The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-04-27
BY /. ANiTER.

- BY /. ANITER.
DILL THOMPSON, the ex-rnayor OF Chicago,
d has failed of reelection, and no doubt If he
had not been so clever. his relation to Al Capone
would have shown up the corruption of the re-
publican machine in Chicago and its very close
relations to the underground Jimmie Walker is
still mayor of New York, and the charges that
have been hurled at his Tammany Hall machine
unfold in only small measure the graft and cor
ruption that are part not only Of the Tammany
Hall machine, but part of the entire capitalist
system. so that it has become a fixed institution
of capitalism.
To the Ilrknowing worker it may appear that
there NAV be good and honest capitalist poll
ticians and dishonest men, and that the removal
of the latter will give the people honest admin
istrations That is not only the attitude of many
workers, but the excuse Of Jimmie Walker and
OF Norman Thomas. Bad men in office" today
are supposed to be the cause Of maladn1i1istra-
ton of office, and therefore the republicans and
the socialists in New York City, working through
the City Affairs Committee" headed by two
reverends. John Haynes Holmes and Rabbi Ste
phen Wise are bowling to heaven about the
corruption in City Hall
Is there graft and corruption in City Hall?
Mayor Walker denies it, although he made feeble,
we'll covered pretences of Investigating the sit
uation. His Investigations resulted in nothing,
for real investigation would have shown the
rotten corruption of the entire Tan1many Hall
machine as the ruling machine Of Wall Street
finance capital in New York City.
Can there be an honest capitalist administra-
ton? To answer this question, one must ask
whether honesty is possible under capitalism?
Not only honesty as the worker understands it,
but honesty according to the capitalist moral
code" Capitalism is based upon private proper
IF c7oiri
of greed. based upon the motto get rich" In
getting rich the private property owner cannot
consider the method employed but necessarily
resorts to any channel that will bring him to the
goal. This results in unScrupulousness, greed
pillage and plumber
The history of the great American fortunes is
3 history of the worst plumber, murder corrup-
ton and resort to all kinds of crime. Rookie
teller, Morgan, Gould, Vanderbilt Astor, Harri-
man-an of them have built their fortunes on
this foundation-robbery of the Indians, steal
ing of land and its resources corruption of public
officials, etc. This is the history of the country
of capitalism.
Or let us look at the stock exchanges recog-
nized institution Of capitalism. Is this a So
called honest" method of acquiring fortunes
and of losing them This is gambling exalted
to an honest" profession. That this has be-
come the method by which men are judged, let
us but look at the men who have built America
the engineers, teehnicians and the millions of
workers who actually have participated in the
building of the country, and we find that they
are respected" and stand high in the com
munity" not in proportion to what they have
accomplished, but to what they have amassed in
fortunes for themselves. Gould did not build
railways-he merely furnished the money by
dubious and openly corrupt means for the pay
OF the men who did the building.
That this spirit and practice goes over into
public institutions is natural How otherwise
does one explain that men in high position &C
cept public office with relatively lower salaries?
Public spirit" as they call It? Nothing of the
kind Public office is the easiest form of graft
What is the lobby in Washington for, repre-
senting the billions of American capital and the
various interests in the country? What are the
Hobbies in every state capitol for, fighting for
their special interests? What are most of the
u S. senators and congressman, but representa-
tves of the corporations and trusts to protect
and further their interests? How else are they
nominated and elected but as representatives
and agents of the dominant groups whom they
represent in public office? How else then can