The Daily Worker Newspaper, June 11, 1927, Page 6

EDITOR'S NOTES (Continued from page one) ferers; that the measures which may be recom- mended by existing federal agencies for re- lief to the lower valley, so as to protect it against a recurrence of the present disaster, be carried out promptly, and that the neces- sary appropriation therefore be made. This is all the conference had to say ON IMMED- IATE ADEQUATE RELIEF for the 70,000 home- Jess, foodiess and ruined people in the Mississippi Valley. No concrete demands upon the federal gov- ernment or the Coolidge administration. No con- crete proposals as to how relief funds should be secured and distributed. Only a pious wish that “the measures which may be recommended by existing federal agencies for relief. .be carried out promptly.” Undoubtedly, large numbers of delegates left the conference very much disappointed and disillusioned. There was a strong feeling in the flooded area that the Chicago conference might actually undertake a fight for immediate relief by the federal govern- ment. But the big capitalists and their political henchmen, which dominated the conference from the start, had made it clear from the very first day there would be no forcing of the government’s hands on this matter. And so the thing stands. * * . There was quite a sprinkling of delegates at the conference who undertook to speak the minds of the farmers, the workers and the smal! business men from the area affected by the flood. And the demands of these people were that the conference concern itself mainly’ with the problem of immediate relief. The Chicago Evening American was forced to report that: “The problem of immediate relief and. re- habilitation of the flood-swept Mississippi Val- ley cropped up in the Flood Control Confer- ence DESPITE LEADERS’ EERFORTS TO GIVE THE RIGHT OF WAY TO PERMAN- ENT FLOOD CONTROL PLANS.” (Caps ours) Randle T. Moore, speaking for the small business men of Louisiana, made the following remarks: “In our state easily 300,000 persons and, prob- ably, half a million in the entire flood area, are homeless. I have talked to many of these peo- ple, and every single one of them has expressed the desire to go back and start all over. These peopie have paper in the banks that they can- nét meet and the banks will have to carry them along. T am dist wanted that the Federal Re- serve Bank did not have a representative at this meeting, and also I am disappointed THAT IT IS NOT PROPOSED TO PLAN FINANCIAL RELIEF AT THIS CONFERENCE (Caps Ours). FLOOD CONTROL LEGISLATION CAN WAIT, WHAT WE NEED NOW IS FINAN- CIAL AID.” The opposite point of view, representing the inter- ests of big business, was expressed by William J. Rathje, president of the Mid-City Trust and Sav- ings Bank and chairman of the bankers’ division of the conference. His opinion was: That the purpose of the conference is flood eontrol and not relief, and that they.were in attendance not as bankers but as delegates on flood control. William J. Rathje has nothing to worry about. He is perfectly satisfied to leave the 300,000 home- less peeple to their own fate, unless they come to him AS A BANKER and negotiate loans on his own terms. This is the point of view of Coolidge, Hoov- er and Mellon. This is the point of view of the United States Chamber of Commerce. This is the point of view that eventually prevailed at the Chi- cago Conference for Flood Control. The hundreds of thousands of the flood victims ean expect exactly nothing from the capitalist poli- ticians and big business men that engineered and dominated the Chicago conference. * * * What is necessary is immediate large scale relief and financial aid. This is necessary not only in or- der to save a million people “of the richest country in the world” from starvation, epidemics and death, but also to save them from the merciless clutches of big business. Hence, the demand for an immedi- ate extra session of congress. Hence, the demand for an immediate federal appropriation of sufficient funds for adequate relief and-rehabilitation of the flood victims. Hence, the demands that the relief funds be administered by people who can be trusted with the protection of the interests of the farmers, workers and small business men in the flood area. . + * Matthew Woll, vice-president of the American Federation of Labor, is admittedly a very busy in- dividual, always on the lookout to do something big. True, Woll’s concern is not much, if any, with the interests of the unions and the workers. Such a “trifle” as almost a million ruined people in the Mississippi Valley, exposed to the additional men- ace of being skinned to death by big business, is not im got other things in his mind. One of them is the cancellation of the war debts. It is a well established fact that big capital in the United States is in favor of war debt cancella- tion. Big capital proposes thereby to open for it- nt enough to claim his attention. He has ° Big Bill Discovers the Flood By HARRY GANNES prom the wet, swampy flood lands along the Mis- sissippi, and from the adjacent territory a crop of politicians with a new slogan is the first fruit of the disaster. Mayor Willam Hale Thompson real- izing the tremendous impetus to his mid-west re- publican machine that would come from a gathering of these politicians very cleverly arranged for the Flood Control Conference which was held in Chicago June 2, 3 and 4. The Flood Conference expressed a revolt against the Coolidge machine and its treatment of the west- ern, middle west and southernefarmers. Of course, the avowed object of the conference was to devise means and ways of: controlling future floods