T H E MILITANT · 2016. 11. 12. · College in Rock Hill have been staging daily picket-line dem...
Transcript of T H E MILITANT · 2016. 11. 12. · College in Rock Hill have been staging daily picket-line dem...
T H EMILITANTPublished in the Interests of the Working People
Vol. 25 - No. 7 New Y ork, February 13, 1961 Price 10c
Lumumba Forces Gaining in Congo
B y M . L . S ta ffo rd
F everish d ip lo m a tic m aneuverin g by the K ennedy ad m in is tra tio n is be ing pressed to salvage U n ited States p o licy com m itm ents in the s tr ife - to rn Congo. The U .S .- supported K asavubu reg im e continues to lose ground as m ore and m ore Congolese, in c lu d in g a rm y un its , s w e ll the ranks o f the p ro - Lum um ba forces.
“ A t the m om ent,” w r ite s N ew Y o rk H e ra ld T rib u n e co lum n is t, M a rg u e rite H igg ins , “ th e increasin g ly w eak ‘ce n tra l’ govern m ent in L e o p o ld v ille o f P resident K asavubu has l i t t le to govern e x cept the im m e d ia te ly su rround ing coun trys ide .’’
P a trice Lum um ba, le g a lly e lected p rem ie r, was arrested by the K asavubu governm ent a fte r Col.
“ Jail, No Bail” Drive Begun in South Carolina
F o u r S ou thern s tudent s it - in leaders chose prison to posting bond in Rock H il l , S.C., Feb. 6 as the open ing o f a pro jected S ou thw ide “ ja i l , no b a il” cam paign. They w ere arrested fo r re questing service a t a J im C row lu n ch counter.
Representing campuses in fo u r S ou thern states, the fo u r are m em bers o f the S tuden t N o nv io le n t C o ord ina ting C ounc il w h ich issued a ca ll, as they w e n t to prison, u rg ing Negroes th ro u g h o u t the reg ion to come to Rock H i l l and “ jo in them a t the lunch counters and in ja i l . ”
In ad d itio n to re fus ing to post bond pend ing t r ia l, the g roup in tends to re fuse to pay any fine imposed.
T hey declared th a t th e ir action was also in s o lid a r ity w ith n ine o ther r ig h ts fig h te rs w h o chose 30 days a t ha rd la b o r to p a y in g $100 fines on a “ trespass” conv ic tion a fte r ig n o rin g po lice orders no t to seek service a t a loca l M cC ro ry lunch counter.
W oolworth and M cCrory
Students a t F rien dsh ip J u n io r College in R ock H i l l have been s tag ing d a ily p ic k e t- lin e dem onstra tions a t W o o lw o rth ’s and M c C ro ry ’s fo r a num be r o f weeks. W o o lw o rth ’s has closed its lunch section to avo id s it - in actions.
In O rangeburg, S.C., n ine Negro students w ere arrested Feb. 1 a fte r ta k in g seats a t the loca l S.H. Kress lu n ch counter.
A n d in Lyn chb u rg , Va., s ix students, fo u r o f them w h ite , began serv ing 30-day sentences Feb. 7 a fte r p lead ing g u ilty to a “ tres pass” charge im posed a fte r they refused to leave a d rug -s to re lunch counter.
A rgum en ts on the co n s titu tio n a li t y o f the V irg in ia trespass law , w h ic h was adopted las t year to cu rb s it- in s , w ere heard b y a fe d e ra l cou rt Jan. 6. Las t yea r 125 people w ere convicted unde r the la w w h ic h p rovides m ax im u m penalties o f a year in ja i l and a $1,000 f in e fo r re fus ing to leave a p lace o f business w hen ordered to do so.
M obu tu seized pow er in a m il i ta r y coup. As d isa ffec tion spread in the Congolese a rm y, Lu m um b a was sh ifted to K atanga P rov ince w h ich is ru le d by B e lg ium pu p pet, P res ide n t-P rem ie r M o is e Tshombe. Lu m um b a is be ing closely guarded in p rison by B e lg ia n -tra in e d troops.
M ajo r DemandL u m u m b a ’s release, says M a r
gu e rite H igg ins, “ has been the m a jo r dem and o f the le ft- le a n in g sections o f the A fro -A s ia n b loc led b y such countries as In d ia , Egyp t, G uinea and G hana.”
I t has also been made one o f the m ain demands o f the Soviet U n io n and its a llies in the U n ited Nations.
K asavubu was seated in the U n ited Nations as Congo rep re sen ta tive a fte r strenuous in te rv e n tio n b y W ashington. He is kno w n as the State D epa rtm en t m an in the Congo.
A lth o u g h the U.S. has denied any re s p o n s ib ility fo r the continued im p rison m en t o f Lum um ba i t no w agrees to arrange his re lease as p a rt o f a deal fo r a new sh u ffle in the Congo.
A s opposition to the Kasavubu reg im e continues to m ount, the S tate D epa rtm ent seeks some fo r m u la to p re ven t to ta l collapse o f p ro -W este rn in flue nce in the Congo. I t is proposed to establish a “ n e u tra lis t” governm ent in the Congo w h ich w o u ld in c lud e the now im prisoned Lum um ba.
Strings AttachedThere are, how ever, according
to M a rg ue rite H igg ins, “ c lear cond ition s ,” to “ A m e rica ’s w illingn ess to consider go ing along w ith the release fro m prison o f f ie ry Patr ice Lum um ba and h is inc lus ion at some unspecified le ve l in a new broad ly based governm ent of the Congo.”
A m ong the conditions is the dem and fo r an agreem ent w ith M oscow on a fo rm u la th a t “ w ou ld m ake i t im possib le fo r any new governm ent to ob ta in arm s and m en fro m any o f the ch ie f p ro tagonists in the co ld w a r.”
Long- lines of people brave snow and b itter cold outside a Pittsburgh school to receive rations of surplus food being distributed w ith in . Unemployment, resulting from the closing of mines and reduced steel- m ill operations in western Pennsylvania, has caused widespread suffering in the area. Surplus handouts, generally flour, corn meal, beans, sometimes powdered eggs or powdered m ilk, help fam ilies avoid starving part of the month. In most such areas, m alnutrition among children is painfu lly evident.
Kennedy’s “New Frontier” Looks Like Eisenhower’s “Lost Horizon"
Patrice Lumumba
B y C. Thom as
There has, up to now , beenl i t t le m ore prom ise, so fa r as the w e lfa re o f the w o rke rs is concerned, in K ennedy ’s “ N ew F ro n t ie r ” than there was p rev ious ly in E isenhow er’s “ Lost H orizon .”
W h ile the w o rke rs can takesm a ll com fo rt fro m K en ne dy ’s S tate o f the U n ion and Econom icmessages to Congress, the b ig -business com m u n ity is c h o rtlin g ove r the P res iden t’s “ cautious” and “ conserva tive ” approach to the p rob lem o f antirecession remedies.
W h ile tossing the unem ployed a crum b in suggesting an extension o f 13 ad d itio n a l weeks in compensation paym ents, K ennedy earned the p lau d its o f the co rporate b igw igs b y h is specific acce le ra tion o f arm am ents expend itures.
Stock M arke t Cheered“ In W a ll S tree t,” chuck led the
business and fin a n c ia l ed ito r of the N ew Y o rk H e ra ld T ribu ne , Feb. 1, “ d iehard R epublicans app lauded and the stock m arke t, cheered b y the prospect o f bo th increased defense expend itu res and a K eynesian a ttack on an a lready pe te red -ou t recession, posted a so lid advance on the
Phila. Cops Attack Anti-Nazi Students
P H IL A D E L P H IA , Feb. 2— C lu b - sw ing ing cops attacked college and h igh -schoo l students w ho tu rned ou t a t th e Boyd thea te r las t n ig h t fo r a coun te rdem onstra tion to the p icke t lin e announced b y “ A m e r ican N azi P a r ty ” leader George L in c o ln R ockw e ll fo r the loca l p re m ie r o f Exodus, w h ich deals w ith Israe l.
The cops ba rricaded the area and used po lice dogs to disperse the students. Those w ho protested w ere hauled o ff in p a tro l cars. Several students w ere beaten, one so ba d ly th a t he was hospita lized.
A cco rd in g to the press, 114 s tu dents and three Nazis w ere ja ile d . F if ty w ho w ere unde r 18 were released a fte r be ing he ld several hours. The others w ere charged w ith “ in c it in g to r io t ” and “ breach ing the peace.” A m agistra te dism issed th e charges w hen the cops fa iled to present e v idence.
