The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-05-28
COMMUNIST TACTICS and THE UNEMPLOYED

There arrived at The Toier office recently letter the main
portions Of which herewith repntng for important
The letter from comrade Ruby Herman friend
Of The Ter Editor and eate Secretary of the former Socialist
Party Of Washington.
There is embodied in this letter question of tactics
mun tactics which deserves edaon In that the letter deals
with workingcass problem that of unemployment
the necessity for clear comprehension of the particular tactics
be pursued in dealing with constitute the taking
this column in quoting the letter The opening paragraph of the
letter reads:
Il much interested the unemployment
peared THE TOIER for April 9t and think splendid idea for the
gather parts country
wondered parts country
inadequate and unjust that which Washington
sol that few details would add greatly
value Of the reports Actually the which the situation
handled by the unemployed themselves and by the labor
ment shows to a hopeful degree"
The in which the organized labor Everett
handled the unemployment problem is told in the next two
paragraphs as follows:
The situation taken hand by the Central Labor Council which
appointed Committees organize unemployed
AND CONDUCT SYSTEMATIC STUDY THE SITUATION
poyed meetings regularly
crudey idea
forward with dispatch and effectiveness that actual suffering
duced gratifying minimum The appealed
through their Grange responded generously
Farmers themselves in industrial collapse which
hundreds into hwagworke class ao unmpoydD provided
potatoes apples and canned fruit and milk and
in lesser quantities than probable that the feeling good fol-
wsp and fraternam generated by the Party campaign
preceding creating
many families thru the winter the stockholders foregoing
quarterly dividends and turning profits back tho
this might be done BEST OF ALL the study
economics carried under the efficient uge unompoming
Marxist revolutionary any Communist could wish
unemployed made decidedly collective demand for
work. and the Park Board little city scrabbed around found
somesucn be but much could be expected from
little burg Everett Qite number of put work. alter
shifts each shift working three days week and receiving the
$40 for the three days. When remembers the c
limitations and that the work entirely nature this
doesn't bd The city also provided other little jobs Of minor
and of timber land few miles from
those of the unemployed wished
Several avad themselves this opportunity and undoubtedly
helped some"
with the above enuncated methods of handling acute
unemployed problem that wish to quarrel AS will be the
efforts of the Council lay along three distinct lines First
mediate relief work. feeding the starving thru grauos gifts
from the farmers themselves in terrible straits from inability to
sell their products profitable market Second demands
the city, and third certain educational work. meetings etc.
will have accept comrade Hermans statement that the
educational work all that it should be and as Revolutionary
as even communists could demand But think there great
deal the program carried that would prove nauseang
to many class conscious workers much less revolutionary than
Communists supposed to be- We certainly little in the
program that any communist could accept good tactics With
the exception the collective demands made upon the city
relief land the educational work carried which have
cepted at face vaue) find nothing at all revolutionary In fact
we find that the work of the yeowes variety possible
Just what might be expected from filtration of the
Farmer Labor Party with the Working Class.
What unemployment probem-ooked at from the view
point of the Communist? Comrade Herman to think
utons should view it heavenly opportunity soup
houses supplied by the unemployed workers and farmers
their scany study class economics in con-
necto Far from it. The Smmunist regard every crisis
capitalism added opportunity to undermine and weaken the
capitalist class and its State Instead Of securing the countryside
for gifts of carrots from the morgagd and peness farmers the
capitalist State must be made to purchase those supplies from the
farmers at regular market and give them the work.
They must be made to pay unemployed benefits and regular
union rates of wages In short capitalism must be made to sup
port the workers instead Of the workers and poor farmers gather
ing up their tiny boards into ape and dividing up among them
selves leaving the capitalist W bgaed those he has exploited
and thrown out Of the factor 81
Comrade Herman states thru the efforts Of the unemployed
farmers gifts suffering was reduced gratifying minimum