davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18
Communist Patience and Persistence

GO YOU think can't the that they
he said We'll then the Communists
little patience and persistence And learn the force that makes
them persist-faih in the
You worker pound at him enough.
He's with from the beginning though he doesn't know it, He
has good and the things tell him.
the blinkers off keep blinded
II ought to know binder and dmber than the worst
them little more than agoust good willing mule for the
posses was moonan on Brooklyn street car then On my
regular morning began notice that pale little Jewish
fifty probably clothing worker always
get place the front platform
One morning he started to talk Listen quietly
what do you readT
Daily sports page while there's
przefght I'm following, baseball
You're worker he said and should also read about
conditioner asked.
Your working conditions. The you live
I'm too tired answered After day in this madhoue
to sleep glad of it about butcher
along with my wife
so you it. if bad he said
81 read Why the hell should readP shrugged
his shoulders and said nothing He rode to his left
morning he Fostering again
Ibid you newspaper Daily
he asked,
It's not in line
"'Why
Because it's about building trades
only building trades it's about all workers
everywhere, their conditions
Tell the truth said, get
tired
shrugged got STOP he was
back the next morning and the
stoopshoudered Jewish tailor with sweatshop years
in his question:
read the Daily Worker? He pleaded he argued he
speeches from the heart Sometimes reproachfu
done him injury Sometimes
got sick of him couldn't bear the sight of his
to insult him. because thought report
lose job The always the passenger
it's a black your
one day in desperation, just to rid of him. said
if it'll make better
pleased the morning brought me one of
the After I disgust
next morning he back
so did read it? you
II lied to him, yeah read it. It's X
N. Az
page three from subway
mo said. panied Well bring you another
paper tomorrow.
This maddening I never the
but he nagged questions
what I'd read it became nightmare. point
where had things
my job, Daily Worker
But wanted to keep and the
Worker That's how all started another trolley
and I'm Communist, nagged
much I'm going buy beers
and thank him for having made
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18
Faith in the Masses

GO THAT is the story Of the Irishman
y this Never give
and glory OF world sleeps their depths waiting
fiery touch OF revolutionary thought spring
And the second moral Support Worker
by which teach and organize these
better world,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18

Contributions received to the
credit of Del in his Socialist
competition with Mike Gold
Harry Cannes, the Medical
Advisory Board. Helen Luke,
Jacob Burck and David Ramsey.
in the Daily Worker drive for
$4,000. Quots-s500.
John and Beatrice Nc
Mahon ... 81 90
Previously received .....,.... ass
fetal to date ..,...-.,..~sS.5s
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18
.CuTTCn-
Stories Time,
And Effective

THE ANVIL, published by Jack
COnroy from MoberIy, Mo. Sep
Oct. issue. Is cents.
Reviewed by
HARRY KERMIT
REORGANIZATION Of The Anvil
IN editorial and managing person.
mel was effected recently, with sew
eral well-know members Of the John
Reed Club of St. Louis relieving
Jack Conroy Of his single-handed
task Of putting out the magazine.
This lessened pressure on Conroy
is reflected in the high literary
standards achieved in the Sept-Oct.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18

