The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-08-19
ROONEY COPS.
CLUB JOBLESS AT.
FREE" AGENCY.
Elk Serviceman &c IS
Lesson in Liberty"

Large groups of workers mill
around in a vain quest for work,
in front of the Municipal Free"
Employment Agency.
"This is a free country. Why,
there's just as much liberty as there
ever was" These were the final
words of an unemployed ex-service-
man before he was whacked on the
head by several Tammany uni
formed thugs. He was arguing
with member of the Young Com
munist League.
"You stand here five minutes
longer" the Young Communist told
him, land you'll see how much lib
erty you've got" He had overesti-
mated the time. Hardly had he
finished speaking when the cops
swooped down. The workers scat
tered, but the ex-serviceman, to
prove his statement, stood his
ground. The cops clubs clinched
the argument.
Thousands of workers gather in
front of the Tammany employment
agency. They never hear of any
jobs. Word goes around, There
amt no jobs here. No use hanging
around" The workers break up in
little groups; they discuss unem-
ployment. Stool pigeons weave in
among the crowds. The police fol-
low and beat up the unemployed.
On Worth and Lafayette, little
way from the agency" Commu-
mist held an impromptu meeting.
He told the jobless about the Work
ers Social Insurance Bill. He ex-
posed the fake employment agency.
He showed the causes of unemploy-
ment and the way out. A stool
pigeon sneaks out of the crowd.
Very soon the police jump in. They
seem to know who the speaker is.
He is chased into a subway station
and is soundly dubbed. Then he
is lead over to the police station.
An unemployed worker who
mingled with another group tells of
another discussion on employment
which was ended by cops fists. An
unemployed worker was saying he
thought unemployment could be
solved if the republican party was
returned in New York in the next
election. No Communism here. A
worker disputed him. "Tammany
Halls got the goods" A bunch of
cops swooped around the corner, and
without even ordering these good
supporters of the capitalist parties
to disband they began a general at
tack, smuggling the workers right
and left.
In order to hide the extent of un-
employment and the utter failure of
the Tammany fake employment
agency, the unemployed are not al
lowed to gather in groups of even
two or three. They seem to come
too fast. There are far too many
for the comfort of the bosses and
their Tammany sluggers. Then, too,
they discuss unemployment. Most
of them are on the brink of starva-
ton. They listen to Communists.
They want unemployment insurance.
The boss police give them clubs and
fists. The ex-serviceman had a
political education in elderly" and
his rights" The workers are be-
coming disillusioned. They must
be organized for the fight to de-
'mand the passage of the Workers
Social Insurance Bill and for the
overthrow of capitalism.
Whalen's March 9th policy of
"clubs instead of bread" is being
extended by Mulrooney to include
all workers who apply for jobs at
the Municipal Gree" Employment
Agency, and have the nerve to wait
more than a few minutes and in the
meanwhile talk over the unemploy-
ment problem with other jobless.
Mulrooney and his men don't talk
about it; they sock them. Starving
workers will fight--with the proper
leadership.