The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-23
YINSULTING THE UNEMPLOYED!
/ To Daily Worker:

10 Odlly WOIh0I'
Being one of those who joined the
army after being out of work for a
long time, want to give little adj
vice to some of the rest who have
been unemployed for long time and
may contemplate doing the same.
Rotten Conditions.
Once you get in you not only find
rotten conditions in respect to food,
living quarters, hours of work, etc,
but you have to pay the price for
the measly $21 month in more ways
than one. By this I mean all the
rough treatment you have to accept
from any officer if he feels like step
ping on you or if he doesn't "like your
face" Of course on job there is
limit to what the boss or foreman can
make you debut once you get in
the army you will find that there is
mo limit" and if you talk back you
can be sent to the guardhouse with
out the least pretense at trial.
Then if you are foolish enough to
sign up for service in one of the u.
S. possessions where it is "never cold"
according to the recruiting leaflets
then you have to endure conditions
even 100 per cent worse.
New Recruiting Bunk.
But l don't want to go into all the
details in this letter, as l mainly in
tended to write few words about
how the army is taking advantage of
the growing unemployment with a
new fake slogan: employers prefer
army trained men!" This new appeal
placarded up everywhere that unem-
ployed workers may see it, coupled
with the recent news that the army
is making arrangements with employ
ers to place servicemen when they
finish their term, is liable to fool
many young fellows into joining, who
otherwise would never join. OF
course, everything is done to hide the
real purpose of the army, the reason
bosses prefer" army trained, and the
dirty work" that those who join may
be called upon to do before they fin
ish their term of service.
What Kind of Jobs.
Of course, even if the war depart
ment backs up this latest recruiting
appeal with some kind of an arrange
ment such as they now promise" it
should be obvious what kind of jobs
the U. S. army would furnish once it
started acting as an employment
agency Certainly it would not fur
nish jobs with good pay and good
conditions, but rather when it would
not furnish strikebreakers where ac-
tual strikes existed, as would often be
the case, it would put you in jobs at
much lower wages than others could
have been expected to work for. So
rather than to be fooled into the army
by any such tricks, you should fight
for the unemployment relief which
you are entitled to from those bosses
who have piled up big profits during
the years you were working, and
whose local and national govern
ments have so much to spend for
every other purpose-except to aid
the jobless workers. So take the adj
vice of one who made the mistake Of
joining the. army, and can tell you
that once you get in you won't be
much better off than if you went to
jail, and your measly pay will soon
dwindle down to nothing once all the
necessary expenses are subtracted.
And don't imagine that what the
recruiting officers promise as to flu
ture job will amount to anything
good, as the only way you will get
good jobs is by organizing with the
rest Of the workers and demanding
wages and conditions from the boss.
Fort Jay, N. Y. !.