The daily worker. [volume], October 20, 1934, National Edition, Page Page 6, Image 6

About The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
Page 6
MINE AND SMELTER LOCAL REFUSES TO EXPEL COMMUNISTS
Militant Members
Backed U nanimously
“Taking Reds Out of Our Local Is Like Taking
Life-Blood from Workers ” Says Miner
By a Worker Correspondent
EVELETH, Minn.—At a meeting
of the International Union of Mine,
Mill, and Smelter Workers, Local 32,
a letter from the Range Council
was read, asking the local to purge
its ranks by expelling all Commu
nists. The president of this local
took a firm stand against this and
in a sincere talk to the members,
pointed out that the Communists
were the only ones putting up a
real fight for the interests of the
workers —that if they allow Demo
crats and Republicans into the
unions, why not Communists? He
said that the Communists, “had the
guts to fight against starvation.” It
was pointed out that this anti-red
drive was against the constitution
of the range locals, as it states that
these unions are formed for the
purpose of uniting all workers in
any given industry.
Members took the floor in be
half of the Communists, and one
member said, “Taking the Reds out
of our union, is like taking the life
blood from the workers.” Not one
worker voted in favor of the "purg
ing” when it was taken to a vote.
George Peterson, Communist,
pointed out to the members why
this red scare was being used—that
the top leadership of the A. P. of L.
did not want any militant workers
in A. F. of L. unions—because they
expose the split maneuvers and
strike sell-outs of the Greens, Wolls,
etc., and carry on a persistent fight
against their policies and betrayals
of the working class.
Peterson, who is also a delegate
from this local to the Range Coun
cil, is threatened to be "kicked out
Less Than S2OO Received
From N. Y. on Slow Day
NEW YORK has made another advance in its Socialist competition
with its 25 brother districts. But as stated in another part of to
day’s paper, New York has still done nothing to remove the danger to
the 8-page New York Daily Worker. One gets a fair idea of how it is
doing by observing that it contributed less than S2OO on today's list,
when it needs an average of S6OO a day to secure publication of the
8-page paper after Election Day.
The closest competition is between Boston and Newark, though
both are below the 50 per cent mark as far as receipts go. Seattle and
California still remain the lowest scorers on the board.
Received Oct. 18. 1934 $316.17
Previously received 19.297.99
Total to date $19,614.16
DISTRICT 1 (Boaton)
Wm. D. Strong. R. I. 84 00
C. P. Unit of Lebanon, N. H. 7:25
C. H. Bush 1 00
Total Oct. 18. 1934 $12.25
Total to date $978.64
DISTRICT 2 (New York City)
Sec 1, Unit ID SB.OO 115 2nd Ave. 10.00
Sec 1. Unit ID 1.00 D Lender 1.00
Sec 2. Unit 40S 5.00 D Chernstion 2.0 n
Sec 2 D Rubin 1.001
Unit 6S 2.79 Y.C.L.. Unit 412
Unit PP 5.00 Wash Hts 1.00
Unit 148 5.00 Molly Cohen 5.00
Unit 3B 3.15 Rubenger 2.50
Unit 32S 2.00 Marine Wkr 10.00
Unit IB 15.00 G W .75
Unit 128 1.74 Harry Aiken 1.00
Unit 253 1.00 FDR 5.00
Unit 6B 2.75 Al Schenck 1.00
Dav Unit 3.35 Anonymous 1.00
Sec 1. Unit 2D 5.00 Vox Popull 5.00
Cafeteria Billy & Joe .10
Union 40. 40.00 D Trent .10
Millinery United P Schmidt 1.00
Front 2.00 Geo C C. 5.00
Millinery United E Galobe 1.00
Front 6.00 L Grumet 1.00
Ratners Shop, ~
Total Oct. 18, 1934 $163.23
Total to date $9,292.16
DISTRICT 3 (Philadelphia)
H. W. B. 8200
Harry West 100
Total Oct. 18, 1934 83.00
Total to date $2,528.17
DISTRICT 7 (Detroit)
Sec 7-1 81-52 Sec 1-5 1.20
Sec 7-3 1.25 Sec 1-12 5.00
Sec 1. Unit 1 .50 1.W.0.. Br. 43 5.00
Sec 2. affair 5.00 A McKlein 4.00
Sec 8-6 2.00 D Hobbs.
