German Socialists Swing Into Action
German Socialists Swing Into Action The Battle With Fascist Reaction Is Under Way—Fighting Under the Constitution, But Ready for Any Emergency. Till; German Socialists are not taking the...
...Another interesting observation is the ratio of Negro married women in Manhattan engaged in active labor (when it is available...
...Much of their battle must bei under cover, must of it of necessity underground...
...one another, have now united is a combination of Big Business and Landlordism ia order to wag* wsr upon the workers...
...They would decide for themselves when and how they would bring their forces into action...
...But it is taken for granted that they will not let Good Looking Adolf get away with his arrogant boast that on March 5 Germany will hold its last election, that he is in power for good...
...In the event of civil war there will be terrible bloodshed and hor-hor, but it is hard to see any result other than the complete and absolute smashing of the Hitler dream...
...In 202 specific occupational groups listed by the census there were only three in which one or more Negroes were not employed—mining engineers and managers of advertising agencies for males, and brokers and money lenders for females...
...Further, both Socialists and r Communists have drilled and disciplined forces, the Keichsbanner and the Red Front, easily a match for the Hitler boy scouts, the Nazi brown-shirted militia...
...The proceedings demonstrated the working class throughout Germany recognizes the danger of the present situation and is mobilizing all its forces to deal with it and to ensure the victory of Socialism...
...class in its starkest form...
...If There Is Wsr For the Hitler strength includes millions of young girls—who now vote at the age of 20—and millions more of working class youths lured by the bsstsrd "Socialism" of the Nazis, who now find their chief a captive in the hands of the reactionary labor-hating Hugenberg...
...German Socialists are not taking the savagery of the Hitler reaction lying clown...
...A City of Workers In Harlem, 89 of every 100 Negroes ten years and over are potential workers as compered with 73 of every 100 white persons...
...Any attempt by the Government to use its powers t* pervvert or violate the Constitution will encounter the sternest resistance from the workini class and from all liberty lovin* sections of the people...
...Suffice it to say of the 'general current economic situation that the dire results of this depression art felt more keenly in this community —not particularly because it is s Negro area, but because being Negro it is inordinately poor snd marginal in its work relations during normal tmes...
...Before discussing the work-life of Harlem snd its attendant problems, I should like to present a few Statistics about unemployment in that area...
...The representatives of the trade unions, Grassmann and Stahr, emphatically declared their support for any measures that might be called for: "If you call upon us we shall be ready...
...Coolness, resolution, discipline, unity snd sgaln unity it the dictate of the hour...
...And that appears to be happening now...
...By Ira De A. Reid Harlem Hard Hit by Crisis Hard-Working People, Seek-a Decent Living, in Keen Distress — Three H's, Home, Heaven and Hide-Hi...
...And this is as true of our commercial and professional workers as of industrial and domestic employees...
...Any undisciplined action by is-dividual orgsnizations or gross* on their own initiative woald seriously prejudice the interests of the entire working class...
...The manifesto of the Party Executive and the Parliamentary Party furnished the answer to the question what action Social-Democrats would take, what combinations they were prepared to enter into and for what purposes SocialDemocra'% were not going to allow their tactics to be dictated to them by their opponents...
...The enemies of the working class, who only a few days age were lercely attacking Common Action With Com-muntst Masses, Required to Defeat Hitler-Hugen...
...The meeting concluded with inspiring speeches by the Party Chairmen, Vogel and Crispien...
...A joint meeting of the Council of the German Social-Democratic Party with the Party Executive the Party in the Reichstag and representatives of the Generai Staff of the "Iron Front" was held in the Reichstag Building...
...German Socialists Swing Into Action The Battle With Fascist Reaction Is Under Way—Fighting Under the Constitution, But Ready for Any Emergency...
...The reactionaries have played their last card, by calling out their Fascist mercenaries...
...The followers of Hitler are jubilant he said, be cause their leader had apparently reached the goal at which he had been aiming...
...Unity of Action And finally, unity of action and absolute discipline...
...The Socialists hays absolute control over the unions, and a general strike on the railroads would paralyse the Hitler forces at once...
...Both parties to center all their attacks upon the Hitler-Hugenberg-von Papen coalition, which even now has only 41% of the Reichstag...
...Rally, therefore, to the Ires Front...
...In the halcyon days before the collapse the ratio of working Negroes in Manhattan was higher than in any other5 city of over 100,000 and where there were more titan two thousand Negroes...
...It is to be expected, then, in these days of uncertainty and distress that the economic problems faced by this community are most distressing...
...What is required is thst the two parties train their guns on the enemy, not on each other...
...The chairman of the Party ir...
