The Butler County press. [volume], October 20, 1939, Image 2

About The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946

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Endorsed by the Trades and Labor
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Endorsed by the Middletown Trades
and Labor Council of Middletown, O
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1939.
I. L. O. EFFECTIVE PEACE FORCE
What is the most effective instru
ment for world peace?
The International Labor Organiza
tion, is the answer given by the ex
ecutive council of the American Fed
eration of Labor.
Endorsing the continued support
given by the United States govern
ment to the I. L. 0. and expressing
the hope that a lasting peace will
soon arrive, the council told the Cin
cinnati A. F. of L. convention:
"Until that time, however, we
should do all in our power to encour
age our government to continue its
support and to co-operate as closely
as possible with the International La
bor Organization as the most effective
instrument for peace in the world to
day."
John G. Winant, director of the In
ternational Labor Office, reports that
the office at Geneva is functioning at
normal, despite the war. This means
that it is continuing its efforts for
improvement of labor and economic
conditions in all nations. Such im
provement, by removing important
causes of distrust and antagonism be
tween nations, is the basis of stable
peace throughout the world. Organ
ized labor is fully aware of this fact,
hence its stout support of the I. L. O
and its work.
o
PROGRESSIVE STEP URGED
The federal government would
make progress toward becoming a
model employer if it would establish
the five-day and 35-hour week for
federal employes and pay them a min
imum of $35 a week, President Wil
liam Green of the American Federa
tion of Labor, said at a dinner of
federal employes in Cincinnati.
There seems to be no good reason
why the shorter work week and higher
pay should not be inaugurated in the
federal service, with good results both
for the workers and the government
With the five-day week in effect
Red Jacket
Coal
Anthracite
Pocahontas
Semet Solvay Coke
329 South Second Street
COMMENT ON WORLD EVENTS
Communist Russia's solemn "ex
planations" cf her course of aggres
sion toward her tiny Baltic neighbors
have at least one merit—they add to
the gaiety of nations. They may be
swallowed inside Russia, but in the
world at large they bring only de
risive laughter. And it may be that
even in Russia, the "explanations"
meet with smiles, when the smiling
can be done free from the eyes of the
Stalinist secret police and their army
of spies.
One example will suffice. Referring
to the "treaties" which the Russians
have forced in Esthonia, Latvia and
Lithuania at the point of a gun,
Pravda, official organ of the Stalin
dictatorship, says with a perfectly
straight face:
"The Soviet policy of peace and
good-neighborly relations and friend
ship with nations scores one success
after another."
And this after Russia's treacherous
stabbing in the back of Poland and
its brutal bullying of Esthonia, Lat
via and Lithuania!
Finland is the latest victim of Rus
sian aggression. This Baltic repub
lic, with a free labor movement and
an enlightened government, has long
enjoyed the esteem of Americans.
Alone among European nations, Fin
land has been paying her war debt
to the United States, action which
has heightened America's regard for
her. The New York Times tells of
Finland's plight in an editorial de
serving of the widest circulation.
Says the Times:
"Now that Finland, warily calling
up her reserves, goes to parley with
Uncle Sam would be justified in ex
pecting more from his employes and
undoubtedly he would get it. If he
didn't, he could soon obtain greater
efficiency by raising government pay
so as to attract a larger proportion
of efficient workers to federal service.
o
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Did you ever stop to think that the
labor press is one of the best avenues
of education open to the trade union
movement? The American Federa
tion of Labor has time and time again
emphasized this and has never lost a
chance to impress it upon the mem
bers of organized labor. You can
help to make the labor press an even
greater avenue of education than it
is by giving it your heartiest support.
Here this means supporting and
"boosting" this paper at every op
portunity.
o
I adhere to the opinion that the
greatest service that the United States
can possibly render democracy in the
world is to preserve democracy in the
United States. Senator Bennett
Champ Clark of Missouri.
o
WHAT NEXT?
A coin-operated letterbox, called
the "Mailomat" has been installed in
New York City's main postoffice. The
"Mailomat" enables the public to mail
anything from a penny postcard to a
22-cent air mail, special delivery let
ter without buying a stamp. A coin
is inserted in a slot, a dial twisted to
select the desired postage value, the
letter inserted in another slot and
away it goes, automatically stamped
and deposited in a U. S. mailbox.
o
WISDOM
Schwenn Coal Company
Look to the essence of a thing,
whether it be a point of doctrine, of
practice, or of interpretation.—Marcus
Aurelius.
W. H. STEPHAN, Prop.
COAL AND COKE
Fifth and High Streets PHONE 23
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Hamilton, Ohio
Russia, the sympathetic interest of
many Americans will go with her.
This is because of the proof we'have
that the Republic of Finland is one
of the most conspicuously successful
democracies in the world.
"The Finns are a pious race, and a
race deeply devoted to nationalism
and democracy. For 700 years this
land of a thousand lakes' languished
under alien rule, while its people
longed for freedom. They remained
a problem for every master. The final
enslavement was to Russia of the
Czars. Then came the Russian revo
lution and the threat of a second
conquest by the Soviets. The Finns
had had their taste of bolshevism and
found it bitter. They shed their blood
to put it down. The capture of Tam
pere (Tammerfors) in their war of
independence raised a barrier against
the Russian march toward Scandi
navia."
