The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 17, 1932, Page 5

BUILD UNEMPLOYED COUNCILS! DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1932 (Section of the Communist International) FOR UNEMPLOYED INSURANCE! (in Two Sections—Section Two) THE JOBLESS ON THE MARCH! £ he Unemployed Can’t Wait } By HERBERT BENJAMIN ‘(National Secretary Unemployed Councils of United States) HE announcement that thousands of worker-delegates are prepar- ing to march to Washington has aroused the fears of all the owners and watch-dogs of wealth. Their squeals and their growls are al- ready being heard in every edition of their subsidized press. Their hope that the elections would serve as the sole and safe outlet for the pent-up discontent and resentment of the masses, has been blasted. Their plan to con- fuse and pacify the masses with de- magogic oratory is suffering a seri- ous set-back. They are beginning to fear that they may be forced to part with some of their hoarded wealth after all. STRUGGLE BRINGS GAINS Already, the preparations for the National Hunger March have been costly to the money bags of the ruling class. They have been forced to postpone the relief-cuts which they planned to enforce immediate- ly after election day. The new wave ‘of struggle developed as part of the winter program of the Unemployed Councils, has resulted in numerous notable gains for the masses. But the ruling class has by no means resigned itself to defeat. It is making the most strenuous ef- forts to earry through its hunger program. All the power at their command is being used and mobil- ized to prevent the development of effective resistance of the masses. Every instrument and agency that can demoralize and terrify the mas- ses who are rallying around the Na- tional Hunger March is being em- ployed. NOT COWED BY THREATS Dire threats that the Hunger Marchers will be routed by police, militia and the regular army in the states through wich the marchers will pass <1 within Washington, are being displayed on the front pages of the newspapers. Announcements that no food or lodgings will be made available to the Hunger Marchers are also be- ing made in order to spread defeat- ism in the ranks of the workers. The job of spreading the greatest demoralization is, however, as usual left to those agents of the bosses who operate behind a screen of demagogy within the ranks of the workingclass. These pretend to be entirely in sympathy with the needs of the unemployed. They even pretend that they have no objec- tion to such mass actions as the National Hunger March. But, they tell us that we are using poor judg- ment. We should not march now, they say, “Wait till Roosevelt is inaugurated; give “Roosevelt a chance to show what he will and can do,” they argue.. But the unemployed can’t wait. Hungry now stares them in the face. Unless winter relief is im- mediately provided, many workers and their families will die before the day of inauguration. Many know and realize that there is no difference between Hoover and Roosevelt. Both serve the same masters. Neither will give relief to the unemployed unless forced to do so by the mass pressure and mil- itant struggle of the unemployed and employed. WE CAN’T WAIT To postpone appropriations for relief, to halt the struggle of the masses for unemployment insur- ance, will mean a saving of mil- lions for the bosses and their gov- ernment. For the workers, such postponement will mean death to large numbers and greater misery all around. No! We cannot wait! We have waited too long! A Congress con- trolled by the same party whose chief will become president on March 4, is going to convene on December 5. When this Congress begins its sessions, the representa“ tives of the starving masses must be in Washington to tell these leg- islattive agents of the ruling class that we refuse to starve amidst riches. The mighty voice of the millions of victims of the capitalist crisis must be heard in a thunder- ous, insistent demand for Winter Relief and Immediate Unemploy- ment Insurance at the expense of the bosses and government. Rally in the National Hunger March! On to Washington! “Down with Jim-Crowism,” say Hunger Marchers Jobless workers in the Hunger March of 1931 passing through Uniontown, Pa., defying the attacks of the police in their march to Washington. Workers have already left a number of cities in the West en route to Washington to place their demands for immediate cash and Unemployment Insurance before Congress. _ READ NEW eo, S. * *, i 1 oe 2 ae AT THE WALL ST. CAPITOL — A seaman delegate with the Na- tional Hunger March of 1931 speak- ing on behalf of the unemployed, for immediate relief and Unemploy- ment Insurance. Three thousand jobless, delegates of Unemployed Councils from every part of the United States, will mass in Wash-, ington on December 5 to raise the demand for Unemployment Insur- ance, Set Up Headquarters For National March In Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON, D. C., Nov. 16.— Beginning with today, the head- quarters of the National Commit- tee conducting the National Hun- gér March will be established at 1311 G. Street N.W., Washington, D.C, All reports on the progress of the march should be sent to this address by wire or letter. From this center the marchers along thé line of columns will be given daily directives and news relating to the march All ‘Unewr's-r" ~>"-711 secre- tariés and all column leaders « the march please v.se note and address your communications to the National Committee Unem- ployed Councils, Room 311, 1311 G. Street N.W., Washington, D. C. GET THE DAILY INTO THE FACTORIES! BRING THE DAILY INTO THE FLOPHOUSES! INTO THE BREADLINES WITH THE DAILY! SPREAD IT AMONG THE FARMERS ALONG THE LINE OF MARCH! SPREAD IT AMONG THE VETERANS WHO ARE FIGHTING FOR THEIR BONUS! THE DAILY WORKER IS THE ONLY PAPER THAT SUPPORTS THE VETERANS FIGHT FOR THEIR BACK PAY—THE BONUS! SPREAD THE DAILY WORKER! IT IS YOUR PAPER! ¥ By EARL BROWDER. HY are the