I'm sorry" she says impatiently
we're rushed here! And look
here, son Mote: the "son" IS al
least ten years her senior, there is
no such thing as fourteen size
shirts; fifteen is the smallest for
men. Fourteen is a boys shirt, and
you don't want a boys shirt, do
you2"
Excuse me" you say, I've worn
Size fourteen for the last is years"
I'm sorry, size fourteen is a boys
shirt"
Listen here, young lady, are you
trying to tell me what size I need?"
The dame is flustered. She grabs
the order and rushes off. Five min
utes later she returns with bundle
Of articles, accompanied by a tall,
bespectacled lady.
Young man." says the worthy
lady, evidently a superior" in a
voice that brooks no opposition
fifteen is the ONLY size we havel
Take it, or leave itl''
The clerk looks triumphantly.
These beggars," her tight lips
seem to say, they presume to come
here and PICK their own things. &"
YOU look at the articles and are
amazed. They are all of the
lowest quality, cheapest fabrics pos
sible. Imagine your wife wearing
these tough cotton stockings, two
sizes to large, after having worn
silk hose most Of her life Or
imagine yourself in trousers re-
sembling overalls, or in shirt two
sizes too large!
You call all this to the attention
Of the supervisor, the same bespec-
tacled lady. She shrugs her shoul-
ders and says coldly:
Take it, or leave it"
And her contemptuous look adds:
"Beggars can't be choosers! You
ought to be glad to get that!"
You are disguised, sick at heart,
and feel like flinging the articles
in her face. -. . You are sorry you
ever came here. You hurry to
get away, get out into the fresh
air. You shuttle along to the
table where two wrappers take
care of you" You put down
your load along with your box of
shoes.
I'VE don't wrap Shoes" says one
Of them, singing the box aside.
why not, it's so much easier for
me to carry one package"
"Orders is orders" he replies, and
adds: IF you need 'em you'll carry
t1Ys, 1il~a
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18

THE next morning you are up
bright and early. You want to
be first at the Relief Storehouse to
avoid possible encounters with
friends for to tell the truth you
are ashamed to go down there. But
when you reach the place you are
amazed to discover that hundreds
of people are already ahead of you.
A guard at the door makes sure you
have an order. gives you a number
and tells you to take a seat. The
place is frightfully small and al
most jammed. Half of the people
are standing.
You look around and begin to
study the crowd. Most of them, of
course, are workers, Negro and
white. Here and there are dis
tinctly people of the middle class,
stricken by the crisis and pauper-
lied by the relentless wave of
unemployment. They are glum and
grimly silent.
After hours of waiting your
number is finally called. You come
forward to wi1S cage lined up
with shoe boxes. You are given a
pair of shoes and told to try them
on "for size" 1t is your size and
all right, but it feels like a size
smaller. You ask for one size
larger. These are much too loose.
The clerk looks at you annoyed.
Anything the matter with your
feet?"
He gives you another pair with
an air of finslity. You put them
on and find that while the right
shoe is too loose, the left one is
entirely too tight.
Look here" explodes the irate
clerk. this amt department
store! Take em or leave EN-!
It's your size, see? Get shoe
maker to stretch EN- for you'll"
You are painfully aware of your
humiliating position: Beggars can't
be choosers. You take the shoes
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18

This department appears on
this page twice a week. All ques-
lions should be addressed to
Questions and Answers" Daily
Worker, IS East 18th St., New
York City.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18
Take 1t or leave IT, - By 1r.vn sbabbn

WHEN you are many months
W behind in rent and in constant
fear Of being evicted, live "scien-
tifically" on a measly food order,
and are at your wits end for meth
DDS of stalling the numerous and
pestiferous collectors, you have
mighty little time left to think of
your family's and your own external
appearance.
Once in while you become
aware that you and your family
are almost ragged and make a men
tai note to breach the subject next
time the County Relief investigator
turns up. However, when the in
vestigator does show up, you resent
her visit in a vague sort of way, of
a sudden become occupied" with
something or other and call to your
wife. But the wife happens to be
doing the laundry just then, so you
bravely face the investigator alone.
The visitor is bored and indif-
ferent. She just does not care.
She's tired and mops her face con-
tinually. Then, the same dull,
pointless questions. You look
aside demurely. She will not
ask the one question that's upper
most in your mind. Suddenly
your little girl runs in. You trans
fer your glance to your child's
shoes: they're an awful mess. The
investigator follows your glance
and gets the idea.
Sorry" she says in the same
monotonous voice, lis there any
thing else she needs?"
The child still has a few rags,
so you say:
mo, but my wife does"
The hardest part is over. She
produces pad and pencil and gets
started She knows what women
need and what they get. The order
is ready in jiffy. The investigator
is almost ready to go. You begin to
hem and haw and curse her in
wardly. You wonder. How can
people be so thick +. You muster
up all your nerve.
Pardon me-" you say, swallowing
a lump in your throat, don't you
give any articles to mem"
of course" she says, lackadai-
sically, and again produces pad and
pencil.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18

