The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-05-28
Gangsters, Unemployment and Wage Cuts


IITHEN American capitalism entered the sever
" est crisis in its history beginning in 1929,
over 100000 workers lost their jobs and were
thrown on the streets to starve. Unemploy-
nent had been growing even during so-caIed
prosperity" periods, with the development of
naturalization, speed-up, higher technique, i'm
proved machinery and more efficient methods Of
squeezing profits out of the workers.
To combat the widespread starvation of the
workers the Communist Party and Trade Union
Unity League organized Unemployment Coun-
ellis, led the workers in demonstrations demand
ing immediate relief and unemployment insur-
ance. On March g. 1880, over 1,250,OOO workers
demonstrated throughout the United States for
unemployment insurance and against starva-
ton forced on the unemployed by capitalism
At these demonstrations a reign of terror was
unleashed against the workers. The gangster
element and the same police who are aligned
with the gangsters in every city slugged beat
and murdered workers.
Factory gate meetings, attempting to rally the
employed in the struggle together with the
unemployed, were set upon by company gang
sters and gunner, by police and the usual run
of sluggers that the employers mobilize to break
strikes.
Milwaukee Socialists
In Milwaukee, the socialist police did the job,
falling dozens of workers for long terms-for
the crime 70 leading unemployed demonstrations.
Speakeasies, dope dens and bawdy houses have
free reign in Milwaukee, with the connivance
of the socialist police, but an unemployment
demonstration, of, course, is one of the worst
crimes against capitalism.
AL Capone took hand in the unemployment
situation, and his actions tended to mislead many
workers as to the role of gangsters in the every
day struggles Of the workers. Capone to prove
his "benevoence" toward the workers ran his
own bread line. He advertised himself as a
friend" of the unemployed. This is the role
o< the New York police department which has
slugged thousands of unemployed, and at the
same time makes a pretense of giving food to
the unemployed through the police stations
Every charity organization of the capitalists
has its gang of "bouncers," recruited from the
lower ranks of the gangster element to eject
starving workers who become too insistent on
demanding relief for their starving families.
The Salvation Army in New York, started the
novelty of childrens bread line and hired
thugs to bully the workers children. They carry
clubs and on more than one occasion have
beaten young children.
AS the struggle for unemployment relief grows
sharper more gsngsters will be employed against
the iobless. The state police, the official gun
men of the big industr1alists slugged unemployed
hunger marchers in the state capitols at Albany
New York and Annapolis, Maryland
Wages and Gunner
Many workers are inclined to make heroes OF
the gangsters, especially the more successful ones
whose Doodle reaches the million. The tabloid
sheets of the capitalist press. especially gloat
over Capone, Rothstein, Legs Diamond as well
as the trade union gangsters, such as Vacarelli,
Breach of New York; Nelson, Umbrella Mike,
and the thousands Of others Of Chicago They
look upon them as successful business men"
who have made comfortable fortune and are
entitled to it,
In the local trade unions of the American
Federation of Labor, the gangsters, who are in
timately connected with the bosses try to justify
themselves and win the workers approval. The
basis for it is that the gangsters give the i'm
preston that their methods are used, not only
for personal graft, but to keep the workers
wages up. This idea had the greatest prevalence
in the building and allied trades, where the
gangsters got the firmest hold.
Controlling the A. +. of L. Unions
In the highly skilled trades the gangsters OBJ
tanned control Of the unions where the special
position of the skilled workers for while during
the building boom got them a scale Of wages
above the great mass Of unsdlled and factory