The Daily Worker Newspaper, August 15, 1925, Page 8

The capitalist soothsayers compare the standard of the American perma- nently employed worker with the stan- dard of living of the worker in war- torn Europe or the feudal Orient. The variation in mode of living, hardly en- ters into their arguments. It is inter- esting to note that America keeps two sets. of books..In one set the figures are forced and inflated, showing the worker wallowing in luxuries as com- pared to Europe and in the other set the real facts are stated. Marx Exposed Hokum. immortal work of Karl Marx—Value Price and Profit. It applies to America perfectly. Citizen Weston presented his argu- ment in this book that a rise in wages, also meant a rise in the cost of liv- ing and that in the end the workers trated his theory thus: When a bowl of soup contains a certain quantity to be eaten by a certain number of per- sons (get the fixity of capitalist eco- nomics) an increase in the broadness of the spoons will not produce an in- increase in the quantity of soup. Quite clever, is not it? But—Karl Max told our illustrious Mr. Weston that his illustration is rather spoony and disproved his the- ory thus: The bowl is filled from the WHOLE product of national labor, which product, due to intensive and modern methods of production, is con- stantly increasing, and is not fixed, and what prevents the workers from is needed, than can be found in tha getting more soup, is the narrowness of their spoons. It is obvious that wuen the work- ers do not get the increase of this in- creased production, it goes to the capi- talists, who are, as we above stated, diners at our national table and are eating soup with us. Therefore, in demanding an increase in wages, the workers would only be receiving a Share of the increase of production, What Middle Class Eats. a BY keeping, wages,down; while pro- duction increases, it not only gives the manufacturing capitalist a greater por- tion of the product, but it allows waste in distribution, which supports an army of small-fry that live off this increase. This indirect method of feed- ing a nation, or performing personal service, is typically democratic, if not anarchistic. The working class eats thru the belly of the middle class and what they get is excrament. Where Do We Go From Here? A neat little folder advising the writer to invest “his money” in Mus- ele Shoals, gives us the following truth: One hundred men start out in life at the age of 25. (Most men start at 14). At the age of 65 statistics show their fate as follows: Thirty-six will be dead (in heaven). One will be very rich. talk at once). Four will be wealthy. (Find your uncle). e Five will be supporting themselves —by working. (At 65). Fifty-four will he dependent upon friends, relatives or charity, The proper advice is: Pick your un- dertaker or charitable institution early, (Don’t all How Much Soup?. When union wage disputes arise or investigations into living conditions are undertaken, family budgets are prepared by various statisticians and market investigators, to find out just what the worker does with all of his money. For that purpose, a hypotheti- eal American Standard of living is set The following cost budget prepared by the Muncipal Research and Train- ing School for Public Service, speaks for itself. It is represented as a model American budget which has been com- piled from government and special in- vestigation committees data, Cost Budget for Famiy of Five in New York City. sesssnesonsnaaionnnnsnoosssvouen sconcnsbggsesenseeatioeeees $058.85 440.05 will not be any better off. He illus- 2 Housing (incl. light and fuel)........... 536.00 Mescellaneous—— Furniture replacement (depreciation) ..... Laundry work Cleaning supplies and BOT VIGO 2 srr cscersecrcrmemnnce 38.80 Health (all medical f dental expenditures 80.0 Insurance (life) «2... 120.00 Insurnace (furniture) 1.67 Amusements (all forms)... 20.00 Reading (books, magazines, newspapers) %. il Organizations ¢ contributions) . ase t Incidentals (postage, gifts, GBECI). . sass ccnesiinccorcarenseseciseoneatponee aOR, G82,15 “$2,263.55 Cost Bud an 184.30 260.00 212.39 Room ... 5 Miscellaneous (all necessaries not The American Standard of Living By M.D. Wma the medical bill of a family of five. How does that statistician account for the presence of three children in the family? Did their working class mother drop them like a cat, or did it cost her $200.00 per child to bring them into this miserable world? And in what condition is the mother now —after the birth of the three slaves? She goes regularly to a female spe- cialist, because, she can’t lead a natur- al life. We are allowed $45.00 for car fare. That depends on how much the work- er spends when he goes t» look for $ 359.75; 2 job, as to what portion of this ap- propriation is left for the rest of the family. Very amusing, indeed,:is the part put away for amusements. Just $20.00 $1,016. Saving (10 per cent of expenditure) 101.64] is all it takes for a father, mother and sssererees$ 1, 118,08 359.75 156.12 260.00 Total...... Cost Budget for Single “Man. Miscellaneous (all necessaries not INC]UMEA ANOVE) ccecceveseesseeeserseesseeee ~ . 