Kennedy Hurts Jobless MILITANT By Opposing Cut in … Francisco State College and San Jose State...

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Conference in Mexico Hails Cuban Example By Joseph Hansen MEXICO CITY, March 9 — The Latin-American Conference for National Sovereignty, Economic Emancipation and Peace, which ended yesterday, reflected in the most vivid way the depth and in- tensity of desire among the 200,000,000 people below the Rio Grande to break out of poverty and stagnation and win their rightful place in the modern world of technological and cultural prog- ress. The delegates were unanimous in their opinion that U.S. imperial- ism is the main obstacle to the swift and rounded development of Latin America which could bring prosperity to the masses. They were likewise unanimous on the need to defend the Cuban Revolu- tion against counterrevolutionary attack and American aggression. The revolutionary cburse of the Cuban people whs held to point the road to victory for every Latin-American country in seeking political independence and eco- nomic freedom. A most significant development — so far as the pattern of “peace” conferences is concerned — was the general realization, repeatedly voiced by the delegates in their deliberations, that the way to a world of enduring peace lies through revolutionary struggle against imperialist reaction and its native allies and agents. This linking of the concepts of peace and revolution lilted the conference out of the realm of pious declarations about the need to end war. True, some of the delegates proudly displayed bulky petitions containing thousands of “peace” signatures which they had collected, but this did not become the business of the conference. Instead, the delegates pre- occupied themselves w ith the main economic and political problems of Latin America. They related the solutions to the struggle be- tween U.S. imperialism and the Cuban Revolution. The theme of peace thus took on revolutionary content. In Latin America, it is clear from this conference, the opposition to a war of nuclear destruction is moving toward the channels of political and social revolution. A ll the Latin-American coun - tries were represented. Mexico, ®f course, had the largest delega- tion — some 2,000 — but there were impressive delegations from countries like Argentina and Chile where long trips had to be made at considerable expense. (The counterrevolutionary press claims that the conference cost $400,000, of which half was iaid out by the “Cuban Embassy” and half by the “Soviet Embassy.” The truth is that each delegation cov- ered its own expenses. The Mexi- (Continued on Page 3) THE MILITANT Published in the Interests of the Working People Vol. 25 - No. 13 New York, March 27, 1961 Price lOc Rights Fight Mounts Throughout South “Don’t Buy for Easter” cam- paigns directed against Jim Crow business establishments, coupled with sit-ins and stand-ins from South Carolina to Texas, brought the Southern rights fight to a new pitch last week. The militant demonstrations spread despite racist violence and wholesale ar- rests. In downtown Louisville, Ky., 177 Negroes were arrested as they re- Union Leader Urges Fair Play for Cuba SAN FRANCISCO Despite last-minute cancellation by a municipally-operated auditorium, more than 700 people attended a Fair Play for Cuba rally March 11. They heard Longshoremen’s union president Harry Bridges and Robert F. Williams, m ilitant Southern Negro leader. Paul A. Baran, Stanford economics profes- sor, presided. The rally would have been even larger but many people could not be informed of the new meeting place. National Tour The meeting wound up the Bay Area portion of a national speak- ing tour by Williams for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. In Berkeley and San Jose he ad- dressed University of California, San Francisco State College and San Jose State College students and a Negro church audience; The contract for Nourse Audi- torium, operated by the San Fran- cisco Board of Education, was cancelled after every insurance company in the area refused to sell the committee the liability in- surance required for meetings at the hall. Williams told the rally that in Cuba, “I saw an integrated army of an integrated nation taking over the segregated property of the Jim-Crow Texaco oil com - pany. American reporters asked me if I didn’t feel angry that the Cubans were taking over Ameri- can property. I answered, ‘What property? I have no property here.’ I couldn’t feel too much sympathy for this company that exported Jim Crow to Cuba.” Harry Bridges declared that as a unionist he felt it “in my own interest and in the interest of the American people” to defend Cuba against the attack on its sov- ereignty. Kennedy Hurts Jobless By Opposing Cut in Hours newed stand-in demonstrations against segregated eating places and theaters. A Chattanooga Negro Episcopal priest was slugged by a white hoodlum as he marched with high school students demanding an end to Jim Crow at a local theater. The attack on the minister came after four successive days of white attacks on the students. The dem- onstrators had to defend them- selves against knives, flying rocks and garbage cans. In Rock Hill, S. C., scene of the student jail-in movement, W illiam Massey, who spent 30 days on the chain gang, was arrested again on a dime-store picket line. The day before he was knocked un- conscious when a gang of whites attacked the pickets while cops looked the other way. In Lynchburg, Va., the employ- ment color bar was cracked when Leggett’s department store hired two Negro sales clerks, the first such in a white-operated store in the city. Seven other downtown stores agreed to follow suit to avert a planned Easter season boy- cott. And in Maryland, Glen Echo Amusement Park decided to open its gates to Negroes. Scores of Negro and white demonstrators were arrested there last fall. Pick- et lines were extended throughout the area and won integration of restaurants and lunch counters in Bethesda and Rockville. TOM KERRY, labor editor of the Militant, who began a national speaking tour in the Midwest last week on the subject, Jobs for All: A Program for American Labor. Reaching Los Angeles around April 1, he w ill be speaking at major centers along the West Coast until the middle of the month. By Tom Kerry Shortening the work week w ith- out cutting weekly pay is an in- dispensable part of any serious program to fight unemployment and the pernicious effects of auto- mation. So President Kennedy dealt the unemployed a heavy blow at his March 15 press conference when he threw the weight of his ad- ministration against a shorter work week. By the same act he pleased and aided the big business- men and bankers, for whom a shorter week would mean lower profits. In defense of his position “new frontiersman” Kennedy argued that the 40-hour week is “tradi - tional in this country.” This is a sign of either ignorance or deceit. The Real Tradition We haven’t always had a 40- hour week. The previous “tradi- tion” was 50 hours, 60, 70. Hours were lowered, and new traditions were created, because the workers and their unions fought bitter bat- tles to cut the work week. And in- each battle they had to contend with the stubborn resistance of businessmen and politicians who wanted to stick to the old, longer- week “traditions,” just as the Divide-and-Rule Plotted for Congo Having murdered Premier Pa- trice Lumumba because he stood for a united and independent Congo, the imperialist powers are now using their Congolese stooges to try to carve up the country into a so-called confederation of so- called sovereign states which would be helpless spheres of eco- nomic exploitation and political manipulation by foreign corpora- tions and banks. Divide-and-rule has always been a favorite imperialist method of controlling colonies and sucking them dry of their wealth and re- sources. And imperialists seldom lack for traitors and accomplices among the people they exploit. A select crew of these — in- cluding Moise Tshombe of Katan- ga, puppet of the Belgian im- perialists, and Joseph Kasavubu of Leopoldville, favorite quisling of the U.S. and British imperialists got together this month outside of the country, at Tananarive in the Malagasy Republic, and said they were dissolving the Congo Repub- lic and replacing it by a loose federation of ten or more states. Each these states, they said, would be autonomous, except that they would collaborate in foreign af- fairs under Kasavubu, who has UN recognition. Whether Tshombe, Kasavubu and their masters w ill get away with this scheme is still uncertain. They (and UN representative Rajeshwar Dayal) invited and pressured Antoine Gizenga, Lu- mumba’s deputy premier, who heads the government at Stanley- ville, but he refused to attend their conference. Afterwards, Gi- zenga rejected their partition plans and demanded a meeting of the legally-elected Congolese par - liament in a neutral country. While the imperialists who dominate the UN gave a go-ahead signal for the Tananarive con- ference, they have been cautious up to now about publicly endors- ing its decisions. They fear that the plan may boomerang to the benefit of the Gizenga forces, who already control 30 per cent of the Congo and may gain added sup- port as the only advocates of a centralized Congo government. If it seems unwise to proceed quickly with the confederation move, the imperialists w ill prob- ably try to carry out the UN’s Feb. 21 resolution — to use force to establish the kind of regime and the kind of “law and order” that are most favorable for colon- ial exploitation. The Congo events have opened many eyes to the true nature of the UN, but more is yet to come. No course is too foijl for those whose hands are stained with the blood of Lu- mumba. Henry Ford IIs and John F. Ken-1 nedys do today. The real tradition in this coun- try is for workers to try to shorten the week and for bosses to try to maintain or lengthen it. The bosses have always cried that shorter hours for labor would mean dis- aster and economic stagnation. If the workers of the past had lis- tened to the Kennedys of the past, we’d still be working a 70-houri week. Fortunately, they didn’t listen, but fought for their needs. That’s what has to be done now too. Kennedy says he hopes “we can have employment high five days a week and 40 hours/’ But pious hopes don’t fill foodbaskets or pay rent. The fact is that the profit system is becoming less and less able to provide full employ- ment, and that the reserve army of permanently unemployed gets bigger after every recession. That is the basis for the grow- ing sentiment among auto, steel and other workers for the 30-hour week at 40 hours’ pay. Kennedy condemns this or any other cut as “arbitrary.” But he’s the last one who should talk about arbi- trariness. Because, as he says, the best he hopes to achieve through his program is to lower the un- employment rate to 4 per cent. That is, he w ill be satisfied if almost three million workers re- main permanently jobless. What Comes First Cutting hours to provide jobs for all may seem arbitrary if you think that profits come ahead 6f everything else, But it is reason- able, rational and absolutely neces- sary if you think that unemploy- ment is a crime against human beings. Kennedy’s attack won’t stop the movement for the shorter week. A ll it w ill do is show that thie movement can’t expect any help, from the old capitalist parties, in- cluding the liberals. If unemploy- ment is to be erased, the workers, employed and unemployed, w ill have to do it themselves — w ith their own program and through their own party. Rubber Workers Ask 30-Hr. Week AKRON — On the eve of con- tract negotiations with the major rubber companies, 160 delegates from 104 locals of the United Rub- ber Workers met in Cleveland last week and voted to seek, among other objectives, the 30-hour week with no loss in pay in all rubber plants. The action came after Kennedy’s March 15 statement op- posing a shorter work week. The standard work week in Akron rubber plants, center of the industry, is now 36 hours. In Canadian and some U.S. plants it is 40. About 21,000 members of the union, one-sixth of the member - ship, have been laid off in the current recession. Antoine Gizenga

Transcript of Kennedy Hurts Jobless MILITANT By Opposing Cut in … Francisco State College and San Jose State...

