The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-21
AS WE SEE IT
By r. J. o'FLAHERTY.

Az w ~ 0AAAA
By II. J. O'FLAHERTY.
A young girl, a foreigner VIII
assimilated some Of the Americanisnl
that is floating around every large
city, is on trial for her life in Chi
cago court room. AS the task Of
selecting a jury proceeds she reads
a German bible. The poor unfor-
tunate is a Christian. Perhaps she
hopes the jurors are. So much the
worse for her unless they have for
gotten the Puritan brand of that
creed.
This girl came from Hungary nine
years ago. She had dreams of land
where there were rich folks but no
poor. 1t did not take her long to
learn her mistakes. The first thing
to do was to drop her old world
customs and become Americanized.
She had to quit school early and go
to work. Her father was sick. She
went to work in mail order house.
Only few weeks ago the wife of
mail order king gave few mil
lions to a university. This girl whoR
is now on trial for murder helped
to pile up those millions. The blood
of countless slaves is on every dollarR
of that gift.
The girl could not live on the
wages paid in the mail order house.
She got a job in restaurant. Long
hours, seven in the evening to seven
in the morning. No, the League for
the Suppression of Vice took no in
terest. Neither did the Ku Klux
Khan. She was just victim of le-
gitimate capitalism. She had to
make a living. She refused to starve.
Ignorant, unframed, without friends,
there was only one way. She had a
body that appealed.
Christian ministers continued to
rave about a just God, defended the
virgin birth theory, while committees
of pestiferous busybodies raided pool
rooms, bootleg parlors and houses of
illfame. But the real houses of
shame, the shops where girls were
forced to work for a wage so low
that they were forced TO choose
shame or death were not raided, the
ostrich heads of the Christian craw-
thumpers were buried deep in the
sand of hypocrisy-for a price.
An unfortunate victim of capital
list society today sits in a capitalist
court charged with murder. Ignor-
ance, starvation wages, prostitution,
robbery and murder charge. Who
is the criminal, that ignorant girl or
the system that breeds the condi-
lions that produce that type? We
say the system. And the judge who
presides over the trial and the prose-
cutors who will try to send her to
the gallows-all staunch upholders
of this immoral robber system
should be placed on trial and the
victim who is in the dock sent to a
hospital or a school.
The workers of this city who suf-
fer torture in riding to and from
work in crowded, insanitary and
crawling cars ask themselves the
question: Why the political bosses
of this growing community do not
provide the people with adequate
means of transportation? To any
body who does not know that demo-
cratic and republican politicians do
not seek election to run cities but to
ruin them the failure to build sub
ways would be a mystery. The CAPT
talist politicians take advantage of
their terms of office to make money.
They take advantage of the conflict
ing interests of rival capitalist
groups. The big fellows are COB
bling the little fellows and Sam In
sui is probably gobbling them all.
By the time that gentleman has dined
on his competitors perhaps he may
graciously give Chicago a subway.
We will have a good deal more to
say about the Traction gluttons later
on.
Modern politicians promise material
consideration to those who can afford
to back them in the race for Office
with cash. But the practice is by no
means new even tho the considera-
tons offered are different. AS far
back as the year 1455 book was
printed containing an indulgence is
sued by Pope Nicholas v, ITO each
person as should contribute money to
aid the King of Cyprus against the
Turks" An American millionaire, if
living in those days, would have little
difficulty in passing the pearly gates.
Doheny could purchase several
satchelsfull of indulgences for the
cash he used in oiling the ways for
the Teapot Dome.
The writer noticed deadly pallor
overspread the countenances Of the
delegates to the McAdoo conference
when the photographers set off their
flashlights in the Crystal Room of
the Great Northern Hotel. He could
not understand the reason. He has
an mixing of it now. They feared
an explosion. Scratch capitalist
politician nowadays and Won will