The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-09
Part

GATHER around, all you unemployed, and list
u en- to a tale that will give you renewed faith
in our benevolent masters. The tale Of how
the master minds put their intelects CD to work,
rolled up their silk shirt sleeves, and solved the
problem of the unemployed situation in the
sixth largest city OF our fair and God fearing
country.
No doubt you have req in the daily news
papers that the Echo Dairy Co. Of Cleveland,
Ohio admitted dumping $500 gallons Of pure
milk down the sewers every day, and told how
it was the practice Of all milk companies here
in the city to do the same with their surplus;
when asked the reason Of this waste and why
they didn't donate it to the schools, the an
swer was that it would spoil business and the
price Of milk had to be kept up-but let me tell
you comrades, that wasn't the real reason. 1t
was because here I'm the city where none shall
go homeless and hungry" they have solved that
problem that has even our President haffled
The farmers are feeding their crops to hogs
around the countryside, and are burning wheat
for fuel all because everybody here has plenty
Of everything. Owners Of apartment homes are
having them torn down (they say because te-
nantS don't pay rent and it is cheaper to pay
taxes on the lot instead of the apartment), but
here is housed. (Why even the city maintains
a Wayfarer's Lodge, for transientS True-its
q little overcrowded, and only % died within
four months due to unsanitary conditions, but
that's to be expected in a thriving city, where
everybody has been or is being put to work..
Up to about three months ago Cleveland had
an unemployed population Of around 10000
men and women. Things were in a pretty bad
mess. The charities were overtaxed, what with
supporting large overhead and staffs Of in
vestigators who were drawing down salaries Of
500 month and more. What with maintain
ing large and well furnished offices was it any
| wonder that here they were taxing their great
minds in dividing up a community fund Of
100000 which they had just raised, supposed
to be for charitable purposes? I say they were
dividing It up so that the YMC.A, the WV.
CA, the Boy Scouts the Camp Fire Girls and
a hundred other parasitic organizations were
getting their fair share Of it, SO that what re-
manned Of it (about one-third) went to the sup
port of those that could humble themselves the
most, answering more personal questions that
made them feel as though they were worse than
dogs
OF every 10 families that applied for relief
1t was only possible to investigate and take care
of three of them, and that at an average Of
about S. week per family. which in most cases
made cut less than a dollar a week per person
Rents they couldn't and wouldn't pay until a
family was evicted and then they moved them
into novels that were worse than barns. Gas
and electric were shut off. No coal to heat
their homes was furnished
When the people started to wake up and real
ize that they were starving in the midst of
plenty going cold when the railroad and coal
yards were well stocked, and being put on the
street. with empty homes aplenty they started
to organize unemployed councils and to resist
the evictions with the result that the owners
called upon the law and order upholders. and
started to club and shoot down unarmed ur-
employed workers. In one such affair two col
ored workers Rayford and Jackson were nur-
dered in cold blood In another eviction, a
Jewish workers we're dubbed, and three other
Jewish workers arrested in resisting an evic-
ton Of an Italian unemployed family.
Girls were offering themselves for sale In
order to exist, and so things we're getting to a
pretty bad way when those who have our well
fare at heart realized that the name Of our
fair city was being dragged down in the gutter
and something had to be done.