Today ’s P ennsylvan ian , U n iv e rs ity o f P ennsylvan ia paper, said th a t num erous students had p ro tested the b ru ta lity o f the po lice and th e ir v io la tio n o f c iv i l l ib e r ties in deny ing them the r ig h t to coun te rp icke t R o ckw e ll’s gang. R ockw e ll h im se lf never showed up.
broadest tra d in g in m a rke t h is to ry .”
Instead o f the prom ised in crease in m in im u m wages to $1.25 per hour, K ennedy has tr im m ed the am ount to $1.15 thus re tre a ting to the ground p re v io u s ly occup ied b y the E isenhow er adm in is tra tio n . The same is tru e on the incom e ta x forgiveness p ro posal o f the A F L -C IO w h ich the president sp e c ifica lly re jected “ u n t i l th ings got a lo t worse.”
Too “Republican”In con trast is K en ne dy ’s pledge
to g ive ta x concessions to co rpo ra tions fo r in ves tm en t in p la n t expansion. “ A lre a d y ,” says the synd ica ted co lum n is t, W ill ia m S. W h ite , “ the u ltra - lib e ra ls are g ru m b lin g th a t th is p o in t is a lto gether too ‘R epub lican ,’ in tone. “ In fa c t,” he adds, “ i t is s im p ly
sound ly conserva tive — n e ith e r D em ocra tic n o r R epub lican in o r ig in .”
O f m ore om inous im p o rt to the w o rke rs is the announcem ent by Kennedy o f h is in te n tio n to “ issue an execu tive o rd e r estab lish ing the P res iden t’s A d v is o ry C om m its tee on Labo r-M anagem en t P o licy , w ith m em bers d ra w n fro m labo r, m anagem ent and the p u b lic .”
T h is announcem ent was coupled w ith a w a rn in g th a t “ w e cannot' a ffo rd unsound wage and price: m ovem ents w h ic h push up costs,! weaken ou r in te rn a tio n a l com petit iv e pos ition ,” etc., etc.
T h is is the same k in d o f p ro p aganda pu t ou t b y the N a tio n a l Associa tion o f M anu fac tu re rs . T he estab lishm ent o f a governm ent t r ip a r t i te board to con tro l wages bodes i l l fo r the un ion ized w o rk ers o f th is coun try .
Big Business Pickpockets Draw Token Jail Sentences
A group o f corpora te p ic k pockets em ployed b y some o f the la rgest e lec tr ica l com panies in the w o r ld rece ived m ild ja i l term s and m in im u m fines fo r c r im in a l v io la tio n o f the Sherm an A n t itru s t A c t. Sentence was p ro nounced in an atm osphere o f ju d ic ia l apology fo r a p p ly in g the le tte r o f the la w to such o u tstand ing p illa rs o f the cap ita lis t com m un ity .
A select g roup o f defendants d re w 30 days. O thers w ere set free because o f advanced age or reasons o f hea lth . The u tm ost considera tion was g iven to avo id m a k in g the c u lp r its fee l lik e c rim ina ls . Sentences w ere passed m ore in so rrow than in anger.
In eve ry case the sentence was be low the s ta tu to ry m ax im um w h ich ca lled fo r a $50,000 fin e on each count and a year in ja i l fo r the in d iv id u a l defendants.
An Outrage!
The a tto rn ey fo r one o f the defendants, W. S. G inn , v ice -p re s ident and d iv is io n m anager o f G enera l E lec tric , was ou traged a t the idea o f h is c lie n t do ing tim e beh ind bars. The sanctim onious o u t f i t em p loy ing M r. G inn re c e n tly b roke a s tr ik e o f its em ployees w ho w ere asking fo r meager concessions.
In defense o f h is c lien t, a tto rney Reath, “ ins is ted th a t M r. G in n had on ly fo llo w e d long-established com pany p o licy b y ge ttin g to ge ther w ith supposed com petito rs to arrange th e ir business.”
“ I t w o u ld be a g rea t personal tragedy ,” deplored la w y e r Reath, “ fo r th is f in e m an to go to ja i l w ith com m on c rim in a ls w ho haVe been convic ted o f em bezzlem ent and o th e r serious crim es,”
A l l M r. G in n and the others w ere g u ilty o f, you see, was fo llo w in g the general co rpo ra tion p ractice o f p ic k in g the pockets o f people bu y in g e lec tr ica l eq u ip m en t and services. I t is estim ated th a t the am ount o f th e ir p ilfe r in g , was in the ne ighborhood o f $2 b illio n . F o r th is the p r ic e - f ix in g corpora tions in v o lv e d w e re fin e d a to ta l o f $822,500. C e rta in ly no t a f ie ld fo r “ com m on” c rim ina ls .
W here Was McClellan?
A n d w here was the Select Com -- m ittee on Im p ro p e r A c tiv it ie s in, the L a b o r o r M anagem ent F ie ld — o therw ise kn o w n as the M c C le llan com m ittee — w h ile a ll th is was going on? These w a tch dogs over the in te g r ity o f the heads o f la b o r and m anagem ent m ust have kno w n there was d i r ty w o rk afoot in the e le c tr ica l in du s try . Y e t the re was no te lev ised in q u is it io n o f M r. G in n and his fe llo w crooks.
T he code fo r O pera tion P rice F ix was a scheme called “ phase o f the m oon.” A p p a re n tly w a tc h dog M cC le llan p re fe rre d b a rk in g a t the la b o r m ovem ent to bay ing a t the corpora te “ m oon.”
The m o ra l is: C rim e does n o t pay — unless the am ount o f m oney in vo lve d is in the m illio n s — the n its b ig business.
Page Two THE MILITANT Monday, February 13, 1961
Canadians Tell Off Editor of "Union News”By Tom Terry
M an y C anadian w o rke rs are serious ly question ing the va lue o f re m a in in g a ff il ia te d to A F L -C IO in te rn a tio n a l un ions whose headquarters, leadersh ip and p o lic y dete rm in a tio n are concentra ted in A m e rica n hands.
A recent in c id e n t in v o lv in g a C anadian a f f i l ia te o f the A F L - C IO O il, C hem ica l and A to m ic W o rk e rs In te rn a tio n a l U n ion , goes a lo ng w ay to w a rd e x p la in in g the g ro w in g d iv is io n between Canad ian a ff ilia te s and th e ir pa ren t bodies in th is coun try .
A le tte r in the Jan. 9 issue o f U n io n News, o f f ic ia l organ o f the O C A W , signed by “ m em bers of th e S he ll R e fin e ry N ego tia ting C om m ittee , Loca l 16-601, N o rth B u rn a b y , B r it is h C o lum b ia , v ig o rou s ly pro tested the e d ito r ia l posit io n o f th e paper on the sho rte r w o rk week.
“Negative” SolutionI t appears th a t in th e ir nego
tia tio n s w ith the co rp o ra tion one o f the demands o f the loca l was fo r a sho rte r w o rk week. In re je c tin g th is dem and, m anagem ent quoted fro m an e d ito r ia l in U nion News, s tigm a tiz in g the proposal fo r sho rte r hours as a “ negative ‘ sh a re -th e -m ise ry ’ so lu tio n .”
The m em bers o f the lo ca l’s negot ia t in g com m ittee w ere outraged. ‘ ‘T he m em bers o f ou r nego tia ting com m ittee ,” the y w r ite , “ fee l s il ly c lu tc h in g c lipp ings fro m the loca l press, the F in a n c ia l Past and B us iness W eek a l l subs tan tia ting our case, w h ile across the tab le sits m anagem ent w ith sm irks on th e ir faces and U n ion News in th e ir bands.”
T hey then take up the v ie w of the U n ion News e d ito r and t r y to
Weekly CalendarLOS ANGELES
Two Seminars. ( 1) Cuba, Theodore Edwards, Sundays, I I a.m.-12:30 p.m. th rough March 5. (2 ) Rise and Decline of the Communist Party. Arne Swabeck,Com m unist party founder, and Max Geldman. Sundays, 12:30-2 p.m., Through March 5. C ontrib . 35 cents. Interna- tional School o f Socialism, 1702 E. 4th St. A N 9-4953 or W E 5-9238.
•NEW YORK
The Life of Frederick Douglass — Les- sons for Today. Speaker, George Breit-man. Fri., Feb. 17, 8:30 p.m. M ilita n t Labor Forum, 116 University PI. C ontrib . 50 cents.