Conference in Mexico Hails Cuban ExampleB y Joseph Hansen

M E X IC O C IT Y , M arch 9 — The L a tin -A m e r ic a n Conference fo r N a tio n a l S overe ignty, Econom ic E m anc ipa tion and Peace, w h ic h ended yesterday, re fle c te d in the m ost v iv id w a y the dep th and in ­te n s ity o f desire am ong the 200, 000, 000 people be low the R io G rande to b re ak ou t o f p o v e rty and stagnation and w in th e ir r ig h t fu l p lace in the m odern w o r ld o f techno log ica l and c u ltu ra l p ro g ­ress.

T he delegates w ere unan im ous in th e ir op in ion th a t U . S. im p e r ia l­

ism is the m a in obstacle to the s w ift and rounded deve lopm ent o f L a t in A m erica w h ic h cou ld b r in g p ro sp e rity to the masses. T hey w ere like w ise unan im ous on the need to defend the Cuban R evo lu - tio n against cou n te rre vo lu tio n a ry a ttack and A m erican aggression. The re v o lu tio n a ry cburse o f the Cuban people whs he ld to p o in t the road to v ic to ry fo r eve ry L a tin -A m e r ic a n co u n try in seeking p o lit ic a l independence and eco­nom ic freedom .

A m ost s ig n ifica n t developm ent — so fa r as the p a tte rn o f “ peace”

conferences is concerned — was the general rea liza tion , repea ted ly vo iced b y the delegates in th e ir de libe ra tions, th a t the w a y to a w o r ld o f e n du ring peace lies th rou gh re v o lu tio n a ry s trugg le against im p e r ia lis t reaction and its n a tive a llies and agents.

T h is l in k in g o f the concepts o f peace and re v o lu tio n l i l te d the conference ou t o f the re a lm o f pious decla ra tions abou t th e need to end w a r. T rue , some o f the delegates p ro u d ly d isp layed b u lk y pe tition s con ta in ing thousands o f “ peace” signatures w h ic h th e y had

collected, b u t th is d id no t become th e business o f the conference.

Instead, the delegates p re ­occupied themselves w ith the m a in economic and p o lit ic a l p roblem s o f L a t in A m erica . T hey re la ted the so lu tions to the s trugg le be­tw een U . S. im p e ria lis m and the Cuban R evo lu tion . T he them e o f peace thus took on re v o lu tio n a ry content. In L a t in A m erica , i t is c lea r fro m th is conference, the opposition to a w a r o f nuc lear des truc tion is m o v ing to w a rd the channels o f p o lit ic a l and social revo lu tion .

A l l the L a tin -A m e ric a n coun­tr ie s w ere represented. M exico , ®f course, had the la rgest delega­tio n — some 2, 000 — b u t th e re w ere im press ive de legations fro m countries l ik e A rg e n tin a and C h ile w here lo ng tr ip s had to be m ade at considerab le expense.

(T h e c o u n te rre vo lu tio n a ry press c la im s th a t the conference cost $400, 000, o f w h ic h h a lf was ia id o u t b y the “ Cuban Embassy” and h a lf b y the “ S ov ie t Embassy. ” T he t ru th is th a t each de legation cov ­ered its ow n expenses. The M e x i-

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THEMILITANTPublished in the Interests of the Working People

Vol. 25 - No. 13 New Y ork, M arch 27, 1961 Price lOc

Rights Fight M ounts Throughout South

“ D on ’t B u y fo r Easter” cam ­pa igns d irected against J im C row business establishm ents, coupled w ith s it- in s and s tand-ins fro m S outh C a ro lina to Texas, b ro u g h t the S outhern r ig h ts f ig h t to a new p itch la s t week. The m il ita n t dem onstra tions spread despite rac is t v io lence and wholesale a r ­rests.

In d o w n to w n L o u is v ille , K y ., 177 Negroes w ere arrested as the y re -

Union Leader Urges Fair Play for Cuba

S A N F R A N C IS C O — Despite la s t-m in u te cance lla tion b y a m u n ic ip a lly -o p e ra te d au d ito rium , m ore tha n 700 people attended a F a ir P la y fo r Cuba ra l ly M arch 11. T hey heard Longshorem en’s u n io n pres iden t H a r ry B ridges and R obert F. W illia m s , m il i ta n t S ou thern N egro leader. P a u l A . B aran, S tan fo rd economics p ro fes­sor, presided. The ra l ly w o u ld have been even la rg e r b u t m any people cou ld no t be in fo rm e d o f the ne w m eeting place.

National TourThe m ee ting w o un d up the B ay

A rea p o rtio n o f a n a tion a l speak­in g to u r b y W illia m s fo r the F a ir P la y fo r Cuba Com m ittee. In B e rke le y and San Jose he ad­dressed U n iv e rs ity o f C a lifo rn ia , San F rancisco State College and San Jose State College students and a N egro chu rch audience;

T he con trac t fo r Nourse A u d i­to r iu m , operated b y th e San F ra n ­cisco B oa rd o f E ducation , was cancelled a fte r eve ry insurance com pany in the area re fused to se ll the com m ittee the l ia b i l i t y in ­surance re q u ire d fo r m eetings at the h a ll.

W illia m s to ld the ra l ly th a t in Cuba, “ I saw an in te g ra te d a rm y o f an in te g ra te d n a tio n ta k in g ove r the segregated p ro p e rty o f th e J im -C ro w Texaco o il com ­pany. A m erican rep o rte rs asked m e i f I d id n ’t fee l an g ry th a t the Cubans w e re ta k in g ove r A m e r i­can p ro p e rty . I answered, ‘W h a t p rope rty? I have no p ro p e rty here . ’ I cou ldn ’t fe e l too m uch sym pa thy fo r th is com pany th a t exported J im C ro w to Cuba. ”

H a rry B ridges declared th a t as a u n io n is t he fe lt i t “ in m y ow n in te re s t and in the in te res t o f the A m e ric a n people” to de fend Cuba against the a ttack on its sov­e re ig n ty .

Kennedy Hurts Jobless By Opposing Cut in Hours

newed s ta n d -in dem onstra tions against segregated ea ting places and theaters.

A Chattanooga Negro Episcopal p ries t was slugged b y a w h ite hood lum as he m arched w ith h ig h school students dem anding an end to J im C row at a lo ca l theater. The a ttack on the m in is te r came a fte r fo u r successive days o f w h ite a ttacks on the students. The dem ­onstra tors had to defend the m ­selves against kn ives, f ly in g rocks and garbage cans.

In Rock H i l l , S. C., scene o f the s tudent ja i l - in m ovem ent, W ill ia m Massey, w ho spent 30 days on the cha in gang, was arrested again on a d im e-s to re p ic k e t line . The day be fore he was knocked u n ­conscious w hen a gang o f w h ites a ttacked the p icke ts w h ile cops looked the o ther w ay.

In L yn chb u rg , Va., the em p loy­m ent co lo r ba r was cracked w hen Legge tt’s depa rtm en t store h ire d tw o Negro sales c le rks, the f ir s t such in a w h ite -o pe ra te d store in the c ity . Seven o th e r dow n to w n stores agreed to fo llo w s u it to a ve rt a p lanned Easter season boy­cott.

A n d in M a ry la n d , G len Echo Am usem ent P a rk decided to open its gates to Negroes. Scores o f N egro and w h ite dem onstra tors w ere arrested the re la s t fa ll. P ic k ­et lines w ere extended th rou gh ou t the area and w on in te g ra tio n o f res tau ran ts and lu nch counters in Bethesda and R ockv ille .

T O M K E R R Y , labor editor of the M ilitan t, who began a national speaking tour in the M idw est last week on the subject, Jobs for A ll: A Program for Am erican Labor. Reaching Los Angeles around A p ril 1, he w il l be speaking at m ajor centers along the West Coast until the middle of the month.

B y T o m K e rryS horten ing the w o rk w eek w i th ­

ou t c u tt in g w e e k ly pay is an in ­d ispensable p a rt o f an y serious p ro g ra m to f ig h t unem p loym ent and the pe rn ic ious effects o f au to­m ation .

So P res ident K en ne dy dea lt the unem ployed a heavy b lo w a t his M a rch 15 press conference w hen he th re w the w e ig h t o f h is ad­m in is tra t io n against a sho rte r w o rk week. B y the same act he pleased and aided the b ig business­m en and bankers, fo r w hom a sho rte r week w o u ld m ean lo w e r p ro fits .

In defense o f h is pos ition “ new fro n tie rs m a n ” K en ne dy argued th a t the 40 -hour w eek is “ t ra d i­t io n a l in th is c o u n try . ” T h is is a sign o f e ith e r ignorance o r deceit.

The Real TraditionW e haven’t a lw ays had a 40-

ho u r week. The previous “ t ra d i­t io n ” was 50 hours, 60, 70. Hours w ere low ered, and new tra d itio n s w ere created, because th e w o rke rs and th e ir un ions fo u g h t b it te r b a t­tles to cu t the w o rk week. A n d in- each b a ttle th e y had to contend w ith the s tub bo rn resistance o f businessmen and p o litic ia n s w h o w anted to s tic k to the old, lo n g e r- w eek “ tra d itio n s , ” ju s t as the

Divide-and-Rule Plotted for Congo

H a v in g m urde red P rem ie r Pa­tr ic e Lu m um b a because he stood fo r a u n ite d and independent Congo, the im p e r ia lis t pow ers are now using th e ir Congolese stooges to t r y to carve up the co u n try in to a so-ca lled con fede ra tion o f so- ca lled sovereign states w h ic h w o u ld be helpless spheres o f eco­nom ic e x p lo ita tio n and p o lit ic a l m a n ip u la tio n b y fo re ig n corpora ­tions and banks.

D iv id e -a n d -ru le has a lw ays been a fa v o rite im p e r ia lis t m ethod of c o n tro llin g colonies and sucking them d ry o f th e ir w e a lth and re ­sources. A n d im p e ria lis ts seldom la ck fo r tra ito rs and accomplices am ong the people they e xp lo it.

A select c rew o f these — in ­c lu d in g M oise Tshom be o f K a ta n ­ga, puppe t o f the B e lg ian im ­pe ria lis ts , and Joseph K asavubu o f L e o p o ld v ille , fa v o rite q u is lin g o f the U . S. and B r it is h im p e ria lis ts got together th is m on th outside o f the cou n try , a t T anana rive in the M alagasy R epub lic , and said the y w e re d isso lv ing the Congo R epub­lic and rep lac ing i t b y a loose fed e ra tio n o f ten or m ore states. Each these states, they said, w o u ld be autonom ous, except th a t they w o u ld co llabora te in fo re ig n a f­fa irs un de r K asavubu, w ho has U N recogn ition .

