The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-19
On the
World Front
By HARRY CANNES

Blood in Dutch Canals
Empty Heads and Bellies
ThOmases in Wooden Shoes
IN THE heroic tradition Of
L the crew of the Dutch
cruiser Die Zeven Provinzien'
who in 1882 mutinied against
their masters, the workers of
Amsterdam and Rotterdam
fought bravely against the
slashing Of their unemployment re-
lief last week. Police, soldiers, ar
tillery and tanks we're brought out
against the Dutch workers, and at
least IL met their death on the
barricades.
It seems now that the Dutch inn
perialistS, whose slogan for ruling
their colonial slaves used to be
Keep their bellies full and their
heads empty" have now changed
to read: Keep their heads and
bellies empty"
THAT perfect living symbol of the
bloated, bloodsucking bourgeoisie,
Queen Wilhelmina Helena Pauline
Maria Of Holland was able to bury
her paramour and consort Henry
of Mecklenberg- Schwerin (who died
of apoplexy from too much good
living with a sacrificial offering of
u murdered and hungry wage
slaves.
Since very few of the facts of
the Dutch struggles ever appeared
in the capitalist press, we reprint
below some special correspondence
on the subject from Amsterdam to
the London Daily Worker:
HERE in Amsterdam it is reported
ii that 80 police are now in Jail
for refusing to fire on their class
comrades.
In the last legal issue of the COM
muniSt daily paper, de Tribune"
to appear on the streets, is a news
flash from Amersfoort, the Alder
shot of Holland, that a group Of
soldiers detailed for duty in AM
sterdam had refused to leave their
barracks.
The unemployed workers, pre-
ViouSly living on a bare starvation
level, were faced with cuts that in
individual cases ranged from 80 to
SIS per cent.
One of the insurance books shown
to your correspondent indicated q
cut from guilders 14.75 to $50 from
$6.12 to $2.60l. This worker was
married and had two children.
Mass demonstrations against the
cuts are now occurring in all parts
of Holland. The united front move
ment embraces workers of all ten
denotes and is under the leadership
of the Party.
The unemployed do not stand
alone in the fight. Already two
sympathetic strikes have taken place
one by the harbor workers in the
Houthaven, and one by the AM
sterdam building trade workers.
THE vigorous action of the working
class in reply to the cuts has
taken the bourgeoisie by surprise
Plans for general campaign to
reduce the wages of employed
workers have been postponed by the
capitalists. United action by en-
ployed and unemployed workers
against their common enemy is like
ly to develop in the course of this
week.
Many of the employed workers
are already talking of coming
general strike against the cuts.
To smash this working class soli-
darity the government is making
use of every kind of terroristic bru-
tally.
The Burgomaster of Amsterdam
has given instructions that the DO
lice shall in future shoot down
without warning any workers who
oppose the police, are found car
rying or picking up stones, making
barricades, or who are on their
roofs.
1ndiscriminate and wild shooting
goes on in one workers district or
another all day and night long.
Tanks patrol the narrow streets,
while lorries of steel-helmeted SOL
diers and mounted patrols of the
hated Warehouses; amounted POI
lice) move up and down the dis
turbed areas. These demonstrations
have not been successful in cowing
the spirit of the workers.
TWENTY yards away from an
armored car and under the guns
OF military post at the other end
OF the street a broken barricade
was rebuilt by children and young
workers, while one comrade with a
large pot of red paint quickly dec
GRATED the roadway with a huge,
sickle and hammer and the slogan,
For a Soviet Holland
In this street alone more than
$50 shots has been fired by the po-
lice on the previous day!
The Socialist Party daily paper,
"Het Volk," on Saturday morning
carried the headline, Haven't We
Had Enough?" and appealed to the
workers not to allow themselves
TO be dragged into this bloody adj
venture"
Each issue of this paper has also
carried attacks on the Communist
Party.
No protest against the gunman
rule OF the Amsterdam Burgomas-
~, IL yTI,.z1I