* * *
Three classes. ( 1) The Cuban Revolution. Instructor, Richard Garza. Satur- days. 2 p.m., beginning Feb. 18. (2) His- tory of the Russian Revolution, Instructor, Bert Deck. Tuesdays, 8 p.m., beginning Feb. 14. (3) Socialism — Utopian and Scientific. Instructor, Fred Halstead. Sundays, 11 a.m., beginning Feb. 19. C ontrib . 25 cents per session. M ilita n t Labor Forum, 116 University PI.
•DENVER
Negro History Week Celebration. Speakers: James Atkins, fo rm er professor, Tennessee A gricu ltu ra l & Industrial U„ Juanita Gray, exec. bd., C oord ina ting Council Human Relations. Tom Leonard, trade unionist. Sat., Feb. 18,8 p.m. M ilita n t forum, 1227 California. C o n trib . 50 cents.
BOSTO N. Boston Labor Forum , 295 H untington A ve., Room 200.
C H IC A G O . Socialist W orkers P arty , 302 Sm ith Canal St., Room 210. W E 9-0544.
C L E V E L A N D . Socialist W orkers Party, 5927 Euclid A ve., Room 23, Cleveland 3, Ohio.
D E N V E R . M ilita n t Labor Forum , 1227 C alifornia. M a in 3-0993. For labor and socialist books, In ternational Book E x change, 1227 1/2 C alifornia. Open 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Mon. through F ri.
D E T R O IT . Eugene V . Debs H all, 3737 W oodward. TEm ple 1-6135.
-LOS A NG ELES. Forum H all and M od- e m Book Shop. Socialist Workers P arty , 1702 East Fourth S t, A N 9-4953 or W E 5- 9238. Open 12 noon to 5 p.m. daily . Sat.9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
e x p la in to h im the facts o f life . “ W e in B.C.,” they say, “ have the h ighest ra te o f unem p loym ent in Canada and unem p loym en t in Canada is worse tha n in the U.S.
“ T h is was recognized b y the B.C. F edera tion o f L a b o u r a t th e ir recent convention, and a reso lu t io n was passed in fa v o u r o f the sho rte r w o rk w eek as a means o f increas ing em ploym ent.
“ Loca l 16-601,” they continue, “ is a ff il ia te d w ith the B.C. Fede ra tion o f L a b o u r and i t is h ig h ly unpleasant to ou r ne go tia ting com m itte e to be unde rcu t b y ou r In te rn a tio n a l U n io n w h ile t ry in g to c a rry ou t Federa tion p o lic y .”
The com m ittee le tte r then calls in to question the “ th in k in g ” p ro - . cess o f the e d ito r ia l w r ite r . “ He condemns the sho rte r w o rk w eek,” they say, “ as a means o f c rea ting em p loym ent — a so lu tion w h ich can be and has been p u t in to e ffec t by m il ita n t trade un io n actio n — and says the so lu tion is a ‘cons tan tly expand ing econom y.’
“ W e ll, th a t’s w o n d e rfu l,” says the com m ittee le tte r w ith ju s tifia b le iro ny , “ b u t how does the w r ite r of th is e d ito r ia l propose to b r in g abou t an expansion o f the econom y, and at w h a t date does he propose to s ta rt expand ing it? W e have hundreds o f thousands o f unem ployed in Canada w ho are anxious to kn o w .”
The com m ittee le tte r then p ro ceeds to teach the “ iv o ry to w e r”
Polaris Case Won By Eight Pacifists
Ind ic tm e n ts against e igh t pac ifis ts charged w ith seeking to in te rfe re w ith the la un ch in g o f a nuc lear subm arine a t G roton, Conn., w ere dism issed Feb. 1.
T he e igh t m em bers o f the Com m ittee fo r N o n -V io le n t A c tion were arrested Nov. 22 fo r dem ons tra ting a t the launch ing o f the P o la ris m issile subm arine E than A lle n .
T hey w ere charged w ith en te rin g an area res tr ic ted b y the N avy, and “ k n o w in g ly ” ob s tru c ting the launch ing.
T w o o f the e igh t w ere charged w ith scram b ling aboard the subm arine . These charges w ere no t a ffected by dism issal o f the o ther charges.
T he pac ifis ts are seeking to arouse n o n v io le n t resistance to p repa ra tions fo r a tom ic w ar.
Robert F. Williams To Speak in Detroit
D E T R O IT — R obert F. W illiam s , m il ita n t Sou thern c iv i l- r ig h ts f ig h te r, w i l l speak at a Negro H is to ry W eek C e leb ra tion F rida y , Feb. 17, sponsored by the F r id a y N ig h t Socia lis t Forum . The m eetin g w i l l be he ld a t 8 p.m . at Debs H a ll, 3737 W oodw ard.
W illia m s is cha irm an o f the U n ion County, N. C., N A A C P and a founde r o f the F a ir P la y fo r Cuba C om m ittee. He is pu b lishe r o f the w e ek ly c iv i l- r ig h ts newsle tte r, the Crusader.
M IL W A U K E E . 150 E. Juneau Ave.M IN N E A P O L IS . Socialist W orkers P arty
and Labor Book Store, 104 Hennepin Ave., H a ll 240. FEderal 2-7781.
N E W A R K . N ew ark Labor Forum , Box 361, N ew ark , N ew Jersey.
NEW Y O R K C IT Y . M ilita n t Labor Forum , 116 U nivers ity Place. A L 5-7852.
O A K L A N D -B E R K E L E Y . P.O . Box 341, Berkeley 1, C alif. Phone OL 5-1764.
P H IL A D E L P H IA . M ilita n t Labor Forum and Socialist W orkers P arty , 1303 W. G irard Ave. Lectures and discussions every Saturday, 8 p.m. fo llow ed by open house. C all PO 3-5820.
S E A TTLE . 1412 18th A ve., E A 5-0191. L ibrary , bookstore. Open 12 noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
e d ito r ia l w r i te r some e lem entary facts o f p o lit ic a l life .
“ U n ion is ts in Canada,” they p o in t out, “ agree th a t long te rm so lutions to unem p loym ent in v o lv e such measures as expand ing the economy, re d is tr ib u tin g the w e a lth o f ou r coun try , etc. H ow ever, we are re a lis tic enough to kn o w tha t these th ings are n o t possible w ith o u t governm ent in te rv e n tio n , and w e also rea lize th a t ou r present ‘b ig business’ con tro lled governm ents are n o t go ing to take any action w h ich offends the source o f th e ir cam paign funds.”
W hat Course?The com m ittee le tte r then makes
its m ost te ll in g po in t. G iven the “ b ig business” character o f the present governm ents in Canada and the U n ited States, w h a t course o f action should be taken? In recogn ition o f these facts o f l i fe the com m ittee le tte r states:
“ T here fo re w e are b u ild in g a new p o lit ic a l p a r ty in o rder to b r in g about a p lanned econom y — planned fo r the b e ne fit o f the people, th a t is, and no t fo r the w e a lth y few . (W il l you r new K ennedy a d m in is tra tio n take actio n th a t w i l l re a lly he lp the people — now ?)
So fa r as “ the long te rm , and w e hope perm anent so lu tio n ,” is concerned, w h a t “ we in te nd to pu t in to e ffec t in Canada w i l l take tim e (the fou n d in g conven tion of
Seattle Takes Dim View of an ‘Anti-Red’ Film
As the re su lt o f s trong protest, the Seattle pub lic -schoo l system has decided no t to sponsor show ings o f C om m unism on the Map, a ra b id ly M cC a rth y ite f i lm s tr ip w h ich asserts th a t eve ry gove rn m en t in the w o r ld except those o f S w itze rland , Form osa, W est G erm any and the U.S. are contro lle d o r in fluenced b y “ Com m un is ts .”
The f i lm is be ing shown along w ith O pera tion A b o litio n , the House U n -A m e rica n A c tiv it ie s C om m ittee ’s c rud e ly doctored news c lips o f the San Francisco s tudent dem onstra tions against the C om m ittee.
P roduced a t H a rd in g College, Searcy, A rk ., C om m unism on the M ap has been shown b y Boeing A irp la n e Co. and a t Sand P o in t N ava l A i r S tation. A spokesman said the f i lm was purchased by the com m anding o ffic e r and wasn’t used fo r re c ru it in g p u rposes.
The Seattle d is tr ib u to r o f the f i lm said th a t Lou is iana has made pub lic -schoo l show ings m anda to ry and th a t the A rm y , N a vy and A ir Force is show ing i t overseas.
A la rge audience tu rned ou t to see the f i lm and hear a debate on i t a t the U n iv e rs ity o f W ashing ton . The students w ere v is ib ly un im pressed by the f ilm .
L a te r 92 fa c u lty m em bers signed a le tte r to the press b las ting the f ilm .
