The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-04
By ROBERT J. KENTON
Labor Research Association

Labor Research Association
THE frantic efforts of American
capitalism to avoid unemploy-
ment insurance has revived an old
anarchist idea-the formation of
labor exchange" associations by
the joblesS. Joshua Warren, an
American anarchist leader, estab-
lished the first exchange in Gin
cinnati in the early thirties of the
last century.
In Seattle, the formation of the
Unemployed Citizens League by a
labor college" Music group, along
the same line, has recently taken
place. Since then it has spread to
a great many other cities in the
West and Middle West, such as
Salt Lake City and Tacoma, as
we'll as cities in California, Idaho
and Ohio. A similar scheme is now
being introduced in New York City
and its sponsors, the Emergency
Exchange Association, intend to
make this the nucleus for a nation
wide barter system, according to
the World Telegram of December
9, 1882.
THE SPONSORS
The originators Of the New York
plan contain such elements as
Ernest Angel, an attorney and a
leading opponent of the bonus;
Jacob Baker, ex-anarchist turned
business promoter; the Socialist
professor, Leroy Bowman of Col
umbia; the near-Sociahst, Stuart
Chase; Russell Winslow, former
president of the Winslow
Skate Manufacturing Co.; two eff
ficiency expertS-H S. Person,
Managing Director of Taylor So
ciety, and John M. Carmody, Pre-
Sident of the Society of Industrial
Engineers-and, very appropriately,
Professor Frank D. Graham, one of
the American ecoonmic advisors to
Fascist Poland in 1926. This is as
1t should be--a united front of
Socialists, fascist advisors, capital
its speed-up and personnel experts,
with an eX-anarchist thrown in for
good measure-an imbued with one
main idea-the placing of the bur-
den of unemployment on the backs
of the unemployed. Make the job
less work for their relief funds.
This is their purpose.
1.-THE purpose of the plan" we
are told, sis to enable the unem-
ployed to go to work for each other
and to make use of available sur
plus stocks and idle manufacturing
and agricultural facilities in order
that they may have the advantage
Of each others labor, added to the
value of the goods purchased with
the relief dollar" % This the
friends of labor" are doing, they
assure us, so as to give the jobless
worker "sone degree of security
until such time as they re-enter the
ranks OF normal employment"
The cooperation of the Taminany
administration to cut relief has
been secured. Five thousand Sc
lected families are to be the nucleus
for the execution of the plan; the
money at present given these fami-
lies in relief is to be turned over to
the Emergency Exchange Associa-
ton. With those funds the Asso-
citation expects in time to be able to
exploit the unemployed so success
fully that It viii be able to continue
without any further funds from the
city. At this stage the city is to be
relieved of the burden of uneTn-
ploynent relief, taxes are to be
reduced, and everyone will be
happy-that is, everyone but the
iobless worker.
THIS is the real basis for the CO.
i operation of Tammany in this
humanitarian scheme" 1.-THE
country" we learn, faces crisis
in unemployment relief. New
York City alone faces the problem
Of supporting at least 100000 un-
employed families at the mi
ninum budget this would require
s161, 100000 and this takes no &C
count of destitute single men and
women. Obviously no such funds
are available" CMy emphasis, r.
K.) Not only is this true for New
York City, the Emergency Exchange
Association declares, but 1t holds
equality well for the entire country.
with the rapid decline in the
national income the capacity of
business and real estate to sustain
taxation is constantly decreasing,
while the need for relief increases
at an alarming rate" ~
~ All quotations are from the
as yet unpublished report Of the
plan as drafted by the incorpora-
tors of the Emergency Exchsnge
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