The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-06
THE FIGHTING
VET
BY H. E. BRIGGS
Greetings to the Daily

For ten years now the Daily
| Worker has been in the forefront OF
every struggle of the workers. 1t
has extended its friendship and
! guidance to that section of the work
ing class (the veterans) who were
the first TO feel the brunt of Roose-
velt'S New Deal" In doing so it
has won the undying friendship of
the veterans.
Seattle Sets the Pace
The Ballard Post of the w. E. S. l..
| in Seattle recently won splendid
victory for relief against the City
Commissioners. 1t did this in six
days of intensive struggle. Comrade
jenkins, who rode the rods to and
from the Anti-War Congress was one
of the leaders. Here's how it all hap
pened. Relief was cut off.
Thirty seven members of the Post
met the next morning. That after
noon leaflets were distributed to all
the veterans calling for mass rally
at the Commissioners offices. Three
hundred vets attended this rally. The
next night committees were elected to
organize a demonstration. The next
day an ex-Major Whylies and Con-
gresham Horr using the relief ques-
ton as means for getting votes also
called mass meeting. Comrade
jenkins of the John Ballard Post with
a committee of so were elected to go
to the majors meeting. Here they
took the floor, exposed the major and
put the question Of a march to the
commissioners to the 400 veterans
assembled. The major and some of
his cronieS objected to the motion,
but despite the opposition Comrade
jenkins and one or two others put it
over. Most of the majors men voted
yes. The meeting broke up with 500
voices shouting, Down to the Com
missioner"
As soon as they reached there the
battle started. They were threat
ened with the A. VS., a reactionary
veteran group in Seattle. The police
also threatened to use force. How
ever in the chambers everyone agreed
to stick it out; Comrade jenkins told
them that if they wanted to throw
him out they would have to 90 it in a
wooden box. Some of the old men
from the soup-line were with the
gathering demanding adequate relief.
Supporting the non-veterans strength
ened the prestige of the vets. After
much argument the City Commits
sioners granted their demands a few
days later the commissioners tried to
change this by inviting committees
from the American Legion and the
v. F w. The commissioners thought
that the American Legion and v. F.
w. men would not agree on the terms.
However, the next Gay the W. E. S. L.
had committee too. When all three
committees met, the w. E. S. L. COM
nittee convinced the American Legion
and V. F. w. men to support the
demands won. They agreed The
commissioners we're dumbfounded at
this united front. The demands
granted included no cut in relief, and
Union Pay for the c. w. A.
All the ballyhoo about the bene-
fits to be derived from the c. w. A.
have been exposed by no less a per
son than General johnson himself.
He recently stated that it was 'ab-
surd" to pay the men from the bread
lines as much as the regular workers
1t infers that all C.WA. workers are
buns. 1t is the same kind of slur
that was thrown at the veterans when
they marched TO Washington de-
handing their back pay,
1t shows up the whole demagogy
| of the Roosevelt administration. It
| was Roosevelt who, at the Legion
Convention in Chicago, stated that
the veterans should be taken care OF
by the state, but this does not en-
force the New York State Veteran
Laws Article IA, section Hills,
states: No veteran shall be psnper-
lied ard that all veterans residing
one year in the state shall receive
Cash Relief. Chapter 326 provides
| $50 month to World War veterans
with 10 per cent disa5 ility or over
and $40 month for dependent wi
dows or wives and SIS for each other
dependent.
This amount should be paid, so the
law states, to all those not receiving
$50 month from the Federal Gov
eminent, but not to exceed $50 a
month, or $3.50 year.
What really happens is that vet
Grams on C.W.A. jobs have had their
pensions cut to IS a month. This is
any thing but New Deal, it is the
old con game, working over time.
Now we are told that the C.W.A.
will only last till April. This means
that in April we win all be paupers,
the Vets who are getting S. a month
paigning to have the New York State
will be starving. In conjunction with
this the Citizens Budget Commission,
an offshot Of the MEL, is cam
Veteran Laws fulfilled. Think OF IL,
no relief, no pensions, no bonus, no
4 C.W.A.!
Then Roosevelt has the nerve to
wish the veterans q Merry Xmas and
Happy New Year.
No wonder some veterans think
they are in class by themselves
There Is no doubt that the vets have
been among the hardest hit. How
ever, the ex-ssrvicemen are learning
through the Daily Worker" that
they are no different from the rest
of the workingclass, that only through
mass struggles can the workers, farm
ers and veterans win their demands