"Inside Red China" Showing in New York
The N a tion a l G ua rd ian is sponsoring the f ir s t p u b lic show ing in New Y o rk o f a new f i lm on the People’s R epub lic of China, Mon., Feb. 13, a t 8 p.m . in the G rand B a llro o m o f the H o te l D ip lo m a t, 108 W . 43rd St., between 6th and 7th Aves.
The f i lm , Ins ide Red C hina, was m ade and w i l l be na rra ted by R obe rt Cohen, A m erican docum enta ry f ilm -m a k e r, w ho rece n tly re tu rn e d fro m a s ix -w eek, 7,000-m ile jo u rn e y th rou gh China.
T icke ts at $1.50 w i l l be a v a ilab le a t the door o r can be obta ined fro m the G uard ian o ffice a t 197 E. 4 th St.
ou r new p a rty w o n ’t be he ld ’t i l the sum m er o f 1961). B u t the u n em ployed w a n t jobs now , today, and we, the m em bers o f Loca l 16-601 are go ing to do o u r p a rt in su p p ly ing them . I f we are successful in o b ta in ing a sho rte r w o rk week, we w i l l create new jobs im m e d ia te ly— w ith the stroke o f a pen.”
In a tte m p tin g to exp la in and ju s t i fy h is pos ition o f opposing the sho rte r w o rk w eek as a “ negat iv e ” so lu tion the U n ion News e d ito r m ere ly com pounded his erro rs. These erro rs f lo w n o t so m uch fro m ignorance, we believe, as fro m the a ttem p t to hew to the in co rrec t lin e o f action la id dow n by the A F L -C IO tops.
The A F L -C IO un ion “ statesm en” have dropped the sho rte r w o rk week fro m th e ir lis t o f demands in deference to the prom ise o f the K ennedy a d m in is tra tio n to e lim ina te unem p loym ent by “ expandin g the econom y.”
Dem and L e ft O u tThe A F L -C IO E xecu tive C oun
c il m et in W ashington to act on the m ou n tin g economic cris is p r io r to the K ennedy in au gu ra tion . A t th is m eeting the y fo rm u la te d a “ 20 -po in t p ro g ra m ” to sub m it to the new a d m in is tra tio n . A lth o u g h the las t conven tion o f the A F L - C IO had gone on reco rd in fa v o r o f the sho rte r w o rk week, th is demand was c a re fu lly and d e lib e ra te ly le f t out. W hy?
Because the spineless labo r skates have no stom ach fo r the k in d o f a f ig h t th a t w o u ld be re qu ire d to w in the sho rte r w o rk week. I t is m uch easier to foster the illu s io n th a t th e coau tho r o f the K ennedy - L a n d ru m - G r if f in “ k i l le r ” act and h is b ig-business ad m in is tra tio n in W ash ing ton are go ing to solve a ll th e ir p rob lem s fo r them .
I t is no t o n ly the e d ito r o f the O C A W U n ion News th a t is p reaching th is line . P ra c tic a lly a ll o f the ed ito rs o f un ion newspapers and magazines are fo llo w in g su it. A f te r a ll, the y do no t m ake po licy , they m ere ly fo llo w the lin e la id dow n by the top un io n bureaucrats.
M e rit of CanadiansI t is to the great m e r it o f the
Canadian un io n m em bers th a t they are succeeding, in a sm all bu t im p o rta n t w ay, to la y bare the fa lse and treacherous p o lic y o f the A m erican la b o r fake rs on the dec is ive question o f the s trugg le fo r a sho rte r w o rk week.
A s the w r ite rs o f the le tte r to U n ion News p o in t out, the p ro b lem is bo th economic and p o lit ic a l. T h e ir m ethod is to a ttack the p ro b lem on bo th fron ts . On the econom ic fro n t they are ra is ing the dem and fo r a sho rte r w o rk week as th e ir m a in un io n dem and in nego tia tions w ith the em ployer.
On the p o lit ic a l f ro n t th e y d is m iss as a de lus ion and a snare the
Yes, Count Me InThe M ilitan t 116 University PI.New York 3, N . Y.
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C . W right Mills
"He Defies the Men in Power"Beginning w ith th a t estimate o f A m erica ’s leading
sociologist, W illia m F. W arde discusses C. W rig h t M ills ’ book, The Sociological Imagination, in the w in te r issue of In ternational Socialist Review.
W arde views M ills ’ methodology as more progressive than tha t o f the cu rren tly dom inant schools o f sociology, w h ich M ills demonstrates to be com pletely barren. But, argues Warde, the M arx is t method — w hich M ills finds only p a rtia lly va lid — is a more effective sociological tool than the theory of M ax Weber, who is viewed by M ills as the forem ost sociologist o f th is century.
Listen, Yankee, is favorab ly reviewed by Joseph Hansen. The ed ito r o f the M ilitant draws on D r. M ills ’ m a te ria l in dem onstrating the sweeping character o f the Cuban Revolution.
Send 35 cents fo r a copy.
INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW116 University Place New York 3, N. Y.
Local Directory
S E A T T L E — Passing ou t le a fle ts has become a c r im e in. th is c ity . On Jan. 20 M rs. F lo restine W are, secre tary o f the Seattle Negro Independent Association, was arrested fo r hand ing ou t le a flets u rg in g boyco tt o f an a lleged ly d is c r im in a to ry em ployer.
The charge was v io la t io n o f an ord inance aim ed a t m in im iz in g li t te r in g o f the streets.
On Jan. 27 G lo r ia W arne r and Louise C ro w le y w ere arrested fo r “ d isobeying” a po lice o ffic e r. The disobedience consisted o f co n tin u in g to d is tr ib u te le a fle ts p ro tes ting the arrest o f M rs. W are.
The v ic tim s are be ing defended by the A m erican C iv il L ib e rtie s U n ion .
p o lic y o f re ly in g on the b ig -b u s i- ness pa rties and governm ents whose m a in purpose is to serve the economic in te rests o f the em p lo y in g class. The essence o f th e ir lin e is: M il i ta n t tra d e -u n io n actio n against the in d iv id u a l em ployers, and independent w o rk in g - class p o lit ic a l action against the em ployers organized as a class fu n c tio n in g th rou gh th e ir execu tiv e a rm — the governm ent.
No RelianceT h e ir lin e can be sum m ed up
in a sentence: N o re liance on the ca p ita lis t governm ent e ith e r local, state o r na tio n a l; re liance o n ly on the independent action o f the w o rke rs organized in th e ir own un ions and in th e ir ow n p o lit ic a l pa rty .
W hen the A m erican w o rkers lea rn the lesson th a t the Canadian b ro thers t r y to teach, the bonds o f s o lid a r ity and e ffe c tiv e jo in t action w i l l cem ent the w o rke rs o f N o rth A m erica in to an irre s is tib le force capable o f conquering state pow er and tra n s fo rm in g th is con tinen t in to a w o rkers paradise.
When It's a Crime To Pass Out Leaflets
Monday, February 13, 1961 THE M IL ITA N T Page Three
th e MILITANTEditor: JO SEPH H A N S E N
M anaging Editor: D A N IE L ROBERTS Business M anager: K A R O L Y N K E R R Y
Published w eekly , except irom Ju ly 11 to Sept. 5 when published biw eekly, by the M ilita n t Publishing Ass'n., 116 U nivers ity PL, N ew Y ork 3, N .Y . Phone C H 3-2140. Second-class postage paid at 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 ilitan t's views. These are expressed in editorials.
V o l. 25 - N o . 7 345 Monday, February 13, 196Í
That 'Low-Cost' Blue Cross
Draw Your Own ConclusionsH ow serious is the Kennedy adm in istra tion in pressing fo r
w ard its promise to conduct a serious assault on J im Crow? The Dem ocratic p a rty p la tfo rm , in p rocla im ing the objective of achieving an end to a ll form s o f segregation, stated tha t “ to accomplish these goals w i l l requ ire . . . im proved Congressional procedures to safeguard m a jo r ity ru le .”
The p rinc ip le o f safeguarding m a jo r ity ru le was the ostensible goad w hich prodded the Kennedy adm in istra tion in to the f ig h t to change the rules in both House and Senate.
In the House i t was generally recognized tha t contro l over the Rules Com m ittee by a reactionary coalition has often barred Congress from acting on leg is la tion opposed by the mossbacks who contro lled the committee.
In the Senate i t was conceded tha t filib u s te r Rule X X I I cons titu ted the m ain roadblock to consideration o f leg isla tion ou tla w in g some o f the more fla g ran t J im Crow practices.
