The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-03
BY JOHN L. SPIyAK

TULSA, Okla.-My discus
sion Of general causes with
Mrs. Solomon brought the
same kind of hay answers
that it brought from the Sec
rotary Of the Chamber of Commerce.
from a restaurant worker. a refinery
worker, an oil company executive, a
politician. Their vagueness varied
only slightly. They repeat what theg
have read or heard, especially what
some name" said. In most cases
they repeat it wrongly. They must
not trust the person who said it,
especially if he is politician, but
if he utters the phrase of though
often enough, and especially if it
has q catchy, easily remembered
phrase. it sinks into the citizens
mind and stays there. This is a
country Of names" authorities"
big shots" I am becoming con-
WINGED that persons of more or less
prominence who get publicity for
their views, through the newspa pers
especially, m Guild the American
mind; events may mould it in the
long run but the names" get their
seeds in four jumps ahead.
have gone off on these com
mentS because Mrs. Solomon's views
have been expressed to me so often
wherever I've been, not only by
social workers but by labor leaders,
industrislists. bankers, workers with
jobs and workers without jobs.
Mrs. Solomon believes the de-
preston was caused purely by the
"Selfshness of the rich man." And
when she uttered this dreadful
phrase she leaned over confden-
TALLY. It sounded a little too radi-
cal and in this area people are
terrified of being considered radical.
Let's pick on Ford, for instance"
said she Who made him the rich
man he is? The people who worked
for him. Are they not entitled to
some Of that wealth."
TN what form?"
TN little increased wages" she
said confdentially. "A more equal
distribution of wealth by increasing
wages so the worker can buy the
things he produces. Have the work
ers been paid for their contribu-
tions to his wealth. 1 don't believe
they have Then take the store
keeper, the big chain stores. Big
business has pushed the little bust
ness man out. The little store
keeper can't compete with the chain
store. You don't realize how many
storekeepers are now getting cha
rity-just forced out of business
by the chain stores. Something
ought to be done about it,"
you mean prohibit concentra-
ton of large chain stores?"
Concentration is all right but it
should be controlled"
Like through the NRA?"
THE NRA is all right if the poll
ticians didn't run it,
What are you going to do with
the surplus labor which cannot be
absorbed in industry"
open up the lands. Put them
there"
As rise 10 go she thought Of
another thing important TO over
come the depression and prevent
Others"
ooh, yes she said. Don't for
get the stock market. That's got
to be controlled"
"Okay," I promised.
The stock market. On a lonely
farm in Mississippi ] heard share
cropper talk of controlling the
stock market, On a deserted wharf
in New Orleans I heard q Negro
talk Of controlling the stock market.
And here again--The stock mar
ket crash started the depression and
they feel that control of stocks
somehow would have prevented it.
Repetition Of phrases they have
read or heard.
Retail business improved in Tulsa
Tor few months but has dropped
back now to a little above the level
Of the depression period.
The Improvement, traceable di-
rectly to C,W.A. money, reached its
peak during the holiday season be-
ginning last October and, with the
present liquidation of C.W.A. work
res, is falling rapidly. I believe this
is clear evidence that whatever i'm
provement in business has been rec
orded in the optimistic graphs and