Manifesto of the Workers (Communist) Party directed to U.S.-born workers during a previous wave of xenophobic and nationalist reaction aimed at immigrant workers printed in the Daily Worker’s predecessor and as a leaflet.

‘American Workers! Protect the Foreign-Born Workers Against Attack of the Capitalists and the Government’ from The Worker. Vol. 6 No. 258. January 20, 1923.

MANIFESTO OF THE WORKERS PARTY OF AMERICA:

The capitalists, with the aid of the government, are launching a new attack on the workers of this country. They are preparing thru oppressive laws to make it impossible for the foreign-born workers to fight against the open shop and for better wages and working conditions. They hope that by enslaving the foreign-born workers they will be able to force the open shop and lower wages on native and foreign-born workers alike.

The foreign-born workers have suffered for many years in this country because of their inability to speak the language and their lack of knowledge of the life of the country. The capitalists have taken advantage of this to rob and oppress the foreign-born even worse than they rob and oppress the native-born workers.

They have compelled the foreign-born workers to accept low wages. They have kept down the standard of living of the foreign-born workers and compelled them to live under the worst possible conditions. In the mining regions and steel districts and many other industrial centers the foreign-born workers have been herded together in shack-towns, without social life, without recreation, mere slaves of the bosses.

In recent years the foreign-born workers have joined the native-born in the struggle against the bosses, the open shop and low wages. The bosses have learned that they can no longer use the foreign-born workers to cut down the standard of living of all American workers. The great steel strike of 1919 showed that. The repeated strikes of the coal miners, in whose organization there are many foreign-born workers, showed that. The strike of the clothing workers and the textile workers, whose unions are almost entirely made up of foreign-born workers, proved that.

In order to stop the movement of the foreign-born workers to join the native-born in building strong labor unions, which will protect the interest of foreign-born and native-born alike, the capitalists and the government are proposing to pass oppressive laws directed against the foreign-born and intended to keep them hopeless slaves of the capitalists.

THE FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS ARE TO BE REGISTERED, THEY ARE FINGERPRINTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED LIKE CRIMINALS. IF NATURALIZED, THEY ARE TO HAVE THEIR CITIZEN PAPERS TAKEN FROM THEM IF THEIR CONDUCT DOES NOT SUIT THE BOSSES. THEY ARE TO BE DEPORTED IF THEY PARTICIPATE IN STRIKES OR MAKE SPEECHES IN STRIKE MEETINGS.

All these measures to keep the foreign-born workers in the grip of the employers are now being proposed by government authorities. President Harding, in his message to Congress, recommended the registration of foreign-born workers. The Department of Justice proposes the fingerprinting and photographing of these workers. Secretary of Labor Davis asks for the right to revoke citizen papers. Representative Edmons introduced a bill to deport foreign-born workers who participate in strikes and strike meetings.

Workers of the United States! These oppressive measures launched against the foreign-born workers are an attack upon native and foreign-born workers alike. The foreign-born workers are the majority in most of the great industries of the United States. If the bosses, with the aid of the government, can keep these workers unorganized and make it impossible for them to strike it will mean a lower standard of living for all American workers. It will mean an easier fight for the bosses in their campaign to destroy the unions.

Workers of the United States! You must unite in the fight for the protection of the foreign-born workers against these oppressive measures. American-born workers! You must come to the aid of the foreign-born workers. Foreign-born workers! You must unite with the native-born workers in the struggle against the bosses, against the capitalists and their government.

ORGANIZE COUNCILS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS IN EVERY INDUSTRIAL CENTER. EVERY TRADE UNION, EVERY ORGANIZATION OF FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS, EVERY POLITICAL PARTY OF THE WORKERS SHOULD SEND DELEGATES TO THESE COUNCILS. MASS MEETINGS MUST BE HELD AGAINST THE OPPRESSION OF THE FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS. RESOLUTIONS MUST BE ADOPTED IN ALL WORKERS’ ORGANIZATIONS AGAINST THESE OPPRESSIVE MEASURES.

Foreign-born workers! You must join the unions! You must strengthen the political organizations of the workers! Only by joining the union and participating in the political struggles of the workers of this country, by common action against the capitalist exploiters and oppressors, can you protect yourself against the laws directed against you.

WORKERS! UNITE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE FOREIGN-BORN WORKERS!

NO REGISTRATION! NO FINGERPRINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHING LIKE CRIMINALS! NO ROBBING OF THE FOREIGN-BORN OF THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE AND STRIKE!

UNITE FOR THE STRUGGLE AGAINST LOW WAGES AND THE OPEN SHOP! UNITE FOR THE POLITICAL STRUGGLE AGAINST THE CAPITALISTS AND THEIR GOVERNMENT.

Central Executive Committee, Workers Party of America.

C.E. Ruthenberg, Executive Secretary.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/theworker/v4n258-jan-20-1923-Worker.pdf