Consider, then, the s ta rtlin g contrast between the aggressive w ay in w hich the Kennedy adm in istra tion pressed its f ig h t to break the coalition stranglehold on the House Rules Committee w ith the w ay i t conducted itse lf in the Senate con flic t to amend R ule X X II.
The Jan. 29, New Y o rk Times, reported tha t in the House f ig h t an adm in istra tion spokesman declared: “ We are in th is fig h t to w in and are going to use every leg itim ate weapon at our comm and i f necessary.” And they did! From Kennedy on down.
Kennedy openly announced his position at a televised news conference. Speaker o f the House, Sam Rayburn, th rew the tre mendous w e igh t of his power and prestige in to the balance. The ch ie f patronage dispensers of the Kennedy adm in istra tion te lephoned, buttonholed and besieged every prospective vote. Recalc itra n t Democrats were threatened, on-the-fence Democrats were bought o ff, a iling Democrats lim ped or were wheeled in to cast th e ir vote. The outcome — the adm in istra tion won by a narrow m arg in of five votes.
In the Senate, where the issue of c iv il rights was d irec tly invo lved, the Kennedy adm in istra tion sabotaged the f ig h t from the ve ry start. W hatever pressure was applied went to break down the determ ination o f senators to ca rry the struggle to a v ic to rious conclusion.
The resu lt: The D ixiecra ts won by an even narrow er m argin o f fo u r vo tes— 50 to 46. One commentator declared tha t ju s t a few phone calls from a Kennedy lieu tenant could have reversed the result. D raw yo u r own conclusions!
Threat of Tripartite BoardsThe most hated of w artim e devices to curb union m ilitancy
and deprive the unions o f th e ir independence o f action was the tr ip a r t ite labor board. The W ar Labor Board, composed o f representatives o f labor,, management and the “ pub lic ,” was based on the pernicious fic tio n o f “ equality o f sacrifice.” U nder the “ equa lity o f sacrifice” sw ind le the unions surrendered th e ir r ig h t to s tr ike in exchange fo r a p id d ling concession — the maintenance o f membership clause.
The supporting p illa rs of the W ar Labor Board were the n o -s tr ike pledge and the L it t le Steel wage-freezing fo rm u la under w hich the cost o f liv in g soared, p ro fits skyrocketed to astronomical heights, w h ile wages remained frozen. W ith the end of the w ar the unions shattered the “ equa lity of sacrifice” hoax and its most obnoxious o ffspring, the W ar Labor Board.
W ith the advent o f the Kennedy adm in istration, we are once again hearing the siren song o f class collaboration in the fo rm of a proposal fo r a tr ip a rt ite A dv iso ry Com m ittee on Labor and Management Policy. The proposal fo r such a board was firs t advanced by A r th u r J. Goldberg before he was tagged as Kennedy’s Secretary o f Labor.
The premise fo r the Kennedy-G oldberg board is based on the “ equa lity o f sacrifice” fraud. In his message to Congress on the balance of in te rna tiona l payments and gold, Kennedy again h igh ligh ted the proposal fo r a tr ip a rt ite board. The reasons he advanced were a repetition of the re fra in heard in his State of the Union and Economic messages to Congress. Everyone must make m ax im um sacrifices fo r the good o f the country!
Therefore, some lid m ust be clamped on wages w ith the promise, o f course, th a t prices w ou ld also be “ stabilized.” To make sure th a t such is the resu lt o f the Kennedy policies, a tr ip a rt ite board w i l l be established to “ encourage p ro du c tiv ity gains, advance autom ation and encourage sound wage policies and price s ta b ility .”
One can fin d the identica l language to ju s t ify the im position of wage controls under the old W ar Labor Board and its a llied agencies. The only th ing lacking is the “ no-s trike pledge.” And judg ing by Goldberg’s record tha t too is coming.
As attorney fo r the U nited Steel W orkers Union, Goldberg spawned the labor-m anagem ent “ hearts and flow ers” policies w hich McDonald so ca re fu lly nurtu red . The announced object being a no -s trike agreement in steel w hich w ou ld serve as a model fo r a ll. industry . That, is the inev itab le logic o f the tr ip a rt ite board.
B y H a r ry R ing
T he scandalous state o f m edica l care in th is c o u n try was po in ted up again w hen a reso lu tion was in troduced in the N ew Y o rk State L e g is la tu re Feb. 1 c a llin g fo r an in ves tig a tion o f the B lu e Cross ho sp ita l p lan . A t issue is the s ky - h ig h rates charged b y B lu e Cross and the ju ic y salaries and bonuses th a t the o ffice rs o f the p lan vo te themselves.
T h is is the on ly m a jo r cou n try in the w o rld w ith o u t some fo rm of fede ra l m ed ica l care. The resu lt has been overcrowded, u n d e rs ta ffed hospita ls, c r im in a l neglect o f the sick, m onopo ly -rigged d ru g prices, and m ed ica l fees th a t have m ade doctors the c o u n try ’s h ig h - est-incom e pro fessiona l group.P r iv a te “ n o n p ro fit” p lans l ik e B lu e Cross have developed in to an add itio n a l source o f g ra vy fo r the profession.
“ Chaos”D r. Leona B aum gartner, New
Y o rk C ity ’s H e a lth Com m issioner, charges th a t the absence o f com prehensive fede ra l m edica l leg isla tio n has b rough t the n a tion ’s m ed ica l service to a state o f “ chaos.”
In a Feb. 1 Boston speech, D r. B au m ga rtn e r said the re is “ a sp lin te ring , a fragm e n ta tio n in thè w a y personal hea lth services are m ade ava ila b le .”
T h is means, she said, “ tha t thousands o f people — a t a tim e w hen they are i l l , w o rr ie d and unde r g rea t stress because o f disease and d is a b ility — go fro m docto r to doctor, o ffic e to c lin ic to hosp ita l, one test and trea tm e n t here, another there .”
I t is no longer o n ly the poor w ho can’t get adequate m edica l
service. M ed ica l “ chaos” now e x tends in to v ir tu a lly every social and economic g roup ing , says Dr. B aum gartner.
H e r p o in t was un d e rlin e d by the pend ing N ew Y o rk probe o f B lu e Cross. Republicans and D em ocrats a lik e jo in e d in suppo rting the proposal fo r the in ves tig a tion o f the p lan w h ic h has 7,200,000 subscribers in 17 N e w Y o rk counties. M em bers o f the le g is la tu re said the y have been besieged by hundreds o f le tte rs fro m ira te constituents.
In the state senate, D em ocra tic M in o r ity Leader Joseph Z a re tzk i said he favo red the probe because “ B lu e Cross is supposed to be lo w -cos t he a lth insurance fo r the masses, b u t the re ’s n o th in g lo w - cost about i t la te ly .”
Prem ium HikesN obody can argue w ith h im on
tha t. In the past three years the State Insurance Com m ission has granted B lue Cross th ree w h o p p ing ra te increases.
In 1958, p rem ium s w ere h iked22.3 pe r cent. In 1959, another26.4 per cent was added on, and las t yea r a th u m p in g 33.45 per cent increase was granted.
These p y ra m id in g increases have ju m pe d B lu e Cross rates by 105 pe r cent.
M eanw h ile , top o ffice rs o f the p lan have he lped themselves to handsome sa lary increases and cheery C hris tm as bonuses.
E xecu tive salaries averaged m ore than $20,000 in 1959, the las t yea r fo r w h ic h figu res are ava ilab le .
The c u rre n t p res iden t d rew $31,211 th a t yea r and the m an he replaced was k e p t on the p a y ro ll
as an ' ‘a c tu a ria l consu ltan t” at $26,347.
C hris tm as bonuses fo r top o ffice rs rose fro m $146,836 in 1957 to $201,970 in 1959.
Not Uncommon
O th e r aspects o f the d isg race fu l m ed ica l s itu a tio n in the co u n try are sum m ed up in the con tinu ing reve la tions abou t cond itions a t N ew Y o rk ’s m u n ic ip a l H a rle m H o sp ita l w h ic h h i t the lo ca l headlines w hen a s ta ff m em ber charged Jan. 30 th a t tw o wom en pa tien ts had died the prev ious m on th fo r lack o f p rope r m ed ica l care.
Such deaths are “ no t an uncom - m on occurrence,” conceded D r. Canute B. B ernard , d ire c to r o f the h o sp ita l’s house s ta ff council.
D r. B e rna rd ad m itted th a t the house s ta ff has been slashed fro m 128 res idents and in te rns to 60 in the las t s ix o r seven m onths, m a in ly because fo re ign doctors fa ile d new u ltra r ig id q u a lify in g ex am ina tions o f the A m erican M edic a l Association.
