The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-11-17

ers, industrialists, etc, were much
alarmed by the response Of the
masses and success Of the confer
ence to such an extent that few
days after the United Front Confer
ence which decided on a Hunger
March to City Hall on october 81,
Wilfred S. Reynolds, Executive Sec
rotary of the Illinois Emergency
Relief Commission, was sent to
Washington, D. c., and upon his
arrival, at meeting Of the Re
construction Finance Corporation,
declared as follows:
'The unemployed are becom-
ing organized and showing dis
position to act up. We face
serious situation in Chicago un-
less we restore the old food level"
And the RIG. Immediately ap-
propriated $6,3o3, 10000, of which
$5,554,500.00 was for Cook County
and the rest remained for the state
of Illinois. This was victory and
it was victory for the working
class and shows very definitely that
only under the leadership Of the
Unemployed Councils, supported by
the Communist Party, could such
a victory have been won. The bour-
geoisie attnpted to show that there
is no need for Hunger Marches fo1
the Chicago Daily News wrote:
an the light Of that fact (get-
ting the $500, 000, the unem-
ployed demonstration planned for
next Monday loses the sharp edge
of its protest. However, it should
serve as a warning to Springfield
that there must be no further
faltering with the acute unem-
ployment situation"
Mayor Cermak got busy and CAL
led a meeting Of bankers, manu-
facturers, members of the State
Legislature, and city council, to
which representatives of the unem-
ployed were invited, and at this
meeting Mayor Cermak declared:
"We are sitting on keg Of dy-
Mantle"
At this meeting announcements
were already made that the fifty
per cent cut in relief would be
withdrawn and State Senator
Richard j. Barr, of Joliet, a repub-
lican majority leader, came forward
with the proposal Of raising S75,-
100000 by a two per cent general
state wide sales tax. The repre-
sentatives of the Unemployed
Council spoke sharply against this
proposal as putting the burden of
the crisis upon the toiling masses,
workers, farmers and petty bour-
geoisie and brought forward pro-
gram to tax the rich, to place taxes
upon incomes above $1,000 year,
and property above $4,000, cutting
down the budget for police, high
salaries, etc, and pressing their
demands, including the demand for
unemployment insurance at the ex-
pense of the bosses and govern
ment.
While the bourgeoisie were ma
neuvering in an attempt to upset
the plans for a, Cook County Hun
ger March to City Hall by methods
enumerated above, Mayor Cermak
declared definitely that there would
be no permit for a Hunger March.
He changed his mind, however,
under the pressure of the masses
and finally a permit was issued.
Then the Chief of Police, Altman,
declared that no red flags or revo-
lutionary banners would be carried
in the parade. This order Of the
chief of police was openly defied
by the Unemployed Councils and
the Communist Party.
THE HUNGER MARCH
On October 81 Hunger Marches
started from the South, West and
North, marching to theeloop TO City
Hall. At every starting point a
committee of Is was elected to go
to City Hall and present the de-
mands. They were elected by about
$4,000 hunger marchers and pre-
sented the demands to the mayor.
(T'he demands have been printed
previously in full in the Daily
Worker) Mayor Cermak told the
delegation the following:
II heartily endorse your pro-
gram. But what is the use? We
haven't the money TO erect new
buildings and provide work. You
must go to the legislature or the
R.F.C. I have been trying to get
money to help you"
The delegation very correctly
answered this, pointing out how
and where money could be OBJ
tanned. But it is necessary at this
time to remind Tony Cermak that
when he campaigned for mayor in
1880, he declared on the eve of
election: II will solve the problem
Of unemployment" These are the
exact words Of Tony Cermak on
the eve Of the elections In 1880.
Compare these words with the
above statement.
The next day the delegation re-