The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-30
KNOW THE ENEMY,
FIGHT THE BOSS!
SAYS j. S. SOLDIER
Describes Misery of
Army Life; Brutality
Hunger and Low Pay

GOVERNORS ISLAND, N. Y, Jan.
29.--On this island here we have
just as much misery as the sixteen
million unemployed all over the
country They tell us that when we
Join the army that we arc going to
be educated and built up to be re-
spectacle citizens of our great Amer
lea. But ! am going to give my per-
sonal opinion about the statements
they are handing out TO our fellow
men after they sign up for three
years of suffering.
First of all they give us uniforms
and a rusty rifle. Then you've got
to work all day and night for at
least week before you ret that ar
ticie clean, and il you do,35 get that
rifle clean just as they want 1t, then
you get the following punishment:
az Kitchen police. Now, you say,
what do mean by kitchen police?
In plain English-dishwasher floor
Scrubber, etc. Now, felloW-worke
if you can stand this punishment for
a week at an average OF 16 hours a
day, then you cannot call yourself
a human being. II you happen to
break the rules of the bosses, then
you are sent down the road for six
months. After you are out OF the
prison, you go back to active duty
dressed up as a prisoner in overalls,
and then the fun begins. In the
morning you sweep and scrub the
floor and the toilet. Next you go
marching down to the good old stable
and there you sweep and scrub.
After comes the mules grooming. BY
tbs. time that's over it is dinner time,
and let me tell you the meals are
not so hot. After dinner you go out
and learn how to defend yourself
against your supposed to be enemy,
and most of the soldiers don't know
who is this supposed to be enemy.
tell you who it is-our father,
mother, brother and sister. Now I
want you fellow workers to think it
over whether am right or not. Yes,
think of it. Now, I haven't said
much about myself, as you know 1
am a nom commissioned officer in
the so-called u. S. Army and 1 have
some or just as much privilege as a
cop has in the city. So am used
as a weapon by the boss class. But
in spite of the fact that l am an
officer-that don't mean that / have
to treat my felloWnen as an enemy,
Now, you take the soldiers of the
army, they are unemployed. or rather
employed by forced labor. Now you
would say that they are getting paid
1t is true they are supposed to draw
S2l a month. The bosses have a
check system, by which they are rob-
bling the soldiers of their pay. / am
going to give you in detail just how
the bosses are robbing us soldiers
First OF all 81 worth of this check
goes for the cutting or fitting of a
suit. Second, you must at least have
your suit cleaned twice a month, and
that viii cost SO. Then you have TO
have your shoes repaired, and that
costs So. Now comes the cleaning ma
terial, and that costs 81. Then your
haircut that costs 81. Then there's
the laundry cost of SITS. SO here
you have the fetal amount that the
soldiers don't get, $i9.7S. On pay
day they have one dollar and twenty
five cents t$125) left for cigarettes
and recreation.
Well, there's not enough smokes
for the month and no recreation
whatever; so there's nothing else to
do but play cards and go to sleep.
So you see just how the bosses are
keeping that black veil over the eyes
Of these unemployed soldiers. But
don't forget, fellow workers, that to-
day the soldiers are doing just what
the working-cla does-that is, or
ganizing against the same boss, and
I urge the soldiers of the U. S. Army
that each and every one of you know
your enemy when the time comes
and that time is just around the
corner.