The toiler. [volume], February 06, 1920, Image 1

About The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
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WORKERS OF THE
WORLD UNITE
1 '
THE TOILER
FORMERLY THE
OHIO SOCIALIST
Official Organ of the Communist Labor Party of Ohio.
NO. 105.
Published
at Cleveland
J
CLEVELAND, 0. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6th, 1920.
-
Address all mail to
3207 Clark Ave., Cleveland, O.
$1.00 A YEAR
PEACE AND TRADE WITH
RUSSIA NEAR.
Urgent demands of commercial
bodies to make State Department show
its hand soon in clouded Russian situa
tion. Soviet Envoy Martens tells how
his work as business representative
is financed with money secretly
brought by curiers.
That the clouds which have long
hung over the relations between the
United States and Soviet Russia will
soon be lifted, is the conclusion reach
ed by interested onlookers at the
senate investigations now proceeding
at Washington, where Ludwig C. A.
K. Martens, Ambasador of the Soviet
Republic is being questioned as to
his purposes in America and the
methods by which his work is carriod
on.
Officials at Washington openly
diet that because of the complete col
lapse of the anti-bolshevist forces, and
to save the border states of Russia
from further chaos, peace and trade
are at once necessary.
The Russian diplomatic situation
will be cleared it is thought, so far
as America is concerned, if Secretary
Lansing replies to a letter addressed
to him by business men seeking to
inaugurate trade with Russia.
Chairman E. P. Jennings of the
American commercial association for
promotion of trade with Russia framed
the letter addressed to Lansing, asking
if the State Department would give
full support and protection to a com
mission of businesf men whom the
association has decided to send to
Russia at once.
The letter also demands that the
State Department explain why export
trade licenses to ship goods to Rus
sia are denied to American business
men.
"Business men of England and
Prance", said Jennings, "now are pre
paring to resume trade relations with
l,::frfffi:..i'ff:. no m.ton why Amer
'iean ..usincss men shonld be denied
this privilege. We are not at war with
Russia.
The association was organized in
New York last week to promote re
opening of trade with Russia. Forty
manufacturers and exporters attended
the meeting.
Senators on the Foreign Relations
Subcommittee dolving into Russian
propaganda will be furnished with a
list of American concerns which have
closed trade contracts with Soviet
Russia.
Martens already has delivered to
tho Senate committee a list of hun
dreds of American concerns seeking
to close business deals with Soviet
Russia, thru the local envoys.
Following Martens, the committee
expects to question Santeri Nuorteva,
LUMBER vs. LABOR
states who have made positive state
ments of their desire to do business
with Russia, was given to the senato
committee by Martens last week.
The firms, numbering some of tho
largest importing and exporting
houses in America, include almost
every line of American manufacture,
such as medical and optical supplies,
dyes, paints and chemicals, agricul
tural machinery, leather, textiles,
shoes, electrical supplies, paper, talk
ing machines, stoves, automobiles, tract
ors, tools and printing presses.
How Martens got funds.
Couriers from Soviet Russia, daring
imprisonment and death to carry funds
ur 1. tters to Martens business of
fices m the Wool worth Building in
Now York, is the method by which
his work as busiuess agent of the so
cialist republic is financed, was told
the committee, alst week.
Martens' business offices occupy one
entire floor of the famous Woolworth
building, where about 35 employe
are busy carrying on correspondence
with business firms relatives to the
opening of trade. He is spending
$2,500.00 a week in his efforts to
secure recognition of his government
by the State Department and to re
open business between the two countries.
Martens flatly declined to answor
further questions on the subject of
the couriers, and left the committee to
consider whether or not his plea of
"diplomatic immunity" from further
examination should be allowed, while
ho went on to recount his personal
activities in endeavoring to get his
government recognized by the state
department, and in placing provisional
contracts for $25,000,000 worth of food,
utralia
itice Day one
orld, Wesley
(dragged back
imprisoned
ecrated coin-
was an over-
seized and
was brave
when' a
e was driven
Workers! Judge for Yourselves about
As a result of the Centralia tragedy on
member of the Industrial Workers of the
Everetts, was lynched. His multilated body w.
to where other members of the organization
and the captives were forced to burv their
rade. Later it appeared that the victim liknsel
seas veteran.
