The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-11-23

S~~AA NASAAOi AlSSACSIS are COHCCInGQ
the starvation of striking miners
is not an act of God,' though the
congressional charter of the Red
Cross says nothing about giving
relief only when hunger is caused
by 'acts of Cod"
Demands Congressional Inquiry
Pointing out that every city,
town and hamlet in the United
States will witness the annual Red
Cross drive for membership and
contributions this month, Spivak
goes on to say:
"Out of the millions of generous
Americans who will contribute
about $1O,OOO,OOO, not one in a
Thousand will know that the money
is going into a first-class war ma
chine, which is chiefly interested
in preparing for the next war and
only incidentally in relief work
"When / finished my study of
Red Cross activities and what it
does with the millions of dollars
the American people give it an
nually, l was left with the in
escapable conclusion that the con-
gress of the United States, under
whose charter this organization
operates. would do well to inquire
into these matters. l can pre-
sent enough evidence to strip the
Red Cross of the sanity cloak
which it has donned, show it for
what it really is, and leave the
rest for an official investigating
body to probe to the bottom"
Sensational Charges
In the course of showing the Red
Cross for what he believes it really
is, Spivak makes 20 sensational
charges against the organization.
The charges include:
1. The Red Cross is essentially
a war machine.
2. 1t is largely dominated by
a military and banking group, the
banking group being ]. P. Morgan
and company-controlled.
8. Large sums of money col
lected from the American people
by the Red Cross are invested in
| Morgan-controlled businesses.
a. Of the three and one-half
millions of dollars collected from
school children and workers last
year for relief work, two and one
half millions were spent on sal
aries, travelling expenses, mainten-
ance of the war machine, ETC., as
against one million dollars for ac-
tual relief.
5. Despite its publicized "inter-
nationalism" and Humanitarian
ISM" Judge John Barton Payne,
head of the Red Cross, states that
the organization is to be used first
for the government and second for
humanity.
6. Even in relief, in a disaster
area, the Red Cross draws distinc-
tions between the poor and we'll
TODD, the instructions being to dis
tribute relief according to the
pre-disaster living standards" Of
the recipient.
Of special interest to Labor is
Spivak's discussion of the "Rec
Cross as a Strike-breaker." The
writer charges that the Red Cross
functions as a "class organization
in strikes, unemployment and dis.
asters, using money given by the
American people for the benefit Of
business rather than the workers
He quotes official instructions t.
members and chapters of the Rec
Cross as follows:
"There are situations, other thar
natural disasters referred to in tn,
congressional charter, such al
strikes, business depressions, fail
ure of crops and other forms O
unemployment and economic nal
adjustment, which may cause wide
spread suffering. These situation
are not national calamities' a
contemplated by its charter 70
which responsibility is imposed up
on the Red Cross.
Chapters MAY" Act
cit is not the policy Of the Re
Cross to duplicate the work or :
do what falls within the response
bilities of local charitable agencie:
and it has adhered to a policy 0
abstsining from rational relief i
unemployment distress; but wher
there is suffering and want fror
any cause, and the fundaments
reeds are not being met, chapter
may participate in community &C
ton in extending relief"
"These two PARAGRAPHS. reduce
to simpler terms" Spivak declare,
informs Red Cross chapters tha
they are not to give relief /
strikes and l1neponlo.v,,,a,,4 - I.