The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-18
An Analysis of Papers
Program on Issues
Facing Workers
Br oAKLEY johnson

little monthly peTOdlcal called Inc
Catholic Worker, which is now a
little over a year old and claims
IS, 1000 circulation. Most are amused
though some are puzzled by The
Catholic Worker, which carries on
its masthead pictures of two mus
cular toilers, one a Negro and the
other a white worker. Cor the first
six issues both we're represented as
white, but such chauvinism was
soon corrected.) The Negro holds
a sledge on his shoulder, the white
worker pick: the pick and sledge
instead of the hammer and sickle.
eve wonder if in succeeding issues
the two workers will be wearing
coed Russian beards) The Catho-
lie Worker is edited by Dorothy Day
and Dorothy Weston, with the liter
airy and persistent backing of Peter
Maurin, chief contributor and logi-
clan.
The Catholic Worker looks like a
regular fighting paper; it is chock
full of militant articles and even
prayers about strikes, evictions, Ne
gro oppression, war preparations
and even self criticism. 1t attacks
capitalism tooth and nail, and goes
so far as to criticize Irish policemen
because they beat up workers at
demonstrations.
What does this unwonted "radi-
calism" mean2 Are the papal bulls
and bears getting red, as well as
in the red7 Or just red in the
face?
Take the matter of the unem-
ployed, now. Do you think The
Catholic Worker is going to stand
idly by while thousands and maybe
millions starve? Certainly not.
They're out for "Action"-that Is,
Catholic Action" They favor
Houses of Hospitality. Says Peter
Maurin, in his own inimitable
schematic prose October, 1889:
THE Catholic unemployed
should be given hospitality
in Catholic houses of hospitality.
1--WE need Houses of Hospitality
to give to the rich
the opportunity to serve the poor"
A later issue December is, 1881
speaks of cooperative Apart
ment for Unemployed Women" but
it appears, as one reads on, that it
is "a home for single unemployed
Catholic women" And the Catho-
lie Labor Guild, according to
Michael Gum February l, 1934),
rules thus: ANY practical (sic)
Catholic who is willing to sacrifice
(sic) himself for the love of God
and the welfare of his neighbor is
welcome among US" This solu-
ton Of unemployment is simply
reiteration Of monastic charity,
which has failed oftener and longer
than anything else; and it is not
even offered as solution for all
workers, but only for Catholic
workers.
We can find something more mil
liant than this in The Catholic
Worker (we're out to show that it's
a hot-even if not red hot-radical
organ. Take the business of evic-
tons. Yes, The Catholic Worker is
positively opposed to evictions. The
November, 1888, number contains a
pledge which its readers are asked
to sign, a pledge which declares
that "evictions are morally wrong"
that nevertheless the landlord
should not suffer loss or be made
to bear the burden of caring for the
shelter of the unemployed" and
that sacrifices should be made on
all sides After this militant docu-
ment we are not surprised to learn
that The Catholic Worker has or
ganized its entire Office force for
eviction cases" When they hear
Of an eviction they go out to move
the furniture-not back into the old
apartment, but somewhere else!
They have an unemployment-ex-
cuse us, Neighborhood Council,
which looks after evictions. In one
case October, 1889, on Fifteenth
Street near Avenue G, -four husky
young men Of the Fifteenth Street
Neighborhood Council peeled off
their coats and fell to work at the
moving jobs. Four flights of circu-
lar stairs to go down, :. a block
and a half to the new place, up one
flight of stairs there"
A Vicious Attack on Capitalism
Evictions and unemployment are
only a beginning for The Catholic
Worker. Although its editors favor
the Catholic Labor Guild, they're in
favor of labor unions, too, and they
report October, 1881 with approval
the declaration of Father Francis
j. Haas of the MIRA. Labor Advis-
DRY Board. Every worker has the
duty to himself and to his fellow
men to join his union and to be
proud of his membership said
Father Haas, who later helped to
break the Minneapolis strike.
"Unionism is the way of life. :.
1t means conference, cooperation
and peace" However, this paper
also reports things that are far
lTOin peaceful, as IN the headline
November, 1889, Nation wide
strikes advance as workers fight for
justice against capitals ruthless
War following this with the sub
head, Brutal Injuries and Tear
Gas Are Police Answer to Defense
less Women and Child Pickets."
Some readers, not quite grasping
the necessity for Catholic action on
this new labor front during the
present depression, evidently o5-
jected to the radical tone of some
of the headlines, and the result was
a featured editorial, why Write
About Strife and violence?o June
!, 1880. In this aside to the pious.
the editors of The Catholic Worker
regret that they cannot concentrate
more on the joy of the love of God
and less on the class strife - h,,t