Sec 1-5 50 Ann Arbor 500
Sec 1-12 5.00 J Dobriner 5.00
Total Oct. 18, 1934 $37.97
Total to date $817.31
DISTRICT 8 (Chicago)
Anonymous $5.00 O V Olmes 1.00
Prog 'Group ot Cecil Bern 1.00
Bakers, Local 1.W.0., Br 4753.
237, A. F. L. 5.00 Czech Sec. 180
D Burns 5.00
Total Oct. 18. 1934
Total to date $1,752.30
WINNING TRAILING
District Total Percent District Total Percent
to of to of
Date Quota Date Quota
i ' vc i I
35 Djst, I $10323.00 34.4 VS ’ 3-NeW York City | $9293.16 20.87
I I 1 1
j i
I—Betton I 978 64 I 48.93 14—Newark 291.28 ' 38.83
I I !
3 Philadelphia | 2538.17 | 73.23 s—Pittsburgh } 323.43 | 26.8«
I I ! I
I i .. I I
6—Cleveland | 1352.42 i 41.74 7—Detroit j 817.31 33.69
4 Buffalo S 230.48 ‘ 29.39 " 13—Calltorla j 164.28 | 8.31
I L__ 1 !_
18— Milwaukee I 331.30 • 33.13 13 —Seattle 136.37 I 13.63
J I I 1
13—Seattle | 136.37 | 13.63 " 13—California ' 164.38 | 8.21
I i [
—- ( | (
19— Denver I 261.32 | 65.33 “ 31—St. Louis | 71.65 | 14.32
I I I
Here I» My Bit Toward the $60,000!
NAM K ADDRESS AMOUNT
nr
Tear off and mail immediately to
DAILY WORKER
59 EAST 13th St. New York, N. Y.
on his ear” if he attempts to attend
the next meeting of that body. The
local is taking steps to counteract
such a move of discrimination
against them.
This local is also trying to get
written statements from the sheriff
and deputy sheriffs —that they will
not deputize and use the O. I. M.
Co. police in case of strike. They
are also fighting tooth and nail
against the State Constabulary Bill
which is trying to be passed at
St. Paul.
Recognizing the Iron ore range as
one of the basic industries that will
be used during a war—the delegate
to the Second United States Con
gress Against War and Fascism is
taking steps to form a city com
mittee of the American League and
is calling upon all organizations to
elect members to this commitee.
Already the response is favorable
for such action and members have
been elected from a few organi
zations.
NOTE:
We publish every Saturday let
ters from ore and coal miners,
and oil workers. We urge workers
in these industries to write us
of their conditions and their
struggles to organise. Please get
these letters to us by Thursday of
each week.
Communist Candidates Are
Leaders in the Fight for the
Right to Organize, Strike, Picket.
Vote Communist against N.R.A.
Attacks on Living Standards.
