davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12

When Is a Review Not Review?
In the New York Herald Tribune
appeared, several Sundays ago, a
book review of Grace Hutchins'
Women Who Work" This review
was the sort of thing common to
bourgeois-bought criticism of pro-
socialist writing) which, as kids, we
used correctly to characterize as
nasty nice" IJs pretense at cool
impartiality has decidedly emstic
effect.
We resent it SO thoroughly that
even though we had to permit much
time to elapse since its appearance,
due to the pressure here of urgent
organiza ional and timely material
we deal with it now nevertheless.
A wretched crumb of praise was
flung to a thorough and splendid
book at the conclusion of the re-
view. These are the things (de-
scription Of organization by the T.
U. U. L. Of women, etc.-H. L. in
Women Who Work that make it
an iateres ing and valuable book"
That can scarcely repair the dam
age done by several paragraphs such
as these which began the review:
1T is rather a pity that a job
like Grace Hutchins's Women Who
Work" defeats itself through man
nsr of presentation. The facts
which she has assembled are sig
,,;F;oo,o+ ord ;,,,,o1,-+oY,+ ~ ,1O,-t, " =
ing a phase of American labor that
is Sorely in need of change. Stand
ing alone they tell their story with
clarity amounting to brutality; in
terpreted through her eyes and ex-
pressed in a highly emotional,
highly biased language, their bone
structure often becomes soft. No
body denies her the right to be-
come a Communist, but Commu-
nism, to succeed in drawing sup
portars, requires a saner method
Of approach and greater con-
sistcncy of attack than she shows.
ITO blame capitalism, bankers,
and the steel trust for all the ills of
women in American industry and
agriculture may be a good idea in
making a speech before a group of
people who think in the same
terms, but placed between the COW
ers Of a book for general consump-
ticn it seems bit far fetched.
When she writes that steady in
crease in the use of young girls and
women in indus ny is one of the
marked tendencies of capitalism and
then proceeds to show that in Rus
sia, today, 645 per cent of all work
crs in light industry are women
one gets slightly impatient; when
she says that Others have seen for
themselves what labor the farm
woman in the United States is
forced to perform under the con-
ditions dictated by American bank
era and then, in the chapter on
the U. S. S. r.. seriously quotes
Isnin that every cook must learn
to run the government one is in
cijned to smile.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
Subsistence Farm" Tenants Will Have
10 Ask Permission to Leave for Town
Government Destroys Farmers Crops, WhieL Ii
Plans to LeUeL Him Into SerfdOm

criminal waste is near the boiling
point.
Another relief" measure is a
plan to move 5000 farmers from
the western part Of South Dakota
to the eastern part. State and fed
eral governments will work together
in this. The farmers are to be
moved to farms on which the state
rural credits department has fore
closed. As most of these farms are
now occupied by tenants they are
to be divided into smaller farms.
This is mainly a scheme of big
rancherS such as Governor Tom
Berry to get more range for their
stock. In the old days the new
comers were met with gun and
rope, but they could not stop this
tide of immigrants. Now they are
reSorting to the more refined meth
DDS of using the Wall Street gov
eminent to aid them. Most of the
farmers and small ranchers are
here because they busted up"
farming further East and came
West to get new start. They have
no desire to go back East.
This removal is supposed to be
voluntary, but as the big ranchers
are in "cahoots" with the bankers,
if man does not want to move he
can usually be put in a squeeze"
and forced to do so. The land is
supposed to be paid for, but as most
farms are mortgaged you can see
who will benefit mainly from this.
1t is also planned to put many
busted farmers on Subsistence"
farms. These will be little tracts
Of land all under the control of
one boss farmer, probably some
boy just out of agricultural col
lege. These farmers will raise
beans and other vegetables. They
will have to go to the head farmer
to get permission to go to town.
Such is relief" out here in the
wide open spaces!
VIC LuuoG uelAldllu JIG elldCGiAISHC
of the Farmers Emergency Relief
Bill drawn up by the Communist
Party and introduced in Congress
as H. R. 9976. 1t will bring some
real relief to the farmers and to
workers dependent on the farmers
for living.
E. M. PFUTZENREUTER
(You may use my Signature).
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
Demonstrations
Win Increased
Relief in Bemidii
BY a Worker Correspondent