ONCE outside you feel keenly the
" humiliation you have gone
through. You cannot believe it was
all accidental. Anger is rising, we'll
ing up IN you. Stupidity or ineffi-
cheney? you ask. No, it is all too
deliberate, too methodicsl. too well
calculated to humiliate and degrade
you, discourage you from ever try
ing to apply for help again. You
can't help feeling it was open, I'M
mistakable hatred-hatred of the
rich, of the powers that be for the
unemployed! You can't help feeling
that it is only their fear, their or
ganic, elemental fear Of the vast
army CT unemployed workers and
professionals that makes t n nj
camouflage their monstrous outfit
as relief! =. And these minor Of
ficials and clerks are the agencies
through which they make their
temper known; these know how to
take the cue from their superiorsi
This is not department store!'
"You are not entitled to any con-
sideration!"
You're only beggarl"
Take it, or leave it!'
How smoothly these phrases roll
off their tongues. or are implied
in their impatience. They don't
want you to come back. As my
italian friend had put ~: hey
no want to help you. I think so.
They gimme check, I buy myself.
They no want to help YOU"
And you realize that you can't
fight this tyranny with a passive
contempt, by insrticulate losthing.
You must hate, hate with hatred
that will galvsnize you into action.
with a hatred that will cause you
to rise up and destroy this r--peak-
able racket called the capitalist
system!
When you reach home, YOU fling
the bundle aside. Your wife knows
you are on edge and wonders what
the cause might be. She silently
opens the packege-and soon un-
derstands. She ties it up quietly
and deposits it in a junk closet
And you and your family continue
to wear your old rags. 80.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-18

AND here's one you'll love The
n publicity department of Warner
Brothers, NOT JIM CAGNEY, is
sued the statement denying all
sympathy with the California labor
movement. =.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10

had worked many years in the
harbor in Hamburg.
The first question ne asked was:
whats new in the strike, what
kind of leadership do you have?"
He wanted to go to the harbor at
once. We could not reply quickly
enough. Although we were very
tired, for we had not slept for three
nights, now that Teddy" (this was
the nickname applied to our be-
loved leader Thaelmann was here,
all traces of fatigue had disap-
peared. We were put through a
regular cross examination: What
had we done to prepare the st~ike?
Had we considered the propo \ of
the Central Strike Committee ..os-
sible of fulfllment? What would
our next steps be? What conditions
and sentiments were prevailing
amongst the strikers? Had we pro-
posed real fighting program in
opposition to the one of the strike
committee? Had we aroused the
WOIktIS III Jllt ldCbOllCS W dCIlOAlo
in solidarity with the strikers, not
only for financial assistance, but
for sympathetic strikes and an in
crease in wages in other industries
such as textile, chemicals, food,
shipbuilding and especially metal?
Thaelmann Gives Directives
Seated at table, he earnestly
iots down notes of our answers.
When we told him that the strikers
had unanimously refused to submit
to the dictatorial methods of the
reformists, to accept their Strike
Committee, but had elected their
own strike leadership on the basis
of the United Front, Thaelmann
vehemently struck his hand upon
the table. walked to and fro,
laughed awhile and said:
You see. that's our work. that's
our success. because we learned in
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10
CCC Camp Workers
Found Maltreated
By Youth Delegate

