The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-09-03
An Open Letter to
President Harding
My Dear Pres. Harding:

My Dear Pres. Harding:
/ was very glad to read in the
New York Times of the 18th of Aug.
your kind letter to Sec. Hoover who
is directing the American Relief Com
mittee. 1t is splendid to note that you
are ready to cooperate fully in the
distribution of food to the starving
Russian people. This ! may call the
first act of sanity of our government
officials since the memorable yet dis
astrous Murmansk Campaign.
| Still there are several passages in
your letter that are rot fully COM
prehensible and l am therefore writ
ing you for clearer explanation.
May call your attention to the
following:
My particular purpose in address
sing this letter to you is to emphasize
my wish that the distribution in Rus
sia of ALL charity arising in the U.
S. should be carried on through ONE
American organization
| Also to this passage:-
1T is also of Importance that the
American people should be protected
so far as we can do so from those
persons who may wish to thrive on
great disasters by creating unneces-
sary organizations to collect charity
My dear President these are un-
usual conditions and added to these
comes the announcement from Sec
retary Hoover, no doubt with your
sanction, that there will be no public
| appeal for funds.
In behalf of my fellow workers
must ask you "WHY?"
WHY should all relief be carried on
thru one organization?
WHY should there be no appeal to
the American Working Class for
help?
WHY do the American workers
need to be protected(?) from those
who are ready to give their time
their energies and their money to-
wards getting the much needed re-
lief?
WHY should the ONE organization
be one not controlled by or in any
way responsible to the masses Of this
country?
WHY should your good committed
be afraid TO cali upofi the people tc
give money to send food to Soviet
Russia?
WHY should we stand in the way
of those who are ready to sacrifice
their all for the Russian workers and
who have sent help and encourage.
ment to Russia while your good com.
mittee was feeding the Russian work.
ing class on Lead and Steel thru
gattling guns?
Can it be that your good and kline
Hoover Committee want to be in alb
| solute control of the only relief thai
| can be sent Russia so that they car
use the much needed food as a whiI
over the backs of the Russian people
Can it be that this Committee is plan
| ming at some time near at hand tt
l demand as the price of Food the over
throw of the Communist Government
| of Russia?
! Is the tragic spectacle of Hungar!
| to be repeated?
| Can it be that your Committe,
| hesitates to call for funds from tn,
| American workers lest the response b.
so overwhelming as to express tn,
complete solidarity of our Working
| Class with their Comrades and Broth
ers in Russia?
/ If there is to be no public appea
for funds where are the funds tt
come from? Is it to be from SOM
Slush Fund, from some wealthy an,
sinister source and that will deman,
| its toll in blood?
/ WHY, my dear President do yo
even consider offering the starving
Russians material help when at tn
same time you would deny them tn
Spiritual and Moral Aid that tn
II Workers of this country would sen
them as an appreciation OF the spler
did and heroic struggle that the Rus
sian Revolutionists have been wagin
against the combined Capitalists an
Imperialists Of the world?
II My dear President, wonder WHY
III NJ. Parnell Jr.
Ill New York Cit