The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-05-04
By ALFRED wAGENKNECHT

IN February 25th, a total of 10000 workers
" demonstrated against unemployment and
starvation in the cities of Boston, Lowell, Law
renee New Bedford, Fitchburg, Worcester, Provi-
dence Maynard and Haverhill. During many
months before this date many successful demon
strations and struggles were carried on in the
Boston Trade Union Unity League district for
immediate relief and unemployment insurance
Today there is in this entire New England dis
trict Just one branch of organized unemployed
workers, branch in central Boston composed of
25 members. And this lone branch is simply an
agitatonal forum, where twenty to thirty work
ers gather now and then to listen to speakers
Here we have in sharpest form the organiza-
tional bankruptcy that results from following
policy in our work among the unemployed of
only carrying on general agitation and issuing
general slogans, instead of formulating concrete
demands, based upon the miserable conditions
of the unemployed and fighting to better these
conditions while we continue our agitation for
unemployment insurance.
The first membership branches of unemployed
workers were organized in this country exactly
around a very concrete issue, the fight against
evictions. Thousands OF unemployed workers
homes were kept intact, furniture moved back,
and in thousands of additional instances the
landlords retreated and ceased giving eviction
notices. These fights against evictions began
six months ago. In district after district, our
comrades have failed to learn the lesson that
these successful struggles against eyictions taught
namely, that organization proceeds around strug-
giles for concrete demands.
Boston claims that evictions did not take place
in that city. But there are other concrete de-
mands which unemployed workers make. And
if our comrades do not know what the concrete
demands of the unemployed workers are, why
have they failed to talk to, to visit the unem-
ployed workers and families and ascertain their
demands? Involving neighborhood in fight
for food from the city and large employers for
starving families of unemployed workers by
specifically obtaining the names and addresses
of these starving families in the working class
neighborhoods is struggle for concrete de-
mands, and one around which unemployed
workers will organize, and struggle in which
unemployed workers will cooperate as well.
Fighting for free milk for the babies of I'M
employed workers; free meals for the school chill
dren; against the shutting off of gas, light,
water; against high food prices: against high
rents-these are all concrete demands, and many
more will be found, once we actually begin to
function in the depths of misery and persecu-
ton to which the unemployed are subjected to
by the city, the bosses and the charities. 1t was
reported that in one city in the Boston district
hundreds of workers homes we're being sold for
taxes Has any struggle and organization re-
suited around this, certainly matter of con-
crete Importance to the workers concerned?
In city after city in New England relief is
being lessened or stopped altogether by the city
and its charity institutions. The governor Of
Massachusetts is demanding $4,000 for a private
car to be paid for by the state. In Boston,
Mayor Curley is being accused by councilmen of
a reign of graft in the city welfare department
Political lackeys of the city administration we're
poeketing money given for relief Of the unem-
ployed; landlords we're getting free coal which
ployed; one councilman claimed that 100000
going astray, in part by a charge by coal
corporations of SIC ton for coal delivered to
the city welfare department. whereas another
city department was buying this same coal for
S12 ton Here are also very concrete issues to
which the unemployed in Boston will respond
organizationally as well as for city-wide strug-
gle against the grating city welfare department.
against lessening relief.
1t therefore becomes necessary to root our
selves in the working class neighborhoods to
win the unemployed workers in these neighbour
hoods for struggles for food adequate housing
ETC. to organize neighborhood branches around
these struggles while at the same time we arouse
all working class neighborhoods bread lines ETC..
for struggle against all the restrictions perse-
cutions. starvation charity, inadequate relief
lessening relief and specific cases OF starvation
directing this mass movement against the city