DISTRICT 9 (Minnesota)
1 Arms Harja $8.27
Farmers Coop Merc. Ass n of New
York Mills 5.50
Total Oct. 18. 1984 $8.77
Total to date $394.77
DISTRICT 16 (Omaha)
Nebraska Farmer $ .50
Total Oct. 18. 1934 $ .50
Total to date $26.10
DISTRICT 18 (California)
J. Panek SI.OO
Two Sera Workers 1.00
L. J. Fortune 1.00
Total Oct. 18. 1934 83.00
Total to date $164.28
DISTRICT 14 (Newark)
Stelton Unit $5.00 Ukranian
U.C.W.C.W. 9.00 Toilers 4.00
U.C.W.C.W. 3.00 X Y Z .40
Unit 10 1.80 D K a Bio
Unit 8 10.00 Chemist 3.00
Total Oct. 18, 1934 $36.00
Total to date $291.26
DISTRICT 18 (Milwaukee)
Sec 1, U-106 $3.00 Sec 2, U-201 1.47
Sec 1, U-101 1.05 Sec 2, U-208 1.97
Sec 1 .85 Sec 2, U-205 .41
Sec 1, U-112 1.00 Sec 2, U-212 .50
Sec 1, U-110 .55 Sec 4 .20
Sec 1. S Roth 1.00 Sec 4 2.50
Sec 1, Jewish Sec 4 .50
' Women’s C. 8.75 Sec 3 1.50
Sec 2.U-204 1.00 Madison 2.50
Sec 2, U-201 1.10 Madison .55
Total Oct. 18. 1934 $30.40
Total to date $331.30
DISTRICT 19 (Denver)
, M. E. Lorer, Casper, Wyo. SI.OO
Total Oct. 18, 1934 SI.OO
, Total to date $261.32
DISTRICT 31 (St. Louis)
Aleck Parrett „ 3 25
Total Oct. 18, 1934 3 .25
1 Total to date $71.65
DISTRICT 22 (Virginia)
I Br. 123, R. N. M. A. S. $1 00
i Total Oct. 18. 1934 SI.OO
I Total to date $57.40
Bessemer
Local Fights
Expulsions
By a Mine Worker Correspondent
BESSEMER, Ala.—There is a big
drive on by Red Thrasher, the
president of local No. 1, Interna
tional Union of Mine, Mill and
Smelter Workers, to expel all Com
munists from the union. So far,
three militant workers, one white
and two Negroes, have been put out.
Red Thrasher takes control of the
union and tells the members just
what to do. He uses Illegal ways
of kicking out workers. In order
to terrorize the members and keep
them from protesting his actions,
Red Thrasher is having the homes
of militant workers bombed.
So far, the homes of John Davis,
white worker, and Nathan Strong
and Ed Sears, Negro workers, have
been bombed. This attempt to ter
rorize the workers is having the
opposite effect. Now the workers
are more determined than ever to
throw out Red Thrasher and his
whole bombing ring.
The Communist Party in Bes
semer is having more success now
than ever in organizing a fighting
opposition to Red Thrasher in the
union. It will not be long until the
fakers like Red Thrasher are run
out. Under the present leadership,
more than SBO of the union’s fund
has disappeared. Besides this, he
is trying to raise dues and throw
out all unemployed workers who
cannot pay dues.
Thrasher and his gang are block
ing all plans to fight for more relief,
in the face of the fact that 26,000
workers in Alabama are being cut
off relief. Thrasher and his gang
have a policy of cooperating with
the Tennessee Coal and Iron Co.
bosses. This means denial of relief
by the public welfare, and blocks a
fight for relief. Also, they are do
ing their best to smash the union—
the attendance has dropped to less
than 100, and there are 2,000 mem
bers.
The Communist Party is organiz
ing the rank and file members of
the union to take control of the
union in their own hands, to kick
out Red Thrasher, and to fight
militantly for more relief.
Organization Needed
To Better Conditions
In Carbon County
By a Mine Worker Correspondent
HELPER, Utah. I want the
Daily Worker readers to read about
the situation in Carbon County. In
the coal field, some of the outfits
have put men to work. Only men
they think are loyal. The money
they make they have to spend in
the company store to support the
outfit.
Now a little about W. F. P. U.
Some of these people in relief offices
like to see the people die like the
cattle in the south. They don’t re
alize that nowadays working people
are just as smart as they and more.
Some time back they cut off the
water for some of the people. The
rank and file organizations sent a
committee to see about turning on
the water. Os course before the
committee came back the water was
turned on again.
Everybody can learn from this ex
perience the importance of having
rank and file organizations like the
Carbon County. My advice is to or
ganize and not to forget to support
our true agitator, the Daily Worker.
WITH OUR YOUNG READERS
New York City.
HALLOWE’EN
Witches and cats, ghosts and jack
o-lanterns—all these things belong
to Hallowe’en, a time for having fun.