B u t the re have been some ra th e r unusua l e ffo rts to re lie v e ove rc row d in g a t H a rle m H osp ita l. D r, A u b re y de L . M aynard , d ire c to r o f surgery, charged Jan. 31 th a t M t. S ina i, a p r iv a te “ n o n p ro fit” hosp ita l has been “ s tea ling ” cases f ro m H arlem .
A d m in is tra tiv e o ffic ia ls ad m itte d th a t “ in te re s tin g ” m ed ica l cases have been s im p ly hau led o ff to M t. S ina i w ith o u t consu lting H a rlem ’s m edica l s taff.
In a d d itio n to special a ilm ents, m ostly o f a lo n g -te rm na tu re , the trans fe rre d pa tien ts have another “ in te re s tin g ” q u a lity . M t. S ina i re ceives $24 a day fro m the c ity fo r each w e lfa re p a tie n t adm itted .
Socia lized m edicine, anyone?
In Other Lands
Nicaraguan Rebels Score VictoriesSuffer Casualties But Capture Arms
A g u e rr il la m ovem ent, fo rm ed in the m ounta ins o f N icaragua, has scored some encouraging successes against the m il ita ry forces o f the A m erican -backed Somoza d ic ta to rsh ip .
The Decem ber issue of L a V e rdad, a N icaraguan paper published in ex ile , carries an extensive account o f an in te rv ie w in N ovem ber w ith Com andante H e rib e rto Reyes, one o f the p r in c ip a l leaders o f the rebe l colum ns, a t the m ounta in headquarters o f the M o v im ien to R evo luc iona rio N ica ra güense U n ificad o (U n ite d N ica raguan R e vo lu tio n a ry M ove m en t).
Reyes described encounters betw een the g u e rrilla s and N ica ra guan a rm y contingents in the fo u r m onths since the rebels began ope ra ting in the m ounta ins. B y w e ll chosen attacks they succeeded in securing arm s, in c lu d in g m achine guns and G arand rifle s .
They suffe red some casualties bu t have gained in s trength.
The correspondent o f L a Verdad said th a t some o f the rebels were bearded lik e the fo llo w e rs of Castro b u t w e re no t Cubans.
T here are o ther re v o lu tio n a ry N icaraguan groups to w hom La Verdad appeals fo r un ited action against the d ic ta torsh ip .
The k in d of p rogram the .N ica raguan rebels stand on can be gathered fro m a “ decalogue of p rinc ip les , and ob jec tives” p u b lished by the Septem ber 21 M ovem ent.
The decalogue ca lls fo r establishm en t o f a p ro v is io na l govern m ent, reorgan iza tion o f the N atio n a l A rm y on a “ dem ocra tic basis,” estab lishm ent o f re v o lu tio n a ry courts, enactm ent of labo r laws to guarantee free trade u n ions and social righ ts , p rom otion o f ag ra rian re fo rm as the basis fo r the in d u s tr ia l g ro w th o f the coun try , the p lanned developm ent o f N icaragua, p o lit ic a l freedom and honest elections, a constituen t
assembly, and a F edera l R epub lic o f C e n tra l A m erica c losely lin ke d to a ll na tions in the Caribbean.
In a le a fle t issued in Novem ber, the M R N U appeals especia lly to sold iers to tu rn against the b loody Somoza d ic ta to rsh ip and jo in the freedom fig h te rs in the m ounta ins.
Color Line for Taxis In South Africa
P. G. Joubert, cha irm an o f the L o c a l R o a d T ransp orta tio n Board, w arned ta x i-o w n e rs in Cape T ow n, Jan. 18, th a t they m ust c a rry o n ly passengers o f the race fo r w h ic h they have been au thorized, accord ing to the Cape A rgus.
Jou be rt issued the w a rn in g to Negro ta x i d rive rs o f the South A fr ic a n c ity . They w ere called together in a m eeting a fte r i t was observed th a t m any o f them c a rry w h ite passengers w ho h a il them fo r ta x i service.
U nde r South A fr ic a ’s ra b id rac is t laws, cab d rive rs are lim ite d to c a rry in g passengers o f th e ir ow n sk in color.
Argentine Voters Back Cuban Revolution
A rg e n tin e P resident A r tu ro F rond iz i, a fa v o rite o f the State D epartm ent, rece ived a stunn ing defeat in a Feb. 5 by -e le c tion when tw o m em bers o f h is Radica l In tra n s ig e n t p a rty fa ile d to w in office .
The e lection, in v o lv in g some 1,-490,000 voters, abou t 12 per cent o f the e lectorate, was recognized w e ll in advance as a re fe rendum on the p o p u la r ity o f the F ro n d iz i reg im e and its p o licy of k o w to w ing to A m erican im peria lism .
The v ic to r in the senate race was a socia list, 80 -yea r-o ld D r. A lfre d o Lorenzo Palacios. He cam paigned on a p ro g ra m o f strong support to the Cuban
re v o lu tio n and b it te r denunc ia tion o f the F ro n d iz i a d m in is tra tio n as a lackey o f im p e r ia lis tic ca p ita lism and an enem y o f the w o rk in g man.
The socia lis t candidate rece ived308.000 votes. N ico las Rom ano o f the m idd le -c lass People’s R ad ica l p a r ty came second w ith 301,000 votes. F ro n d iz i’s candidate, Sena to r A rm an do Turano , w ho was ru n n in g fo r re -e lec tion , w on o n ly250.000 votes. The res t o f the vote was d iv id e d among 13 o the r candidates.
The Peronistas, whose cand idates are ba rred fro m ru n n in g fo r o ffice , ca lled fo r b la n k ba llo ts as a pro test. These am ounted to 23000 .
In the contest fo r C ham ber Of Deputies, D r. Carlos A drogue o f the People’s R ad ica l p a rty nosed' ou t D r. Ram on M un iz , the soc ia lis t candidate, w h ile F ro n d iz i’s candidate, Horace P ue ryrred on came in th ird .
T he R ad ica l In tra n s ig e n t p a r ty rece ived o n ly 18 pe r cent o f the to ta l vo te cast.
A f te r the re tu rn s w ere in , crow ds m arched th rou gh the streets o f Buenos A ire s ce leb ra tin g the soc ia lis t v ic to ry . T hey shouted, “ To the w a ll w ith F ro n d iz i and the Yankees.”
The fo llow e rs o f Juan Peron jo in e d in the m arch, since D r. Palacios had s trong ly protested: against m il ita ry tr ia ls fo r un ion is ts and m em bers o f p o lit ic a l parties. T he Peronistas have been espec ia lly v ic tim ize d by th is a u th o rita r ia n procedure.
R ea liz ing the im portance o f the e lection, F ro n d iz i w e n t a l l o u t to t r y to w in it . H e c u t gasoline prices, announced new cred its and investm ents and stressed th e them e th a t A rg e n tin a was on the road to w a rd economic p len ty .
A p in g the D em ocra tic and Repub lican candidates in the U.S., F ro n d iz i staged an expensive T V and soapbox cam paign. B u t the people w ere n o t d ive rte d fro m the rea l issue. T hey voted fo r Castro and against Kennedy.
Page Four THE M IL ITA N T Monday, February 13; 1961
Letters from Our ReadersFreedom of Speech
Colodny Stands FirmB y F red H als tead
A n a tte m p t to end the career o f a P itts b u rg h U n iv e rs ity p ro fessor o f h is to ry because he p u b l ic ly expressed sym pa thy fo r the Cuban R e vo lu tion has - m et w ith opposition fro m students and o ther professors.
T he a ttack on D r. R obert G. Co lodny, one o f the e a rly sponsors o f the F a ir P la y fo r Cuba C om m ittee, began a fte r an a rtic le in the Jan. 15 P ittb u rg h Press rep o rted th a t the pro fessor had once fo u g h t against F ranco in the A b ra ha m L in c o ln B rigade and now m a in ta ined tha t the Cuban R e vo lu tion deserves support as an ag ra rian re fo rm m ovem ent.
The n e x t day, a reso lu tion was in troduced in to the P ennsylvan ia S tate House o f R epresentatives by John T . W alsh, a D em ocrat. The reso lu tion said in p a rt: “ A n y p ro fessor w ho confuses the d i r t o f the Castro reg im e w ith the earth o f a n y ag ra rian p o lic y is a con-
Business Picking Up, Say Bill Collectors
H a v in g d i f f ic u lty o u tw it t in g the b i l l collectors? I f i t ’s any com fo rt, y o u ’re no t alone.