The Times goes on to say: "Since
the formation of the republic, democ
i*acy has been a flame in Finland,
burning as brightly as it did in
Thomas Jefferson's young America
It has fused Finland into a unified na
tion. It has burned away riches and
poverty alike. The Finns are a free
and happy people. They have de
veloped a modern and prosperous
state on advanced lines of social jus
tice. Their extraordinary accomplish
ment in twenty years entitles them
to be let alone, masters of their des
tiny. The shadow of Russia looms
over them now, but it is not likely
that they will pass as meekly into
the darkness as Latvia, Esthonia and
Lithuania."
WORKERS IN S. W.
ARE VICTIMS OF
LABOR_RECRUITING
Report by Research Workers of the
Works Projects Administration Re
veals Victimization, Exploitation.
Washington, D. C. (ILNS).—Vic
timization and exploitation of migrant
farm workers in the Southwest is re
vealed in a report by research work
ers of the Works Projects Adminis
tration.
The report, tracing the movements,
jobs and earnings of more than 500
migratory families and individual
workers, often parallels current fic
tional accounts of harsh exploitation,
Col. F. C. Harrington, W. P. A. com
missioner, declared.
Examples of lying advertising to
attract workers, meager pay, unsani
tary living conditions and social bar
riers erected against migrant work
ers are cited in the report as typical
of conditions existing among refugees
from the Dust Bowl.
Regulation Recommended
Regulation of "unrestricted re
cruiting of seasonal labor" is recom
mended to improve conditions of mi
gratory workers in the Southwest. No
simple solution has been discovered
the report warns, and "even granting
that some practicable means of at
tacking the problem at its source can
be found, progress in all probability
will be slow and difficult."
Although Arizona's most valuable
crop cannot be harvested without
them, the report states, the itinerant
cotton pickers are regarded as pari
ahs, and farmers feel their children
are degraded by contact in school
with the poor migrants. "The per
manent residents regard them with a
feeling closely analagous to racial
prejudice it continues.
The report, based on a field study
conducted by the W. P. A. Division
of Research, traces for the year of
1937 the pursuits and earnings of 518
migrant groups, at work in Arizona
during January and February, 1938
The total number of cotton pickers
working in Arizona at the time
ranged from about 30,000 to 15,000 or
less. The investigators visited about
30 cotton camps in three of the most
important producing counties to ob
tain their material.
Alluring Advertising Used
Hie migratory cotton pickers came
to Arizona, it was found, because of
the pressure of hard times in their
home communities. Of the group cov
ered by the survey, 54 per cent came
from Oklahoma, 17 per cent from
Texas and smaller proportions from
Arkansas and neighboring states.
"A majority of the cotton pickers
reported that Arizona was presented
to them in one way or another, as be
inga promised land which could solve
for them the problems which they
could not solve at home," the report
states. "The most important reason
for their choice of Arizona as a des
tination was the advertising cam
paign conducted by .the cotton grow
ers."
The recruiting campaign has uti
lized not only want ads, but also dis-
play advertising, handbills, newspa
per publicity, a word- of- mouth
"grapevine" and occasionally radio,
the study found. Invariably, accord
ing to sample advertisements repro
duced in the text, the pickers were
promised good pay, high yield per
acre, good living conditions in the
camps and a healthy, salubrious cli
mate.
The promise of 300 to 400 pounds
of cotton per day per picker was sel
dom achieved, the report states, and
pay during 1938 was a standard 75
cents per hundred.
Earnings Found Low
Actually," the report finds, "pos
sible earnings appear to have been
much lower than those stated in ad
vertising. The growers' own or
ganization, the Farm Labor Service,
estimates that it takes from eight to
ten workers to pick a bale a day.
Since a bale is equal to 1,400 pounds
of seed cotton, the average output for
each picker is from 140 to 175 pounds,
which nets from $1.20 to $1.50 cash a
day, and from about $6 to $8 total
income a week."
Only one worker in 33 of the 577
interviewed was found to have made
as much as $16 a week, and less than
one-half of one per cent earned more
than $21. Large families with four
workers or more averaged $18.38 a
week.
The usual Arizona camp was de
scribed as a crowded, filthy, make
shift collection of shelters, frequently
lacking even elementary sanitary fa
cilities. Some camps were described
as "good," but most consisted of tents
over floorless wooden boxes
The Cherry
Where with our
Vp Little Hatchet we
A
tell
the truth
about many things, sometimes pro
foundly. Sometimes flippantly,
sometimes recklessly
Fifty-ninth annual convention of
the American Federation of Labor is
now history.
As usual, a record of constructive
achievement was made.
The convention spoke on matters
of the vital importance.
Every decision was made after full
discussion and consideration.
No dictums were handed down from
on high and ratified by "rubber
stamp" delegates.
Questions were brought out in the
open, examined from all angles and
all views given an airing.
Then the convention spoke, exempli
fying democracy and democratic pro
cedure in its best aspects.