W hether Tshombe, K asavubu and th e ir m asters w i l l get aw ay

w ith th is scheme is s t i l l uncerta in . T hey (and U N rep resen ta tive R a jeshw ar D a ya l) in v ite d and pressured A n to in e G izenga, L u ­m um ba ’s depu ty p rem ie r, w ho heads th e governm ent a t S tan ley­v il le , b u t he refused to a ttend th e ir conference. A fte rw a rd s , G i­zenga re jec ted th e ir p a r tit io n p lans and dem anded a m eeting o f the le ga lly -e lec ted Congolese p a r­lia m e n t in a n e u tra l cou n try .

W h ile the im p e ria lis ts w ho dom inate the U N gave a go-ahead s igna l fo r the T anana rive con­ference, th e y have been cautious up to no w about p u b lic ly endors­in g its decisions. T hey fe a r th a t the p la n m ay boom erang to the b e n e fit o f the G izenga forces, w ho a lrea dy co n tro l 30 p e r cent o f the Congo and m ay ga in added sup­p o r t as the o n ly advocates o f a cen tra lized Congo governm ent.

I f i t seems unw ise to proceed q u ic k ly w ith the con federa tion move, the im p e ria lis ts w i l l p ro b ­a b ly t r y to c a rry o u t the U N ’s Feb. 21 reso lu tion — to use force to estab lish the k in d o f reg im e and the k in d o f “ la w and o rd e r” th a t are m ost fa vo ra b le fo r co lon­ia l exp lo ita tio n . The Congo events have opened m an y eyes to the tru e na tu re o f th e U N , b u t m ore is ye t to come. No course is too fo i j l fo r those whose hands are sta ined w ith the blood o f L u ­m um ba.

H e n ry F o rd I Is and John F . K en-1 nedys do today.

The re a l t ra d it io n in th is coun­t r y is fo r w o rke rs to t r y to shorten the w eek and fo r bosses to t r y to m a in ta in o r leng then i t . The bosses have a lw ays c rie d th a t sh o rte r hours fo r la b o r w o u ld m ean d is ­aster and econom ic stagnation. I f the w o rke rs o f the past had l is ­tened to the K e n n edys o f th e past, w e ’d s t i l l be w o rk in g a 70-houri week. F o rtu n a te ly , th e y d id n ’t lis ten , b u t fo u g h t fo r th e ir needs.

T h a t’s w h a t has to be done no w too. K en ne dy says he hopes “ w e can have em p loym ent h ig h f iv e days a w eek and 40 h o u rs / ’ But pious hopes don’t f i l l foodbaskets o r pay ren t. The fa c t is th a t th e p ro f i t system is becom ing less and less able to p ro v id e f u l l em p loy­m ent, and th a t the reserve a rm y o f p e rm an en tly unem p loyed gets b igger a fte r eve ry recession.

T h a t is the basis fo r the g ro w ­in g sen tim en t am ong auto, steel and o th e r w o rke rs fo r the 30 -hour w eek a t 40 hours ’ pay. K ennedy condemns th is o r an y o th e r c u t as “ a rb itra ry . ” B u t he’s th e la s t one w h o should ta lk abou t a rb i­trariness. Because, as he says, th e best he hopes to ach ieve th ro u g h h is p rog ram is to lo w e r th e u n ­em p loym ent ra te to 4 p e r cent. T h a t is, he w i l l be sa tis fied i f a lm ost th ree m il l io n w o rk e rs re ­m a in p e rm a n e n tly jobless.

W ha t Comes F irs tC u ttin g hours to p ro v id e jo b s fo r

a ll m ay seem a rb it ra ry i f you th in k th a t p ro fits come ahead 6 f e ve ry th in g else, B u t i t is reason­able, ra tio n a l and abso lu te ly neces­sary i f you th in k th a t un em p loy ­m en t is a c rim e against hum an beings.

K en ne dy ’s a ttack w o n ’t s top the m ovem ent fo r the sh o rte r week. A l l i t w i l l do is show th a t th ie m ovem ent can’t expect any help, f ro m the o ld c a p ita lis t pa rties , in ­c lu d in g the libe ra ls . I f un em p loy­m en t is to be erased, the w o rke rs , em ployed and unem ployed, w i l l have to do i t themselves — w ith th e ir ow n p ro g ra m and th ro u g h th e ir ow n p a rty .

Rubber Workers Ask 30-Hr. Week

A K R O N — O n th e eve o f con­tra c t nego tia tions w ith the m a jo r ru b b e r com panies, 160 delegates f ro m 104 loca ls o f th e U n ite d R u b ­be r W orke rs m e t in C leve land la s t w eek and vo ted to seek, am ong o th e r ob jectives, the 30 -ho u r w eek w ith no loss in pa y in a l l ru b b e r p lan ts . T he action cam e a fte r K en ne dy ’s M a rch 15 s ta tem ent op­posing a sho rte r w o rk week.

The standard w o rk w eek in A k ro n ru b b e r p lan ts , cen te r o f the in d u s try , is n o w 36 hours. I n C anadian and some U . S. p lan ts i t is 40.

A b o u t 21, 000 m em bers o f the un ion, o n e -s ix th o f the m em ber­ship, have been la id o f f in the c u rre n t recession.A n to in e G izenga

Page Two THE M IL ITA N T Monday, March 27, 1961

A Reply to New York Paper On Case of Major Morgan

Socialists Ask for Votes In Los Angeles, Michigan

B y D e lla RossaLO S A N G E LE S , M a rch 17 —

S peak ing as a fe llo w m em ber o f th e C arpenters un ion , Oscar G. Coover, S oc ia lis t W orke rs P a rty cand idate fo r m ayor, rem inded L o c a l 1976 here th is w eek th a t P e te r M cG u ire , founde r o f the C arpenters in te rn a tio n a l, was a soc ia lis t too.

The C arpenters ’ Los Angeles d is tr ic t co u n c il has ju s t come ou t fo r the fo u r-d a y w eek w i th no red u c tio n in w e e k ly pay. Coover p ra ised th is step and noted th a t he and the S ocia lis t W orkers P a r ty are f ig h t in g fo r the 30 -hour w eek a t 40 hours ’ pay to m eet th e prob lem s o f unem p loym ent and au tom ation .

“ P e te r M cG u ire , in h is tim e, fo u g h t fo r the 8 -h o u r day, ” Coover said. “ N ow w e ’re go ing fo r 30- fo r-4 0 — b u t w e can’t get i t u n t il w e change p o lit ic a lly . W e m ust organ ize ou r ow n la b o r p a rty , w ith o u r ow n candidates ru n n in g on a la b o r p rogram .

“ GOPE’s endorsem ent o f M ayo r P ou lson is a tragedy , ” he con­t inu ed . “ Poulson has been a n t i­la b o r a ll the e igh t years he has been in c ity h a ll. ” He urged the lo ca l to rep ud ia te Poulson.

A f te r he a ring Coover, an u n ­em ployed m em ber o f Lo ca l 1976 sent in a c o n trib u tio n to h is cam ­p a ign com m ittee.

Y este rday tens o f thousands o f ra d io lis teners heard Coover de­fen d the Cuban re v o lu tio n in a 45 -m inu te broadcast ove r s ta tion K N X .

A f te r b r ie f ly e x p la in in g h is p la t fo rm on R a lph S to ry ’s F ir in g L in e , Coover spent the rest o f the p ro g ra m answ ering questions phoned in b y lis teners, m ost o f w h om seemed eager to le a rn m ore abou t w h a t is re a lly happen ing in Cuba.

Coover showed th a t the re v o lu ­t io n has bene fited “ the mass o f the C uban people, and I support that. I t ’s tru e th a t i t has c u rta ile d the specia l p r iv ile ge s o f a m in o r­ity o f exp lo ite rs , b u t I have no Sym pathy w ith those people. ”

Weekly CalendarDETROIT

Socialist Workers Party Election Rally and Social. Sat., April I, 8 p. m. Debs Hall. 3737 Woodward.

•M INNEAPO LIS

Dr. Annette T. Rubinstein, just returned from abroad, speaks on The Cultural Climate in the USSR and Eastern Europe. Tues., April 4, 8 : 15 p. m. 704 Hennepin Ave. Hall 240. Contrib. $1 (students 50 cents). Ausp. Twin Cities Labor Forum.

•N EW YORK

The New Left Movement and the Views of C . W right Mills. Second o f two lec­tures by W illiam F. W arde. Fri., March 31, 8: 30 p . m. 116 University Pi. C ontrib . 50 cents. Ausp. M ilita n t Labor Forum and Young Socialist A lliance.

BO STO N . Boston L a b o r F o ru m , 295 H u n tin g to n A ve ., R oom 200.

CH IC A GO. S oc ia lis t W o rke rs P a rty , 802 S ou th Canal St., Room 210. W E 9-5044. I f n o answ er, c a ll H U 6-7025.

C L E V E L A N D . S oc ia lis t W orke rs P a rty , 0927 E u c lid A v e ., R oom 23, C leve land 3, O h io.

D E N V E R . M il i ta n t L a b o r F o ru m , 1227 C a lifo rn ia . M a in 3-0993. F o r la b o r and so­c ia lis t books. In te rn a tio n a l B ook E x ­change, 1227^ C a lifo rn ia . Open 5: 30 p . m . to 8 p. m. M on. th ro u g h F r i.

D E T R O IT . Eugene V . Debs H a ll, 3737 W oodw ard . T E m p le 1-6135.

L O S A N G E LE S . F o ru m H a ll and M o d ­ern B o o k Shop. S o c ia lis t W o rke rs P a rty , 1702 East F o u r th S t. A N 9-4953 o r W E 5- 9238. Open 12 noon to 5 p. m . d a ily , Sat.

1a. m . to 5 p . m .

W IL L IA M H A T H A W A Y , stu­dent at Los Angeles City College, is a candidate of the Young So­cialist A lliance and Socialist W o rk ­ers Party for Office No. 2 of the Los Angeles Board of Education. The election w ill be held A p ril 4.

Twin Cities Drivers Win End of Bus Speed Up

B y Joe B a k e rM IN N E A P O L IS — Bus d rive rs

in M inneapo lis and St. P au l w on a v ic to ry M arch 16 over the speed­up p o lic y o f the T w in C ity Rapid T ra n s it Com pany. F o r th ree days the m en stuck r ig id ly to the com ­pany w o rk ru les th a t heavy sched­ules have long fo rced them to ignore. These w ere th ree days o f ta rd y service w h ich saw dozens o f ru s h -h o u r run s cancelled and hundreds o f r id e rs stranded on street corners.