L . K . L o u d e rm ilk , superv iso r of in s ta lm e n t c re d it fo r B a ttle C reek ’s M ich iga n N a tio n a l Bank, says, accord ing to the Feb. 2 W a ll S treet Jou rna l: “ The num be r o f d e lin qu en t accounts has doubled in the la s t e igh t m onths; w e have m ore now tha n a t any tim e since w e began m a k in g in s ta lm e n t loans in 1942.”
O thers in the c re d it business re p o rt s im ila r steep rises in d e lin quen t accounts. A St. Lou is co lle c tion o u tfit, fo r instance, reports th a t Jan ua ry was the biggest m on th since “ we s ta rted in b u s iness 12 years ago.”
Co llecto rs are reso rting to such tactics as repossessing cars betw een tw o a.m. and f iv e a.m., ca tch ing th e ir v ic tim s asleep the w a y the Gestapo d id in Nazi G erm any.
C a lifo rn ia ’s Gov. B row n , in the f i r s t appeal o f the k in d since the depression o f the th ir t ie s has ap pealed fo r “ re s tra in t” in co llec ting b ills .
The response o f banks, u t il it ie s and la nd lo rd s was th a t the y th in k the y are “ lib e ra l enough” as i t is.
G ov. B ro w n noted th a t “ a great m any people are be ing d ispossessed” o f th e ir p ro p e rty o r are ha v in g lig h t, gas and w a te r c u t o ff because the y can’t pay b ills .
State of the Union — “ W a ll S tree t responded en thus ias tica lly yeste rday to P res ident K en ne dy ’s S tate o f the U n io n message . . . . In a d d itio n to a fe e lin g th a t defense and m iss ile shares w o u ld be n e fit d ire c tly fro m the P res ide n t’s program , brokers expressed the b e lie f th a t the message augured w e ll fo r confidence. Some suggested th a t its in fla t io n a ry im p lica tions w o u ld he lp the m a rk e t.” — The Jan. 31 New Y o rk Tim es.
Love Those Layoffs — “ W orrie d w o rke rs change a ttitud es tow a rd jobs as s lum p worsens,” chortles the W a ll S tree t Jou rna l. “ A C h icago c lo th in g m ake r,” the paper reports , “ decides now 's the tim e to in it ia te a ‘crash’ e ffic ie n cy p ro gram , c rack ing dow n on ‘smoke breaks ’ and em ployes w ho line up a t the tim e c lock f iv e m inutes ahead o f q u it t in g tim e .”
Operation Guantanamo — Last June the T reasu ry D epa rtm ent d isclosed th a t a thousand N ava l o ffice rs w ere using m il i ta ry planes to ru n undeclared liq u o r to 1ne U.S. fro m G uantanam o N a v a l Base in Cuba. On Feb. 3 the Customs
fused person, and u n re lia b le as a teacher.”
The reso lu tion also ca lled fo r an in ves tig a tion to roo t ou t any supporte rs o f the Cuban R e vo lu tion fro m sta te-supported schools.
A gnew , the House R epub lican leader supported his D em ocra tic colleague saying: “ I don’t w a n t somebody to y e ll ‘academic fre e dom ’ as an a lib i. A n yb o d y g u llib le enough to c a ll Castro an ‘ag ra rian re fo rm is t ’ has no business on the fa c u lty o f a S ta te-a ided in s titu tio n .”
The P ittsb u rg h Press was ju s t as b la ta n t in a Jan. 19 e d ito ria l, con tend ing tha t D r. C o lodny had no r ig h t to teach a t the U n iv e rs ity w h ile he p u b lic ly supported the Cuban R evo lu tion .
Legion, Too
The C om m ander o f the A m e r ican Leg ion in A lleg hen y C ounty said: . . any person w ho aeksfo r ‘F a ir P la y fo r C uba ’ in these tim es and who, in a p r io r tim e fou gh t w ith the A b ra ha m L ine o ln B rigade in Spain is no h is to ria n . H e is a pa rtisan , en lis ted in the ranks o f those w ho cou ld enslave the w o r ld .”
On the o ther hand the student newspaper P it t News ca lled D r. C o lodny “ one o f the U n iv e rs ity ’s fines t professors” and rebuked the P ittsb u rg h Press fo r a ttack ing h im . C hance llo r E dw ard L i tc h f ie ld also defended D r. Colodny; b u t under pressure o f the a tta ck in g leg is la tors, set up a com m ittee to investiga te “ the charges.”
The P ittsb u rg h C hapte r o f the A m erican Association o f U n iv e rs ity Professors protested the a ttack on C o lodny saying : “ W e sha ll de fend any professor, regardless o f his associations, against any a ttack upon h is expression o f ideas, fro m w h a teve r sources and how ever un po pu la r those ideas m ay be.
“ W e c a ll upon a ll c itizens to support academic freedom and to resist dom ina tion o f th e n a tio n ’s scholars b y governm ent.”
The A A U P chapter a t Carnegie Tech. took a s im ila r stand.
Voting RightsO n ly 64.3 pe r cent o f the v o tin g
age popu la tion cast ba llo ts in the 1960 e lection, accord ing to the A m e rica n H e ritag e Foundation , w h ic h fou nd re s tr ic t iv e e lection law s a m a jo r fa c to r in the lo w tu rn o u t. M iss iss ipp i w as a t the bo ttom o f the l is t w i th 25.63 pe r cent o f those o f v o tin g age go ing to the po lls.
B ureau reported th a t 12,000 cases o f liq u o r w ere smuggled in du rin g the past year at a loss o f $300,000 in ta x revenue. I t is now estim ated tha t 2,500 o ffice rs w ere in vo lved in the ru m -ru n n in g opera tion.
Specialization — A new f irm , “ Names, Inc .,” w i l l have the sole fu n c tio n o f he lp ing companies select corpora te and brand names. A spokesman exp la ined th a t poor selection o f names has been a s ig n ifica n t fa c to r in the h igh ra te o f new p ro du c t fa ilu res . O utrageous prices and shoddy q u a lity are obv io us ly no t fac to rs w o rth y o f specia lized a tten tion .
Planning? Who Needs It? -— TheU.S. w i l l p ro ba b ly face a c r it ic a l w a te r shortage by 1970, w arns the House Science and A s tron au tica l com m ittee. T he com m ittee said th is co u n try is l ik e ly to be the f irs t o f the w o r ld ’s la rge in d u s tr ia l powers “ to f in d its e lf seriously th reatened by fresh w a te r sh o rtage.”
Videolepsy — B r it is h physicians re p o rt tha t the f lic k e r o f a te le v ision screen can induce a c o n vu lsive a ttack s im ila r to th a t charac-
Victims Still Dying From First A-Bombs
A n estim ated 230,000 persons s t i l l su ffe r fro m rad ioac tive diseases re su ltin g fro m the tw o atom ic bombs th a t T ru m a n dropped on Japan in 1945, accord ing to a Jan. 31 Reuters d ispatch fro m Tokyo.
O f these, 4,500 w ere s t i l l in hosp ita ls a t the end o f 1960. M any m ore have com m itted suicide in despair.
The Japanese governm ent is spending m ore than 100,000,000 yen (abou t $265,000) a yea r on trea tm e n t fo r a tom ic-bom b v ic tim s.
The H irosh im a M u n ic ip a l O ffice estim ated th a t 420,000 persons w ere in the c ity A ugust 6, 1945 w hen the bom b was dropped. Th is inc luded 250,000 c iv ilia ns , 90,000 d ra fte d w orkers and 80,000 so ldiers.
A cco rd in g to the Japanese W e lfa re M in is try , 361,545 persons w ere affected by th is s ing le e xp lo sion. The figu res inc lude 78,150 k il le d in s ta n tly , 139,830 m issing and 36,425 in ju re d , 9,428 seriously .
A n estim ated 220,000 to 240,000, in c lu d in g 160,000 c iv ilia ns , were in Nagasaki w hen the second bom b was dropped, accord ing to the Nagasaki M u n ic ip a l O ffice . O f these 73,884 w ere k il le d in s ta n tly and 76,796 were in ju re d . The n u m ber o f m issing is no t know n .
te r is tic o f epilepsy. There was no re p o rt on possible phys io log ica l e ffects o f com m ercials.
One Down — The C a lifo rn ia Suprem e C o u rt has s tru ck dow n a state la w re q u ir in g a “ lo y a lty ” oath fro m organ izations seeking to use pub lic -schoo l fa c ilit ie s . Los Angeles and San Diego w ere o rdered to open th e ir school a u d ito riu m s to the A m erican C iv il L ib e rtie s U n io n w h ich tested the la w by re fus ing to sign the oath.