We duck for apples that bob about
in a tub of water—and it’s not fair
pushing the apple against the side
of the tub and then taking a bite
at it. Or, with hands tied behind
our backs, we try to bite at an
apple as it swings hanging from a
string. Then the lights go out and
someone tells a ghost story. We’re
all very scared or we just make be
lieve we are. because we aren't really
scared at all.
But a very very long time ago,
Hallowe’en was celebrated very seri
ously. In very ancient times, hun
dreds and even thousands of years
ago, people believed in gods and
spirits which lived in forests or
rivers—in fact, everywhere. Some of
these spirits were good and some
bad. But the most important god
of all was the sun god, because the
sun was the giver of all life.
The sun divided the year into
What has happened before
Last time Margie, Tim and Jerry
were asked by the boys to join the
Purple Riders, a club they were just
starting. But they don’t want
Margie because she is a girl. So
Tim and Jerry refused to join. In
stead, with Margie, both Tim and
Jerry start a club with mostly girls,
Margie's friends. The boys make
fun of Tim and call him Sissy.
AD' ENIURES OI MARGIE, TIM AND JERRY. See what happens in next week’s paper.
I HEARD WHEn 5Ay —&3E j \ *- I Ht’AlTl -rupy'pr
a seceEr meet- AwAkob I Fl A t \
club out at xX I i 7 /'7 / I r > /r i / I */ i'k 1
the old d/e i I Hju / HFI 1 I \Yi JlvrnWem i I f\—l
p Ssl i J / ! m
jMgJzzP / j B W
DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20. 1934
A MINER’S VIEW
OF ARBITRATION
By a Mine Worker Correspondent
URY, W. Va.—Arbitration is a
problem to many of us. At the
beginning of the "New Deal” we
took it as a godsend. During the
past months of practicing arbitra
tion, we have come to the bitter
realization that it benefits only the
bosses.
Arbitration is an anti-working
class principle, which is supposed to
maintain peace, and create har
mony between "Labor and Capital.”
Has arbitration achieved success?
NO, not by a long shot.
Brothers, we are still under com
pulsory arbitration, and the more
familiar we get with its practices
the more embittered we get, the
more we condemn it. At the same
time, our misleaders get more and
more repulsive to us, by helping to
impose arbitration on us.
Arbitration acts on us in the
form of killing in us the spirit of
fighting the bosses for gains. Nat
urally, that’s to the bosses’ ad
vantage. Because in almost all
cases, when we have grievances, we
take to arbitration in a (faint) hope
of winning, and by the time the
boss is through with us, we look
like a cranky boy, thoroughly
spanked by his big husky papa.
The reason for us getting whip
ped like that is, because the person
representing us workers on the
Labor Board, is not a real working
man, he's either a big capitalist or
a middle class man. If we had a
real fighting, scrapping honest
working man on the board to rep
resent us WE MIGHT HAVE A
CHANCE. But the bosses simply
will not allow, such a man on a
“Labor Board.” Therefore there is
no chance for us to win our griev
ance by arbitration.
Our present contract isn’t much
to brag about, and all of you bro
thers know that, yet, in many cases
the boss does not live up to it.
Now, brothers, you know that
there is something utterly wrong
somewhere, if we are forced to abide
by the code and contract, and the
bosses can do as they please. If we
had a contract 100 per cent in our
favor, what good would it do us,
unless we could compel the boss to
live up to it?
Fellow workers, brothers, the only
way we can become "masters” of
the situation is by bringing all
miners, organized and unorganized,
Welfare Helping to Drive
Miners Into Company Union
By a Raimund Mine Worker Cor
respondent
BESSEMER, Ala.—We are having
trouble keeping the union going
here. The bosses at Raimund are
firing union men and forcing them
to move out of the camps. Also,
the Raimund bosses are telling the
Welfare not to put union men on
relief, and in this way starve the
miners either into “popsickle”
union, (company union) or out of
Bessemer. Os course many of the
union miners have been terrorized
out of attending meetings and even
turn in their union books.