U n ion o ffic ia ls said th a t t ig h t com pany schedules “ p ra c tic a lly fo rce ” d r ive rs to b reak some t r a f ­f ic regu la tions. H o w ard Valo is, p res iden t o f T ra n s it Em ployes D iv is io n 1005, said; “ D r iv e rs re p ­resented b y the un ion had been badgered fo r s ix m onths — espe­c ia lly o lde r employes have been ca lled in fo r 45 -m inu te rev iew s o f th e ir d r iv in g records. M any in te rv ie w s ended w ith the th rea t, ‘one m ore accident w i l l m ean d is­m issal. ’ ”

A t a un io n m eeting la s t Sunday a fte rnoon m em bers recom m ended th a t bus d r iv e rs w ho have been m ak ing ex tra tr ip s tu rn dow n the ove rtim e and th a t the y beg in a safe ty cam paign based on a li te ra l in te rp re ta tio n o f the com pany’s book o f regu la tions. T h is com ­b in a tio n o f fe w e r ava ila b le d r iv ­ers and ru le -b o o k observance b ro u g h t the com pany to agree­m ent.

N ow a new su rvey o f the bus runs w i l l be made b y fo rm e r bus d r ive rs and un io n representa tives w i l l m ake sure the surveys are fa ir .

Moneylenders' ParadiseThe U . S. n a tio n a l deb t was re ­

cen tly rep o rted to be $289, 769, - 978, 638. 13.

M IL W A U K E E . 150 E. Juneau A ve .

M IN N E A P O L IS . S o c ia lis t W orke rs P a r ty and L a b o r B ook S tore, 704 H ennep inA ve ., H a ll 240. F E de ra l 2-7781.

N E W A R K . N e w a rk L a b o r F o ru m , B o x361. N e w a rk , N ew Jersey.

N E W Y O R K C IT Y . M i l i ta n t L a b o r F o ru m , 116 U n iv e rs ity P lace. A L 5-7852.

O A K L A N D -B E R K E L E Y . P . O. B o x 341, B e rk e le y 1, C a lif. Phone O L 5-1764.

P H IL A D E L P H IA . M i li ta n t L a b o r F o ru m and S o c ia lis t W orke rs P a rty , 1303 W. G ira rd A ve . Lec tu res and discussions e v e ry S a tu rday, 8 p . m ., fo llo w e d b yopen house. C a ll PO 3-5820.

ST. LO U IS . Phone M a in 1-0969. A s k fo rD ic k C la rke .

S E A T T LE . 1412 18th A ve ., E A 5-0191. L ib ra ry , bookstore . Open 12 n oon to 5 p . m . S aturdays.

D E T R O IT , M a rch 18 — A de­m and fo r an honest coun t in the A p r i l 3 state e lection was made today b y R obe rt H im m e l, S ocia lis t W orke rs P a r ty candidate fo r M i ch igan superin tenden t o f p u b lic in s tru c tion .

S ecre tary o f State H a re ’s o ffice had ju s t disclosed, a fte r a check o f la s t N ovem ber’s e lection records, “ th a t n o t a l l the e lection boards have been c re d it in g the vo te fo r the m in o r p a r ty candidates on the statem ent sheets. ”

“ I m ay n o t w in the e lection , ” H im m e l said, “ b u t an accurate coun t o f th e votes w o u ld re fle c t the g ro w in g d iscon tent w ith bo th pa rties o f cap ita lism , D em ocra tic and R epublican . I t is in th e in ­te rest o f dem ocracy and fa ir p la y th a t citizens have the know ledge th a t the re are a g ro w in g nu m be r o f people w ho w ish to change th is w a r-and -depress ion system . ”

F ra n k L o v e ll, S oc ia lis t W o rk ­ers state cha irm an , said:

“ I hope th is adm ission b y H a re ’s o ffice knocks some o f the w in d ou t o f the sails o f House B i l l 159, de­signed to doub le the re q u ire ­m ents fo r m in o r ity pa rties to get on the ba llo t. A p p a re n tly those w h o c la im to be lo o k in g fo r a ‘show o f s treng th ’ to ju s t i fy a p lace fo r the SW P on the b a llo t have based them selves on a f ra u ­d u le n t count o f the votes. ” L o v e ll was re fe rr in g to Rep. Russell S trange and B i l l 159, in troduced las t m onth .

“ O r perhaps, ” L o v e ll continued, “ the y are a fra id the re a l nu m be r o f votes o f the SW P is g ro w in g too ra p id ly fo r them , and they don ’t w a n t any com pe tition . ”

The SW P w i l l w in d up its sp ring cam paign fo r state educa tiona l o f­fices Sat. evening, A p r i l 1, w ith an e lection ra l ly and social at 3737 W oodw ard, D e tro it.

In th is cam paign the m a in po in ts o f the SW P prog ram are:

E nd the co ld w a r; use the arm s funds fo r social w e lfa re .

A free education fo r a ll, in c lu d ­in g college; l i f t a ll res tr ic tio ns on academic freedom and dem ocra tic r ig h ts .

T he 30 -hour w eek a t 40 hours ’ pay; jobless com pensation fo r the d u ra tio n o f unem p loym ent.

T a x the r ich , n o t the poor; no taxes on fa m ily incomes unde r $7, 500 a year.

A b o lish ra c ia l d isc rim in a tio n and segregation in a ll fie lds .

V ote against th e state consti­tu t io n a l conven tion am endm ent th a t w o u ld pe rpe tuate un rep re ­sen ta tive governm ent and open the w a y to heav ie r ta x a tio n on w o rk ­in g people.

O th e r Socia lis t W orkers can d i­dates besides H im m e l are L a r ry D o lin sk i, state board o f education ; Sarah L o v e ll and E d ith G bur, U n i­v e rs ity o f M ich iga n board o f re ­gents; R obe rt F in k , M ich ig a n S tate U n iv e rs ity board o f trustees; H a rr ie t T a lan , W ayne S tate U n i­v e rs ity board o f governors.

SWP Candidate Balks At Illegal N. J. Oath

A c tin g on b e h a lf o f R u th S h im - in sky , S oc ia lis t W orke rs candidate fo r governor o f N ew Jersey, the A m erican C iv il L ib e rtie s U n ion has dem anded th a t the secre tary o f state stop re q u ir in g candidates fo r state o ffice to sign a “ lo y a lty ” oa th th a t was declared unconsti­tu t io n a l e leven years ago.

M rs. S h im insky refused to sign the oath w h ic h had been s truck dow n b y the state suprem e cou rt in a case in v o lv in g James Im b rie w h o was Progressive P a r ty can­d ida te fo r governor.

A f te r the A C L U th rea tened con­te m p t action M arch 11, the secre­ta ry o f state’s o ffic e denied i t had to ld M rs. S h im in sky th a t she w o u ld be denied b a llo t status i f she re fused to sign.

N E W Y O R K — The au tho r of the fo llo w in g le tte r to the W o r l d - T e l e g r a m is secre tary o f the New Y o rk F a ir P la y fo r Cuba Com ­m ittee :

Y o u r e d ito r ia l M a rch 13 e n tit le d “ C uban Execu tions” ends: “ W ew onder w h a t the so-ca lled ‘F a ir P la y fo r Cuba C om m ittee ’ — apo l­og is t fo r Castro — has to say abou t th is . ”

T he answ er is s im p le : w e say th a t tr ia ls in Cuba and pu n ish ­m ents m eted o u t a t them should be judged b y A m ericans on the same basis as tr ia ls in o th e r coun­tries. Despite y o u r assertion, we are n o t apologists fo r the Cuban governm ent, w e s im p ly seek fa ir p la y fo r it . T h a t is som eth ing w h ic h y o u r newspaper is decided­ly n o t g iv ing . O n the con tra ry , a long w ith the res t o f the d a ily press o f th is cou n try , i t is t ry in g to w h ip up a lyn ch cam paign against Cuba.

I pe rsona lly am opposed to cap­ita l pun ishm en t b u t I cannot con­dem n Cuba any m ore fo r passing death sentences tha n I do the o the r na tions o f the w o rld . Since y o u r p o lic y is n o t against cap ita l pun ishm en t I cannot see any basis fo r y o u r e d ito r ia l on the execution o f W ill ia m A. M organ — unless you be lieve he was innocen t o f the charges against h im . Y e t now here — in y o u r news dispatches about h is t r ia l no r in y o u r e d ito r ia l — is th is stated o r im p lie d .

W ha t Evidence Was

I hasten to add th a t i f I be lieved M organ innocent and h is t r ia l a fra m e -u p I w o u ld have ra ised m y vo ice in pro test. B u t the evidence o f the w itnesses a t h is tr ia l, as repo rted in the an ti-C a s tro press o f th is cou n try , made i t appear conclusive th a t M a jo r M organ had indeed been secre tly d e live rin g arm s to the g u e rr illa s in the Es- cam bray. S ince these weapons w ere used to k i l l Cuban m il i t ia ­men, I doub t tA a t the re is any governm ent in the w o r ld w h ic h w o u ld n o t have ca rried ou t a s im ­i la r cou rt m a rt ia l w ith a s im ila r ve rd ic t.

The t r ia ls w h ic h have taken place re ce n tly in Cuba should be d is tingu ished fro m those w h ic h took place soon a fte r B a tis ta ’s ove rth ro w . The la tte r w ere “ w a r c r im in a l” tr ia ls , pa tte rned on the ex post fac to lega l p r in c ip le w h ic h th is c o u n try endorsed fo r the N urem berg “ w a r c r im in a l” tr ia ls . N o a n ti-B a tis ta Cubans question the g u ilt o f those so tr ie d . T h e ir crim es d u r in g the d ic ta to r­ship, to ta lin g a t least 20, 000 m u r­dered o r executed (p ro p o rtio n a te ­ly la rg e r than U . S. b a ttle deaths in bo th w o r ld w a rs ) , w e re as w e ll kn o w n to the p u b lic as those o f H im m le r, E ichm ann and th e ir N azi henchm en.

B y c a llin g fo r re v o lu tio n a ry la w and o rd e r and p ro m is in g th a t B a tis ta ’s pro fessiona l m urde re rs and to rtu re rs w o u ld be b ro u g h t to p u b lic t r ia l w hen the re vo lu tio n tr ium p he d , Castro preven ted the ou tb reak o f b loody and in d is c r im i­na te vengeance b y re la tive s and frie n d s o f the v ic t im s — such as took place a fte r the o v e rth ro w o f M achado in 1933.

