The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-05-11

OUR object In fighting for and securing food
and other relief for the starving families of
unemployed workers is: Cd to bring the misery
and hunger of the unemployed workers families
into the light of day and to mobilize the broad
est masses of unemployed and employed work
ers to fight against starvation and to struggle for
immediate relief from the city governments and
corporations. 90 To expose the Scity govern
ments and rich corporations and their agents in
that they condemn families to starvation and
death. - To organize an immense network
of neighborhood branches of unemployed work
ers and wives of unemployed at the same time
that we uncover the starvation that exists make
demands for immediate relief from the city gov
ernments and rich corporations, give a measure
of immediate relief through our unemployed
councils and branches in instances where the
need is acute.
How not to do It: We have before us two re-
ports which show us how not to carry on our
work of fighting for relief for starving families.
In an Ohio city the following happened. A COM
mttee from our unemployed council found
starving family. They took the name and adj
dress of the family to the police station, the
city's relief agency. The police sent an investi-
eating committee to the home of the family. The
police gave the family relief According to the
report, this is all that happened. In work
ers' neighborhood in Philadelphia the following
happened The neighborhood branch found
family that had lost its furniture because it had
not paid rent. constable had sold it upon the
demand of the landlord and had ev.cred the
family. The branch investigated the case.
friends of the evicted family went to court to
prosecute the constable.
What were the mistakes of our Ohio and
Philadelphia comrades? In the Ohio case our
comrades acted as capitalist charity agents of
the city government. They helped the police
prove that the police give relief. 1t is altogether
possible that the starving family that secured
relief from the police now thinks that the po-
lice and city government should be supported be-
cause of their kindness" And the workers in
the neighborhood of this starving family? They
have undoubtedly heard how kind and gen.
erous' the police were to this family. Instead
of proving to the workers in the neighborhood
and the starving family that the city govern
ment and police condemned this family to
starvation, that the capitalist government and
rich corporations are condemning thousands of
workers to starvation and death because they
refuse unemployment insurance and adequate
immediate relief instead of informing all work.
ers in this neighborhood by a neighborhood
meeting and by leaflet that the city government
is responsible for the starvation of this family
and organizing the workers in the neighborhood
into the branch of unemployed workers and TAX
ing committee of unemployed workers from
this neighborhood to the city government to CO.
operate in making demands for this starving
family, our committee, from the outside came,
found the starvation case, went to the police,
the police gave relief, the police got the credit
In the Philadelphia case the same mistakes
were made. The workers in the neighborhood
OF the family that was evicted and lost its furni-
ture were not modified, called to meeting in
formed about this case, not given voice
as to what to do in the matter, and on top of
all this wrong approach, the case was taken to
a capitalist court in an attempt to legally re-
cover the furniture which in the absence OF