The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-02
RooseveIt's Hunger Decree

president ROOSEvELTs new note on the unem-
ployment problem is an admission Of the failure
Of the government to either reduce the ranks Of the
sixteen million unemployed or TO grant to them Sc
curity against starvation.
Rooseyets note, Invested OF rhetoric, puts forward
three main points in the future program Of the Federal
Government toward the unemployed workers: y. A
declaration that the liquidation Of the eva will be
carried through and that no more appropriations viii
be made for relief to the jobless; q declaration
in principle against granting any unemployment In
surance and the breaking Of all campaign promises
Of Roosevelt regarding security to the workers; 81 The
setting up Of huge sections Of the unemployed as
Categores Of vagrants OF obess who have mo hope
and the institution Of the principle Of forced labor
The plan tends to reduce the wages Of the entire
working class by creating huge forced labor armies at
starvation wages"
The $3.50 100000 appropriated by Congress at Roose
vets request was declared at the time OF passage 70
be Just enough to liqhdate the C'SA jobs by May l.
and to taper OF" the C.wA projects. Nov this
ss5O0OOOOO according to Rooseyelts plan, is to
be made to last for is months Roosevelt divided the
unemployed into three categories and then declared
The administration will be guided by these groupings
in expanding the 900 recently appropriated by
Congress"
The money appropriated to taper OF" the C.wA
viii be stretched to last the 100000 unemployed
for Is months.
TODAY Roosevelt says in his rev note Direct relief
as SUCH whether in the form Of cash relief in kind
not an adequate way OF meeting the needs Of able
bodied workers. They very properly insist upon an
opportunity to give the community their services in
the form Of labor in return for unemployment bene-
fits"
This will be the only form OF relief, according
to Roosevelt because The Federal Government has
no intention desire to force either upon the
aAfaS
which is repugnant to American ideals OF individual
self reliance"
Roosevelt declares that direct cash relief viii not
be given. Instead forced labor viii be the only form
Of relief to ioblesS in the cities But this forced
labor relief will be limited to the s9500oOooo, and
viii be limited to six months. Work will be given
to an individual for period not to exceed six months"
FOR the rural distressed" Roosevelt makes it clear
that mo encouragement of an extension Of COM
petitive farming is contemplated" This in itself Is
an admission by Roosevelt OF the deepgoing extent Of
the agricultural crisis that agriculture will not stand
the strain OF additional competition. The program
proposed the unemployed in rural areas is the old
chestnut of Hoover diversified farming. In rural COM
munties the jobless viii not necessarily get any wages
Work for wages from relief funds is not essential
part Of this phase Of the program" says Roosevelt
The program in rural calls for building or re-
building to provide adequate farm homes; provision
Of seed and stock "for other than commercial pur-
poses" and part time employment lin small industrial
enterprises and jobs highways in parks and forests
This program is substitute for direct relief"
According to this analysis Of Roosevelt there Is no
hope for the millions Of unemployed in rural areas to
re-enter competitive agriculture Direct relief is cut
of from these millions and they to starve on the
farms, with what crumbs they pick up from road
work from vegetable gardens, or what have you.
Roosevelt puts forth the pitaby bankrupt theory
Of going back to the pre-capitas days Of handicraf
He again brings forward the falacous quack remedy
for the agricultural crisis Of dversifyng crops He
fantastcally claims that millions of obless in rural
areas can be put down in the middle OF capitalist
society to live on self-sustanng farms This theory
is suitable Roosevelt because 1t necessitateS only
the giving few seeds to the rural obess to replace
real cash relief.
DUT the program for the third category stranded
population" is even vicious. Roosevelt char
acterzes this category those composing stranded
populations i. e. living in single industry commune
ties in which there is hope Of future re-employ
ment such as miners in worked out fields Roose-
welt admits that this category constitutes "a situation
Of substantial proportions" He proposes physical
Iransplanting" the grounds that the areas where
they live "ofer neither future employment at wages
opportunities for sef-suppor through agriculture
In this paragraph Roosevelt admits the viclousness
the bankruptcy OF the capitalist system in dealing with
the unemployed Roosevelt admits to the pernanency
Of the unemployment problem, hope for Sub
stantial" section Of the population. The capitalist
seedup, the industrial crisis has stranded large
section OF the population according to RooseveltS
own admission and there is hope Of future wages"
And what does Roosevelt propose to do for these
permanently unemployed victims OF the anarchy Of
capitalist production? TO physically transplant" them.
To treat these workers from basic industries such
mining vagrants to isolate them on farms They
win be maintained small tracts Of land" with '1n-
dustIia opportunities" supplemented This means that
thousands Of families will be transported back to the
land" where nillions Of impoverished farmers are
already starving Could any program be more bank
rupt than this?
ROOSEVELT DEGREES relief cuts forced labor and
A. starvation to the unemployed The workers
Of the United States must let Rooseves starvation
program be put through.
Over million G. w. A. workers have already been
fired Only the most militant struggle on the broadcast
united front basis only the most intensive Srganiza-
ton will prevent Roosevelt's sentence of starvation