Every known I. W. W. in town at the time
jailed without warrant. The only local attorney.
enough to stand by law and justice was sei
Seattle lawyer arrived to defend the prison-
out of Centralia.
Ten members of the Industrial Workers
the local attorney, Elmer Stuart Smith, were
of murder. They, too, -will be lynched this tim
of law unless the workers of America prevent jit.
If the lumber and mercantile interests oothe Northwest
have their way, the cloven men will be legally (lynched
If the "Allied Industries", the capitalist 'sbombiiintiuii m
the section carrying on the open shop c,
labor, has its wav tho eleven men will be 1
If the private interest that instigated
union have their way the eleven men will
The situation is not' a new one in the
zV. and
oflfli
ameaitrn
oeieg
e World and
d on a charge
y due process
against all
lynched.
attack on the
ally lynched.
orthwest. The
ersMi
secretary of tho Soviet "embassy," currency, Martens said, and had vari-
and possibly two or three other mom- ous varieties of passports,
bors of the Lenine delegation. Altogether, $150,000 had come to
A list of 041 names of firms in 32 him through the underground route.
Centralia affair and its aftermath are only at inore dramatic
chapter m a story of black reaction dating
when the lumberjacks first asserted their right 'uniiane
treatment. No group of workers is immune fr&n. the at lacks
of those whoso profits arc endangered by. ainani Testation
of working class solidarity..
The same interests that entomb Hulet m Wells, a pro
minent member of the American Federation. Labor and at
one time President of the Seattle Labor Cormal, a d hart-ass
tne"beattle Union Kecord" a labor daily m rib way connect
ed with the 1. W. W. now seek to kill the wen who await
justice.
Workers! read the facts of the case, amdyii.dgc for your
selves. The account that has reached you tliroiimn the capitalist
press of the country is one-sided, distorted, flttliirnant, Even
cioimng ana macninery with Amer- possibility OI the truth Simmering through
the immiediaic .suppression of all labor pap.
wmm -rwrng bofe of kvarljf
the country. A strict censorship was even -placed unon tele
phone and telegraph intercourse the night of the occurrence.
With the affected workers gagged and the public mind in
a white fever of credulity, the reactionarv forces were able
to circulate a lying version of the events. Brioflv. the charees
matde against the accused men are these: That two or three
weeks before the Armistice Day parade members of the I. W.
W. had plotted to kill ex-service men: and that in conformity
with this plot they stationed themselves in windows and other
places ot concealment and wothout provocation fired on those
who were marching in the parade.
Here are a few bare statements of fact. How do the
charges look in the light of these? ' ,
1. "Two or three weeks before the tragedy," when accord
ing to the Mayor's statement "the plot to kill was laid," no
plans had as yet been imxle by anyone in Centralia for a
parade. The first intimation in any form that a celebration of
Armistice Day was being planned was a small item in tie
ican business houses
suited in placing two or three let
ters before President Wilson, urging
recognition, though the state depart
ment has remained firm in its refusal
to recognize him in anyway.
Out of twenty of the mysterious
messengers who started during the
last year from Moscow with funds
and letters to him, Martens said,
seven had gotten through the barriers
of armies and international frontiers.
Several had been shot summarily in
Finland " threo that I know about, :'
Martens said casually. Of ten who
tritd to get through Germany, nino
were captured and jailed.
The first man to reach him, however,
carried $30,000 and his credentials as
soviet ambassador to the United States.
The couriers carried money in the form
of Finnish marks or Scandinavian
Reds Drive On - And On
- And On!
precluded by
tiring the days
ttpen-
"Local Notes" column of the "Centralia Hub," on November
4th, only ONE week before the unfortunate affair.
2. The route of the Armistice Day parade was a distinct
departure from the usual Centralia parades. The I. W. W.