BEGIDJI. Minn.-Last Saturday
morning we held a demonstration in
front of the relief Office. demanding
an increase in the relief orders and
also clothing orders. We had good
demonstration, and most of the
needy ones got their orders in
creased although the relief adj
ministrator, Mr. Finnelson, was out
of town as usual when a demon
stration is called. We workers and
farmers decided to have another
demonstration the next Tuesday for
the demand of clothing orders. This
demonstration was called by the
United Farmers League of Bel
trami County.
Tuesday we held the demonstra-
ton with another large attendance.
1t took two policemen to get the
relief agent out of his cubby hole.
He could not talk to the committee
in his own Office. SO they had to
go to the police station to talk with
the committee
The decision the committee re-
ported was that a committee of
each working organization shall
meet with the County Relief Board
on Friday, July 6, at 2 o'clock. at
the Court House. At the same time
the workers won partial increases
in relief and some also got clothing
orders through the two demonstra-
tons.
Through the committees going
alone we did not win one demand
so far, according to the last re-
port given me by one of the COM
mittee men. This again shows that
only through actual struggle are
the workers getting somewhere.
The workers have to struggle and
fight for their measly relief. On
the fourth of July there was quite
lot of money spent to celebrate
the victory our forefathers fourht
for. 1t was supposed to be fer
liberty, free speech and assemblage.
But while the Salvation Army and
other religious sects can block the
street Saturday evenings, the WORK.
ers are not allowed to hold meeoin~ g
on the streets. Whenever they do,
the police interfere with it.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
New York City

New York City
Dear Editor:
l should like to call the comrades
attention to an item in the Daily
Worker of Wednesday. July 4th,
page 3, under the heading, Thugs
Attack Briggs, etc"
The articles says that peddlers
on First Avenue beset Comrade
Briggs wife because she resented
an insult.
Two things are to be corrected:
The caption reads Thugs and
then the story goes on to say push
cart peddlers.
happen to shop on First Avenue
every single day, just like hundreds
OF other proletarians looking for
penny bargains. Any number of
times I've been "insulted" by these
thugs" when I've tried to pick out
the best piece of goods.
AT first I used to burn up," but
as class-eonscious worker, began
to see the thugs" point of view.
All day in the broiling sun, with
hundreds of women arguing, bar
gaining and testing the ware. So
1 began to talk to them and found
out that most of them are dissatis-
fed with conditions and they too
know when a Red demonstration is
going on, and I've heard them ex-
claim (the recent NYD9 Boy did
you see that? Some demonstration p
don't doubt that Comrade
Briggs got the same treatment 1
used to get and still do from these
peddlers.
think it incorrect, however.
from MARKHAM point of view to
make issue Of it, because the COM
rade happens to be a Negro, or a
leading comrade. Instead of argu-
ing with peddlers or coming to blows
with him. the comrades should have
walked on and bought elsewhere
as is done by all shoppers-since
1t is useless to argue with them.
The incident was most likely a
personal argument which is bound
to occur in this section rather than
a chauvinistic attack on the part of
the peddler.
My explanation may be wrong,
but I don't think the Negro com
rade, by defending his wife with
fists, did the MARKHAM thing to
erase this chauYinism.
Comrades more politically CAP
able, should, think, give more at
tention to such Items and not mere
ly dismiss it by captioning back
ward workers as thugs"
Comradely yours,
A FIRST AVENUE SHOPPER.
Editors Note: The comrades
corrections are incorrect. The
argument that it was incorrect
for the Daily Worker to make an
issue of the incident because the
victim happens to be a Negro
is wrong, and precisely from the
MARKHAM point of view invoked by
the writer of the letter.
The assumption that the case
involves only 'the same treatment
used to get and still do from
these peddlers,' and was most
likely personal argument"
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12