This is all the fault of the union
leaders. When the bosses started
this terror, the union leaders didn’t
fight back. When the men saw this
two parts; the beginning of Sum
mer on the last day of April and
the end of Summer on the last day
of October. Festivals were held at
each of these times, but the most
important one was the end of Sum
mer. It was called Samhain, which
means the death of Summer. Bon
fires were lit. It was a time of joy
and thankfulness for the sun’s good
ness as well as a time of grief at
the sun’s departure. The people be
lived that at this time, the sun was
in the power of his enemies, the
spirits of Winter Darkness. These
bad spirits were all around on this
night. The people thought that if
they coaxed and bribed the spirits
that they would fortell the future.
And because October 31st marked
the beginning of their new year,
this was a particularly favorable
time. That is how fortune telling
came to be a custom at Hallowe'en.
The early people did very little
farming. Instead they kept big
herds of cattle. They left them out
in the fields all Summer. On Oc
tober 31st they brought them in out
of the cold. Also, the people believed
the spirits of the dead wanted
to come in out of the cold too, and
to visit again their old homes. So
that is how the idea of ghosts came
to be a part of Halowe’en.
In central Europe, people had very
strong beliefs in witches. Witches
caused all their troubles. They were
responsible for spoiled crops, sick
cattle and unhappiness in general.
They built fires to drive away the
into one solid group, headed by a
committee elected from the ranks.
Ditch arbitration, and with a
fighting spirit talk to the bosses in
the language of the "majority.”
NOTE: What our miner cor
respondent has discovered con
cerning arbitration under the
New Deal tallies with the ex
perience of thousands of workers
in other industries—in steel, auto,
and most recently in textile, where
sellouts of militant struggles for
improved conditions and higher
wages were put over by the bosses
through the medium of referring
disputes to these government
boards, with the active coopera
tion of the A.F.L. official bureau
cracy.
Workers must recognize that
arbitration is a bosses’ weapon,
and must fight in all struggles
for the immediate granting of
demands. They must not allow
the referring of disputes to these
arbitration boards, the decision of
which, postponed usually for
months following the struggle, in
variably leave the conditions of
the workers scarcely (if at all)
changed for the better.
Also, as this miner correspon
dent points out, any contract won
is only as good as the organized
strength of the union will make
it. Therefore there is no neces
sity for arbitration, if the workers
have definite demands, and mobil
ize the power to make these de
mands effective. That is why it
is not correct to say that, if we
only had an honest representa
tive, arbitration might mean
something. Besides arbitration
boards also contain a third party,
an “impartial” person, who is in
EVERY case a member of the
capitalist class.
The encouragement, given to
the growth of company unions as
a result of the weakening of the
independent union frequently
means the worsening of condi
tions follownig arbitration. To
fight this, an active struggle must
be carried on against the official
leadership of the A.F.L. unions,
which actively cooperate with the
boss government of Roosevelt in
putting over arbitration schemes,
and the building and strength
ening of the rank and file oppo
sition and leadership in the A.F.L.
uions.
they began to quit the real union.
The men should not, however, quit
the union, but stay in, attend all
meetings, and build up a powerful
rank and file opposition that will
be able to take control of the union
away from the fakers and mis
leaders.
Conditions in the mine are
miserable. It is really worse than
before our strike last June. The
miners want to do something about
it but the union leaders won’t do a
thing to help them. Tire rotten
"popsickle” union is going too far
here. The worst rats and scabs are
leading it. Jerry Davis, Louis Tar
rant, and Henry Keener are the big
leaders, and Earlie Nicks, Fletcher
Nicks, Callie Wallace, Louis Shep-
witches and they burned cats who
were supposed to be witches in an
other shape. Gradually this too be
came part of Hallowe’en.
In very ancient times there was
a Roman goddess of fruit called
Pomona. In a place sacred to her,
a gay harvest festival was held,
about October 31. And so apples
and nuts and pumpkins were also
added to our Hallowe’en fun.
This was all before Christianity.
Years later when Christianity spread
, from Rome all over Europe, it took
, the ancient festivals and simply
! made them into Christian holidays.