NEW YORK-On Sunday, March
4th, eighteen young workers, dele
gates representing the National
Student League, the Needle Trades
Workers Industrial Union, the Steel
and Metal Workers Industrial
Union, the Food Workers Industrial
Union, the Taxi Workers Union, the
Furniture Workers Union and the
Young Communist League visited
C.C.C. camps As and 46 in Bear
Mountain, to investigate working
conditions, food, housing, and re-
creational facilities.
In a statement issued yesterday,
the delegation reported: The main
grievances of the boys at the camps
were over the food. In camp 46, the
boys said that the meat was not fit
for dogs Such food has been given
out for the past three months.
Medical facilities are totally in
adequate. One boy, after being in
the camp hospital for IS days, was
removed in dying condition.
THE boys are forced 10 work in
sub-zero weather, and are fined for
the least infraction of rules. They
are working on dams, roads and
cleaning projects, work which for
merly paid seven to eight dollars a
day. The officers are surly, often
drunk, and thoroughly disliked by
the boys"
On March II, the delegates will
visit Mayor LaGuardia to protest
against these conditions.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10

women workers are an important
part of our entire work.
Thaelmann states: I'VE must
Immediately organize in all parts
of Hamburg conferences of wo-
men workers at the Harbor. The
Party leadership is responsible
for this and not the woman leader
alone. The women organizers must
make concrete proposals before
tomorrow morning and formulate
slogans. In the next strike meet
ing a woman worker should take
the fiocT. Masses Of women must
be modified for the picket line.
1--WE must not forget the ire
mendous influence the women
have upon the youth. And, when
we. in this strike, similarly make
our political demands. besides
fighting against wage-robbery,
frightening of the hours of work,
fight for the defense of the Chi
nese Revolution, stop the trans
port Of guns and ammunition TO
China and poison gases to Japan,
we must, with all our strength,
net only mobilize the women and
youth, but organize and win them
for the active struggle against
war, fascism and wage-robbery.
"The strike committee must call
a women's mass meeting, organ
ize strike kitchens. and here we
have good chance to appeal to
HUNDREDS of women who other
wise stand outside of the struygie,
but who will be ready to help in
The work they understand, the
cooking.
And not the last must the thought
of strike be brought into the tex
tile factories. Show the women
workers by the example Of the
united front at the harbor how
we must fight and how the united
front can be successful. This is
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10
Nv ANNA sCHIrLZ

There was a strike in Hamburg
Harbor, Twenty thousand long
shoremen had stopped work in pro-
test against wage-cut. A bitter
feeling prevailed amongst the long
shoremen. There was but one de-
termination: Strike! The united
front of action through the unani-
nous stopping of work by the strike
of the 10000, had come to life. The
reformist and Social-fascist lead
erS, the Ehrenteits and their kind.
had been unable to prevent the
strike. Over their heads the long
shoremen had followed the call of
the revolutionary trade unionists
and the Communist Party to strike.
As the maneuver of the Socialist
Party leaders to betray the workers
by accepting arbitration with the
Harbor Association, and if no
agreement could be reached there
to call the Reichs Labor Board (the
high German tribunal to settle
labor disputes) did not succeed.
they tried by other methods to
split the United Front of the work.
ers.
Social Try to Break Strike
1t was the aim of the reformist
takers to prevent the election Of
strike committee on democratic
basis by the strikes themselves.
They threatened that if the long
shoremen were not ready to accept
the strike leadership imposed upon
them by the trade unions and the
s. P. Shop Council of the Harbor
Association, they would declare the
strike of these 10000 Illegal and
would refuse to pay the workers
any strike benefit out Of the trade
union treasury.
The Longshoremen yelled back.
do YOU want to force Dictator
ship on US? We will not allow you
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10

When we informed Thaelmann
that We had already issued a leaflet
in which we had called the strikers
attention to this danger, he said
that is not sufficient "You must at
once go and talk with the workers,
and explain the attempts which are
being made to split their united
front which they have defended so
herOically against the trade union
dictators."
Immediately, during the night, we
must set to work to popularize this
important matter. The Strike Com
mittee must meet during the night
and must be informed of every
thing; early tomorrow morning the
strike committee with our assist
ance will issue a short and precise
leaflet and we will help to distri-
butte it; Thaelmann, interrupting
himself, glances at the paper which
carries the names of the Strike
Committee. His features darkened.
he reaches for the paper, hands it
over to the political secretary and
says:
where are the women in this
committee? Do you think you can
win this strike without the prole-
tartan women-are you trying to
convince me that there are only
men employed at the harbor? Do
you think that we only agitate the
slogan: The wage question is the
bread question of the famiIy?'
Where is the woman organizer?
Bring her here Immediately"
What work was carried through
in preparation for the strike among
the woman workers at the harbor?
What proposals did the women or
ganizers make? Has the party lead
ership taken up the proposals and
helped to carry them through?
What had We done to bring out
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10