HrJl is four blocks from the business section of the town where
parades are usually confined. In other words, those in charge
directed the marchers a good distance out of the way in order
to pass the union's headquarters. In view of the consequences
we ask: Why?
r-3. Several of the I. W. W.'s involved, including the worker
already lynched, are themselves ex-service men. Yet the only
motive adduced by the enemies of labor to explain th act is
that the accussed men were angered by the uniform.
4. The uniformed men killed and wounded in the affray fell
INSIDE the Hall. Does that look like a deliberate attack by
the mmates?
5. Testifying at the Coroner's inquest, Dr. Frank Bickfoid,
one of the paraders, said 'THAT HE WITH OTHERS HAD
STOPPED IN FRONT OF THE I. W. W. HALL AND SOME
ONE SUGGESTED THAT THEY RAID THE HALL."
(Centralia Hub.) "I SPOKE UP AND SAID THAT I WOULD
LEAD IF ENOUGH WOULD FOLLOW, BUT BEFORE I
COULD TAKE THE LEAD THERE WERE MANY AHEAD
OF ME. SOMEONE NEXT TO ME PUT HIS FOOT
AGAINST THE DOOR AND FORCED IT OPEN, AFTER
WHICH A SHOWER OF BULLETS POURED THROUGH
THE OPENING ABOUT US." (Seattle Post Intelligencer.)
Not only do these indisputable facts give the lie to all
charges of a plot and deliberate, unprovoked shooting. They
also show that those who are now charged with murder shot
in self-defense and that only after their property was violent
ly invaded and their lives threatened. In defending themselves
they struck a blow for Free Assemblage in a hall for which
they had paid rent.
We must bear in mind that an attack on the I. W. W.
Hall would be quite in line with the unlawful, vicious acts
perpetrated in the past against the organization and its indivi
dual members. Imprisonment, lynching, tar and feathc-rs, shoot
ing in cold blood, destruction of homes, every torture has
been visited upon members of an organization whose legality
is intact despite the efforts of an army of corporation lawyers
to outlaw it.
When the excitement inspired by a corrupt press has sub
sided and America begins to think and see straight on the Cen
tralia matter, it will realize the absurdity of the accusation
against the .arrested men and the horrible crime committed
by the miurderers of Wesley Everetts. It will understand that
ten men would never plot to shoot into a public parade of
hundreds unless they were stark mad. But madmen could not
plot even a mad project. It will realize that no motive can be
established for a deliberate shooting such as is charged. If
the killing had been planned and unprovoked, would the plot
ter have chosen a vantage point where escape was impossible?
Workers! judge for yourselves, NOW, before Capital
succeeds in strangling eleven more who dared question the
domination of wealth.
Justice and law is on the side of these men. They stood
up bravely in defense of their constitutional rights. They
fought the battles of labor and are therefore marked for an
nihilation by the over'ords.
LONDON, Jan. 30. Bod cavalry has
forced passage of the Manytch River,
in southeastern Russia, defeating the
antibolshovik forces, a Moscow wir
less today claimed.
The Soviet government claimod cap
ture of 5000 prisoenrs in a twoday
battle south of Yefremouff.
Tn the regie a of Perekop, tho com
munique said, fighting is proceeding
with alternating success..
COPENHAGEN, Jan. 20. A peace
trnuty between Esthonia and Soviet
Russia will to' signed today, according
to a Reval dispatch to the Politiken.
The Berlingske Tiden's llelsingfors
correspondent says the signing of poaee
between LetVia and Soviet Russin in
expected in a few dayi.
LONDON, Jan. 20 Reports have
been recoived hero form Reval that
('!. Nicholas Yudenitcb, commander
of tho Russian northwest army, which
was badly broken in last fall's unsuc
cessful drive for Pctrograd, has been
placed under arrest.
An Moscow wireless reports that an
order has been issued to disband the
northwest army.
A Kharkov message says tho first
Astrakhan Cossack regiment has sur
rundored completely to the Bolsheviki.
Admiral Kolchak, former head of
the all Russian government, is report
ed to have been taken to Irkutsk.
PARIS, Oen. Denikine and his
ttaff have taken refuge on board a
British vessel at Constantinople, ac
cording to a Zurich dispatch to the
Echo de Paris.
