The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-10-04
By BEN GERJoY

Glorious Americai Exceptional land Of per-
manent prosperity and eternal growth of capital
ismt This was the election cry for many years
of the two major capitalist parties. The Socialist
party. the third Capitalist party followed the
call. The call was later needed to by some ele-
rnents who have deserted the revolutionary
movement to the camp of the bourgeoise.
But what has happened? In the election cam
paign this year one does not hear so much ABOUT
"prosperity" America being exceptional
country" etc, Something strange has happened.
The various Capitalist parties, instead OF singing
the glories of prosperous America, and the WON
derful position of the workers fortunate enough
to live in it, speak of the unemployment problem
of social insurance, etc.
The reason for it is that about nine million
workers are walking the streets of this land OF
honey, willing to work but not able to ind any
Jobs That the number of unemployed has
reached this enormous figure is admitted even by
the head of the Government census department
at Washington. The bubble is burst The
COLOSSUS of the North" is in the clutches Of
colossal economic crisis; crisis to extrlcate
themselves from which the U. S. capitalists nnd
it extremely difficult for the following reasons:
Firstly this crisis embraces the entire capitalist
world; secondly, it is not only an Industrial
crisis, but agrarian crisis as well; thirdly
the colonial and semi-c colonial countries are In
revolutionary motion, resisting the attempts of
the imperialists to shift the burden upon their
shoulders; fourthly the existence Of the Soviet
Union, inspiring the proletariat to action against
and resistance of the capitalists increased pres
sure; ffthly, the existence of the Communist
Party which leads the class-conscous workers
and exposes the capitalist maneuvers.
In view of such an objective situation even
the stupidest capitalist politician is not stupid
enough to throw out as vote catching" bait
phrases based the idea that everything is
rosy in these United States. But what's more,
capitalism is fighting for its very life. Nine
millions unemployed workers, with many millions
Of is enough,
not checked, to deliver the death thrust.
This is the basic cause underlying the head
on collision rush of the various capitalist poll
ticians to propose Social Insurance. They all
feel that they have discovered fine bait with
which they hope to catch many votes. The en-
tire motley is taking a crack in this Shiny
same. The events March 6, when, under the
leadership of the Communist Party, a million
and a quarter of workers took part in street
demonstrations demanding immediate relief,
woke up the capitalist politicians and labor
takers TO the dangerous situation. By taking
up this cry of the working masses they hope to
divert the movement into a channel, harmless to
the Capitalist system.
A real danger faces the working class cause
in this situation. Especially is the danger great
because of the fact that the socialist party is
playing leading role in pacfying the workers
by putting forth fake social insurance programs
as election issue. Once again 1t falls upon the
Communists to explain the true nature of the
proposals by the Socialists and their Capitalist
colleagues.
What is really wrong with the various pro-
posals to help the unemployed put forth by the
bourgeois politicians? The gist Of the matter
lies, firstly, in the fact that invariably all the
proposals by the above gentlemen aim to make
the workers pay for this insurance. The Socialist
proposition is that the worker, the boss and the
Government should each pay an equal share for
this insurance No worse hypocrisy is imagn-
able! They know well enough that the boss, If
he has to pay for workers insurance, will take
1t out from their hide by increased speed-up, fur
Their wage cuts, ETC. They know that the boss
will not give up iota fsom his profit. The
second most important feature Of their proposals
is the method by means of which they claim
employment insurance will be put into life What
do Mr.. Waldman, Mr.. Norman Thomas, Mr..
Wager and company propose to do to make Social
Insurance a law? The answer is, nothing. What
pressure do they propose to bring to make the
exploiters give back bit Of their booty? None.
through the entire history of the labor move
ment, anywhere, never was anything wrested
from the bosses except through struggle on the
part of the workers themselves. They have no
single proposal which would draw the working
class into struggle for Social insurance. In
deed, why should they call upon the workers to
struggle when their main role at the present
period is to use all ways and means to keep the
working class out of struggle, not only political,
but even economic. Yes, they do tell the workers
how they are going to get it for them. They tell
them to vote for them, and If they are elected
they VIII get 1t for them. When? How? This
they DO not tell them. Sometime in the future,
while the workers need relief Immediately.
AS opposed to all the above gentlemen and
the Capitalist parties they represent, there are