The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-17
Program Bars Relief
To All No'V Unemployed;
Aids Company Unionisn,
Washington Farley Unable to Shut Out Demands
for Real Unemployment Insurance Made
for Workers by Benjamin

get the economic system to fune-
ton" specifically barred old-age
pensions and sickness benefits and
completely ignored maternity and
accident compensation.
Profits Come First
AS if to emphasize all this, Secre-
tary Perkins told the concluding
night session that her COMMITTEES
on economic security will follow
Roosevelt's suggestion to the letter
She added, Economic recovery
business and profits must come
before everything else. While
the national income remains small
We cannot go far in providing Sc
curity as we would like to do"
None of the conference delegates
mentioned the point that statement
inevitably raises-that no such ten
der fears for recovery" are men
toned when the Roosevelt govern
ment digs in and dishes out bill
lions Of dollars for war prepare
tons. Nor did any of the trusty
experts remind Secretary Perkins
that the recovery" she referred to,
that of bringing back the profits of
industry, has already occurred-and
so entirely at the expense of the
working and poor farmer classes
that today there are nearly mil
lion more industrial workers unem-
ployed than there were a year ago;
also that the purchasing power Of
the nation has declined until pro-
duction again has sunk.
Members of the advisory council
who sat in on the conference in the
swank Mayhower Hotel, assembled
in secret yesterday in fitting
place, the headquarters OF the
American Red Cross, the huge gov
eminent charity organization,
which has collected millions from
the people, supposedly for relief,
but actually largely for fat admin
istration costs and big war fund.
Reactionary labor takers and
openly fascist-minded industrialists
they will complete the Roosevelt
programs details. Among them are
Gerard Swope, General Electric
millionaire originator, with General
Hugh s. Johnson, of the fascist
plan toward which the Roosevelt
government is moving perceptibly.
In fact, Swope was in private con-
ference with Roosevelt repeatedly
before the White House announced
its social security" program, and
there are many reasons to believe
that Swope had a leading part in
developing it-and that he yet hopes
to further his plan for a more
strongly fascist set-up under the
Unemployment insurance" pro-
gram.
Talks for F. d. r. Plan
A hint OF this came during the
conference. ironically, in speeches
made by those the Roosevelt ad-
ministration had chosen as safe
leaders Of the discussions. Profess
sor Paul H. Douglas of the Univer-
sity of Chicago, supporter of many
Socialist Party candidates, frankly
declared that an unemployment re-
serves plan administered by indi-
vidual companies lis a company
plan, and will foster company
unionism." Douglas was the extreme
left" speaker for the administra-
tion-and he made some of the
most reactionary suggestions of all.
The "company-rese plan, I'M
der which each company sets aside
small percentage of its payroll and
pays limited benefits during q linz
tied period of unemployment, has
been enacted by the State of Wis
consin.
H. w. Story, Milwaukee manu-
facturer, opened the conference dis
cussion by insisting this plan must
be adopted throughout the country.
Douglas, speaking next, opposed
company reserves" saying that
they would undoubtedly permit the
company to make membership In a
company union the price of partici-
patton in the benefit plan. Doug
lass own proposal, however, was for
general unemployment reserves,
built by employee contributions in
order, said Douglas, that 'the work
ers may feel that unemployment in
surance is a right" and because
the employers probably couldn't be
saddled with the whole cost"
Douglas also urged that benefits
be limited to rs weeks a year-in-
stead of 20-and that agricultural
and public service workers may be
excluded. He accepted with muir
muir that any plan chat may be
adopted" will mot affect any of
those now on relief"
Such company reserves" plans
would be permitted under the
Roosevelt program, for he proposed
that the various states set up laws
for administering reserves plac-
ing no restriction on the kind
chosen.
Douglas also dropped the inform
alton that under any plan of ad-
ADMINISTRATION by the states it would
take at least year" to get started.
Another delegate pointed out that
the State Legislatures meet for brief
sessions only, in January, and
probably would not act unless some
extraordinary pressure were put on
them.
Dodge Demands of Workers
Spokesman after spokesman, in
an effort to evade the great need
for unemployment insurance, cited
vast needs for sickness, maternity,
and old age benefits-all barred by
the President.
In short, the Roosevelt program
proposed at least a years delay, no
benefits for any security hazard ex-
cept unemployment, and those ben
Gifts only for those then still en-
ployed and under variety of
standards which wait upon state
action, exclude any others the bust