The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-02-08
By HARRY CANNES

Three men of god stand out among the rest
offering to lead the workers out of the wilder
ness of capitalist unemployment and into the
valleys of plenty We will hear much more from
all three as the crisis grows and as unemploy-
ment takes heavier toll of deaths and starvation.
Father Cox is recent conner, using new meth
DDS, receiving the support of the leading CAPT
talist elements Of Pittsburgh. The reverend Nor
man Thomas and the reverend A. j. Music and
two others, believe the Socialist party is the
best instrument for leading the workers away
from the revolutionary devil They believe So
cialist phrases 1ll the stomach with greater
savoriness than the crude speeches of Father
Cox.
Music works mainly through the Conference
for Progressive Labor Action and now that he
is loud in support of what he claims is strug-
gle for Unemployment insurance it would be
well to trace the history of his program during
the present crisis. Muste's basic principle is to
work with the A. F.. of L.
In Sept 1929 when the crisis was beginning
to play havoc with the workers, what was Mustes
answer? Concluding long article in the official
organ Labor Age" on the political activity of
the workers, Music agitated the workers to-
Let the American Federation of Labor give
the lead. Let us begin to build solidly up
from the bottom, on however small scale at
the outset Independent party of labor
Shades of MacDonaFdD and all the liberal and
honest elements of the NJ ton will rally to the
A. F. of L. as they have done in many day.
and the slogan double the membership will be
translated into reality"
Wage Cuts
Two months later the A. F. of L. leadership
accepted the bosses mo strike" agreement and
proceeded to help cut wages, which, according
to Mr.. Green himself, for the duration of the
crisis, cost the workers $1,000 100000 a month
or about $28,OO0000,00O since the crisis began.
Let the A F. of L. lead" said Music.
At the same time the A. F. of L. was rapidly
losing membership when the role of the A. F.. of
L. officialdom was to act as the main instrument
in helping the bosses to put the burden of the
crisis onto the backs of the workers. Music
spread the illusion about double the member
ship" of the A. r. of L.
Music and the Crisis
On came the crisis with its crushing blows
against the workers. All of the contradictions of
capitalism coming to the surface World
capitalism was crumbling and the Communist
Party pointed the road to revolutionary strug-
gle. The Communist Party proposed a struggle
for unemployment insurance, based on the mass
fight Of the workers, winning relief by class
action, weakening the capitalists struggle, to
PACFCilS CiicLH 1lOul JIdIlSleIlIlg Gne DurQSn TO
the workers, and fighting to prevent them from
ending their crisis in capitalist way.
The chief answer II the Communist Party
to the crisis was struggle every trent against
capitalism-fighting against wage cuts, building
the revolutionary trade unions, carrying on a
mighty battle for unemployment insurance
building the revolutionary party of the workers
for its conscious task of rallying the workers for
ending capitalism
What was the Conference for Progressive Labor
Actions answer to the crisisp Louis Francis
Budenz, one of the Muste's lieutenants tells the
workers: Unemployment Insurance is the chief
answer to the crisis here and now" CLabor Age
July 1890. In other words, pass the Music I'M
employment insurance bill and, 10 and behold
the crisis is solved Capitalism is saved and the
workers keep on Shaving until the next crisis
comes on.
What is the magical formula of unemployment
insurance that Music offered First of all it
is based on the collaboration of the 12OooOoo
unemployed with the wage-cutters the expoiter
and the capitalist government The Music I'M
employment insurance bill went through several
stages before Music thought it was in proper
-hapc to mislead the workers The first draft
vas as follows Z
perhaps the simplest plan in the United
states would be one in which the employer the
worker, and the state government each contri-
buted / y per cent of the wage or salary The
national government could add another per