Perhaps most important of all sub
jects before the delegates—important
to every man, woman and child in the
United States—was the matter of
keeping this nation out of the Eu
ropean war.
Reiteration of labor's determined
stand against war was of course to
be expected.
The convention made its declara
tion in the plainest kind of language
"The only way by which we can
avoid being drawn into the present
European war is to definitely deter
mine that we tvill not, that under no
circumstances will we enter into any
national policy which would include
the use of armed force, except should
our shores be attacked," the conven
tion said.
In that it spoke for the vast body
of citizens of the United States.
The convention, however, did not
shut its eyes to the principles involved
in the European conflict.
It declared that the A. F. of L. rec
ognized that "continuance and expan
sion of parliamentary government in
Europe is involved in the present
war."
It made known its unswerving op
position »to all forms of dictatorship
and its firm championship of de
mocracy.
But the convention saw clearly that
by keeping out of war and by holding
itself in readiness to aid peace ef
forts, the United States would be
serving the cause of civilization.
"There may come a time," it said
"when the warring countries would
welcome some great neutral nation
taking the lead in mediatorial ef
forts."
Unpleasant subjects were not
dodged at Cincinnati.
Labor's disappointment with the
working out of certain New Deal leg
islation, its suspicion of certain ten
dencies in government, however well
meaning, was voiced before the con
vention,
Seeming public hostility to organ
ized labor, as indicated by recent leg
islative attempts to restrict the rights
of unions, was discussed.
The forthright Daniel J. Tobin ex
pressed the fear that the tide of pub
lie opinion had begun to turn against
the labor movement. And he didn't
spare union officials.
MORRISON RETIRES
FROM A. F. OF
Cincinnati (ILNS).—Frank Morri
son, beloved 79-year-old secretary
treasurer of the American Federation
of Labor, announced his retirement
from active service with the federa
tion, at the organization's fifty-ninth
annual convention.
The delegates manifested their high
regard for Morrison by voting unani
mously to make him seci'etary-treas
urer-emeritus at a retirement salary
of $6,000 a year,
Morrison was elected secretary of
the A. F. of L. in 1897 and served
continuously until his retirement, a
period of 42 years. In 1935 he was
named to the office of secretary-treas
urer, following the death of Treasurer
Martin F. Ryan in January of that
ear
The American Federation of Labor
was 16 years old when Morrison be
came its secretary. It was formed
in 1881—just five years before he
joined the International Typograph
ical Union. When he became secre
tary the office force of the federation
consisted principally of himself and
the late Samuel Gompers.
Morrison was born at Franktown,
Ontario, Canada, on November 23,
1859.
"If we as labor leaders cannot see
the handwriting on the wall, we are
not the kind of leaders the workers
who depend upon us need," he said.
Mr. Tobin touched on a situation
which every thoughtful union mem
ber knows is of deep concern to the
labor movement.
The convention drove home the
truth that in organization lies the
salvation of the workers. It empha
sized the message that the hope of
the producing classes, both city and
country, is in economic organization
now as in the past and future.
To this end it urged a union-for
ward campaign and said:
"It is of the utmost importance to
labor that the coming year should be
one of activity in organizing workers
and in educating them in the prin
ciples of trade unionism that they
may be able to protect themselves and
advance their interests socially, po
litically and economically."
Labor Party Branch
Denounces Reds
New York City (ILNS).—The New
York City branch of the American
Labor Party adopted a resolution de
nouncing American Communists as
"betrayers of the labor movement
and protagonists of dictatorship."
"The government of the Soviet
Union, urging and professing the
policy of a unified front of the de
mocracies against Nazi aggression
suddenly and deceitfully adopted a
policy of close military collaboration
with the Hitler regime," the resolu
tion said. "This action was indeed
a treacherous blow to world civil
ization ..."
Subscribe for The Press.
Bservice,
Stengle Is Named
Legislative Agent
Washington, D. C. (AFLWNS).—
Charles I. Stengle, former president
of the American Federation of Gov
ernment Employes, was appointed
administrative assistant to Cecil Cus
ter, newly elected president, at the
recent convention of the federation in
Atlantic City. Mr. Stengle's duties
will include legislative work.
The executive council of the fed
eration elected President Cecil E.
Custer, and Secretary Berneice B.
Heffner of Washington, D. C., and
James A. Campbell of Cincinnati, O.,
as delegates to the American Federa
tion of Labor convention, now being
held in Cincinnati.
DICTATORSHIPS IN
FEAR OF OWN PEOPLE
(From the Electrical Workers Journal)
People never grow unconscious of
a loss of liberty. There is plenty of
evidence that there is great restless
ness in Germany and Russia. The
frequent blood purges of Stalin and
Hitler are accurate indication that
these despots are fearful of an up
rising of the people.
WAR BRINGS NO GOOD
"War," said the Greek sage, "is the
father of all things." We know bet
ter we know that modern war is the
father of nothing that is good. The
best that can be said for war nowa
days is that it may be accepted as
the lesser of two evils, when there is
no other possible choice.—The Wall
Street Journal.
TWO A.M. AND NOT
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FUNERAL DIRECTOR
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