LONDON, Jan. 2i. A wireless from
Moscow says a declaration signed by
Premier Lenine, Foreign Minister Tehi
cherin and Minister of War Trottky,
addressed to tho Palish on behalf of
the council of the peoplo'a commisar
ies, invites a friendly settlement of
all disputes and questions outstanding
between Poland and soviet Russia.
The declaration says it is "incum
bent on the Polish government to de
cide whether or not to make war on
Russia. It accuses the agents of
Winston Spencer Churchill, British
war minister, and M. Clemenceau, for
mer French premier, of endeavoring
to incito Poland to a "senseless, cri
minal war against soviet Russia."
The declaration assorts that tho so
viet government from tho, first recog
nized the independence and sovereign
ty of the Polish republic, and that this
will be confirmed at the Fobruary
moeting of the supreme executive com
mitce of the soviet. Further, it decla-
EM EL HERMAN TO SERVE
HIS ENTIRE SENTENSE
Seattle, Wash. Because he had
never removod a small sticker written
by Jack London against militarism,
which was on tho wall of tho state
office of the Socialist Party at Evor
ett, where he became secretary, Emil
Herman is in Foderal Penitontiary at
McNeil's Island for ten yoars.
Bis case was recently appealed to
the Supreme Court bf the United Sta-
SEES NO I. W. W. PERIL
res, there aro no territorial, economic tea hut that body refused to review
tho case, and Herman must completo
the remaining eight years of his term,
unless a general amnesty for political
prisoenr.is declaud.
or other questions which cannot be
solved peacefully by negotiation, con
cessions ami mutual agreements, such
as arc - now being arranged with
Esthonia.
0
BRITISH READY TO TRADE.
IlIIIIillMilTIMITTTTIimilllillTTilfmilMlTml
HE MOVED
The engrawer who makes our cartoons moved his plant
this week thut's why we go to press without one. All set
with one for next week tho.
LONDON, The peaceful invasion
of Russia has already started and as
soon as the ice-bound harbors are eloar
orders havo boon booked to keep groat
fleets moving indefinitely.
nudreds of tons of Siberian butter
aro en route to England, followed by
wheat, flax and fats from the Ukraine.
Tho BritteL Foreign Office points
out that, because of the favorable rate
of oxchaugo for England, trader
will be able to force down tho high
prices demanded for various products
in Denmark, Holland and Sweden. At
the mm ( time- it is Intimatod th it if
lifting tho blockade does not mater
ially weaken Bolshevist Russia, full
recognition of the Lenine and TroU.ky
government ta Inevitable.
Labor Mediator TeUs Jury Stories Are
False.
TACOMA, Jan. 20. Edgar A.
Snyder of Seattle, a mediator with tho
United States department of ,labor
testified today in tho trinl of thirty
toven allogod L W. W. charged with
violation of tho state syndicalism law
that he had found nothing destructive
in I. W. W. literature.
"I have nover met an I. W. W.
who advocated violence," ho declared.
He added that he has interviewed
hundreds of them.
Is This 100
Americanism?
CANON CITY, COLO., JAN. 16.
The Daly Record tonight prints tho
following editorial. Tho owner and
publisher of the Record is Guy U.
Hardy, member of Congress from
Colorado.
"WANTEDA ROPE"
"When the 249 Reda were dopor
ted they raved and cursed the gov
ernment, and vehemently declared that
thoy would return and wreak vogeance
upon every agency tnat stands for
law and order.
UNREST SPREADING
AMONG FARMERS.
Farmers, in reply to government
questionarics, show resentment with
idle profit-takers of city; threaten to
curtail production to get even with
unjust economic conditions.
Indications of a wide spread and
dcop seated resentment among th
American farmers against the condi
tions under which they must work
and market their produce is revealed
in the replies of more than 40,000
farmers to a queetionaire sent out by
the postal department. In fact, so
threatening is tho attitudi of the farm
ers according to the replies received,
that officials admit the whole econ
omic structure is threatened.
A summarization of the replies were
made in a report submitted to the se
nate postoffice committee by George L.
