The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-03-16

to request of the Mothers Anti
High Price League for a statement
from him, Frank p. Walsh, chair
man of the Committee on Industrial
Relations, has made the following
statement concerning the demand of
mothers of New York for food dis
tribution at prices they can pay:
claw and civilization are based on
the right of men, women and babies
to eat. The mothers of New York,
like the mothers elsewhere who are
protesting against the starvation or
the under feeding of their children,
are among the best citizens of the re-
public. 1t is history that some Of
the greatest advances of the human
race have followed the demands of
mothers for bread.
at is no sufficient answer to the
demands which the housewives of
New York and other cities are max
ing, to say that the prohibitive high
cost of food is part of great COM
pick problem. If it requires funda
mental changes in economic condi
lions to bring wages up to reason
able level and to bring food prices
down to reasonable level then those
fundamental changes must be made.
But until the deeper remedies can be
applied, it is the basic human right
ingrained in all proper government
to see that food is properly distri-
buted when food is available.
"To resist the actual invasion of
hunger or other pestilence is part
of the inherent police power of or
ganized society. The mothers Of the
nation have shown their sturdy self
respect in repelling the alleged min
istrations of charity in this economic
crisis of democracy"
In this age of high explosives it
has been proved again that the most
explosive thing in the world is bread.
While many of the shells sent abroad
by the proft-takers in war have been
characterized, for their lack of ex-
plosiveness, as "being too proud to
fight" the explosion of popular
wrath that took place when food
spectators, lax law makers and mill
tary conscriptionists played too hard
with the food of the people is bring
ing this nation up standing.
The demands of the mothers of
New York City and of the other
populous centres of the United States
within their reasonable ability to buy
that they should have food at prices
were as spontaneous and inevitable
as were the cries for "Bread" which
lead the women of Paris in a notable
hunger year, to Versailles. 1t was a
case of spontaneous combustion. II
was an explosion sudden and irresist-
ible.
These disorders of a complacent
claw and order" were not in any
sense "riots" they were uprisings;
they were revolts. They sprang
from the mothers agony at their
childrens' hunger.
To take New York as the example
From among the many thousands OF
women who crowded the streets and
stormed the places of food supply
and the citadels of law and order
small groups of committees from
among these mothers themselves
formed to give the demands the right
momentum and direction.
Confronting the Mayor of New
York City, Mrs. Jacob Panken, chosen
leader of the Mothers Anti-High
Price League, said:
"You can't afford to ignore the cry
of the women for bread. We don't
know about your law. We ask you
to take up your cudgels for US. We
can't wait two and half years for
laws. By that time there will be no
people left to feed"
Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, speaking
for the citizens of greater means
who had volunteered to the aid of
the more oppressed, declared:
eff today there was a more dra-
matte emergency, such as an earth
quake or a devastating fire, you Mr..
Mayor, would not wait to ask the
corporation counsel for advice, but
would take the law into your own
hands. This undramatic incident of
many thousands of women and chill
dren suffering from hunger is just as
critical, just as great an emergency,
as flood or a bombardment.
eff there isn't food enough" DR..
Wise said, "put the city on rations.
If there be food what will you ad-
wise in order that there may be a
coopaot;oy bafwaap tho fond cunpI;ac