Teamster Membership— TJie I n te rna tion a l B ro the rhood o f Team sters reports th a t its dues-paying m em bersh ip reached 1,700,992 last Novem ber. The re p o rt said these figu res w o u ld ind ica te th a t one ou t o f every ten un ion members in the cou n try belongs to the Teamsters.
“Local Custom” — C a lifo rn ia A tto rn e y G enera l S tan ley M osk charged Feb. 2 th a t the Defense D epartm ent is assigning Negro m iss ile personnel to “ d is ta n t Negro areas ra th e r th a n nearby w h ite areas.” He disclosed th a t in re p ly to a pro test the Pentagon said the A rm y “ n o rm a lly adhered to loca l custom .”
Personal HistoryCuyahoga Fa lls , O hio
Enclosed is a check fo r $10 — a co n trib u tio n to y o u r good w o rk in socia lis t education. H ere is a t least one po cke tfu l o f m oney th a t the “ h idden persuaders” w o n ’t pum p out o f me.
P e rm it me to m ake tw o po in ts by c it in g a l i t t le personal h is to ry . I ’m a 21 -yea r-o ld student, b u t I ’ve been in te rested in (and concerned abou t) p o lit ic s fo r fo u r years. U n t i l about a year ago I considered m yse lf s im p ly a lib e ra l in p o lit ic a l o rien ta tion , bu t since then I have come to the p o in t o f g iv in g m y support to the Socia list W orkers pa rty . W hy?
P o in t 1: The Cuban R evo lu tion ; ha v in g supported Castro fro m the start, I found i t ha rd to m ake an abou t-face as soon as he started ta k in g ove r U.S. companies. A s a re su lt I became m ore rad ica l, ju s t as Castro was forced to become, and I s ta rted to investiga te soc ia lism conscientiously. The Cuban R e vo lu tion acted on me as an educa tional force.
I o n ly te ll you th is because I be lieve th a t m y experience can be generalized. M an y young l ib erals m ust have fou nd the Cuban R e vo lu tion as I d id — the most s ig n if ic a n t and eye-opening event in the m odern w o rld . There fore , you w o u ld do w e ll to stress and e xp la in the enorm ous im portance o f Cuba as a w a y o f b reak ing dow n the b a rr ie r against socia list thought.
P o in t 2: I came in contact w ith the SW P on ly because a new sstand in A k ro n happened to d is p la y a copy o f the In te rn a tio n a l S ocia list Review , w h ic h I bought ou t o f cu rios ity . P lac ing the I n te rn a tio n a l S ocia lis t R eview and the M il ita n t on newsstands seems to me a w a y o f reach ing m any people w ho w o u ld o therw ise never hear o f the SWP.
R. M.
Embittered with UnionsP h ilade lph ia , Pa.
I lik e the le tte rs fro m yo u r readers and hope to see som ething fro m them on Socia l S ecu rity .
Those on Social S ecu rity should get an increase before those who get w e e k ly wages. Socia l S ecu rity paym ents are not enough to liv e on. W hy can’t th is m a tte r be seen by those w ho w o rry so m uch about education? W ha t we need is m ore fo r those w ho have no jo b a t a ll so they can buy som eth ing to eat.
Too m any w o rke rs are h o ld ing tw o jobs and also have th e ir w ives w o rk in g and d r iv in g to w o rk in autom obiles. I suppose they w a n t these cars.
L a u n d ry w o rke rs ju s t got a raise in wages and I paid more th is w eek to get m y clothes washed. The A F L -C IO is a big racke t a t the expense o f o ther m em bers o f ou r class.
E. J. H .
Happy Birthday!N ew Y o rk , N . Y .
In ce lebra tion o f m y seventie th b ir th d a y th is m onth , I renewed m y subscrip tion to the N a tiona l G uard ian and also sent them a dona tion o f f iv e do lla rs.
As m y conscience bothered me, I am also m a ilin g a dona tion o f f iv e do lla rs to the M il ita n t to w h ich I have a lready renew ed m y subscrip tion .
I am no t 100 per cent in agreem ent w ith some o f the v iew s expressed in the M il ita n t ju s t as I am no t in 100 pe r cent agreem ent w ith the N a tio n a l G uard ian.
I be lieve tha t bo th the G uard ian and the M ilita n t are w o rth y pa pers and deserve m y support. T hey are both le ft is t papers, the G ua rd ia n in a sm all degree and
th e M il ita n t in a g reater degree.O f course, th a t is m y personal
op in ion . I com m end you on yo u r im p roved ta b lo id fo rm a t.
Henry M eltsner
Missouri Write-InSt. Louis.
O thers have w r it te n to you saying th e ir votes fo r Dobbs and Weiss were no t counted. In St. Louis, e lec tion o ffic ia ls w ere no t even go ing to le t me cast a w r ite - in vote. B u t I phoned the A m e r ican C iv il L ib e rtie s U n ion and they assured me M issouri L a w guarantees th a t r ig h t.
A fte r I le t i t be kno w n I was go ing to demand m y r ig h t, one o f the wom en at the po lls exp la ined how i t cou ld be done. I t seems she was the on ly one w ho kne w how.
I read in a le tte r to the Post- D ispatch th a t a w om an and h e r husband w ere to ld the y cou ld n ’t cast a w r ite - in , b u t fr ie n d s o f the irs had been able to.
H ow about the le f t groups he re at least u n it in g together on such issues as p u b lic iz in g the r ig h t to cast a w r i te - in vo te and w o rk in g up to get w o rk e rs ’ candidates on the ba llo t, w h ich is the o n ly k in d o f a f ig h t th a t w i l l b u ild a real w o rke rs m ovem ent in th is state?
D. C -
Sweetening Up TrujilloN ew Y o rk
A t the OAS m ee ting in Costa R ica last year, the U.S. vo ted to cu t its im ports from the D om in ican R epub lic and la te r i t b roke o f f d ip lo m a tic re la tions. M an y peop le welcom ed this, as a b lo w against the hated, oppressive reg im e o f d ic ta to r T ru ji l lo .
B u t they were a l i t t le hasty, as I found in read ing some fin e p r in t in the back pages o f the H em isphere Econom ic R ev iew o f the New Y o rk Times.
I t reported the re d is tr ib u tio n o f Cuba’s fo rm e r sugar quota. The biggest s ing le increase in sugar orders fro m the U.S. has gone to none o ther than T ru ji l lo . The old quota was 27,789 tons. The new quota is 250,513 tons.
N or has the to u ris t trade to T ru ji l lo 's “ l i t t le acre” of freedom been jeopardized. W ashing ton has con tinued its consular service in C iudad T ru ji l lo to m ake i t O K fo r U.S. citizens to tra v e l there despite the d ip lo m a tic “ b re ak .” I t has no t seen f i t to do th is in Havana.
R. P.
Some ProposalsB a ltim o re
Some suggestions and c ritic ism s .1. H ow about a re g u la r p o lit ic a l
cartoon?2. Less “ b lu rb s ” fro m the N ew
Y o rk T im es to make y o u r po in ts. M ore se lf-re liance .
3. S tepp ing up o f la b o r-o rie n te d colum ns. T h a t is, m ore p e rtin e n tly to ra n k -a n d -f ile w orkers .
4. Less o f the m ethod o f the “ g u ffa w ” in c r it ic iz in g cap ita lism . M ore “ lea rned” approach.
H. H .
"Free World"?B roo k lyn , N. Y.
I get s ick and t ire d o f cons ta n tly hearing and read ing the re fra in , “ the free w o r ld .”
W h a t is free about a w o r ld u n der th re a t o f des truc tion by n u c lear weapons?
W hat is free about a w o r ld o f joblessness?
W hat is fre e about a w o r ld o f segregation and d isc rim ina tion?
W hat is free about a w o rld o f w itch -h u n tin g ?
T h is is a w o r ld o f fea r — and w here there is fea r there is no freedom .
John H .
Thought for the Week“ T h ings have been lo ok in g be tte r fo r us tree -c lim be rs than fo r
these space pushers ever since H irosh im a , and I ’m w il l in g to bet bananas against s p lit atoms th a t the w a y th ings are going, a l l the space fro m Cape C anavera l to the Cameroons w i l l belong to us." — F rom a le tte r to “ Dear M om ,” a lleged ly w r it te n by the chim panzee H am on re tu rn in g fro m ou te r space, pub lished b y the N ew Y o rk Post as an e d ito r ia l.
It W as Reported in the Press■N