Not A fra id to T a lkI was in Cuba ju s t be fore the

S tate D e pa rtm e n t ran g dow n an iro n c u rta in to p re ve n t U . S. c i t i ­zens fro m go ing to Cuba and d is ­cove ring fo r them selves how false a p ic tu re the y have been ge tting o f the tru e s itu a tio n there .

I and o ther A m ericans trave led abou t fre e ly and unaccom panied, ta lk in g to w hom ever w e pleased. A lth o u g h w e fou nd people opposed to the reg im e to be in a sm all m in o r ity , s t i l l w e m et a nu m be r o f such — especia lly in the upper class d is tr ic ts o f H avana. They w e re n o t a t a ll he s itan t to speak ou t to us in c r it ic is m o f the Castro governm ent, n o r a fra id to do th is

in Spanish in crow ded buses, res­tau ran ts , etc.

The p o in t is th a t people w ere no t be ing tr ie d fo r “ opposing the reg im e, ” as the U . S. press pu ts it , b u t fo r o v e rt acts o f a m il i ta r y and te rro r is t na tu re . Such acts in ­c lude p la n tin g bombs in p u b lic places, f i r in g shots fro m speeding cars in to crow ds, shooting o r ru n ­n in g ove r lone m ilit ia m e n , k i l l in g ru ra l school teachers (as in the M ex ican R evo lu tion , educators o f th e il l i te ra te peasants are regarded as the w o rs t k in d o f c o m m u n is ts ). The pe rpe tra to rs o f such deeds are, to be sure, “ opponents o f the reg im e. ” B u t they are no t be ing tr ie d fo r th e ir p o lit ic a l opposition b u t fo r th e ir acts w h ic h w o u ld be pun ishab le un de r any code o f law .

People m ay be sent to p rison fo r th e ir p o lit ic a l be lie fs in th is co u n try (S m ith A c t) and in the S oviet U n ion and in a nu m be r o f L a tin -A m e ric a n countries h ig h in the fa v o r o f o u r S tate D e p a rt­m ent, b u t f ro m m y observations and in q u ir ie s th is was n o t tru e in Cuba in J a n u a ry n o r is i t so now .

The Real Crime?

I im ag ine i t cou ld become so i f the th rea ts o f invasion , the hostile acts, th e a ir drops to gu e rrilla s , the assassination • a ttem pts and sabotage continue. I f th is comes about, I th in k h is to ry w i l l p lace the b lam e n o t on th e Castro re ­g im e b u t on ou r b ig co rpora tions, the S tate D e pa rtm en t and the Cen­tra l In te llig ence A gency (w h ich , according to U . S. press sources, gives a t least $400, 000 a m on th to Cuban cou n te rre vo lu tion a rie s fo r in vas ion prepa ra tions and te r ro r ­is m ).

So ho w about a l i t t le fa ir p la y fo r Cuba? I f you can’t g ive as fr ie n d ly a press as you d id to B a tis ta ’s Cuba o r the Perez J im i- nez’s Venezuela, ho w abou t w a x in g as w ro th abou t Spain, H a it i, N ica ­ragua, Paraguay, E l Sa lvador and o ther “ a llie s ” as you do about Cuba? These countries, o f course, are un ta in te d b y any charges o f t ry in g to im p ro ve the l iv in g con­d itions o f the com m on people at the expense o f the U . S. co rpo ra ­tions ’ investm ents. Can th is be the re a l “ c r im e ” fo r w h ic h you are condem ning Cuba?

Berta Green

Los Angeles

A n Election D inner ~ M eeting

Guest Speaker T O M K E R R Y

La b o r E d ito r, The M il ita n ton

K ennedy — F rie n d o r Foe o f Labor?

Sat., A p r il 1 D in n e r a t 6 : 30 p. m .

M e e tin g 8 p . m .C o n tr ib . $2. 50 (M e e tin g $1)

1702 East 4th St.Ausp. Coover-Hathaway

Camp. Comm.R eserva tions: A N 9-4953 o r W E 5-9288

Yes, Count Me InThe M ilitan t 116 University PI.New Y ork 3, N . Y .

Yes, I ’d l ik e to make sure I get the M il i ta n t every week. Count me in fo r a year’s sub­scrip tion . I am enclosing $3.

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Monday, March 27, 1961 THE M IL ITA N T Page Three

THE MILITANTEditor: JO SEPH H A N S E N

M anaging Editor: G EO RG E L A V A N Business Manager: K A R O L Y N K E R R Y

Published w eekly , except from J u ly 11 to Sept. 5 when published biw eekly, by the M ilita n t Publishing Ass'n., 116 U n ivers ity PL, N ew Y o rk 3, N . Y . Phone C H 3-2140. Second-class postage paid a t N ew Y ork , N . Y . Subscription: $3 a year; Canadian, $3. 50; foreign, $4. 50. Signed articles by contributors do not necessarily represent the M ilita n t’s views. These are expressed in editorials.

Vol. 25 - No. 13 «<@*345 Monday, M arch 27, 1961

Castro Tells Kennedy SomethingOn M arch 13 Kennedy announced a “ ten-po in t, ten-yea r”

economic and social “ development p rogram ” fo r L a tin Am erica to meet “ the challenge” o f “ a fu tu re fu l l o f pe ril, b u t b r ig h t w ith hope. ” N ine points consist o f pious generalities. One po in t is a request to Congress to appropriate $600, 000, 000 fo r L a tin Am erica. O f th is amount, $500, 000, 000 was authorized last September at Eisenhower’s request. The rem ain ing $100, 000, 000 was authorized fo r “ lon g -te rm ” rehab ilita tion o f earthquake areas in Chile.

On the same day F ide l Castro, speaking in Havana, analyzed the perspectives facing the Cuban people under the siege la id on the sm all island by the U . S., m ightiest im peria lis t pow er on earth. M any hardships and d ifficu ltie s are to be expected, he said. Some consumer goods w en t in to short supply soon a fte r the eco­nom ic blockade was applied; other goods w i l l become unobta in ­able. The denia l of spare parts w i l l a ffect maintenance o f many k inds of machines. B u t no m a jo r breakdown o f the economy w il l occur, thanks to tim e ly aid fro m the Soviet bloc and other coun­tries. And the rise in a g ricu ltu ra l production since the 1959 v ic ­to ry assures the Cuban people th a t they w i l l not go hungry ; in fact, o rd ina ry people who starved in Batista ’s tim e are now guar­anteed a ll the basic necessities.

As to the long-range perspectives, these are most prom ising, Castro said. Colonialism and im peria lism have become outlived and are doomed.

“ We can te l l M r. Kennedy something, ” Castro declared. “ A v ic to rious revo lu tion w i l l be seen in the U nited States before a victorious counterrevo lu tion in Cuba. ”

M ankind is m oving away from capita lism and tow ard the establishment of planned economies. Castro cited the impressive perform ance of the Soviet U nion in rebu ild ing a fte r the devasta­tio n o f W orld W ar I I and going on at such a ra te tha t i t is on ly a question of tim e u n til i t overtakes the U nited States. Am erica, on the other hand, w h ich escaped devastation, w h ich has not lost a screw in the past f i f t y years, “ unless i t be screws in the heads of its leaders, ” is unable to run its economy at anywhere near capacity.

“ W hat Kennedy does not te ll us is w hy, w hy the indus tria l capacity possessed by the coun try has produced m uch less than i t could have produced; w ha t he does not te ll us is th a t th is crisis of hunger, th is increase in poverty, is s im ply the consequence of im peria lism . . . ”

This te llin g re p ly to Kennedy received bu t scant a ttention in the venal Am erican press. A t best on ly isolated sentences were reported and these were to m out o f context, garbled and m is­represented as p a rt o f an unw arran ted “ a ttack” on the tin y , de­fenseless U nited States. B u t in the eyes o f the m a jo r ity of m an­k ind , the U . S. governm ent is a conscienceless b u lly try in g to crush a va lian t people th a t w an t on ly to be le f t in peace.

Laos - Another Korea?“ W il l Am erican m ilita ry un its be fig h tin g in Laos nex t week

o r nex t m onth? ” begins an e d ito ria l in the M arch 22 New Y o rk Times.

A la rm in g though the question is, i t is p u t seriously by a cap ita lis t newspaper noted fo r its avoidance o f sensationalism. F or the fac t is, though the Am erican people are not aware o f it, th is coun try has once again been taken to the b r in k o f w a r — th is tim e b y President Kennedy over the Laos situation.

The Am erican people were not consulted about the decision w h ich has perched us on the b r in k of w a r in Laos nor w i l l they have a voice o r means o f a ffecting the next decision ra p id ly com­ing up — the com m itm ent o f U . S. land, sea and a ir forces to actual battle . That decision w i l l be made by Kennedy, i f i t hasn’t been already, lik e the preceding decisions in secret conferences w ith top advisors.

Going to w ar in Laos w ou ld be a repe tition o f T rum an ’s “ police action” in Korea — one o f the bloodiest and most un ­popular wars in Am erican h is tory. And, as was the case in Korea, a w a r in Laos carries the b u ilt - in danger of explod ing in to nuclear w o rld w ar.

Y e t Kennedy’s Dem ocratic adm in istration, lik e th a t o f Re­pub lican Eisenhower, is w ill in g to shed the blood o f Am ericans and Laotians, and r is k nuclear w a r to get its w ay in the t in y southeast Asia coun try whose ve ry location is unknow n to most Americans.

Laos looms large in W ashington’s Asian po licy because i t borders China and N orth V ie t Nam. Pentagon and State D epart­m ent planners fo r the w a r to restore cap ita lism to those tw o countries desire a t any cost to hold the Lao tian “ gateway” to th e ir southern flank .

B u t a decision by W ashington to s ta rt the f ir in g could be based on economic as w e ll as co ld -w ar motives. The U . S. economy is in the m idst of a recession. Even more, the general trend o f the cap ita lis t economy is slow ing down or stagnation. W ou ldn ’t a “ police action” in Laos tu rn the same tr ic k as the Korean w ar — w h ich “ cured” the 1949-50 recession?

W hatever W ashington’s decision on Laos, the “ cura tive” q u a lity o f w a r fo r a sick cap ita lis t economy is one o f the factors being taken in to consideration.

... Mexico Conference Hails Cubatendencies came m ost c le a r ly to the fo re in the com m ission th a t considered w h a t k in d o f c o n tin u ­in g body should be set up.