, And so the old festival of Samhain
became All Hallow’s (or all Saints’)
j Day. And in some parts of Europe,
All Saints' is an important religious
i holiday. But Hallowe’en as we know
it here and its customs were taken
from the older beliefs of those early
t people who lived in England. Scot
; land. Wales and Ireland, and in
: Central Europe, or Germany. Then,
' people believed in gods and god
. desses, long before Christianity.
I So we see that from all these
[ early beginnings we have our Hal
[ lowe’en fun. Today we no longer
, believe in such things as witches
■ and ghosts. We know our troubles
do not come from bad spirits float
r ing around in the air. The troubles
; and misery of the workers are caused
k by the ruling class, the ones who
: make the workers slave so that they,
the rich, can 'grow richer.
) So at our up-to-date Hallowe’en
Van Bittner
Rushes to
Bosses’ Aid
By a Mine Worker Correspondent
STATESBURY MINE, W. Va.—l
wish to introduce another "master
piece” sell out of our leader. Dis
trict President Van A. Bittner,
Here’s the story.
At the Statesbury Mine, in the
slope, we have 100 per cent clean
coal, with a reject of 100 lbs. per 4-
ton car. Naturally, this caused
some grievances, which are waiting
for the Labor Board’s decision
which, of course, will never arrive.
Above this clean coal exists a
“rash” of from 6 to 14 inches.
This consists of streaks of slate and
coal. It has been a custom before,
and during the life of the expired
contract as well as under the present
contract for the last four months,
that the coal loader cleaned up the
cut of coal in the daytime, and the '
company employed a "rash” crew
to shoot and transfer the “rash” 1
every night.
So the company decided that they 1
could produce the coal 8 cento
cheaper on the ton by making the
coal loaders take the "rash” by the
inch, at 6 and two tenths cents per
inch, also furnishing their own ex- :
plosives. Naturally, by doing this
the earning power of the loader 1
would be reduced, from $2 to $3 a 1
day.
The miners rejected the scheme.
But the company was very insistent. ’
The case was taken to the Labor
I Board at Beckley, W. Va. They
| were discussing the matter hotly; 1
neither party gave an inch of their '
ground, when at the crucial moment
our "Hero" appeared on the scene.
Van A. Bittner (in person) with a
couple of black eyes, which he got
from some rank and filers at a ‘
meeting in Logan.
He listened a while, and finally
spoke up. “You gentlemen can’t :
get anywhere by arguing like that.”
He invited the chairman of the .
Labor Board into a private room. :
After a few minutes they returned ;
with the decision in "black on
white” in the form of a sub-con
tract which meant "Contract and
Code” or No "Contract and Code,” ‘
the coal loaders must take the ‘
"rash”. (
Brothers, there is away we can
end these betrayals. By having (
the miners take control of the (
union and uniting all of the rank
and file miners into one powerful
union of coal miners—controlled by
the Rank and File.
Rank and Filer.
Every New “Daily” Reader Adds
a Fighter to Our Ranks!
pard, and Melvin "Greachy” Law
rence are their best helpers. These j
dirty rats are doing their best to ]
smash the real union (Mill, Mine ,
and Smelter Workers Union) and j
force lower wages, more speed-up ;
and worse working conditions on the ,
miners by their boss-controlled )
“popsickle” union.
We must rally the whole union to i
stop the bosses from moving the 1
miners out of the camps. We must 1
force the Welfare to give relief to <
all unemployed miners. We must t
have our shop committee demand s
that the bosses live up to the June 1
contract. When the miners see that
our union means to fight they will i
all join both white and Negro, for i
a mass fight to better our condi- ]
tions. i
i Party, instead of make-believe Evil
Spirits we have real Devils, and a
few of them are Morgan, Hitler and
Mussolini. If you are going to have
. a party on Hallowe'en you should
I get a copy of the October New Pio
neer. In the back you will find
’ masks to cut out and wear. At your
■ party is our modem witch. She has
, a cat’s face—and her name is
Frances Perkins, secretary of labor
—the lady who tells us that child
j labor has been done away with,
, when we know it hasn’t, and who
’ breaks all the strikes when our
fathers try to get decent pay. The
' other mask is gold-stuffed Morgan,
‘ and the bad men are Hitler and
' Mussolini. With the little recitations
; that go along with them, you are
’ sure to have a swell Hallowe’en
’ Party.
r Here is a game for you to try:
See if you can sit on a round bot
i tie on the floor and thread a needle
, at the same time. You think it’s
■ easy? Try it.