shows a fundamental lack of
understanding of the Negro ques-
ton and the methods used by the
white ruling classes to maintain
their brutal oppression and plum
dering Of the Negro masses, False
theories Of white superiority, race
hatred and prejudice are system
atiosliy and persistently implsnt-
ed among the white population
by the capitalists. The aim and
the result of the fostering Of
these false and chauvinist theories
are to incite intolerance and vio-
lence against Negroes and to
split the working class and its
struggles for better conditions.
Even had the incident under
discussion been as trivial as the
correspondent enormously be-
heves, it would still carry the i'm
plication of white chauvinism
where Negro is the victim. Even
a personal argument" viii de-
velOp into chauvinist abuse and
attack where Negro is con-
fronted by a white person whose
mind is poisoned by this vicious
propaganda.
The report of the incident car
ried by the Daily Worker was
necessarily brief, and omitted
details. But it did state clearly
that Comrsde Briggs was at
tackled "as he went to the defense
Of his wife attacked by one of the
peddlers when she resented an
insult"
Juanita Briggs quite correctly
resented the mans familiarity in
putting his arm around her. True,
white women, too, are subjected
to such insults, but they are
aimed much more frequently at
Negro women. And where Negro
women are subjected to such an
approach" by a white man, it is
individually on the chauvinist as
sumption that Negro woman
should welcome the attentions of
a superior" white man. Such an
attitude reeks with the stencil of
the slave market, under which
Negro women were habitually pol
luted by the white master class
and its hangers-on.
The term thugs" WIS used in
a specific instance, not as gen.
eral characterization of all ped
oilers. The article reported, in ad-
dition to the attack on Comrade
Briggs and his wife, another at
tack on Negro couple on the
same day, when the man resented
an insulting remark to his wife.
The viewpoint expressed in the
letter is inimical to the working
class, and the anonymous COM
rade should seek to correct that
viewpoint, whcih already borders
On tolerant attitude tward those
who attack and prosecute Negroes
and is thus an expression of white
chauvinism. 1t is an example of
how confusion on the Negro
question can lead to hesitation in
going to the defense of Negroes
who arc attacked, and TO even
chauvinist Justification, if not
actual participation, in such at
lacks.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
Election Result
In One District
OF Minnesota
By a Worker Correspondent

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Mimi
The battle of the primary election
is now over, and the smoke has set
tied for while. The Farmer-Labor
Party went over strong here in
Minnesota, which was no surprise
to most people of our state, as their
platform sounds very good in words
but not all the people can be fooled
all the time.
The following is the outcome of
the votes cast at our primary cleo
ton, June 10, 65th Legislative Dis
trict, Minnesota:
Three Farmer-Labor candidates
together, 11,425 votes.
One Republican, 2,436 votes.
One Communist, 1902 votes.
This was a surprise to most peo-
pie, that our Communist candidate
got so many votes, considering the
way the Communists have been
misrepresented through our leading
newspapers which control public
opinion in our state. Personally,
think that those 1902 Communists,
spread cut over our Legislative Dis
trict, as the leaders and most in
telligent citizenS~will carry on the
program until the battle is won. l
am workingman myself and have
an opportunity to talk with other
workers. They all seem to be dis
satisfied with conditions existing
and they all seem to think the only
way out of this crisis will be the
revolutionary way out, but they
seem to be afraid of something
afraid they will lose their jobs.
They don't seem to realize that if
they organize and stick, the other
fellow will get scared.
Here is my advice to you, work
ers and farmers: Don't wait for
your neighbor to join and ask you
to follow; join first yourself and tell
your neighbors to do the same. This
is your battle. You only work for
yourself.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
THRILLING NEWS
New York City.


