The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-17
BY 1. AMTER

employed Union, Illinois Workers
Alliance, Peoples I'm employ e d
League Of Baltimore, etc, as well
as to the Socialist Party, Commu-
mist Party, Farmer-Labor Party Of
Minnesota, to unions, fraternal,
professional, Negro, veteran and
youth organizations, proposing the
setting up of a committee to ar
range a national congress on I'M
employment and social insurance.
The letter called for a meeting on
Aug. 80 in New York City. The
leaders OF the Socialist Party and
Of the unemployed organizations
controlled by the Socialists and
Musteites ignored the letter. Sub
sequent to this meeting a personal
discussion was had with Norman
Thomas, militant" leader OF the
Socialist Party, who declared that
he agreed with the idea of broad
united front congress and supported
the Workers Unemployment and
Social Insurance Bill.
A subsequent meeting of the COM
mittee was held during the absence
of Norman Thomas from the city,
but he designated Mary Fox, of the
League for Industrial Democracy, to
represent him. In addition, David
LASER, of the Workers Unemployed
Union, attended the meeting. Both
of these leading Socialists were
present as observers" and partici-
pated in the discussion. A further,
smaller meeting was held to clarity
some issues, and Miss Fox agreed
to submit a memorandum on their
position. This memorandum was
at no time submitted, nor could any
response from them be obtained
On Oct. %, the National Unem-
poylment Council addressed another
letter to the leaders of the other
unemployed organizations, raising
sharply the question OF the National
Congress for Unemployment and
Social Insurance to be held in
Washington, D. c., Jan. ST, and
the question not only of the united
front, but OF the unity of all un-
mployed organizations in this coun-
try. This was done on the basis
Of the resolutions of these organ
izations in which they professed to
stand for genuine unemployment
insurance and have even endorsed
the Workers Unemployment and
Social Insurance Bin. It was fur
Their based upon pretensions of the
leaders of these organizations that
they advocate the unification of
the unemployed organizations into
one body.
On Nov. 8, David LASER, profess
sing to speak for a National Ac-
ton Committee" embracing several
unemployed organizations, replied to
the communication of the National
Unemployment Council. In this
letter, he gives no answer to the
questions Of the National Congress
or of unif1cation OF the unemployed
organizations He does so on the
ground that he is not authorized
TO deal" with them.
BLOCK Unity
Thus the unemployed organiza-
tons outside OF the National I'm
employment Council, whose leaders
pretend to stand for the Workers
Unemployment and Social InSur-
ance Bill, and whose rank and file
through conventions CMuste Ma
tionsl Unemployed League, and
through resolutions to their central
committees (Workers Unemployed
Union, have expressed their en-
dorsement of the Workers Bill, are
being kept from united action not
only with the National UnemplOy-
ment Council but with thousands
Of locals Of the A. F. of L., indie
pendent and T.U.U.L. unions, fra
ter11al, professional, Negro, veteran,
youth and farm organizations, who
are fighting to force the U. S. Con-
gress to enact system of genuine
unemployment and social insurance.
This is 50 much more to be con-
demned in view of the address of
Roosevelt on Nov. IS at the so
called conference" called by the
Committee on Economic Security
a conference which supposedly was
to serve not merely as a sounding
board, but as a front" for the
Roosevelt Street proposals. The
demagogy of Mayor LaGuardia of
New York and of Thomas Kennedy,
secretary treasurer of the United
Mine Workers, was lost in the open
frontal attack of the bankers of
this country through the mouth of
Franklin d. Roosevelt. Roosevelt
and Wall Street believe they have
a mandate for this headen assault
on the workers of this country
through the sweeping victory for
the Democratic Party on Nov. 6
New Relief Attacks
Though this brazenness could not
have been foreseen and some fur
ther demagogy was expected, never
theless 1t was clear from previous
pronouncements of Roosevelt, Per-
kins, DR. White, etc., that the gov
eminent has no intention of propos-
ing or countenancing a system of
genuine unemployment and social
insurance. AT this time, the govern
ment and the bankers are forging
plans for the augmentation first of
the unemployed, for reducing them
to standard Of hunger relief in
return for forced labor, for cutting
hundreds Of thousands off the re-
lief lists altogether, for scattering
the unemployed over the country
side, and for conducting an often
sive against the wages of the shop
workers.
At this time, for the leaders of
any working class organization not
to take clear stand in favor of the
united front Of all working class
organizations is crime against the
working class. Its result can only