The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-28
By JOHN WILLIAMSON

MAY DAY, born in the course Of
VI great class battles and an &C.
ea5ion throughout the capitalist
lands ever since Of mobilising the
ranks of the class conscious toilers
for new battles, occurs at a time in
Ohio, as elsewhere, when it can well
become the occasion for mass mobi-
ization and action to smash the
oppression of the New Deal.
When Ohio workers hear the call
for May Day and respond to the
many united front conferences and
in tens of thousands to the parade,
demonstration, meetings, and other
actions on May Day itself, it will be
out Of a conviction that May Day
unites in great strength the fight
of all sections Of the toiling popula-
ton for the right to live. Despite
the great ballyhoo given to in
creased production in some indus
tries, there are still 441,000 unem-
ployed workers in the state of Ohio.
In the past few weeks, their num-
Der has been increased by over
100000 laid-off c. W. A. workers.
Those few thousand left on the tenn
porary Federal Workers Relief
schemes have had real slashes. In
Cleveland, a 30 per cent relief cut
for those on the relief rolls was put
into effect.
Stagger System Prevails
The employed workers are con-
fronted with the stagger system as
a more or less permanent institu-
ton which results in spreading the
starvation, without having to supply
relief because such workers are con-
sidered employed" 1t also results
in terrible nerve wrecking speed-up
in many of the big shops.
On top of this all the workers
suffer the results of initiation with
the cost of living already increased
% per cent. The State Legislature
is working overtime trying to put
across a 3 per cent sales tax. The
Cleveland city government hoWls
bankruptcy, but it does not stop its
interest payments to the big bankers.
It again throws this new burden of
the graft ridden city government on
3 the workers, by laying off many
low-paid workers on city jobs and
by cutting wages of others. 1t cuts
down on the so-called social Serv-
ices" which means that garbage in
the working class neighborhoods is
not collected for five to six weeks,
thus spreading disease. Street lights
in the working class streets are cut
off completely. This is the Savings"
of the Davis Republican machine.
At the same time, interest on bonds
is paid regularly; the cogs in the
political machine are recommended
for wage increases and new graft
jobs are recommended to make room
for more of the deserving" poll
ticians.
In addition, a declaration has
Just been made that 10000 home
owners and farmers must come
across with their tax and mortgage
payments or lose their homes.
Negro workers are still segregated
in the Jim Grow Scovill territory,
where conditions are much worse
than elsewhere.
THE workers of Cleveland have
l already begun to stir. A wave of
Strikes and urge for organization
has swept the city, unparalleled
since 1919. Already more than
10000 have struck in Cleveland
and tens of thousands moe have
voted for strike and it has been
delayed up till now either through
partial granting of their demands
or through the betrayal of the A
F Of L., as in the Fisher Body sit
uation. The discomfort among the
unemployed has not yet taken on
united form on citywide scale,
but local demonstrations and battles
at relief stations are daily oc-
curence. Last week, over 1000 de-
Tended an attempted mortgage fore
closure of a homeowner. Certain
elements among the bankers and
real estate sharks had a meeting
and a few days later an Injunction
WOO 4GoACA bl1C 04llc4L dllh
Land Owners Federation and an
independent union, the Unite d
Building Trades Workers Union. In
the same week, two attorneys of
the L L. D., while defending charges
against unemployed workers and
homeowners, were thrown into Jail
on contempt of court" charges.
All this indicates the worsening
conditions and the growing mass
sentiment for struggle which is fast
maturing, with the Communists play
ing an active role in arousing and
organizing the workers against the
continued attacks on all fronts.
Expose Liberal Illusions
AS the masses resent and fight
against these attacks, the illusions
of liberalism in which the Cleveland
bourgeoisie has shrouded itself,
begin to be exposed. The textile