The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-08

Bones, scraps of meat and vege-
tables are dumped in the stock pot.
1t is boiled all day until midnight.
The pot is not covered and cock
reaches and flies easily find their
way into it. The contents is usually
a mess Of filthy slime, never the less
1t is served to the public as delicious
soup under dozen misleading French
and English names. It must not be
forgotten that while low wages are
paid to the cooks and other employees,
high salaries are paid to chefs.
The chefs do not receive these
wages because they are more eficient
than the cooks or because they are
intelligent, but on account Of the
fact that chefs can be handled and
are stoolpigeons. Chiefly they spend
their time adjoining the bill Of fare
with stupid French names. They
have no meaning, but they do serve
to fool the public into accepting rot
ten food.
All f1otelS Alikes
OF course, It would be unjust to
say that the Hotel La Sale was the
only place where such conditions
were maintained. All hotels have un-
sanitary kitchens and the workers
are exploited in the same manner.
It is our wish that Representative
Smith investigate the filthy conditions
not only at the Hotel La Sale, but
in the others as we'll. Having such an
experience he would very likely then
introduce bill demanding clean and
sanitary kitchens, providing for the
health Of the cooks. The law might
provide penalties for operating a
kitchen in the basement, and compel
the hotel owners to provide the help
with coats, aprons, towels and soap.
Shower baths, clean dressing rooms
and rest rooms provided with beds
would not come amiss. The employees
should be provided with special din
ing room, and making 1t a penal Of
Tense to feed them on sour stew or
decayed food. Finally to reduce the
working hours instead Of ten and
twelve as It now is.
Hotel Owners Would Flight Law
But Smith understands quite we'll
that it would be foolish to introduce
such bill. The hotel owners have
an abundance of money and they
would use 1t to kill any such meas
ures.
What then is the remedy? Appeal
to the board of health? No, many
such appeals have been transmitted
to the board of health, pleading with
them to enforce the law regarding the
sanitation of kitchens, but we have no
result from our efforts. In such cas-
es the board of health is useless.
Russell j. Poole, former city high cost
commissioner, speaking in room BIT
Of the county building in reference to
the Smith bill, charged that the
health department food inspectors are
inefficient. He also stated that they
walk into an eating place, walk out
and the inspection is over"
This is the substantial truth. Dur
ing 1924, not a single food inspec-
tor, ever visited the kitchen Of the
Hotel La Sale. It may be that the
inspectors did visit the front office,
and arrange the matter for clean re-
port.
Thus we see that the law is a
weapon in the hands of the industrial,
master. The rich men control the
law and for that reason 1t is nom
sense to ask the board of health to
take action against the restaurant
and hotel owners.
So we can ask again what is the
remedy?
Workers Must Organize.
Fellow workers, take a lesson from
the mule. If the farmer puts a heavy
load on him, he refuses to move. If
the farmer whips him he shows his
revolutionary heels, and in the end
the farmer is compelled to remove
some Of the load. Workingmen, like
the mule, have been exploited by the
lords. For centuries they
have carried a heavy load on their
shoulders, and submit to the exploita-
ton Of the capitalist, but to change
all this is not too late. You still have
the power to rebel; you have the
power to kick like the mule. But to
do this most effectively you must or
ganize.
When the workers of the world or
ganize en- masse, they will then be
able to kick to pieces this damnable
system Of capitalism, and make this
a decent place for the working class.