Here is an old one you probably
> know. Put on a chair or box a
. small object, this time it could be
r a small jack-o-lantem. Blindfold
5 the player and put a long stick or
5 cane into his hand. Place him about
- 10 feet from the chair. Turn him
5 around and let him walk toward it
I and try to hit the jack-o-lantem
) with the stick.
Answer to last week’s picture puzzle:
Bob Minor, Clarence Hathaway, and Mus
-1 solini.
WORKERS’ HEALTH
Conducted by the
Daily Worker Medical Advisory Board
Douching During Pregnancy
R. L.: This comrade states that
she has been using a sodium per
borate douche as described in this
column recently, to treat a vaginal
discharge that caused itching. She
has been getting relief. No doubt,
the patient has a trichomonas
vaginalis infection.
She now has decided to “take a
chance in spite of Capitalism” and
have a baby. She wants to know
how she can have a baby, if she
has to douche, and whether the
conception would be cancelled or
washed away by a douche twenty
four hours later.
» « »
In order to prevent conception
by douching, it must be done im
mediately after intercourse. Even
if so carried out, however, the
douche is not always a reliable con
traceptive. The douche is merely
a mechanical agent for washing out
the male discharge from the va
gina before any serum has a chance
to enter the womb.
Sperm gains access to the womb
within a very short period after
the sexual act—a matter of mi
nutes.
Impregnation, or the union of the
male sperm and female ovum (egg)
does not take place in the vagina
or in the worn. It occurs in the
tube and then the fertilized egg
makes its way down into the womb,
where it grows and develops.
In douching, none of the fluid
gets beyond the vagina and never
reaches the interior of the womb.
Therefore, it can be readily seen
that there is no chance of wash
ing away the pregnancy.
Heretofore, douching has not been
advised in pregnant women. A re
cent report has come from the Jef
ferson Medical College in Philadel
phia, however, where they have
been treating pregnant women with
douches, who at the same time
have a trichomonas vaginalis in
fection, without any harmful ef
fects on the pregnancy.
If Comrade R. L. desires to be
come pregnant, we would advise
her not to douche immediately
after intercourse. Douching at any
other time will not affect her
chances of becoming pregnant.
If, after she conceives, she con
tinues to Jiave a troublesome dis
charge, there is no harm in having
IN THE HOME
By HELEN LUKE ——
* We were on the subject of elim
inating insects and such household
pests. To the directions given yes
terday for fumigating to destroy
bedbugs, we should add that if the
kitchen is to be included food should
naturally be protected from fumes
by putting It in containers.
Other insects can often be elim
inated by thorough and persistent
use of liquid sprays or powders.
Flytox, Black Flag, Flit and many
other similar preparations are effec
tive, though they and the needed
spray - guns are expensive. The
liquids are more convenient to use.
In the case of roaches, powder
will sometimes be more satisfactory,
as it is less volatile than liquid;
puffed into comers and cracks, it
remains effective longer, and a
roach running through it stirs it up
nicely. The most effective such pow
der I’ve ever used was a kind called
“Nip-On,” which was sold in Cleve
land. I could never find it on sale
in New York; possibly it’s no longer
made.
Roaches seem to be particularly
fond of potatoes and onions. There
fore, if these insects are present,
such vegetables should be kept in
metal containers—not air-tight but
proof against insects—and away
from floor and walls: A metal vege
table bin is good if you can afford
it; or the spuds may be kept in a
big pot in the oven, though obvious
ly this is a nuisance.
Unless you don’t count on remain
ing long In one place, fill in crannies
and crevices in the house, as this
eliminates places of refuge for in
sects and mice. For filling in floors
and woodwork use plastic wood or
putty; in walls etc., plaster-of-Paris;
sinks, etc., cement made for the
purpose. These may be had at hard
ware, paint or dime store. (Don’t
empty or spill plaster-of-Paris in
sink; mix in heavy paper cup or
container, with fiat piece of wood
or old tin spoon; when through,
throw these away.)
