The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-05-12

Believe it or not" Ripley, the guy who gath
ers what are supposed to be facts, "freak facts
published as sketches in the Hearst press to
divert the mind Of the masses from their vital
interests is back in America after voyage in
which he was supposed to be collecting Facts
His radio broadcast on arrival reminded us
of little argument with him, referring to our
exposure of a second hand anti-Soviet lie in
a Spark published Dec. 7th, last. The Herald
Examiner of Chicago on Nov. 80, was one of
the papers running Ripley's sketches the follow
ing item:
"THE MERCIFUL MURDERER-Dr. Alexi !
Sukov, of Moscow, poisoned 40 of his incurable
patients to save them further suffering and |
than committed suicide! The Soviet govern
ment will erect monument to his HUMANE !
NESS"
Along with it, was nothing less than a "pic-
ture' of the doctor" And we questioned the
whole tale, especially the obvious lie that the
Soviet was erecting a monument for this i'm
aginary doctor"
AS Ripley's sketches bear the challenge that
he will give $500 if any of his facts" are dis
proven, some reader of Red Sparks evidently
sent our Spark to Ripleys office (where sone~
body else does most of the work. Of course)s
ana Ine ring PedVuIe Oy1lulCdIe, WHO ludIhSCS
his stuff, sent us what it calls proof" over
Ripleys signature.
He explained that he got the story from the
Vienna Austria, "Arbeiter zeitung," which he
pleasantly misrepresents as a workers newspa~
per-" dated Oct. 25, 1881, and goes on in detail
to tell us that that newspaper is in the N. Y.
Public Library, as is also anothsr paper PUBLISH
ed in Warsaw Poland from which the papers
November issue he COPIED the picture" of this
doctor" All this explanation" is wound up
with: There is no capitalistic faint in the
quotation from Abeiter zeitung.'"
Oh, isn't there! Well, Mr.. Ripley, either you
have been in pickle for fifteen years, or are
even simpler minded than you look-or you sure-
ly have heard that the so-called socialist" par
ties of all this world are the most poisonous
| liars against the Soviet Union. And this is not
the first time the Vienna "Arbeter zeitung"
has lied about the Soviet Union and defended
capitalism, as an organ of the fake socialist"
| party of Austria.
In the Nov. 7th issue of the "Arbeter Zeit-
ung,' for example, it tries to make the workers
believe that the process of mergers and mono
/ polization of industry which is being speeded up
as result of the crisis, is Transforming" CAPT.
| talism into socialism, and, therefore, the workers
need only look on instead of overthrowing capi~
| talism. The "Arbeiter zeitung' voices the lying
slogans of the so-caled "Austro -Marxists" that
socialism is impossible in one country, speci-
ficaly "a small, poor country" (the big rich ones.
of course, don't need it,, thus giving wonder
full excuse to oppose revoution-and defend cap-
| italisn-in this that or the other country, deny
ing the whole piece by piece
If this has mo capitalistic faint" we don't
know what does. In fact, we suggest that Ripley
should make composite picture Of the leaders
of the world socialist" parties and say: "Be-
leve it or not these scoundrels who call them
selves socialists are the worst foes of social
ISM"
In the case of the "merciful murderer" it is
clear that the Socialist Arbeiter zeitung set
the pace for all the other capitalist liars. For ii
is clear, is it not that with thousands of papers
being published in the Soviet Union, if the So
Wet government was so proud of this imaginary
doctor" that it going to build monument
for him, some of the Soviet papers would publish
both the story and the picture, and Ripley woulc
notorious for anti-Soviet lies. But Ripley cannot
find anything in the Soviet press, which is also
in the N. Y. Public Library.
-.cd G-.c.'-3 - f." 40 rc~t us in a COP,
OF Ripleys PROOF, with the advice that We
should be more careful, should get hep to him.
self. As we figure 1t. Ripleys proof is nc
proof at all, and the Daily Worker needs tina
Il $500 But we have no idea that we win get II