, are preparing to lead and
develop support for the struggles of
the sugar workers in the coming
zafra. which, from all indications
will Guido the last one as harvest