The daily worker., 1932-12-16
BY II. NJ. WICKS

By ii, NJ. WICKS
ALL the combined agencies of
n capitalism are trying to dlsin-
tegrate the mass movement against
the Wall Street hunger program
by sowing illusions that Roosevelt
will do something for them when
he takes the oath of Office as pres
ident of the United States on
March 4. To blast this idea let
us consider what Roosevelt, as
governor of the state of New York
is doing at the special session OF
the state legislature. In his mes
sage he put forth three-point
program.
THE "THREE-POINT
PROGRAM
First, he wants changes in the
state laws fixing salaries of public
service workers so they can be re-
duced in order that the cities may
pay dividends to the holders Of
city bonds.
Secondly, he urges immediate
study of plans for structural
changes in the government of New
York City, with a view to EFFECT
ing permanent and far-reaching
economics and securing greater
efficiency" That means imme-
diately to slash the number of en-
ployeeS, consolidate departments,
effect changes that will make the
administration of capitalist gov
ernment cheaper for the capital
lists, and slap on ten cent sub
way, elevated and surface car fare
for the workers.
Thirdly, he recommends that
the legislature should authorize
the appointment of state financial
agents to assume control of the
expenditures of local governmental
units in cases of default. This
means that the state shall add to
its bureaucratic machine a host of
financial agents who will have
power to dictate expenditures to
city and other governmental bodies
so that the holders of city bonds
shall be assured dividends. In
other words, an official receiver
ship shall be established with
authority to slash wages of city,
town and county employees; to
impose taxes, to boost car fare
rates and do all the other things
demanded of the Wall Street
bankers.
WHAT OF PRE-ELECTION
PROMISES?
Franklin D. Roosevelt, as candi-
date for president, used the term
forgotten man" to catch the votes
of the unemployed workers and
impoverished farmers. He wanted
to make the hungry masses believe
that although they had been for
gotten by the Hoover administra-
ton he would not forget them. 1t
was indeed an effective play upon
words that, while promising moth
ing, inspired in many the hope Of
a new deal" 1t was with such
cheap, shabby and contemplate
catch-words that the man who
was placed in the governors chair
in the state Of New York by Tam
many Hall played with the misery
and tragic suffering of the toiling
masses to reach the White House
at Washington.
FROM the beginning to the end
L of his campaign this man de-
voted his national radio broad
casts to promises to help the un-
employed workers and impoyerish-
ed farmers. When he made his
final plea to the voters Of the
country at Poughkeepsie, New
York, on the eve of the election,
he promised:
"Just as long as I am governor
of this State i decline to do any
thing less than to see to it that
no man, woman or child shall
starve in this State. New York
Times report, Tuesday, Novem-
ber s, 1882.
At the time he uttered those
words men, women and children
were dying for lack of food,
throughout the state of New York.
In the New York City hospitals,
exclusive Of Belleville. according to
the report of DR.. Caroline r. Mar
tin, registrar of medical records
for the Department of Hospitals,
the total of starvation, inanition
(something so close to starvation
that medical men cannot tell the
f1iffpTannDl oI sft.ff
exceeded those of the year 1881.
There were 433 such cases in these
city hospitals. No one knows or
can know how many thousands of
deaths in tenements and novels
are concealed in the mortality
records.
Not only dose Roosevelt not