A f te r considerable debate, the v ie w p re va ile d th a t the con fe r­ence represented essen tia lly a fo ru m o f L a tin -A m e ric a n op in ion as i t exists a t the m om en t; th a t i t cou ld re a lis t ic a lly seek to e x ­press m any com m on v ie w s th a t w o u ld serve no tice on th e State D epa rtm en t and the Cuban coun­te rre v o lu tio n ; b u t th a t i t w o u ld be unw ise to a tte m p t to set up a con tin u in g body w ith any p o lit ic a l o r d is c r ip lin a ry mandate.

V ote o f Confidence

In apprec ia tion o f th e ir c o n tr i­b u tio n in m a k ing the conference possib le and as a k in d o f vote o f confidence, the th ree sponsors, Lázaro Cárdenas o f M exico , A l ­be rto T. Casella o f A rg e n tin a and D om ingo Velasco o f B ra z il, w ere nam ed as a co n tin u in g body en­trus ted w ith p u b lic a tio n o f the reso lu tions o f the conference, the h a n d lin g o f correspondence, and prepa ra tions fo r anothe r ga the r­in g to be ca lled in a yea r o r so.

The Cuban R e vo lu tion dom inated the conference fro m be g inn ing to end. T h is was no t due to any o r­gan iza tiona l pow e r p lays o f the Cuban governm ent in re la tio n to the ga thering . The Cuban dele­gates, in fac t, d id e ve ry th in g pos­s ib le to avo id m onopo liz ing a t­te n tio n and leaned ove r ba ckw a rd lest the y be accused o f u n d u ly in ­f lu e n c in g the de libera tions.

The e ffe c t o f th is p o lic y was to u n d e rlin e the im p ac t o f the Cuban R e vo lu tio n on the th in k ­in g o f the delegates. T hey v ied to appear as the best defenders o f the Cuban R e vo lu tion and as the m ost a le r t to its im p lica tio n s fo r freedom struggles th rou gh ou t th e rest o f the hem isphere and the co lon ia l w o rld .

The head o f the Cuban delega­tion , V ilm a Espín de Castro, the w ife o f R au l Castro, d id no t take the f lo o r u n t i l the second day. As she stepped to w a rd the m ic ro -

I w onder i f I m ig h t take th is o p p o rtu n ity to pass along m y con­g ra tu la tio n s to the m any b ranch fu n d d irec to rs w h o m ust be h a v ­in g the same prob lem s I have here in the center. Sleepless n igh ts, w i th figu res and d o lla r signs chas­in g them selves a round in m y head — b r i l l ia n t ideas w h ic h fade in the m o rn in g lig h t in to the ha re - b ra in schemes the y w e re — a s in k ­in g fe e lin g w hen I don ’t f in d any m a il on m y desk — and a w o nd e r­f u l g lo w w hen the re is a b ig p ile !

I t goes w ith o u t say ing th a t the w o n d e rfu l day w h en the to ta l shows 100% p lus w i l l be M A Y D A Y !

phone, she was g iven a trem en­dous ova tion . I t was a spontaneous response to th e w a y she s y n i- bo lized th e Cuban R e vo lu tio n — th is v ib ra n t 25 -yea r-o ld w om an, ve te ran o f the hero ic u n d e r­g round s trugg le against d ic ta to r B atis ta , n o w about to speak fo r the v ic to rio u s re v o lu tio n a ry gov­e rnm en t be fo re th is f i r s t p a r lia ­m en t o f 200, 000, 000 people.

She to ld h o w Cuba w on its fre e ­dom fro m S pa in in 1898 o n ly to become a sem ico lony unde r A m e r­ican im p e ria lism . ’The is land , she said, was converted in to an im ­mense sugar p la n ta tio n and the Cubans became “ slaves of. th e d o l­la r . ”

T h rou gh re v o lu tio n th e Cuban people w ere f in a lly ab le to de-. s tro y la tifu n d is m and the m e r­cenary a rm y, th e basis o f th e d ic ta to rsh ip . N o w an arm ed peo­p le is de fend ing its re v o lu tio n . She a ffirm e d the con v ic tio n o f th e Cubans th a t th e cou n te rre vo lu ­t io n w i l l be defeated: “ I t is post s ib le to s trugg le against a class, against a do m in an t group, b u t i t is abso lu te ly im poss ib le to de feat an e n tire people w h ic h h a s . taken possession o f the land , w h ic h i t w a te rs w ith its b lood and sweat, and w h ich has in a d d itio n m ore th a n enough courage and arm s to defend i t . ”

A N ew Consciousness

She reported th e rise o f “ a new consciousness” in Cuba. People are n o w able to face bo th fr ie n d s and foes on an equa l basis. “ N o w w e are able to speak w ith o u t h a v ­in g o u r rep lies d ic ta ted . O n foo t, and no t on ou r knees, w h ic h is an u n d ig n ifie d posture, in a d d itio n to be ing v e ry u n com fo rtab le fo r con­ve rsa tion . ”

“ We don ’t exp o rt revo lu tio n s , ” she said. “ B u t n e ith e r are w e able to p re ven t the exam ple o f Cuba fro m ex te nd ing beyond o u r fro n ­tie rs and reve a lin g to b ro th e r peoples o f ou r A m erica and o f th e w o r ld th a t im p e ria lis m is n o t in ­v u lne rab le and th a t w hen a u n ite d people decides to ob ta in its f u l l l ib e r ty and its to ta l independence the re are no forces th a t can stop i t . ”

R esolutions w e re passed oppos­in g the M onroe Doctr in e and the “ P an -A m erican ism ” o f im p e r ia l­ism. The s trugg le fo r P ue rto R ico 's independence rece ived s trong sup­p o rt as d id th e m ovem en t fo r the re tu rn o f the Panam a C anal Zone to Panama.

T he State D e pa rtm e n t’s “ H em is­ph e ric Defense” was denounced along w ith A m e rica n m il i ta ry m is ­sions and bases.

Some o f th e appeals fo r ac tion w ere addressed to the U n ite d N a ­tions, b u t the m a in them e o f the conference was th a t the L a t in A m ericans m ust re ly on th e ir o w n e ffo r ts to w in th e ir freedom .

As a delegate fro m H onduras p u t i t , “ In L a t in A m e rica th e h o u r is one o f re v o lu tio n . Cuba shows i t . . . One b ig question faces us: H o w to m ake a re v o lu tio n a t the oppo rtune tim e . ”

F u n d ScoreboardB R A N C H Q U O T A P A ID PCT.A lle n to w n $ 120 $ 90 75%Boston 500 350 70D e tro it 625 405 65C onnecticu t 150 95 63N ew Y o rk 4, 400 2, 286 52San Francisco 500 245 49C leve land 500 243 49Chicago 800 350 44T w in C ities 1, 200 450 38B erke le y -O a k lan d 500 173 35St. Lou is 90 30 33N e w a rk 150 49 33P ittsb u rg h 10 3 33M ilw a u ke e 300 93 31P h ila de lph ia 300 89 30Los Angeles 5, 000 1, 385 28San Diego 280 71 25D enver 85 15 18Seattle 500 50 10G eneral 40

T ota ls $16, 010 $6, 514 41%

$ 16,000 Socialist Fund Lagging - Six Weeks to Go

(Continued from Page 1)cans, as hosts, pa id fo r the h a ll and conference organ ization. These costs, am oun ting to some $15, 000, w ere m et th ro u g h ra n k -a n d - f ile e ffo rts o f o rgan izations th a t sup­po rted the conference. )

In p o lit ic a l co lo ra tion , the con­ference extended fro m the le f t - bourgeois rad ica lism o f fo rm e r P res iden t Lázaro Cárdenas to the te r ro r is t in c lin a tio n s o f un de r­g round re v o lu tio n a ry fig h te rs ca r­ry in g on arm ed struggles against such d ic ta to rs as Stroessner o f Paraguay.

M uch o f the organ iza tiona l w o rk was done b y adherents o f the C om m unis t p a r ty o r re la ted ten ­dencies. I t should be added, h o w ­ever, th a t th is d id no t s ig n ify S ta lin is t dom ina tion o f the con­ference. The in flue nce o f Cárdenas, a f i r m be lie ve r in the p rinc ip le s o f dem ocracy, kep t the discussion free and open. I t should be noted, in ad d ition , th a t the fo rm e r S ta­lin is t m on o lith ism in L a t in A m e r­ica has been shattered. In M exico alone a t least f iv e s p l it -o f f c u r­ren ts are v y in g w ith th e eroded o ff ic ia l CP fo r leadersh ip .

W anted United FrontIn v ie w o f th e w id e p o lit ic a l

d iffe rences among the delegates, i t was to be expected th a t as the discussion on economic and p o lit ­ic a l tasks became m ore and m ore concrete, the cleavages w o u ld sharpen. The n a tu ra l in c lin a tio n o f the delegates was to press th e ir in d iv id u a l positions, o r the posi­tions o f the tendencies the y re p ­resented. T hey d id th is in reso lu ­tions, in caucuses, in conversa­tions. A t the same tim e a l l o f them , w ith o u t exception, w e re eager to present a u n ite d f ro n t against U . S. im p e ria lis m and in defense o f the Cuban R evo lu tion . T hey w ere s im ila r ly eager to reach com m on unders tand ing on a t least the g rea t basic h is to r ic tasks fac in g a ll o f L a t in A m erica .

The con tra d ic tion between the lim ita t io n s o f the conference and the p o lit ic a l a im s o f the various

B y M a rv e l SchollF u n d D r iv e D ire c to r

W ith th is a rtic le , w e en ter the las t s ix v weeks o f the fu n d cam ­pa ign — b u t w e are tw e n ty - f iv e pe r cent beh ind schedule as you can see fro m the scoreboard. N ow is th e tim e to re a lly beg in bearing dow n on co llec ting pledges. I t goes w ith o u t saying th a t w e w i l l be O V E R T H E TO P B Y M A Y D A Y , b u t a t th is p o in t a w o rd o f w a rn in g is in order.

F ra n k L o v e ll o f D e tro it te lls us the y sent a le tte r to a l l th e ir fr ie n d s asking co n trib u tio n s bo th fo r th e ir e lection cam paign and fo r th is fu n d . F ra n k w rite s , “ Some good resu lts are now com ing in — w e w e re especia lly heartened by an anonym ous c o n trib u tio n o f $10 fro m Toledo. ”

Boston los t its lead th is w eek to A lle n to w n — b u t i f w e k n o w those H ub o f the Un iversers th a t s itua ­t io n w i l l n o t be a llow ed to stand v e ry long.

D u r in g the past w eek we, have had some v e ry n ice m a il — w ith long green s tu ff in it . W e th a n k A . C., Rochester, N . Y .; J. R. K ., G reensburg, Pa.; C. E. B. and S. R., bo th o f N ew Y o rk C ity fo r th e ir generous con tribu tions .

