The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-04-27
Racketeering-A Capitalist Govern
ment Institution

one explain their accepting office, except that
in Office they will continue the practice Of capt.
tausm generally-the practice of corruption and
graft-the racketeering that is part Of the CAPT
taIist system?
Let us but look at the oil scandals of the Hard
ing administration, with half of the cabinet in
volved and the other half with Coolidge and
Hoover, shielded. Look at the Kelly charges of
the defrauding of the U. S. government of forty
billion dollars of oil lands in Colorado charges
which were investigated" by the same depart
ment against which the charges we're preferred
and rejected! look at the war material sup
piled the government during the World War
not only not meeting specifications, but show
ing the worst form Of graft and exposing the
soldiers at the front not only to the danger of
death but Of the worst kinds OF disease What
was done? Nothing, for the government was too
deeply involved in this matter One could so
on endlessly, but the above suffces.
Capitalist government is but reflection Of
the corruption ana graft that pervades all capt.
talist society, which is based upon private prop
erty, with the goal for each man and woman
get rich"-n0 matter by what means!
Perhaps the best example of this corruption
in the Tammany Hall machine is that of Dis
trict Attorney Grain. This noble gentleman is
the representative of claw and order" in the city
of New York, man who is supposed to en1body
all ehe fine principles Of capitalism who in his
solemn manner and conduct is supposed to rep
resent the highest qualities of the defender Of
the purity Of the present system This is the
man who was especially brought to the court to
prevent the Unemployed Delegation of March
9Th of last year from getting baltic prevent the
representatives Of the hungry unemployed from
returning to the outside world to continue the
work Of organizing the unemployed workers in
IS law and order"-and for while it persisted.
But this same district attorney is now accused
of having known of 100 rackets and of not OBJ
tanning indictments in even ten cases." And
whether even these ten were prosecuted we do
not know One hundred and sixty rackets-and
what part did the district attorney play in all Of
them? What was his graft? How much did he
get out of this capitalist punder-whether plum
der of the capitalists themselves or of those who
plumber the capitalists in the same manner like
the underworld, the fascist leaders of the A. f.
of L. unions of the millinery, music, building
barber, needle, food, etc, trades? How much
tribute did District Attorney Grain get from each
OF these rackets, is the question?
If 100 rackets are known-how about the many
that ostensibly are not yet known? How about
the innumerable injunctions under Paragraph 800
and otherwise? What is the graft In giving pro-
N~~NO~~ S~AS NSoSS0
from striking and picketing for decent con-
ditions?
Why do we select Grain for the first examine
ton? Because his is one of the most striking
cases, with which Walker is connected. If Grain
is part OF the racket, what is the part of the
entire Tammany Hall machine? What is the
part Of Mayor Walker? What are the connec-
tons Of the entire Tammany Hall machine with
the underworld and racketeers of the American
Federation Of Labor? What is this graft and
corruption that permeates every department not
only OF the capitalist administration Of the cities
states and the country, but Of capitalism itself?
1t Is the capitalist moral code"-get rich.
cover your steps, share your booty with the
public officials-'keep in good" with the gang
for when there is proper understanding and
peace, then the Fleeing of the workers can con-
tinue without interference! This is going on in
every American city. But sometimes there is a
slip Somebody is peeved; groups begin to strug-
gle for power, and an exposure is made That is
what is taking place in New York at the present
time and some of the corruption is being laid
bare. III
In the next article we shall deal with further
features Of the graft scandal