City housewives are troubled less
by ants than those in the country.
These insects enter a house in a long
line of march. Look for point of
entry and put red pepper generously
across it. For those already in the
house mix well equal parts confec
tioner’s sugar and borax and put
out in saucers after removing all
other food from reach of insects, or
use a prepared powder or liquid.
For rats and mice, use poison of
one kind or another, traps, or a cat
or dog. Mousetraps must be well
scalded with boiling water after each
capture. For bait, bacon or a walnut,
tied fast with string, will be round
as good if not better than cheese.
The dime stores sell a package of
seeds for mice, called “Ridmice,”
which •are effective provided you
starve out the mice first for a few
days by removing every crumb of
food to glass or tin containers. The
package says the mice will not die
in the house but will go outside to
die. Don’t you believe it, comrades.
They won’t be a darned bit consid
erate where they die. Watch all
corners after you feed them these
seeds.
In general we may say of all these
household pests, as of the fascists,
that short of a world-wide prole
tarian revolution, which will organ
ize sanitation along with other
it treated under medical super
vision. Otherwise no treatment is
necessary.
The comrade also wants to know
how long it takes to get around to
answer a letter. The Daily Worker
Medical Advisory Board has in
structed its members to answer let
ters within a week after receiving
them. If there is any delay, the
doctor who writes the reply is either
lazy or busy.
• « *
Unanswered Letters
Will all workers who sent us let
ters before the Medical Advisory
Board was organized on Aug. 15 of
this year, and who have not had
replies to their letters sent before
that date, if they still desire replies,
please write us again, and a prompt
answer will be forthcoming.
Lecture on Birth Control a Success
The lecture on Birth Control last
night was only the opening Big
Bertha in our drive for our quota
of $1,500 in the Daily Worker Drive.
We are planning a big dance, a
symposium and many small lec
tures. We need the help of the
comrades who are experts in run
ning these functions. Who will
volunteer?
The line forms on the right.
Write care of this column.
Contributions received to the
credit of the Medical Advisory
Board in its Socialist competition
with Del, Mike Gold, Harry Gannes,
Jacob Burck, David Ramsey and
Helen Luke, in the Daily Worker
drive for $60,000. Quota—sl,soo.
X. Y. Z $ .40
Cecil Bean 1.00
Harry Arken 1,09
Previously received 152.95
Total to date $155.35
A group of workers in a C. C. C.
camp send s7—a sailor on a U. S.
battleship sends sl—a worker in
Dulnth sends a quarter! All cry
that the $60,000 campaign must
succeed! It will succeed if every
reader does his part. Make collec
tions, hold affairs, discuss the Daily
Worker!
Vote Communist Against Wag*
Cuts.
More About Pests
forms of social planning, there is
nothing that will settle their hash
once and for all. In the immortal
words of the harried housewife,
“You’ve just got to keep atter
them.”
Contributions received to the
credit of Helen Luke in her Social
ist competition with David Ramsey,
Jacob Burck, Del, Harry Gannes,
Mike Gold and the Medical Advis
ory Board, in the Daily Worker
drive for $60,000. Quota—ssoo.
Vox Populi $ 5.00
Previously received 6.40
Total to date $11.40
Can You Make ’Em
Yourself?
Pattern 1984 is available In sizes
14, 16, 18, 20, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and
42. Size 16 takes 3% yards 36 inch
fabric and 1 yard contrasting apron.
Illustrated step-by-tep sewing in
structions included.
■ »■ i 1
2
n I I •
|i9 8 M I
|y i |
Send FIFTEEN CENTS (15c)
in coins or stamps (coins pre
ferred! for each Anne Adams pat
tern, THIRTY CENTS (30c) for
both. Write name, address and
styl number. BE SURE TO STATE
SIZE.
Address orders to Daily Worker,
Pattern Department. 243 West 17th
Street, New York City.