The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-03-02
DETROIT WORKER
FINDS OUT ABOUT
AUGMENTATION
Open Shoppers Train
New Citizens in Slavery
By a worker correspondent.

~ WOTHoF Correspondents
DETROIT, Feb. 2S.-The board Of
commerce and the public school sys-
tenn do not wait for immigrants to
learn English before subjecting them
to Americanization propaganda in the
interest Of the employers, the last an
nual report of the Americanization
committee of the board of commerce
shows.
The committee hires men and wo-
men familiar with foreign languages
to reach the workers in their native
tongues. This happens as soon as
they become cogs in the machine sys-
tenn Of the big shops. Frank Cody
superintendent of schools here, is the
active head Of the Americanization
committee, which last year served
10,299 immigrants with personal lad
vice." according to the report. This
service is in addition to the general
or mass propaganda conducted in free
night schools and factory talks. So
called alien free information bureaus
are being operated in the Russian,
Italian, Polish, Greek, Armenian, Hun
garian and other foreign language
sections of Detroit.
An Insidious Service"
"The committee considers the work
of its alien free information bureaus
as its most important contribution to
Detroit's alien problem" the report
says. "The foreign language speaking
staff of the committee reaches the
newly arrived immigrant and assists
him to adjust himself to the new liv-
ing and working conditions he finds
here, long before he has the time to
master English, as they can reach
him thru a language he does under
stand, --his native tongue"
The insidiousness of this 'service"
is obvious. It's advantage to the en-
ploying class is just as plain. To the
limit of its possibilities it is guar
anty that the incoming workers and
their wives and daughters are going
to be nice meek, hard working Toms
and Charles and Marys and Han
nahs and Mikes, who will get up to
operate the machines or mops six
days a week and get up to go to
church on the seventh morning
Paid Out Of Community Fund.
Workers who read the following
portions of the report will be able to
see how the factories and public
schools are opened to. these propa-
ganda specialists. These specialists
formerly were paid out of the board
Of commerce budget but are now paid
out of Detroit's annual city-wide char
ity fund, known as the Community
Fund, to which the better-paid work
ers as we'll as the employers contrib
ute. Reading between the lines is
necessary if the significance OF this
report and this work is to be under
stood. Such words as Service" "op-
portunities,' citizenship" and "as-
sistance" are the bleating of this cap
italist wolf pack masquerading as
lambs.
"Americanization in Detroit is as
much a problem of industrial expedi-
ency as of educational activity and OF
civic responsibility. The immigrant
is vital and necessary link in any
scheme of industrial development and
he has figured almost second to none
in the development Of Detroit's world
renowned industries.
Without English an employee can
not be taught to protect himself ade-
quAtely against industrial accident
within the plant or against exploita-
ton Of his ignorance on the outside.
Lacking that knowledge. he cannot
fully grasp either the Industrial or the
social opportunities Of his adopted
country. This attitude upon the part
Of Detroit's employers is one OF the
direct results Of the work Of the Com
mittee"
Learn English, But Not
Amerlca nizatIon.
The purpose of this story is not, to
discourage foreign-born workers from
learning English. Knowledge Of Eng
lish will better enable them to ad.
vance the interests OF their class in
their unions and in the shops. The
purpose is rather to show clearly the
highly organized effort that the en-
ploying class is making toward
Americanization" in the interests Of
employers.
Is the shop whore you work a union |