The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-02-07
Jerry, Small Town
Worker

workers, "a radio in every home" etc.
So when once said to him, What
about the worker who is worse off
than the worker in Europe, who has
no job?" he waved his hand, brush
ing my argument aside, and ex-
claimed, "Ah, what are you talking
about? Yes. maybe bum here and
there who doesn't want to work
/ hasn't got Job, but well, look
at me- look at my friend Joe, look"
1 Words stuck in his throat. He was
happy.
Late in 1929 the New York stock
market crashed Jerry wasn't even
interested. What of it? He had no
money in investments. in securities
!. !, thank God, he made enough to
\ pay on installments for his automo-
bile and his radio and new bedroom
| furniture. The market crashed?
Serves the. gamblers right. I told
Jerry about the case Of q man, Mr..
Cramer, who lived on the next street.
Cramer had been tipped off earlier
in the year onNa stock, had borrowed
money, had made paper profit OF
sixty thousand dollars in three
months. The man Cramer went
nuts. On the strength of his paper
profit he borrowed more and more
money and sank it into his stock.
He lost every cent when the market
crashed. You see Crarner now"
\ said Hes carrying dinner pail to
the factory
Serves the damn fool right" said
Jerry.
Jerry knew that the shoe factory
was one of the largest in the coun-
try, and that the owner was a nlil-
lonaire. OF course that's why the
owner could afford to be SO good to
his employees. Jerry's reasoning
didn't go further. If 1t did. he would
have given more thought to the stock
market crash.
Small town in the winter Of 1929.
American Coolidge economy. Eff
cheney experts. More statistics. Talk
of supply and demand" Workers
walking the streets. and not many
streets to walk Shoe factory the
leading industry of the town, about
the only place for a foreign-born
worker to look for work. Hoover an
nouncements in the newspapers, bold
type. Business picking up. A return
to normally next month.
The following month came across
Jerry again. Frightened eyes. Ner-
vous fingers twisting a cigarette.
whats the matter, Jerry, looking
for work."
No, Jerry still had his job, Still on
the payroll. But what helluva pre-
dicament he was in. Half the work
ers fired Factory running half time.
Efficiency experts working overtime.
More workers fired. Bulletin an
nouncements: due to depression in
industry our employees must double
their efforts" Jerry was working
like horse. Anything to hold on to
his job. He had become a nervous
worker, a worker afraid OF his Job.
afraid of everything, afraid OF the
machine. Any slip, any trivial mis-
take out on your can Eff
cheney, doubled efforts, if you want
your weeks pay.
God damn it." said Jerry, my
wife :" his voice shook.
1 4Wife going to have another
baby?"
Next year." said Jerry. He smiled
1 feebly.
"oh, that's o. K. Next year wen
have American prosperity again, Ell,
Jerry?"
1 "Oh, sure" said Jerry. He didn't
look straight at me.
1.-THE tariff is in force" said.
tThat1l help American industry.
Hoover said that, you know"
Jerry spat on the sidewalk. ITO
hell with Hoover" His voice was
scarcely louder than a whisper.
Jerry, maybe your boss'n invite
you over to the house to have steak
and mushrooms, eh, Jerry?"
"Don't be goddam fool" said
Jerry.
The year 1890 The press screams:
business Picking Up" Announce
ment by the U. S. Department OF
Labor: Cost of Living Not So High
Now" Announcement by the Amer
lean Federation of Labor: Increase
in Employment"
I met Jerry in June. I met .
sorry case of man. A strong man
with hollow cheeks, sunken eyes
trembling hands. No cigarette in the
4 fingers now. No half time work In
the factory now. No American pros
perity now. Jerry kicked out on his
can. Jerry walking the streets Of .
small town looking for work.
accompanied him to his homA
Home! Where's your automobilef
Where's your radio? Jerry had paid
in a few hundred dollars for these
I American prosperity necessities. Nee
essities and money shot to hell Back
to where they came from. Jerry took
me into the bedroom and pointed
silently. Jerry, where's the bed.
where's the bedroom furnituref"
Gone, back to where thew came from