The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-08-29

WY ClAUf
Sure: your club, his club, my club.
The club of all the seamen of all
countries"
THAT sounded fishy to the Polack,
but he said nothing.
Say, fellow worker" called Gun
mar, those longshoremen out there
don't look any too prosperous. How
come they haven't got better
clothes?'
I'm glad you asked that question:"
returned the delegate. Then turn
ling to the crowd, he called:
Before you fellow workers go
ashore in the Soviet Union here, let
me explain something. When the
workers took the power here in 1917,
this country had been ruined by four
years of war, civil war, revolution
and counter-revolution Then, they
had to fight against the intervention
for three years. After that came
the great famine. 1t wasn't until
l1922-23 that they were able to set
themselves the huge task of raising
rup a wrecked land. Czarist Russia
had always been backward: IS per
cent Of the people couldn't read or
write; no industry to speak Of; very
few modern buildings or factories.
Only in the few large cities did you
find drainage systems, paved streets,
and few automobiles. AS for the
railroads, the mines and ships, they
were mostly owned by foreign CAPT
| tal,-Who wrecked much of this
property by sabotage, fire and every
possible method. So you see, the
workers and peasants of Russia had
to start at scratch, first to liberate
themselves from the medieval ignor-
ance and religious superstition in
(which Czarisn had kept them, and
then to painfully learn the ways and
Ernethods of the modern world. Think
of it! In only. eight or ten years,
they have had to learn to read and
write, learn to operate complicated
machinery, learn to build factories
as large and modern as any in the
world, learn to drive tractors and
autos, learn to build ships, dams and
aeroplanes!"
Blackie laughed scornfully, and
commended from the look of things,
they still had a lot to learn.
That's alright" agreed Gunnar,
i"but that still don't explain"
yes" interrupted the delegate.
Now to your point. Why the long
tshorenen don't eat and dress better.
You see all this machinery you've
brought over? All the other cargoes
fbeing brought from England, from
Germany, and a dozen other coun-
tries? Who do you suppose pays for
all that machinery? The workers
here! They are building up their
own country with it. They pay with
the bread out of their mouths, by de-
prlvlng themselves of good clothing
and other necessities. But they know
that within short time this ma
chinery will give back to them plenty
OF clothing, plenty of shoes, plenty
OF homes, plenty of everything thev
need. They know that when this
machinery has built the factories
and other machinery which will sat-
isfy their needs, there will never more
be any want in the Soviet Union.
But tell me, even with this depriva-
ton, do the longshoremen here look
starved?"
mo, I can't say that admitted
Gunnar.
mo"
DO they look like the driven
saves OF capitalist countries, afraid
TO lift their heads or voices?"
Again Gunnar had to admit that
they didn't. At this point the bos'n
came in and called:
Time to turn tor,
7 Gunnar and the delegate ex-
changed smiles. "see the pointp"
CONTINUED TOMORROW,