Los Angeles, w h ic h also is en­gaged in an e lection cam paign, is w o rk in g ha rd to f u l f i l l its v e ry la rge quota. T hey are ru n n in g a ra f f le to raise p a r t o f the m oney. George S., L . A . F und D irec to r, doesn’t say w h a t is be ing ra ff le d , b u t the idea is w o rth y o f con­s ide ra tion b y others. In fac t, Ed F., N ew Y o rk ’s D ire c to r, in it ia te d a ra f f le las t w eek — fo r a tab le m odel H i-F i!

Page Four THE M ILITA NT Monday, March 27, 1961

Most Likely to SucceedB y G eorge L ava n

I can’t fo r th e l i fe o f m e See w h a t a l l th e ruckus is abou t dow n a t R id e r College in T ren to n , N . J.

R id e r is one o f the o ldest bu s i­ness colleges in th e cou n try . I t num bers am ong its a lu m n i ba n k ­ers, co rpora tion executives, in fa c t a good ly g lob o f th e “ cream ” o f Jersey’s business leaders. So w h y does i t expe l 22 students fo r be ing im b ue d w ith the tru e ca p ita lis t s p ir it and show ing in it ia tiv e ?

H e re are th e fa c t in the case; ju dg e fo r you rse lf.

B ack in Jan u a ry a s tuden t ap ­proached a young a d m in is tra tiv e a ide in th e o ffice w here th e m arks are recorded w ith a h a rd - lu c k Story. O ne pa ren t had died, the bther, was in the hosp ita l. Because o f h is fa m ily troub les h is academic reco rd was poor and he had ju s t f lu n k e d tw o m ore courses. I f these fa il in g grades w ere p u t on h is rec­o rd he w o u ld be dism issed fro m college. The new spaper accounts do n ’t ’m ake i t c lear w h e the r the s tud en t’s s to ry was tru e o r a snow jo b . I n e ith e r case, the k in d -h e a rt­ed a d m in is tra tiv e a ide a lte red the s tud en t’s records so th a t tw o f a i l ­in g grades o f D appeared as pass­in g C pluses.

W h e n , th e n e x t m a rk in g pe riod

B y F re d H als teadT h is m o n th the F o rd M o to r

C om pany issued an annua l re ­p o r t to stockholders, whose es­sence can be sum m ed up b y the re fra in o f the o ld E ng lish song: " I t ’s the r ic h w h a t gets the g ravy, it 's the poor w h a t gets the b lam e. ”

The re p o rt reveals th a t the com ­pa ny made $427. 8 m il lio n in s tra ig h t, unconcealed p ro fits in 1960. The d iv id e n d to s tockho ld ­ers was increased fro m $2. 80 in 1: 959 to $3. 00 in 1960, an increase o f 7, 1% . D u r in g the same period , the increase in h o u r ly wage rates and fr in g e bene fits came to o n ly 4. 4% .

U nde r the head ing o f ad d itio n a l g ra v y is $33. 6 m il l io n in bonuses fo r the yea r w h ich , the re p o rt

M a n fo r the Job? — Charles J. Conrad, a R epub lican assem bly­m an in C a lifo rn ia , is u rg in g Con­gress to okay chem ica l w a rfa re against “ C o m m un is t-insp ired u p ­r is ings th ro u g h o u t the w o r ld . ” Q ueried on the p o s s ib ility o f th is dam ag ing the U . S. p ropaganda- w ise, he rep lied : “ A g lib fe llo w l ik e A d la i Stevenson cou ld get the idea across in the U n ited Nations th a t the A m ericans are ac tu a lly S how ing g rea t h u m a n ity . ”

Big Deal Departm ent — “ Regis­te re d b lin d persons in B r ita in re c e n tly w ere g ran ted a 25 pe r cent red u c tio n in y e a r ly te le v is io n licenses. ” — A London U P I d is ­patch.

Jobless A id Program — T o e lim ­in a te unem p loym ent, says the N a tio n a l A ssociation o f M an u fac ­tu re rs , don ’t increase the m in im u m wage, don’t lib e ra liz e o ld age bene­f its , don ’t p ro v id e m ed ica l care fo r the aged, don ’t g ive federa l a id to educa tion o r depressed areas and don ’t extend unem p loym ent com pensation. Jus t cu t th e taxes on the r ic h and p u t' new curbs on Unions.

Lettuce Strike B roke n — Thele ttu ce harvesters s tr ik e in C a lifo r ­n ia ’s Im p e r ia l V a lle y was ca lled o ff M a rch 18 b y the A g r ic u ltu ra l W orke rs O rgan iz ing C om m ittee and the U n ite d Packinghouse W orkers . The un ions assailed Sec­re ta ry of L a b o r G o ldberg as re ­sponsib le fo r de feat o f th e s tr ike , cha rg in g he re fused to o rd e r w ith -

came around 22 o f th a t s tuden t’s f ra te rn ity b ro thers descended on the good Joe in the records o ffic e and la id i t on the lin e . E ith e r he upgrade a ll th e ir m arks o r they w o u ld expose h is o r ig in a l s in and get h im fire d . He gave in .

Can you conceive o f a be tte r exam ple o f the ap p lica tio n o f hard-headed business tactics, o f p ra c tis in g th a t C om m andm ent in the Businessm an’s Decalogue: T hou sha lt never g ive a sucker an even break? Though practised here b y fledg lings, th is was the s p ir it th a t b u ilt m any o f A m e rica ’s in ­d u s tr ia l em pires. M oreove r, w i th ­ou t any charge they had im p a rted v a lua b le business educa tion to the a d m in is tra tiv e aide, nam ely , th a t A m erican business, le t a lone a business college, has no room fo r do-gooders and b leed ing hearts.

Can’t you ju s t hear one o f these s tudent’s tyco o n -fa th e r p ro u d ly te llin g how his boy had p u lle d o f f a rea l sharp deal w h ile h is co r­pora te cron ies chuck le and p re d ic t th a t such a boy w i l l go fa r?

W hen th e m a tte r came to l ig h t a fe w weeks ago th e a d m in is tra ­t iv e aide was p ro m p tly f ire d in disgrace, then the 22 students w ere ca lled onto the carpet. No s n iv e l­in g pen iten ts they! T h e ir f i r s t re ­

shows, was passed ou t among F o rd ’s top m anageria l em ployees— about 7, 000 persons.

T h is am ount is about $1. 5 m i l ­lio n m ore than the to ta l o f a ll raises and increased bene fits re ­ceived in 1960 b y a l l F o rd ’s h o u r­ly - ra te d w o rke rs — about 120, 000 persons.

U n de r the head ing o f b lam e, the re p o rt to the stockholders con­ta ins the fo llo w in g statem ent: “ M anagem ent believes i t essential to ho ld the lin e on a ll costs, a vo id ­in g p a r t ic u la r ly any labo r cost increases th a t cou ld fo rce us to raise prices. ”

C ou ld i t be th a t w h a t the com ­pany re a lly means is th a t wage increases m ig h t fo rce F o rd exec­u tives (w h o are also la rge s tock-

d ra w a l o f M ex ican na tiona ls used as s trikeb reakers u n t i l a fte r the ha rvest peak had passed. They said G oldberg re fused to act de­sp ite demands b y the M ex ican governm ent th a t its na tiona ls be rem oved.

S lid in g Scale o f H ours — A p la n fo r a fed e ra l hours la w th a t w o u ld a u to m a tica lly reduce the w o rk week w ith o u t c u ttin g pa y w hen­ever unem p loym ent becomes se ri­ous was ou tlin e d to the A F L -C IO executive counc il last m on th b y O. A . K n ig h t, p res iden t o f the O il, C hem ica l & A to m ic W orkers. M ea nw h ile A lb e r t J. F itzge ra ld , p res iden t o f the U n ite d E le c tr ica l W orke rs ( In d . ), u rged a f ig h t fo r a sho rte r w o rk w eek, p o in tin g ou t th a t th is w o u ld be o f p a r tic u la r be ne fit to N egro w o rke rs w ho have been hardest h it b y layo ffs .

D elivery Fees — F ro m 1953 to 1958 the average cost o f ha v in g a baby w e n t up fro m $193 to $272, an increase o f 42 per cent.

Freedom T ra in — C om m enting on the t r ia l o f Pete Seeger, w ho de fied ■ the House U n -A m e ric a n A c tiv it ie s Com m ittee, poet C a rl S andburg said: “ I w o u ld p u t Pete Seeger in the f ir s t ra n k o f A m e r i­can fo lk singers. I th in k he ought to be a fre e m an, ro v in g th e A m e r­ican landscape, s ing ing fo r the audiences w ho love h im — R epub­licans, Dem ocrats and independ­ents. ”

Negro M a jo r ity in C ap ita l —W ashington, D. C., has become the f i r s t m a jo r c ity in w h ic h Negroes

action was to th rea ten to scandalize the college b y s p illin g the s to ry to the newspapers i f an y action was taken against them . B u t w h ile the college au tho ritie s w ere m u llin g th is over, the s to ry leaked out. So they w ere g iven some ta lk about eth ics and expelled . B u t i t doesn’t seem to have abashed them . “ The th in g th a t a la rm ed m e, ” said Dean M cBane, w ho had read them the lecture, “ the re was no fe e lin g o f m o ra l g u ilt in them . ”

A s fo r the students themselves, th e ir expu ls ion should be con­sidered as advance g ra du a tion — i t is obvious they w ere ahead o f th e ir classmates anyhow . T h e ir w h o le v e n tu re should coun t as a thesis o r o r ig in a l w o rk p ro je c t re ­q u ire d o f some sc ie n tific students and should ra te a com m erc ia l sum m a cum laude.

T h e ir careers ru ined? Nonsense! T a le n t scouts fro m the b ig co r­porations, w h o u su a lly v is it the campuses in June lo ok in g fo r em ­b ryo executives, are p ro b a b ly tra c ­in g them dow n r ig h t now . Chances are th a t G enera l E le c tr ic , w h ic h has had to re t ire some o f its top executives because o f th e ir 30-day sentences on the p r ic e - f ix in g con­sp iracy rap , have got h a lf o f these p ro m is in g lads signed up a lready.

ho lders) to cu t down on th e ir own bonuses and dividends?