the women coffee pickers in SYM
pathy strike?
Comrade Thaelmann asks not
only the women leaders but the
comrades in leadership. The wo-
man-lsader reported:
"The women's section, of its
own initiative, has organized a
conference of the women workers
at the harbor. But it was not
good because the party as whole
did not help along. The women
organizers made small illustrated
leaflets and distributed them be-
fore the factories and on the
markets. OEiy very few women
went on the picket line. In a
harbor workers meeting, where
only men we're present. Gerda,
whose husband was a longshore-
man. wanted to speak, but the
chairman, Party member. de-
clared women had nothing to do
in this meeting. Yes, the plea
that the wcnen's leaflct be dis
tributed to the men to be given
to their waves was turned down,
because this is a matter Of the
living quarters"
Thaelmann listens very earnestly
and attentively. Every now and
then one of the comrades wants to
interrupt the report because it is
so lac in the night, but Comrade
Thaelmann waves him aside and
says: "Gerda, speak on"
Then he gives the woman leader
and the Party leadership his direc-
tives. He says all the efforts made
by the women comrades were cor
rect and good but we must discuss
this further in order that this OPP
portunistic underestimation of draw
ing the women into the struggle
of their husbands be liquidated, and
that We must learn to recognize that
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10
How Thaeann Led Hamburg Strike; And How He Mo Worker
Ohm 4aaz PARRY m annmna nzn4n


to tell us what to do. We, the
workers, are the trade unions, we
are the ones to decide. we are going
to elect our own strike leadership
on the basis of a real proletarian
democracy at our own strike meet
ings. We will never allow you to
destroy our united front so that you
could force on us this new wage
robbery"
This was the manner in which
the workers expressed their senti-
ment The socisl-fascists were I'M
able to withstand this mass pres
sure of the workers and over their
heads, strike leadership on the
basis Of a united front from below,
disregarding all political Affiliations,
was elected and announced as the
Central Strike Committee. But the
ma iority Of this committee at that
time, it was in the year of 1926,
were the so-called radicals, the left
Socialists.
The strike had been on two days
and all was quiet at the harbor.
Mass picketing, meetings, leaflet
distribution and the selling of a
special strike bulletin, had been or
gained. In the workers quarters
groups of workers organized in
speaking chorus, would recite:
Against wage-robbery and capital
ism the longshoremen are striking"
Help the United Front of Action"
SHOW your solidarity and give
what you can," Long Live the
United Front and the Strike"
Thaelmann Comes to Hamburg
On the evening of the second day,
Comrade Thaelmann, leader of the
Communist Party and the German
Proletariat came from Berlin to
Hamburg Suddenly, without any
comrade knowing about it. he came.
The strike was the reason for his
appearance. CThaelmann himself
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10
Mass Arrests of
Spanish Workers |
As Strikes Grow

MADRID, March 9.-More than
300 workers leaders, many of them
Communists, have been arrested
since yesterday in Premier Lerroux's
drive to smash the widespread
strike actions which have greeted
the reactionary program Of the
government.
The headquarters of the Fedora
ton of Labor, the Communist Party,
the Socialist Youth, and of fascist
organization were raided and closed.
More than 100000 workers are on
strike in various parts of the coun-
try, the largest strike being that Of
10000 building trade workers in
Madrid. A large number Of new
strikes have been voted.
The governments fear OF the
fast spreading working class and
peasant resistance to it's reactionary
program is indicated by the hasty
decision to increase the civil and
assault guard forces BY $1,000 more
men.