Dear Comrades
OF all the thrilling news these
days, the nearest and most interest
ing to me is to watch the daily
figures of the Daily Worker" grow
ing steadily. Therefore, every one
of lis should seriously think of a
plan, a way to tackle this job.
So far as I know, in most units
the usual way is to buy or get on
credit, from to Is papers and get
rid of them, by selling a few and
donating the rest to the first person
that may care to accept it.
think that this is very backward
What we need above all is to have
an idea about who are the people
in our ne.ghborhood who might
when they know our struggles and
our paper, buy it. To do this we
have to reach as many persons as
possible. This we could very easily
accomplish by distributing every
week a cheap pamphlet on general
problem-like the Workers Unem-
ployment Insurance Bill, or some
thing of the sort.
With the pamphlet we could give
a leaf1et about the Daily Worker
how easy it is obtained, through us,
or on a newsstand, etc. A unit
could order for example, a thousand
of these pamphlets and leaflets al
such a price that instead of reach
ing five or Is workers, every com
rade would get in contact with 25
or so, giving these revolutionary
messages away and having the op-
portunity of placing our paper in
better hands, also laying a solid
ground for its distribution. To these
prospects We could offer the papel
on credit for certain time, having
the confidence that he is interested
Lastly think that it won't be 2
bad idea that the Daily Worker
print leaflets and self addressed
cards to be distributed to these
prospects and other people. Thi.
way we could know about the ad.
dresses of many workers interested
IN our paper, would visit them anc
take their subscription. The unit,
would pay for this advertisement
material.
Comradely
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
Drought Kills Spring Grain,
and Corn Can't Stand 1t Long
Hay Crop Also Gone, Farmer Writes from
Nebraska; Good-Sized Creeks Drying Up

We have one of the worst
drOughts in years here. Our spring
grain is all gone now and corn
viii not stand it long. 9Th the
temperature reading fro~ 100 to
1O4 degrees, within the last few
days good sized creeks are dry.
Large rivers show signs of the dry
weather. The hay crop is gone.
No one knows whether they will
be able to winter the stock or not.
The only thing that people have
in sight is that the government
must feed them. Yes. I have been
passing the Daily Worker around.
People read it. Some think it a
great paper. Some don't, but it is
generally the case that some people
don't try to do anything for the~c-
selves till it is too late.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
The Telephone As Source of
Infection

Inc Telephone As a Source of
Infection
M. l., Brooklyn.-Th Theoretically,
the telephone might be an agent in
the transmission of certain diseases,
such as. ordinary colds, La Grippe
and typhoid fever; but practically it
is hard to demonstrate that such
infections have actually been trans
mitted by using public phone.
1t is pretty well established now
that most diseases are contracted
by direct contact between the sick
and the well person. This is why
all modern Health Departments
have given up the process of fumi-
CATION, following infectious and
contagious diseases, which was so
prevalent a quarter of century
ago. 1t has been found that bac-
terra die very quickly when depos-
tied on surfaces such as the trans
mitter or receiver of the telephone.
On the other hand, it is conceivable
that a person suffering of pulmon-
airy tuberculosis, for instance, could
cough directly mo the transmitter
and deposit therein infected drop
lets of sputum. If the next tele-
phone user follows him within a
few minutes and puts his mouth
right into the instrument, he is
liable to get some of the infected
material on his lips. If he also hap
pens to be susceptible to the dis
ease lowing to lowered resistance,
etc. such an individual might con-
tract T.B in this manner. The
same would hold true of typhoid
and syphilis.
Although such conditions are
rare, it is, nevertheless, possible for
the telephone to transmit infection
For this reason, it is best never to
touch the instrument with ones lips
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
SUGGESTION ON FORM OF
ARTICLES (PLACEMENT)
New York CITY

Dear Editor:
Since there is difficulty in avoid
ing too many stories which are
continued on another page, I
should like to suggest that they
should be confined to the left hand
side of page 2 and the right hand
side of page 8. This would make it
possible to read the paper in a
crowded subway train since then
one would have to open the paper
only one-half page in width.
I think that cartoons on the
rear and on the second page should
not be placed exactly in the mid
die, since I, as we'll as others, save
them for hanging and when they
are folded several times after read
ing. they are spoiled.
The formal of the front page
should never be like that of the
N. Y. Times, lie, without spread
headline. because this makes the
paper look very dead. This is one of
the worst faults of the Young
Worker as far as looks go.
Comradely,
G. CHAIKIN.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12

tracted acres to the government are
idle and a lot of land is around that
no resident could rent.
There will be a lot more idle land
next year. We only have two
horses, when the whole country over
is needing five. Farmers cannot
buy power machinery, as the crop
will not pay operating and interest
on the investmant. The N. r. A.
has raised machinery prices but has
done nothing for the farmer so that
he could buy it.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
80 D0cEe%~
.kGGbinQeta
~NdA,G9eA:
: BY PAUL LuTTINGER. MD.