...According to the 1930 census, there are about 140,000 Negro workers on Manhattan Island...
...It appears that despite the insistence of the Communist leaders that "The task of the Community Party remains, as before, to direct the chief blow against the Social Democracy," the Communist masses sre actually beginning to work in cooperation with the Socialists, the violent warfare against the Socialists has come to an end...
...As regards the prospects and probable course of the fight to be waged by Social-Democrats, Breit-scheid said: "The phase we have now entered upon represents the class straggle waged by the ruling i...
...In each of these there has been a limited measure of success, but not enough to offset what I have come to regard at a structural economic weakness of the social organism known as Harlem...
...The same solemn undertaking was given by Wildung for the Sports Organizations and Holtermann for the Reichsbanner...
...Despite this unusual distribution, the masses of Negro workers—one-third of the total number—are engaged in domestic and personal service...
...But they might soon change their tune when they find Hitler's "victory" had been purchased at the price of absolute dependence upon the representatives of Big Business and Landlordism...
...Whatever the cabled report from Germany may be, whatever edicts and ukases may come from the madman who today rules Germany, it can be staled positively that the German Socialists and trade unionists are fighting...
...This fact is significant because of iti relation to the home life of a community where there is a smaller percentage of working children under fifteen than among any othtr racial group in the city...
...or else to defy the Constitution, violate his sacred oath and throw Germany into turmoil and possibly civil war...
...To offset this situation, Harlem-ites individually and collectively have endeavored to combat the evil by boycotting concerns that will not give them employment...
...The moment the announcement was made of the elevation of Hitler the Socialists swung into action...
...The Hitler • Pspen - Hugenberg Cabinet re-establishes the Hars-burg Front...
...and through the development of political power...
...The Executive of the German Social-Democratic Party and the Social-Democratic members of the Reichstag published the following manifesto: Workers...
...Republicans...
...For this decisive moment they must unite all their forces and march them into action as one solid body...
...DUPULAK opinion to the contrary, notwithstanding, Negro Harlem is a city of workers...
...They must hasten the process of enligbtment and be ready at any moment to lead the fight with every means available...
...All esr resources must be held in resdl-ness for this decisive struggle...
...This sitaation demands s united effort by all the workers of the nation in opposition to their united enemies...
...The German electoral system of party lists and proportional representation assures that the parties will not weaken each other by entering competing lists in the elections...
...If that.card fails then, as it will fail, the* the hoar has come for the working class to ssy the last word...
...berg-von Papen Gang—A Call to the Workers...
...through developing their own business enterprises, through collective and individual bargaining...
...Obey its orders snd its alone...
...We must be ready to exert all our strength to the utmost...
...The one hope of avoiding open civil war after the elections lies in a clear majority for the three anti-Hitler parties and an agreement among them to support a Democratic cabinet...
...This group of women does 36 per cent of all the work done by married women in Manhattan...
...Only the working class can save the nation...
...the Reichstag, Rudolph Breit-scheid, discussed the situation the Socialist working class faces...
...Such an agreement will place the aged President in a position in which he will be required to oust the Hitler regime and in-stal the first cabinet in several years certain of a parliamentary majority...
...They were all desirous of maintaining good relations with the Communist workers in this struggle...
...If the Communists can be won to such an agreement, the elections may result in a Socialist-Communist cabinet, with Centrist support—or at least toleration, or a Socialist-Centrist ministry with Communist toleration...
...A strenuous endeavor to win a decisive majority in the March 5 elections that will make it impossible for President von Hindenburg constitutionally to decline to oust the Hitler-Hugenberg-von Papen cabinet and instsl a cabinet based upon a parliamentary majority...
...Their employment is as varied as that of Manhattan itself...
...Tht ratio of Negro married women employed away from home in normal turns is twice as great as the ratio of foreign-born white women and three times as great as the ratio of native-white married women employed away from home...
...it is reasonably safe to assume three-fourths of them are residents of Harlem...
...We shsll defend the political and social rights of the people, established by the Constitution snd by law, against any sttack and with every available means...
...When this group finds itself being pushed out of jobs in alack periods by white workers the full import of its position becomes evident...
...The policy of the German Social Democracy follows these lines: Unity of action with the Communist masses and a definite understanding that the Communists cease attacking the Socialists in order that the Socialists can go ahead without being attacked from the rear...
...But the working class must not wait for Hitler's followers to have their eyes opened—and full of tears, as a reactionary newspaper had put it...
...We shall wage our struggle upon the basis of the Constitution...
...Agencies such as the Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A., and the Urban League find it difficult to secum other than marginsl and poorly-paid jobs for the bulk of Negro* workers even in boom times...
Vol. 15 • February 1933 • No. 8