workers marching to Washington at the opening of Congress? Of what use is such an action? When workers ask such questions as these, we must not be impatient with them. We must not take a high, superior attitude and scorn them for their ignorance. We must earefully and with patience explain the whole question. First of all, we must be quite ‘clear that only the demonstrations, marches and other struggles have been the means to bring some small measure masses. Even charity flows toward the unemployed only in the degree to which they begin to organize and fight. denied even the existence of unem- ployed, until on March 6, 1930, the workers into the streets throughout the land, in the gréat demonstra- tions which launched our mass struggles on this issue. After March 6, under the threat of these dem- oustrations, the capitalisst admitted that unemployment existed, and began to organize some little relief measures, FIGHT BRINGS RESULTS In every locality, since then, re- lief funds have risen or declined, with mathematical precision, in the same degree that the struggle and organzation of the workers have risen or declined. Let us recall one-year ago, the fall of 1931. “During the summer there had been a serious decline in unemployment struggles and in the Councils. The result had been a wholesale shutting off of relief funds everywhere. The leaders of the Unemployed Councils of the largest cities came together to con- sider this situation, and decided that a great national movement was necessary to sharply raise the issue of relief and insurance again, and to revive the local organizatoins and local struggles. They planned the first National Hunger March. We all remember that great ac- tion. Over 1,600 delegates from all over the land came into Washing- ton at the opening of Congress, and successfully raised the issue of relief and insurance, so emphatically that these issues have dominateq Con- gress and the country ever since that time. A comparatively great increase in relief funds immedi- ately resulted. In Congress itself, in spite of its blackly reactionary character, the issue became so sharp that the capitalist politicians (even including Hunger Hoover) had to make some gestures of giving at least a little relief from federal funds. HUNGER MARCH OF 1931 The Hunger March to Washing- ton last year began the revival on a national scale of the organized unemployed movement. It was the most fruitful single action of the workers in forcing increased relief, and organizing support for the de- mand for social insurance, This year the need for relief and insurance is a hundredfolq greater than last. Wages and employment have declined another 33 per cent. The lIttle reserves of the workers have been exhausted. Where last year millions were fighting against | the threat of starvation, this year |'more millions are actually starving. of relief to the starving | Newspapers and officials blandly | Communist Party leq over a million | Must Force Congress to Give Relief and Jobless Insurance Make Hoover-Roosevelt Government Con- sider Needs of Starving Masses Meanwhile the resistance of the capitalist class to giving relief or insuramce has- increased, with the deepening of the crisis and cutting down of ther profits, Now there is more need to fight, and a more bitter enemy to overcome; a stronger and more determined struggle is therefore necessary to win the es- sentials of life for the winter months. At the same time, we are entering the fight with greater forces on our own side. Whereas last year we be- gan the Hunger March with very weak local organizations and after a period of quiet, with few strug- gles, this year there has been an important change. Our Unemployed Councils have grown into mass or- ganizations, and they have been conducting constant fights through- out the year, especially in the last months. In at least 100 cities dur- ing September and October, the Unemployed Councils conducted battles and won victories on a local scale. The greatest and most im- portant of these were in Chicago and Birmingham, Alabama. In Chicago, the great united front movement, led by the Unemployed Councils and the Communist Party, quickly forced the officals to with- draw their 50 per cent cut in re- lief, even forcing the federal gov- ernment to rush an emergency ap- propriation of $6,500,000 to Chicago for this purpose. BETTER PREPARED NOW Our forces are this year, there- fore, much better prepared for carrying through a national action, and better equipped to really win these demands from Congress, Whether we will win, and how much we will win, depends entirely upon how determined we fight, how well we organize and how broad and deep we carry this movement into the masses and rouse them in our support. Another more favorable factor for us, this year, is that we have the experience of last year’s suc- cessful March to guide us. Last year, we were all of us totally in- experienced in carrying out such a great movement. We could not know what were the problems, the difficulties to be overcome, and whether it were possible all, After that March we know + we can overcome all difficu: we know that such an action is en- tirely possible, we: know that it will win us great benefits, and above all we know how to solve all difficul- ties and problems. A POISONOUS PLOT The most dangerous enemy of the workers today is the capitalist agent who whispers in our ears: “Wait until Roosevelt is in office; give him a chance; he will take care of us.” This is the poisonous plot by which the capitalists hope to get by the winter without materially in- creasing their, expenditures for the unemployed. They hope to keep the workers quiet, waiting in the hope that “Roosevelt will do something” next year. But the fourth winter of the crisis is upon us, and if a tremendous in- crease in relief is not secured at once, millions will not be alive to receiye the relief that may (per- (Continued on Page 4) OF HUNGER MARCH IN- THE DAILY WORKER!