The daily worker., 1931-01-10
By HARRISON GEORGE.

COMPETITION between experts in hypocrisy
marks the response of capitalist politicians
to the demand for bread backed up by guns
In the hands of Arkansas farmers.
Both republicans and democrats united in ST.
lence. to vote for the addition OF s1500o000 to
the so-caled drought relief bill, fully conscious
that it would be eliminated the next hour, as
they had eliminated it three weeks before. Why
the silence now, on question which three weeks
ago brought the noisy wrath of Hoover and
Hyde? Why, if not the armed mass action OF
starving farmers had forced temporary retreat?
Meanwhile this hypocritical action of the
White House took place, the governor of Ark
ansas, Harvey Parnell, was wiring eastern papers
saying that mo rioting violence has taken
place. He admits that on Jan. 8, however,
several cundred farmers requested and demand
ed food" Merely polite request, with guns
bulging from their pockets" to quote capitalist
press reports!
But Governor Parneu goes further: THE peo-
Pile of Arkansas and the Red Cross are taking
care Of the situation in satisfactory manner.
Conditions, though not good, are not alarming"
It seems to take a great deal to alarm Gov
error Parnell. But unfortunately for him, his
more adept demagogic friends in the U. S. Con-
gress fatty contradict him. Senator Caraway
Of Arkansas, anxious to make political capital
Of Hooyer's hypocrisy to conceal his own, re-
,uted Governor Parnen by saying:
"The Red Cross said yesterday that it now
is feeding 100000 persons in Arkansas. 1t ex-
poets by the first of next month to be feeding
250,o00. But even when it feeds those, it won't
be feeding half of those actually destitute
now"
Representative Parks, o nthe floor of the Low
er House. meanwhile was refuting Governor Par
nell declaring that the Red Cross had not only
failed to feed the starving, but is mot rryns to
do It." Adding that the state government of
Arkansas was bankrupt: sour people are not
able to pay their taxes and keep up the State
treasury.
With such confession of hypocrisy and bank
ruptcy, what are the starving masses of poor
farmers and share-croppers OF not only l.rkansas
but other sections, though especially the South,
to do?
Firstly, they must realize that only the Eng
land, Arkansas action forced the capitalist gov
ernment t.. make even the gesture of giving them
relief it formerly denied; and that continued
better organized and more widespread action is
necessary II they expect to get anything more
than hot air and sympathy from Washington.
To organize, form Committees of Action locally
W township or county. Decide your demands
by majority vote In mass meeting, for an in
crease in relief if inadequate for relief if there is
none, for your own committee control O. it in
2 sad Of the Red Cross. Unite all poor and
5 ing without regard to race or color.
spread your ideas your form of organization
and action as widely as possible, to other town.
ships, to other counties Only thus will you gain
strength to stand successfully against opposition
which may even mean martial law, because the
government is against you, no matter what boss
politicians say.
Secondly, unite your fight with the fight of the
city workers for Unemployment Insurance. Write
TO the United Farmers Leagre, New York Mills
Minnesota for its program and its proposal that
real relief. In the shape OF full cash compensa-
ton shall be paid for crops lost wholly or in
part. by funds raised from taxes on bankers
corporations and the farm produce gamblers who
rob you.
Thirdly. realize that the drought is not the
worst thing you suffer- that you are robbed by