Wood, superintendent of the post
office department's division of rural
mails on Jan. 29th. Mr. Wood stated
that of 200,000 qnestionaires sent ont
into the agrir-.itural states, views of
over 40,000 farmers had been obtained,
tho intention of the questionaire being
to secure suggestions from the rural
producers as to ways in which the
postal department could aid in the
cutting down of the cost of living.
Answers show the major complainta
of the farmers in numerical order
to be:
Inability to obtain labor to work
the farms, hired help and the farm
er's children having been lured to
tho city by higher wages and easier
living.
High profits taken by middlemen
for the mere handling of food
products.
Lack of proper agencies of con
tract between the farmer and the
ultimate consumer.
Many of the replies indicated that
the writers contemplated either leav
ing their farms or cultivating a smal
ler acreage because of one or more
of these three major grievances and
because of the growing feeling against
nonprodncing city dwelelrs.
One po6tal official stated:
"Such a condition at a time when
the predominant cry is for production
and still more production cannot but
constitute a grave menace."
Excerpts from a number of letters
taken at random from the more those
on file at the postoffice department,
showed the trend of thought among
at least a considerable proportion of
tho farmers of New England, the mid
dle western states, Georgia and the
eastern agricultural section.
"The tiino is very near," wrote a
farmer at East Chatham, N. Y., "when
we farmers will have to curtail pro
duction and raiso only what w need
for our own uso and let the othor fel
lows look ont for thomselwea."
Declnring that the whole onus of
the high cost of living rested with the
middleman, a Missouri producer ad
vocated the establishment of munic
ipal markets to bo served by parcel
post direct.
"I sell butter to tho dealer for 45
cunts a pound,'' his letter said, "and
the same butter sells 1o the consumur
for 80 conts a ponnd.
"You may nsk what we would Jo
with the middlemen. I will suggest
that it bo arranged for them to go
on the farm and help produce things.
I understand that they might not re
lish working fonrtoen hours a da7,
but if we get by tho near future
there will have to be some useful
work done hjr every one."
Tho tendoncy away from tho farm,
to the city was blamed by a middle
L
WANTED AT ONCE
100 field workers to get
1 subscriptions for
THE TOILER
ii Liberal Commissions
No matter where you live or work, gettins:
Toiler subscriptions are easy.
The: Toiler deserves your support. Get
into harness.
Write for particulars.
J-.
Addifss The TOILER, 3207 Clark Ave.,
Cleveland, Ohio.
Villi.
"And they will return-be sure of western farmer for the high coat ot
that.
"There are only
means of curbing a
or a coffin."
living.
i
two effectivo "I nttribute it a great deal." he
Red iron bars wrote, "tc the oami tim. in th.
cities. Tho Yonns men can ro to the
Colorado has recently passed a lawjelty and get big pay for eigbt hours
against anarchy making tho advocacy , work, while fanners have to work
of lawlessness a 20 year felony. Mr. fourteea to aixteen hours a day at
Hary, howover, being ono of the emln- hard manual labor. All of the vonng
ently respectable ctttrens of the town, I men i this vicinltv of any account
u is noi oxpecwm mat tne government move to the ritv. and there are nnlr
w '
will bring any criminal action against
him.
Iff
a-
:k
MMIMIHI
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i
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,li.iaa
WHAT SOCIALISM MEANS
Socialism means that the true object
of industry should be to produce tho
necessnries of life for the common
good and not for tho profit of certain
individuals.
Socialism wonld assure comfort, in
dependence, leisure, and edncation for
nil. It would relievo industry from
the burdens of ront, interest and pro
fit walch private ownership now nuts
upon it Manchester Labor Leader.
a few old men left to farm
Declaring that while the farmer
had to take what the commission man
nnd retailer would pay hi't for his
product, he was compelled to pay
whatever the dealer asked for his
clothes, farm machinery and other
nereesities, another farmer said:
1 ' vnnners work from twelve to six
teen hours a day. City labor worke
six to eight hours a day. The elty
mnu makes two or three times at
ranch a the farmer, The farmer
labors and produces, bat grta a small
er return than any other claw."
3