The chorus to the o ld song runs: “ I t ’s the r ic h w h a t gets the g ravy. I t ’s the poor w h a t gets the blam e. I t ’s the same the w ho le w o r ld over. A in ’ t i t a l l a b loom in ’ shame. ”

I t w i l l be a b loo m in ’ shame i f anybody in the la bo r m ovem ent fa lls fo r the com p an y-insp ired a r­gum ent th a t wage increases — or the sho rte r w o rk week — can’t be granted because they w o u ld causé in fla t io n . I t ’s ju s t a question of w h ic h you th in k is m ore im p o r­tan t: decent pay and jobs fo rhonest w o rke rs ; o r m ore w e a lth fo r the double ta lke rs w h o ’ve a lready got too m uch. T here is n o th in g sacred about p ro fits o r the p riv ile ge s o f executives, you know .

are a m a jo r ity o f the popu la tion . The Census Bureau reports th a t the re are 411, 737 Negro residents there , o r 53. 9 per cent o f the pop­u la tion .

Ohio S an ity L aw — The C leve­la n d C iv i l L ib e rtie s U n io n has u rged rev is ion o f a state la w under w h ic h a person can be com m itted to a m en ta l h o sp ita l b y a s im p le a f f id a v it th a t m ay be f ile d b y any­one and w h ic h is o ften acted on w ith o u t investiga tion . There are repo rted instances o f sane persons snatched fro m th e ir homes and hosp ita lized as the re su lt o f a m a r ita l d ispu te o r ne ighborhood grudge.

Baltim ore Student Harassed —M rs. M ad e lyn E. M u rra y , w ho f ile d su it to ba r re lig iou s teaching in B a ltim o re p u b lic schools, has ta ke n ne w lega l action to end abuse and harassm ent o f h e r son W ill ia m , 14, b y h is teachers. She charged th a t since W ill ia m Refused to a ttend B ib le readings he has been assigned 45 e x tra hours of h om ew ork a week and has been iso la ted fro m o the r pup ils . M ean­w h ile , M ich iga n has in s tru c te d school boards to end B ib le in s tru c ­t io n because i t v io la tes state and fed e ra l con s titu tion a l provisos fo r separa tion o f chu rch and state.

Survival Sale — Food F a ir ’s Jacksonv ille stores are te s t-m a r­k e tin g an atom ic s u rv iv a l k i t con­ta in in g 42 servings* o f a “ m u lt i­purpose food, ” 14 p in ts o f canned w a te r, 14 doses o f v ita m in C, a can opener and m iscellaneous ha rdw are . O n ly $4. 98.

A RebuttalF a irm o n t, W . Va.

I am enclosing cost o f ren ew a l o f m y subscrip tion . F inances p re ­v e n t m y sending you m ore.

I w o u ld lik e to answ er some re ­cent proposals fo r chang ing the s ty le o f the M il ita n t w h ich have appeared in y o u r le tte rs colum n.

In the Feb. 13 issue, “ H . H . ” asks fo r “ less ‘b lu rb s ’ fro m the New Y o rk T im es. ” I disagree w ith “ H . H . ’T th in k i t is v e ry im p o rta n t th a t y o u r paper m a in ta in a h ig h s tandard o f accuracy and also le t th is standard be m an ifes t th rou gh qu o tin g accepted sources such as the Tim es.

“ H . H . ” also asks fo r m ore “ ac­t io n - in d u c in g ” a rtic les and “ R. D . ” , in the Feb. 20 issue, asks fo r m ore “ la b o r o rien te d ” a rtic les . I th in k y o u r paper contains enough such a rtic les now . I hope you don’t degenerate to the leve l o f the W orke r in th is respect.

I hope you re ta in a rtic les on so­c ia lis t theory , in te rn a tio n a l a ffa irs and o ther subjects, as w e ll as a r­tic les on specific la b o r issues. L e t the M il ita n t speak o u t on specific fa c to ry s itua tions, b u t le t i t a lw ays speak w ith a soc ia lis t content.

Best wishes. I hope i t soon be ­comes possible to en la rge the p a ­per.

R. W .

Uncounted Michigan VotesD e tro it, M ich .

In the p re s id e n tia l e lection, m in o r ity pa rties w ere c red ited w ith 10, 400 votes in M ich ig a n w ith the la rgest num ber o f these, 4, 437, go ing to the S oc ia lis t W orkers ticke t.

A rt ic le s have appeared in the M il ita n t show ing th a t no t a l l o f the votes fo r the SW P and o the r m in o r ity t ic ke ts w ere counted. B u t don’t th in k th is was ju s t “ sour grapes. ”

In a b u lle t in pub lished fo r the M ich iga n E lec tion Board, Secre­ta ry o f S tate James M . H are has now announced, “ The s ta te -w ide e lection check-up no w ta k in g place has disclosed th a t no t a l l the e lection boards have been c re d it in g the vote fo r m in o r p a rty o ff ic ia ls on the sta tem ent sheets. ”

The b u lle t in urges th a t a l l these votes m ust be counted. W he the r the y w i l l be in the fu tu re rem a ins to be seen.

B u t H a re ’s sta tem ent is e v i­dence fro m the horse’s m ou th th a t the sen tim en t against the R epub­licans and D em ocrats is g rea te r than the fake e lection figu res w o u ld le t people be lieve. I t also reveals th a t the e lection system is no t as dem ocra tic as touted.

R obe rt M a r t in

Satisfied SubcriberLos Angeles, C a lif.

C ount m e in again. I re a lly en­jo y yo u r f in e l i t t le paper. V e ry en ligh ten ing . I a lw ays pass i t on to o ther av id readers.

Enclosed you w i l l f in d $3 fo r a renew al. I o r ig in a lly subscribed d u r in g yo u r e lec tio n -tim e specia l o ffe r and w o u ld m iss i t v e ry m uch i f i t w o u ld stop.

R. T.

Goldberg on 'Ethics'P h ilade lph ia , Pa.

The e le c tr ica l tru s t p r ic e - r ig ­g ing scandal was h a rd ly o f f the fro n t page here w hen Secre tary over L a b o r G o ldberg came to tow n . H e made a b ig p itc h about the need to end “ bad abuse o f tru s t. ”

W ith th e W estinghouse, G E and o th e r e lec tr ica l com pany o ffic ia ls ju s t ou t o f ja i l a fte r se rv ing th e ir “ ha rsh ” sentences o f 30 days, less fo u r fo r good behav ior, you m ig h t

th in k G oldberg was ta lk in g to them about lead ing e th ica l liv e s fro m no w on.

B u t he w asn ’t. He was ta lk in g to a conven tion o f the H o te l & R estauran t W orkers . H e to ld them he in tends to enforce the s p ir it as w e ll as th e le tte r o f the K e n n e d y - L a n d ru m -G r if f ir i law .

He to ld the un io n th a t “ a hand­fu l o f people in positions o f great economic and p o lit ic a l pow er can b r in g such m ora l ru in to a people as to m ake them e x tin c t. ”

Y o u ’d th in k he had been f r ig h t ­ened b y a la b o r m ovem ent th a t had b u ilt its ow n p a r ty and w on p o lit itc a l po w e r in th e c o u n try and no t a m ovem ent u n d e r a ttack and in re trea t.

He said the un ions, as w e ll as m anagem ent and governm ent, m ust end the “ sad spectacle o f a bad abuse o f tru s t. ”

G oldberg, you m ust rem em ber, was the la w y e r fo r the S te e lw o rk ­ers U n ion whose m em bers no t too lo n g ago w e re fo rced in to a g ru e l­in g th re e -m o n th s tr ik e against some o f the m ost p o w e rfu l cor­po ra tions in the land . I n e ffec t he ’s now saying th a t th e w o rke rs w h o w a lk e d the b ric k s fo r th ree m onths had been “ abusive” o f th e ir powers. Everyone know s, ex­cept possib ly M r. G oldberg, th a t the stee l com panies d id n ’t even begin ne go tia tin g u n t i l th e ir s tockp ile was p ra c tic a lly depleted. In the face o f th is re a l abuse o f power, G o ldberg ta lks to un ions about th e ir need ing “ e th ics. ”

To add in s u lt to in ju ry , he to ld a press conference th a t a sho rte r w o rk w eek is “ u n re a lis tic and u n ­desirab le . ” I th in k th e secre ta ry ove r la b o r is “ u n re a lis tic and u n ­desirab le . ”

H e rb L e w in

Too Good for the Poor?Dallas, Texas

D r. Bergen Evans, the professor fro m N o rthw este rn U n iv e rs ity w ho is the star o f the T V show, The La s t W ord, was in a sym posium here on sex education.

He said he’s against such educa­tio n in the schools. The paper d id n ’t re p o rt w h a t he said abou t the ric h , b u t he doesn’t th in k the poor need such education. He said, “ T hey l iv e in i t . T he re ’s no a t­tem p t to screen i t f ro m the young people liv in g in crow ded tene­m ents. ”

I ju s t hope he doesn’t th in k sex is too good fo r the poor people.

L . T .

Peace Trek to End W ith Easter Parade

Peacew alkers on a 340-m ile t re k to prom ote u n ila te ra l d isa rm am en t are en rou te to N ew Y o rk w here th e y w i l l p resent peace pe titio n s to the Sovie t and A m e rica n m is ­sions to the U n ite d Nations.

The w a lk , sponsored b y the N ew E ng land C om m ittee fo r N o n ­v io le n t A c tion , le f t K it te ry , M aine, M a rch 11 a fte r a c iv i l disobedience dem onstra tion a t th e com m ission­in g o f the P o la r is subm arine A b ra ­ham L in co ln . T hey are scheduled to reach N e w Y o rk M arch 31 and w i l l spend tw o days w a lk in g th ro u g h the c ity w ith o the r pac i­f is t organ izations.

T he group, w a lk in g 15 to 18 m iles a day, w i l l stop fo r a v ig i l at the F edera l C o rrec tion a l I n ­s t itu t io n at D a nb u ry , Conn., in suppo rt o f W ill ia m H e n ry , one o f th e ir g roup re ce n tly sentenced to a yea r in p rison fo r the p ro tes t boa rd ing o f P o la ris subm arines.

Oh Easter Sunday, th e w a lke rs w i l l conduct th e ir ow n parade dow n N ew Y o rk ’s F if th Avenue.

Thought for the W eek“ The U n ite d States has had a fed e ra l m in im u m wage law since

1938; bu t even today o n ly a l i t t le m ore than a th ird o f the A m erican labo r fo rce is pro tected by it . In the 23 years since the law has been on the books, there has been v ir tu a lly no u p w a rd re v is io n o f its coverage; and even the m one ta ry f lo o r . . . has no t been ra ised in ove r f iv e years. ” — F ro m a M a rch 21 N ew Y o rk T im es e d ito ria l.

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