The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-11-21
TheHOneIeSS
Youth and
Relief Fight
BY SADIE VAN yEEN

BY SADIE VAN VEEN
IN the United States at the present
4 time. nearly half a million BOYS
between the ages Of IL and 81 are
roaming the country in search of
food. According to the regiStra-
ton department Of the Bureau for
the Homeless, 5000 of these young
boys are in New York without food
or shelter, eating and sleeping
where they cana prey to every
danger, disease, accident and starv-
alton.
Many thousands Of these home
les wanderers, hopping freight
trains across the country, are in
danger of being crippled or killed.
On one railroad system more than
fifty boys were killed last winter.
The toll of accidents and death
is not known. Railroad officials in
Kansas City report that in one
month alone more than fifteen
hundred boys passed through the
city on freight trains.
NO FOOD AT HOME
This great army Of the youth of
the United States is forced out on
the road because there are no jobs
at home. Thousands of the boys
are fresh from grammar and high
schools. Many of them are COL
lege graduates. Others have had
jobs for years, but are now in the
army Of the unemployed.
In many cases the boys belong
TO families that have broken up,
each member out in search of food
and shelter. Sometimes the mother
and the youngest child are taken
in by relatives or friends while the
rest OF the family goes on the road.
THE instances of cruelty and cal
louSness on the part of city and
charity. organizations in bringing
misery and despair to the fam
lilies Of the unemployed are too
numerous to go into here. The I'M
employed of every city in the land
could tell many tales about it.
HOMELESS WAITS
The greatest number of the
homeless boys are forced to leave
home for the reason that there is
not food enough at home to go
around and they go on the road
hoping to find some way to pro-
vide for themselves and hoping
also to be able to get some work
and send few dollars home to
the family.
The nine Scottsboro boys are
q typical example. They left home
looking for work. Mrs. Wright. the
mother of two of the Scottsboro
boys was not anxious to see her
boys leave home even though she
was earning only six dollars with
which to provide food for herself,
her two boys and her little girl.
The frame-up of the Scottsboro
boys and the danger Of the electric
chair are typical of the dangers
of all the Negro boys on the road.
Both white ard Negro boys in the
south are picked up and sent to
the Infamous chain gangs,
nR1SON authorities have reported
1 that the jails of the country are
filled at the present time with
young boys Of 81 and under. While
thousands have been picked up on
the road for vagrancy and sent to
jail, many others, according to the
reports turn to theft as the only
way left to provide food for empty
stomachS.
ACCORDING to the official fig
n ures Of the U. S. Bureau of
Census there are at the present
time 100000 boys and girls Of
school age, not in school. Where
are they?
These millions Of children be-
long to the unemployed and face
cold and hunger this coming
winter.
This is the situation of the youth
of the working class in country
bursting with piled up food, shoes,
clothing, and with thousands of
empty houses and apartments. This
is the way that the bfliionaires of
the country deal with the children
of the workers. This is capital
ism in the richest country in the
world.
Hearst's New YORK. American Sug-
gests that the homeless boys be
recruited into military camps. They
would like to make soldiers out of
the boys and bride them with food
and shelter, to shoot down other
workers who fight against unem-
ployment and starvation.
Unemployment insurance would
save the children of the workers
and the tens Of thousands of
homeless boys. Unemployment in
surance and winter relief would
mean food, shelter and clothing
for them and their families.
WILL JOIN
HUNGER MARCH
In the forthcoming hunger march
to Washington many of these boys
will take their place along with
other thousands Of unemployed.
The hungry and homeless unem-
ployed, men, women and children
Of the country are fast learning
that they have nothing to hope for
from this system and its Wall
Street government. They are learn
ing that while the millionaires and
high officials are pretending to
Weeu for the unenpIoved thew