The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-05
His Speech to the Legion

ROOSEVELT took an aeroplane to the Chicago Con-
vention of the American Legion to grind his heel
into the faces of the thousands of war
veterans who fighting for the cash payment Of the
bonus and against the deep sashes in their compen-
sston benefits
Dropping somewhat the liberal mask that he has
been wearing, Roosevelt speech that had the I'M
mstskable beat of wartime jingosm in it, declared
to the veterans of the country that it is in the name
of national unity that they must give up all hopes
OF the bonus, that they must endure the tremendous
cuts in their compensation benefits.
Hitler is very fond of the same national unity
phrase. Only the other day, he told his Fascist Storm
Troopers that their duty destroy all those who
would break national unity"
What is this national unity" of which both Roose-
veit and Hitler so fond?
The phrase about national unity is nothing but
cloak to conceal the that every capitalist ruler
be ii Hitler Roosevelt is the agent and instrument
of the capitalist class in this instance, Morgan
Rockefeller clique of finance capitalists at Wall Street
The Roosevelt Government is not government of
national unity" 1t is the government of the ruling
capitalist class of the Wall Street pnderers and ex
ploiters against the vast toing propertyess popua
ton 1t is to hide this fact that Roosevelt pirates
about national unity
BEHIND the phrase of national unity the Roose-
veit Government has gone ahead with brutal pro-
gram OF driving down the veterans with the sole pur-
pose of paying off the Wall Street banks and giant
multi millionaire capitalist nvestorsl
Behind the phrase of national unity" Roosevelt
dashed $40O0OO0O0 from the veterans compensation
But he did not say that to balance the budget
meant taking the s400OOO,OOO from the veterans in
order to off part of the S7500O0OOO government
bond investments of the Wall Street banks
Roosevelt tranpled the bonus claims of the vet
erane in the of national unity"
But he did not tell the veterans that he appro-
prated within the last six months S60OOOOO0O for the
regular Army and Navy budget and an additional
600 from the socalled vast military pork bar
rel ironically named the public works fund.- making
total of close to billion dollars half year for
the greatest war preparations program in history,
The funds, that should go for the bonus and vet
Grams compensation going to build batteships and
bombing planesl Roosevelt did not tell The veterans
that.
Roosevelt had the gall to tell the veterans that his
government sis less and willing to tolerate benefits
for group of citizens which must be paid for by
Others"
He had the gall to say this after his agent in the
RF.Cq Jesse Jones, has already handed out millions
of the government funds to the rich railroads and
banks, and has just promised big industry another
billion in fat subsidies
He had the gall to say that after his administra-
ton has handed out millions upon millions to rich
Southern plantation landlords in generous bounties
for destroying cottonl
IN spirit of jingosm that not be distinguished
from the speeches of Hitler Roosevelt declared:
There are two enemies of national unity, sec
tionslism and class If the spirit class is allowed
to grow strong TO prevail, it means the end of
national unity and patriotism. If social order
means anything to u.s. it is worth defending every
day of life. 81. I have called you to the coIors
again, As your commander chief l am confident
you will respond"
In these words of Roosevelt unmistakabe harsh
and brutal is the spirit Of capitalist Fas-
cism
In these words, Roosevelt in precisely the same
way the Fascist ruler Hitler calls unon the military
upper crust of the Legion to consider itself as the or
ganzed bulwark against the efforts not only of the
veterans but of the whole toilng population to fight
against the Wall Street starvation program of the
Roosevelt Government.
And it is call that has been answered The
bureaucracy of the American Legion the rich business
men, the Army officers the capitalist politicians have
already Joined with Roosevelt in the fight against the
rank and file Legionnaires who want the bonus and
adequate compensation benefits This upper crust has
already betrayed the decision of the last Legion Con-
vention in favor of the bonus
sis When Roosevelt sounds the war cry against the
spirit of class" he is summonng UP every force of
reaction and mtarism to prepare to defend the in
terests of Wall Street against the rising anger of the
world veterans and the hungry masses everywhere
Such call is call to the rank and file veterans
to stand idly by while the Roosevelt Government
plumbers the people to fatten the bankers and the war
budget
Roosevelts American Legion speech is a, challenge
to the rank and file veterans as well as it Is ctsl
lenge to the entire working class
It Is challenge that can be htttngly answered oy
unrernittng organization and struggle in every Post
Of the Legion, and by the growing fight of the Workers
Ex-ServicesnerIs Leesus
III A united front OF all rank and file veterans can
force Roosevelt the Wan Street agent and 7var-n1aker
to deliver to the veterans what Is due them their
bonus and their compensation payments
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