994.26 Saving (10 per cent of expenditure) 99.42 TREE Biss css isidneitcl vstehtonseicted $1,093.68 Just a Little Criticism. Lack of space prevents a thoro dis- cussion of each item that seems either fallacious or distorted in this budget, suffice to say that wages of perma- nently employed skilled workers, av- erage about $1,800.00 a year. Unem- ployment, sickness, strikes, lockouts, poor relatives education and dozens of other items are not provided for. This budget must have been prepared to keep up one of Rossum’s Robots, who will be manufactured in 1960. $440,000 will not clothe a family ot five for a year in such a way as to be acceptable by the average employer when the worker goes out for a job. Rent, heat and light sufficient to take care of a family of five, can not be gotten in the United States at $44.66 a month, on the basis of one room to a person in industrial centers. And just look at this: $80.00 a year for medical and dental «are for a family of. five! Don’t. yous wish that were true? With the adulterated food the worker’s stomach has to digest, with miserable working conditions which allow no diversion, $80.00 will buy a cheap coffin, but will not pay three kids to keep themselves amused for a year. When one stops to think that to see Charlie Chaplin throw a pie in a po- liceman’s face, costs with war tax 83c, and as it amuses us very much to see that which we would like to do, it can be seen that $20.00 is not enough. As to @ higher form of amuse- ment, we have to flip a five-dollar bill when we get into that class. For organizations, such as church and labor, $13.00 is set aside. We really don’t know what comment to make. Let us hope it all goes to labor. Let us note, however, that to be a real American one must pessess a klan night gown, which costs $10.00. No provision is made for toys for the children, vacation, moving from place to place and a multitude of other necessaries. Unemployment. From two to seven million workers are continuously out of work. The Jan- uary government Labor Review shows 32 per cent of 6,746 establishments as working part time. In some mining | sections of the United States the un- | employment situation is reaching the 100 per cent mark. Unemployment is driving | wages downward, even the sooth-sayers must admit, It results in lowering’ the Ameriean standard of living. If a worker is out of work for only three months, it reduces his stan- dard 25 per cent. To merely exist un- der present conditions, more and more women are drawn into the breadwin- It Can’t Be Done! ay6t i The gentiemén from England trying to lasso the Soviet Union with a little league of border nations patterned along the lines of the big robber clique. The same job was tried first by the Allies when they invaded Soviet Russia from all sides. The blockade, counter-revolutionary uprisings and civil war nursed by the Allies failed to crush the revolution and it now stands as the beacon of the coming Soviet Union of the World, 2 ‘ ning industry, which in turn produces more unemployment, Uncertainty of employment, intensi- fied exploitation by the big industrial- ists and later the Main Street leeches and the 57 varieties of tricksters, un- natural living, ruinious to the health of the workers, makes the much boomed American standard of living, a lot of hokum. By JOHN LASSEN. (Translated by Simon Felshin.) NOTE—This poem was written by John Lassen at a time when he suf- fered a break-down. He was ill for many years with tuberculosis and he died from this disease. The poem brings back stirring incidents from the eventful life of John Lassen. It refers to the time when he was lib- erated by the populace in Budapest after he had been imprisoned for mak- ing an attempt on the life of Count Tisza. It was during the Karolyi rév- - alution that he was liberated. The emblem of the Karolyi bourgeois rev- olution was a white autumn flower. The populace threw white flowers at the prison gate, then they stormed the prison and freed Lassen. The same thing had been done during the Kos- suth revolution in Hungary when a prominent political prisoner was freed in the same manner. Then the poem goes on to speak of America. This is a very powerful poem written in an expressionist manner. . *” * * | flew across the ocean, «then | fell headlong..1 broke down in the hallway of Mt. Sinai Hospital. The solemn faced doctor came and took a big book and wrote in it warningly: John Lassen, t...b.... But I laughed—. : For me they are” ing But two: let- ters..What of it? . ” ~e # { HA—HA—HA...for all of shining LIFE had filled me. Ecstasy of the universe. The great intoxication, The SPLENDOR...... Did not a whole city embrace me once? The white autumn. flowers of a whole city were hurled against the prison-gate, Revolution....Revolution.... Revolution! And bony fists hammered at the pris- on gate. Revolution. Revolution bursting forth. Bourgeois revolution. Ra—ra—ra— Ra—ra—ra. Was it all a dream? Mirage? Halluci- nation? *< But oh, incontrovertible fact: Revolution. Counter revolution. Revo- lution, Counter revolution— And my life only an atom in all of that, rae Ra....ra....r.... é efor. | Oh, all things taken together: ©The | prisons. The mice.”And’ the rats. And hunger. And forced labor. All, all of life: It was beautiful nevertheless. All of MANKIND within my tiny life. The heaving ocean threw me forward. And dropped me into the hospital, Do not stop, untiring army! Only one broke down on the way. In Mt. Sinai Hospital. . And though | die— Life goes on. And is radiant. Already new armies are gathering. Prolet is drawn to prolet. And song peals forth. And the city shakes. *. «And fighting armies attack, >. Flags flutter} In blood-red purple a new day dawne! Tra—RA—RA—RAA '| Revolution, , Revolution... “Re jon! Oh resounding \ife. “Song of ‘the ‘uni. verse: 4 GIUR Bs ac On Fifth Avenue wofker armies about | their rejoicing on the ade: Blood, blood, blood! But victory!” ' What does it matter that once a long time ago in Mt. Sinai Hospital one broke down..).?....? sh tigi Ha....h000....Ha...hooo, 4 Spring! Fragrance! Splendor! And yet: the Revolution is for ALL OF US!