The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-01-26
WORKERS ON THE MARCH

When President Green of The conservative Arneri-
can Federation of Labor declares that his legion of
25OOO0O unionists soon will be the march for
perhaps such a battle labor movement has
fought before" the government and business lead
ers of the country must listen.
When President Edward O'Neal Of the even more
conservative American Farm Bureau Federation says
unless something is done tor the American farmer
we will have revolution the countryside in less
than twelve months" the government and business
leaders of the country can not ignore the warning
Both of these spokesman of the toilers of city
and farm unfurled their battle flags wednesday.
When last fall Mr.. Green, on the fedeIation's
convention platform in Cincinnati, threatened the
use of forceful methods" achieving the 3O-hour
week and higher wages, his words had ominous
sound.
Criticism broke forth. Censure did not drive him
to cover for in an interview in Nations Business,
organ of the United States Chamber of Commerce,
he repeats that he meant what he said, and more.
we SHALL" he said fight with every legitimate
weapon at our command to restore the kind of
America in which have chance in his
own right There has been fear that we are in
earnest Let me use this opportunity to doublerivet
the assurance that we in earnest.
THE measure of our earnestness is the measure
of the hunger Of those who have TO work and no
food of those who are being cast into the streets
and driven to the cutters in exhaustion at the end
of a long and futile search for work and economic
safety"
Mr. Green does not reveal his plans, other than
to explain that he means economic force rather than
the use of weapons He does reveal labors peace
terms. These include:
Short work hours and higher wages; the right to
organize; federal regulation of corporations doing
interstate business; national economic planning;
protection of investors recognition of the equity CT
workers in the industries in which they work; gov
eminent control of credit to finance production; a
federal agency to standardize data to labor in
come available work. economic ballots security
through unemployment insurance; fair distribution
of wealth through taxation of unearned income.
American labor, he explains has not gone Wild
1t simply has come to what it is determined shall
be the end of the road of suffering
The significance of this defiant note is not that
here is a new Mr.. Green speaking. 1t is that new
union labor is speaking. Mr. Green has
marched ahead of his rank and file. That he now
speaks militantly, desperately, shows that he has
been forced by his members to do SO.
The same is true of Mr.. ONeal and his farmers.
These warnings are not bluff. Behind them is
the explosive desperation of vast majority of
American citizens
Speedy government relief is imperatve-rot only
emergency hunger relief but liberation of private
credit and a constructive federal program for re-
forestation hydro-electric development, and slum
abatement sufficient to supply the employment and
orders to start up the basic industries to employ the
obless to create market for products of factories
and farms.