The daily worker., 1931-02-13

LuChS 4IoIll lIlG MILITARY tOICSS
mounted with machine guns, five
uniformed and secret police to every
workers delegate, the Workers IN
employment Insurance Delegation
mounted the national capitol steps
at noon on Feb. 10 to make its de-
mands for cash relief for the unem-
ployed of SIS week and So for each
dependent from the capitalist gov
ernment at Washington, D. C. 1t
marched through this armed camp
with firm step knowing that it was
backed by the power of nearly one
million and half workers who had
voted for and signed the workers
relief bill.
The smaller delegation of IS which
went to demand the floor of the
house was flanked with three armed
police to every delegate. Inside the
capitol building swarmed with secret
service men, many dressed like work.
ers, trying to hide their identity, The
office to which they were led was
crowded with police. Congressman
and senators were present. These the
delegation engaged in rapid fire and
militant conversation, One congress-
man tried to third degree Sam Nesin,
wanting to know whether he was a
citizen, how large his family was,
when he had last worked and at
what. Wagenknecht interjected, de-
manding to know when he had last
worked in a coal mine or steel mill,
when he had last missed a meal,
whether he had ever done a days
useful work in his life. He failed to
answer and sneaked out of the room,
No Worker Congressman.
In presenting the demands of the
employed and unemployed workers
for the floor of congress and through
constant Interruptions by the bosses
law makers, Wagenknecht said:
There is not a single representa-
tive of the working class in the cap
itoL Not one of you law makers have
taken single step to give cash re-
relief to the unemployed upon the
basis of unemployment insurance. In
stead you dilly-dally in this law fac
tory with fine phrases, trying to soft
soap and fool the workers, while
thousands of unemployed workers
and their children are dieing all over
the country, in the mining camps,
steel mill towns, in the poor farm
ing areas. You vote money to feed
the horses, mules and pigs of the
more well-to-do farmers, you give
hundreds of millions in tax rebates
to the corporations, you grease the
road to more wealth and easier prof
it's for the wealthy, but you have
failed to give single red cent to the
100000 unemployed, to the starv-
ing thousands.
Demands the Floor.
"This workers delegation is here
because it considers itself more I'M
portant than all the congressman and
senators in this capitalist law fac
tory. 1t demands to occupy the floor
of the house to read its statement
and proposals for bill which will
give every unemployed worker SIS
and So additional for each depen-
dent, 1t demands that this bill be
passed today. 1t demands that the
wealthy who have coined millions
and billions out of the blood of the
workers shall be taxed and that all
war funds be used to create fund
for unemployment insurance. You
state that you refuse us the floor, re-
fuse even to place our demands be-
fore the speaker of the house. We
answer that we shall go back to the
workers and mobilize additional mil
lions for this demand, for struggle,
and eventually shove you all off the
backs of the workers.,
Want Action.
One congressman began to plead
with the delegation, saying that con-
gress moved slowly, that it had al
ready done something, passed con-
struction program, voted two million
dollars for medicine for farmers,
whereupon the delegation interjected,
saying we are here to make congress
move fast and move today, not to-
morrow, for even today, according to
your own Senator Caraway, another
thousand unemployed workers have
starved to death.
Nesin spoke up and said:
I'VE represent million and hall
workers and farmers who signed and
endorsed our demands for insurance
and elected us to present them il1
the name of 100000 unemployed
workers in the U. S. A. In spite ci
all the talk on the part of congress
about unemployment, there has beer
nothing done to relieve the starving
millions of workers and their fam
lilies. Billions of dollars are spent fol-
battleships, poison gas and grating
politicians, and we demand that thi!
money shall go for the relief OF thu
unemployed workers and starving
farmers"
The sergeant-at-arms answered: :"
have been authorized by the speake
of the house to accept your petition
and it will be properly recorded"
Nesin answered: ''The constitution
of the United States says we have ;
right to petition congress in persol
and we want to exercise that right.
| s~-uI.uno