The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-09-23
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ANTHROPOCENTRIsTS, OR JUST
CENTRISTS.
By JORGE

But because in the issue of Sept we VEN
tured to comment sarcastically on the hys-
terical solieitude of rich old ladies IN the
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
for stray dogs and cats, we get letter from
Long Beach, Calf. (Such letter quite fit
tngy comes from that home of freak res
formists)
We had expressed our annoyance, yes, even
our anger, that cats offered food and
shelter, while millions of workers are star
wing and, incidentally, while thousands of
Communist workers being shot, lynched,
and jailed, in the working class fight for
bread and better world-for workers.
Because of this, one S. Alexander of Long
Beach, Calif writes us two sheets of pro-
test, beginning thus:-''No kind of chauvin-
ism should be allowed to sneak into our Party
organ"
Then he goes on to prove, to his own salts
faction, that our aforementioned comment
was "anthropocentric chauvinism." And that's
a mean word to throw at an editor on half
pay.
While brooding over the dictionary to find
out that the word "Anthropocentric" means
-"regarding man as the central part of
creation" we picked up the latest issue of
the Police Gazette that calls itself "The
Militant" and saw in big letters: "Rakovsky
In Danger"
Well, we unused, if we can't get excited
about cats, perhaps we can find something
here to worry about.
So we painstakingly read the thing through,
beginning with the idignant accusation that
we were "sient" about the danger in which
Rakovsky, down to the awful term applied to
US as "Centrists." And bless me if we could
find GUS just what terrible danger" is hang
DoJ-a~ L..
cramp, as all it said about him was: "Ra-
kovsky is writing enormous amount"
But there you are! We are always in hot
water. Because we have a MARKHAM con-
viction in the historically progressive role
of the proletariat, rather than a conception
that progress depends upon either cats or
Christian Rakovsky Cor any other person. we
get raved at by opportunists of all kinds
Perhaps the gentleman from Long Beach
Che addresses US in Party terms) don't think
he's an opportunist. But he proves it by
saying that:-'The Communist, l have OBJ
served, can appreciate suffering whether it's
his own head that's cracked or another's''
If our head is cracked, it is not by nature.
And no Communist appreciates" suffering
in the abstract It is because that cats can
be of no assistance in the proletarian revolu-
ton, and because Rakovsky has chosen to be-
come an opponent of instead of an assistant
to the proetarian revolution, and because the
only thing that can make the proletarian
revolution is the proletariat, that we are con-
cerned about the proletariat and not at all
about either whether cats are fed or Rakov-
sky is writing himself to death.
Whether this be called centrism or anthro-
pocentric chauvinism we don't give a tinker's
damn. We are Communists.
WHAT'S IMPORTANT
On the day which the capitalist press of
New York City went into headline Mysteries
because Harold S. Vanderbilt won the yacht
races from Sir Thomas Upton, and column
after column of ink was spilled as though
something of Importance to all mankind had
occurred, we saw the following:
On Broadway, between 18th and 18th SITS.
a and woman, visiby poor and exhausted
the woman carrying one baby while the man
wheeled baby carriage in which was small
/ er baby. Tackled to the side of the baby
carriage was sign: please give our daddy
a job"
To the capitalist press the useless expendi-
ture of millions of dollars by couple of para
site multimillonaires in yachts and yacht
races was of tremendous Importance And it
was of no Importance whatever that worker
and his wife and babies were starving.
Probably some damn fool will write in &C
cuslng of "anti-yacht chauvinism."
And it is we'll that everybody note that the
bourgeois clown, Will Rogers, who gets off
wise cracks just like Cal Coolidge gets off
dumb ones, gets so enthusiastic that he sug-
gests that everybody contribute 81 to "lov-
ing cup for Sir Thomas Upton because the
noble lord is "a fine sportsman" Well con-
tribute yes, some bedbug exterminator.
BILL GREEN FOR SLAVERY.
Last Thursday, the N. Y. Post thought It
quite interesting" that-"A young man, %,
rather progressing in appearance came into
the office and calmly announced that he was
willing to auction himself to any one, do any
kind of work at ALI in exchange for his board.
Basicaly, of course, slavery is nothing new.
The young man mentioned merely was drama
tizing the customary slavery by talking about
'auctioning" himself. That's what every work.
or does when he seeks boss, only most Of
the time he doesn't to dare ask Did" he
jumps at the chance to work" and leaves the
size of the wage to the mercy of the boss
But in Bill Green's recent announcements
about what the A F. of l.. thinks to do in it's
coming Boston convention, Green puts out
variation on chattel slavery. He proposes that
the worker get IAN annual wage"
Now what's the difference? It is this: If
worker sells himself for a daily or weekly
wage, he at least has the "right"-rather an
empty one certainly-to change bosses at the
end OF the day or week. Bill Green would make
bond slave of the worker to the one boss
for year and IL follows that tha hoes would