The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-05-26

ers are forced to accept overtime.
Overtime again makes new masses of
wage -earners superfluous. UnemplOy-
ment creates overtime, and overtime
creates unemployment. The bigger
the factories, the more expensive the
machinery, the greater is the tendency
of the capitalists to lengthen the
working time instead Of increasing
the number of workers. Hand in
hand with the increasing accumulation
of capital goes relative and
today even an absolute decrease in
the number of workers.
The hypocritical advocates of cap
ltailsm lament about the existence of
unemployment and call it the great
est blot on our capitalist system"
(Owen D. Young), but in fact the ex-
lstence of a constant industrial re-
serve army is not a hindrance to
capitalism. Quite the contrary. It is
one OF the basic conditions for the
existence and maintenance of capital
ism. Technical development, new in
ventions, the introduction of new la
Dor saving machinery, will not cease.
Inc opening up of new markets will
not go at the same speed as hereto
lore. The industrialization of the
colonies, the increasing competition
with Europe, the existence of non-
cap1talistic Soviet Russia, and the re-
volt of the colonial peoples are the
narrowing limitations.
The nraSont Jon.oo-.
accident" 1t has been brought
about by prosperity itself. Dispro-
portion between production and con-
sumption, which is part of the gen.
eral anarchy of capitalist production.
is responsible for cyclical crises
Saturation Of the automobile and
building construction markets, over
production of oil, the world coal cri-
SIS, the migration of the textile in
dustry to the South, the limits of in
staliment buying, the restriction Of
the farmers market, the effects of
American export of capital and of
the sterilization of Europe. the in
creased competition with Europe
these are the basic features of the
present economic depression.
mere is no cure for unemployment
under capitalism.
shortening of the working day alone
would not do away with unemnlov-
ment. A general shortening of tbe
working day would result in general
part-time work, in perpetual over
production, would bring about a cri-
Sis in permanence. ~.
high wages alone cannot cure nm
employment. 1t is futile to trv 70
convince" the capitalists to increase
wages for the purpose of increas sine
the purchasing power of the work.
ers. The capitalists will never sac.
rlflce portion of their profits. bv
transforming it into wages for the
purpose of broadening the home mar
ket. Just the opposite is the policv
OF lmperialist capitalism. It is emf.
ting wages everywhere, and irving IN
increase its exports for the foreign
markets.
Neither can public works alone cura
unemployment. Public works would
cend to increase the forces of nro-
ductlon, and would in the long RIM
tend to reproduce unemployment on
larger scale. Higher wages. short
er hours, and public works would not
cure unemployment, but might bring
about certain limited and temporary
relief.
Unemployment is a world phenom-
enon today. The constant industrial
reserve army has always been in en-
lstence, but the present chronic nm
employment has assumed such pro-
portions that it is no longer a nron
OF capitalism but an organic defect.
one OF the basic sicknesses of most.
war capitalism. Unemployment is a
horrible curse upon the working class.
IL is the most powerful weapon in
the hands of the bosses. It chains
the worker to wage slavery. 1t brings
tormenting uncertainty into the life
OF every wage-earner. 1t breaks I'M
the family of the worker by driving
the women and children into the fac
tories. 1t brings about moral degre-
datlon, creates Stun proietariat.
There follows in it's wake a grow
ing criminality. 1t is the foundation
OF prostitution. In other words, it
emoodles and sums up capitalism as
whole.
Demands.
l. Unemployment insurance. A
federal system of unemployment In
surance should be established. A
federal law must be enacted imme-
diately by Congress providing for un-
employment insurance for all wage
earners without ony exceptions or
disqualifications. The amount of
compensation shall be full wages for
the entire period of unemployment.
the maximum to be $50 per week. An
unemployment insurance fund shall
be created, fifty per cent to be con-
tributed by the employers and fifty
per cent by the state. The amount
contributed by the state shall be
raised bV snecial tnyao lox,;aJ ,co;x,+