and rehabilitating the present devastated area. The Red Cross got a lot of praise but Coolidze’s army engineors got a lot of left handed compli- ments. So important did the president consider the conference that he sent Secretary of War Davis to report to it officially. Major-General Jadwin, chief engineer of the United States Army was also among the administration represertatives who got the cold shoulder. The several thousand delegates present represented the rich farming amd banking interests in the inun- dated area. They evinced disgust with the penurious aid given by the federal government: and there were references to the vast sums spent by Coolidge in projects outside the country — it-was not rlain whether the Nicaraguan intervention or the ship- ment of troops to China was meant—when the Mis- sissippi valley needed the money so much more, One thing was indelible. The flood sufferers are not satisfied with the present administration treat- ment of the situation. It was claimed that the en- gineers were incompetent. The government did not pay sufficient attention to the problem of con- trolling the waters of the Mississippi. Wanton de- forestation, without government interference; lack of a comprehensive plan for flocd defense, and in- adequate attention paid to the problem of the con- stantly increasing volume of water discharged into the Mississippi were put forward in blame of the present flood. The conference was a subtle, extra-legal mass de- monstration of the southern bourgeoisie under the incongruous leadership of Big Bill Thompson to force government aid in a greater measure. Big self the way to fresh investments and imperialist conquests, to acquire in the transaction new colonies for robbery and exploitation, shifting the burden of such cancellation to the farmers, workers and the poorer middle classes generally. That the cancellation of war debts as advocated by big capital, will not in the least help the toiling masses of Europe goes without saying. That such cancellation will saddle the toiling masses of the United States with additional taxation and other Bill, shrewd opportunist that he is, saw in the new slogan evolved “More Efficient Flood Control,” with its pretentious backing by disgruntled small south- ern bankers and politicians a wedge with which to make his niche in national politics. The whole affair was suavely managed and scores of congressmen, more than a dozen United States senators, and a handful or two of governors and mayors hopped onto the Thompson band wagon, There was Brookhart, Senator Jim Watson, Sena- tor Pat Harrison, ex-Governor Pinchot, Congressman Madden and a host of others. None of the delegates looked as if they had suffered very much from the flocd. They were well-dressed; most 2£ them with the proverbial “alderman” prominent on their ana- tomy—all well fed and unusually happy and con- tent with the swell conference being held. There was a lot/of talk about misery and a lot of moving pictures showing scenes of disaster and devasta- .tion—-but, it was a swell conference. Here was an unusual gathering of law-makers and politicians who had gathered in a sort of caucus against the administration policy on flood relief and flood control. It was a mass. demonstration in its way—of a*type Thompson shines in eoncocting. There was plenty of flag waving, bands playing, hand-clapping and hurras; and above it all, in the midst of the distinguished senators, congressmen and other handshakers beame the classic, America- Virst visage of Big Bill—-withovt his sombrero, it heing -held indoors. What's a flood amongst friends except as a new political platform to aid in getting office? Strange as it may secm there were a few Negro delegates in the conference from the southern states, but they remained conspicuors!y silent. Phere was no report from them of the peonage conditions im- vosed on Negro labor in the flood areas; no protest at the race discrimination in flood rvliey. : What Bill Thompsen’s ultiiaate aim in this bid for natienal prestige is was not announced. Per- haps he has his eye on the presidency and expects to float to Washington on the flood waters of the Mississippi. There is, however, a strong nucleus of opposition within the ranks of the republican party in the middle west and the flocd problem seems to be a point of rallying. LLL LLL CL Ce CCAS ttceraiatanimemnat burdens, is also obvious. Who will gain from such a transaction? Big capital. Hence, Matthew Woll undertakes to pave the way for Wall Street which itself does not dare to press the matter too openly. Says Matthew Woll in the current edition of the American Photo-Engraver: Our industrialists, in charge of an evergrowing productive machine that must obtain ever more and greater outlets for surplus production, are fearful of an invasion of our home markets and a consequent disruption, if not destruction, of our gigantic production machine. To allay the fears of “our” industrialists. Matthew Woll advocates reduction and if possible flat can- cellation of the war debts. Matthew Woll is very little concerned with the fears of the workers and farmers. ‘The needs of the masses that. toil and are being exploited by “our” industrialists don’t worry Matthew a bit. If in order to secure an outlet for the surplus products of “our” growing industrial machine it will become “necessary” to go to war, Matthew Woll will be ready for that, too. In fact, he is helping the war business along as best he knows how. His motto is: STAND BY BIG BUSI- NESS. And stand he does. The only question is: Why should he be per- mitted to be a vice-president of the American Fed- eration of Labor? .