The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-08-28
The Old Army Game

( htC OAd "a
THIS country has prohibition, hasn't
it?" asked the Prof. They had
Just tied up in Helsingfors. Finland,
Yes" answered the Swede, "but
you can get all you want to drink.
Plenty of bootleggers here, too.@,-e -
Sure enough, pretty soon a. man
came into the fo'c'sle, and asked III
anybody wanted to buy spreet. a
Finnish drink, of about go per, cent
alcohol. He pulled out of his INSIDE
pocket a couple of fiat tins. a, bit
smaller than the kind used fer, kere-
sene in the States. IT ;
Going up to the Royal2' asked
the Swede. as Slim was dressings, !
mo, just taking walk uptown ~ ,
The Swede handed Slim his watch
and ring Hold these for me, the
Royals a tough joint" '"o +
Eddie Joined Slim in the STROLL
The horses here wore yoke harnesses
and the workers wore boots With
turned-up tips. Women were. sweep
ing the cobbled streets with tWig
brooms. - =, 4.
Gee, this country looks different
from the others. Something like
Russia, guess" -
Yes remarked Slim. this land
used to belong to old Russia up to
the end of the war. When Russia
turned Red and the Finnish workers
wanted to go with them, the capital
lists sent troops up here, and they
choked the revolution. Thousands of
Finnish workers were slaughtered in
cold blood by foreign imperialist
troops" '1='1S
Are the Communists strong here?''
They were strong; had their own
newspapers and workers coopera-
tives, and representatives in Par1ia
ment. But the Lappos-that's what
the Finn Fascists are called-they re
the big capitalists here, who got athe
backward peasants to support them
by doping them up with patriotism
and religion. These Lappos. through
means of the dirtiest tricks and
bloody terror against the working
class and their Communist represen-
tatives in Parliament, captured, the
Government and set up a Fascist
regime here nno
Amt there no Communists, left2'
ooh. sure, but they've got to work
Illegally acknowledgement But that
doesn't stop them. any more than ii
stopped the bolsheviks under the
Cgar"
-"
as THEY came onto the main drag
n thew were impressed with the num-
Der of soldiers. Practically all the
young fellows were in uniforn-gray
uniforms with boots and Sam Browne
belts.
Eddie couldn't understand it. "All
these soldiers in such little eoun-
trypp s-r.e
yes, they have compulsory milf
tarv service"
"'She must be afraid of Russia,
hey, Slim?"
mo. that's capitalist bunk. The
fascist government here knows damn
well that Russia isn't interested in
making war. But the Finnish capt.
talists are anxious to help the other
bdpAOdlloOo AZ d WdI against LIE 0OV16t
Union. Besides, she needs these sol
diers against her own working class
Notice the faces of most of these
lads? Mostly country hicks, brought
TO Helsingfors to use against the
workers here And I'll bet the yoIhg
workers here are sent into military
stations in = country, for Use in
case of uprisinss there. v nh9
you can see that in the States
too-soldiers from the South sta
toned in the North, and vice versa
The capitalists keep the Southerners
het up against the Northerners, the
whites against the blacks, etcs.G,and
play them off against each other
that way. The, old army game;
France sends her white soldiers into
the colonies, and brings her African
troops to use against the French in