or ear or to wipe it with damp
cloth before using it. In some of
the European cities, such as London,
staff of cleaners are employed to
disinfect the mouthpieces and ear
plates every three days. But there
is no device to protect the public
in-between. Here is an opportunity
for an inventor to discover a
method of automatic self -disinfec-
ton for the telephone. Until this
is done, there is very little chance
to prevent infection through the
public telephone, which is usually
located in the darkest and least
ventilated part of the premises.
The resolution of Alderman Kins-
ley directing the Health Depart
ment to investigate methods of
making the phones sanitary, which
was recently adopted by the Board
OF Aldermen, is piece of demagogy
designed to make the public think
that our ely fathers" are solicit
tous about cur health. 1t is an
other opportunity for graft and
patronage in the buying of disin-
fectants, appointments of a corps
of inspectors, etc., for which our
city admins rations have long been
infamous.
Trachoma As An Occupational
Disease
ID. B., Madison Square Garden:
Trachoma is now considered as an
occupational disease among wrcs-
tiers. 1t is transmitted from one
wrestler to another by the close
contact of their bodies, which en-
sbles their perspiration and tears to
reach the eyes. Owing to the large
number of college men who have
gone into the sport" of wrestling
professionally, the disease has spread
considerably in recent years.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
NOTE

We publish letters from farm
ers, agricultural workers. forestry
and lumber workers, and cannery
workers every Thursday. These
workers are r-ged to send us let
tiers about their conditions Of
work. and their struggles to or
ganize. Please get these letters to
us by Monday of each week.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12

ton was ordained by the state and
county and aimed at Negro workers
primarily.
There is no justification for these
Negroes and white workers to be
cheaply robbed by the selfish rich
and their capitalistic state, merely
because they are poor and destitute.
The Negroes are well aware when
they fail to get fair break. When
the Negroes 90 not fight back on
every occasion. this is no proof that
they do not know when they are
wronged.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
Can You Make EN-
Yourself?

Pattern 1920 is available in sizes
u, IA, Is 10, 20, 80. 80, "a, SO, IS
and 40. Size Is takes 31s yards 36-
inch fabric and % yard contrasting.
Illustrated step y-step sewing i'll
5tructions included.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
By a Farmer Correspondent

LYNCH. Neb.-Farm land around
here is not paying expenses, and
has not for five years. Either there
is no crop or the prices have been
so poor that a farmer could not
pay his operating expenses, to say
nothing about his work. Many con-
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12
ARTICLE IN NEW MASSES
WENT OVER BIG
Chisholm. MINI

CnlSnoim, MINI.
Dear Comrades:
In the May 22nd issue of the New
Masses there was wonderful ex-
posure of the Secret or UNITY
Units" in Hibbing. Mimi, by John
Spivak. Because this form of labor
organization" has somewhat spread
in the other range towns I think it
would be good if a story of this kind
could be published in more read
and distributed newspaper, the
Daily Worker. Such swell article
on Hibbing and only few issues
OF the New Masses coming in these
parts hasn't the benefit it could
have had
The local newsstand dealer was
persuaded and he ordered 200 copies
of the New Masses. He was selling
them like hot cakes, but Mayor
Zimmerman either terrorized him
or bought every COPY so that many
issues aren't out. The comrades in
HibSing would have ordered and
sold many COPIES if they knew such
articles appear.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12

Send FIFTEEN CENTS l5c) in
coins or stamps (coins preferred)
for this Anne Adams pattern. Write
plainly name, address and style
number. BE SURE TO STATE
SIZE.
Address orders to Daily Worker
Pattern Department, 243 West 18th
ST., New York City.