The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-03


other big eheeses" Of ths corporation
only decide upon policies which re-
duce themselves mainly to mauipu-
lating stocks. These people never pro-
duce. They could be removed without
any loss to actual operations.
And yet 1t is they who decide 10
cut down production or to close the
plant altogether depriying both the
stats Of specialists and the skilled
and unsldlled workers Of their sole
means Of making a living. Those who
do not produce decide for those who
produce.
AS tC 3Fs and brokers. real es-
tate operators and pronloters-they
do not produce anything essential 10
human life although they have the
lions share Of control over produc-
ton. As a matter Of fact, they pro-
duce nothing, They transfer paper"
from hand to hand. That paper
call tt checks or deeds or drafts or
shares-is a claim TO the fruits o.
somebody else's labor,
The bad Lick" Gag
AAllnh1lEA AAEoNAJAA - AAA0h VI HeAE
luck" You have been taught to thiAk
that when you are out Of work it Is
'Gst your misfortune. Business Is
bad," there is a depression" they say.
Nobody is to blame" You are given
to understand that economic powers
are beyond human control. You are
told that a depression Is something
like an earthquake, like thunder
storm, like an avalanche. And yet
human ingenuity has learned how 20
control some Of the most formidable
forces Of nature. The human mind
has harnessed electricity, which pro
duceS the lightning. Human knowl-
edge is accomplishing things which
look miraculous. The tropics and the
poles, the air and the bowels Of the
earth are all coming under control q
man. Why should he not be able 20
control the production and distribu-
ton Of goods that are vital for his
life? Isn't the Soviet Union living
example that this can be achieved?
Why should there be a situation like
the one we suffer under In the US.A
at present where millions Of able
bodied workers, capable and willing
TO work, are being consumed by idle
ness and hunger, while excellent ma
chimes and mountains Of raw material
are lying around unused? Is it so diff
fcult afser all for human genius to
organize q constant flow Of goods
which would satisfy everybody's needs
with nobody compelled 10 go without
food, clothing and shelter7 Humanity
has learned to master the forces OF
nature. The progress Of science is
tremendous. New and ever newer In
ventions are made TO aid human Ia
Dor. At the Century Of Progress Elk
hibition" at Chicago, they showed cot
! ton-picking machines, each OF which
does the work of l6 to As men, There
are excavators and ditch diggers that
do the work of 20 or 80 men. Between
1922 and 1929 the productivity Of
American labor increased 100 per
cent. Why should the terrible crash
| in 1929 have had to come? Why
should we have had to suffer those
long weary years of the most terrible
crisis in the history Of this country?
Is 1t Natural To Starve?
We cannot blame this plight Of mil
| lions on natural forces" There is
nothing natural in such a situation.
1t is not natural that men should 60
hungry while the means to produce
sood are close at hand. 1t is not ma
tural that 8 government should order
the destruction of three and half mil
lion bales of cotton by blowing under
the years harvest on ten million acres
of land in the South the way it was
done by the government of the US.A..
while so many are badly dressed. 1t
is not natural that there should be
poverty in the midst Of plenty. 1t is
not natural that milk should be
dumped into rivers while babies are
starving. It is not natural that the
most ingenious means Of production
and transportation should be rusting
away while those who produce them
and can operate them are being vast
ed away by starvation and disease.
All this is most unnatural. 1t is in
! sane.
One word about the Law. You have
been taught to respect the law which
appears In the shape of the police
man or the judge. You were taught
| that this is Justice" Yet where is the
! justice of your being thrown out into
the street for non-payment of rent2
| Where Is the justice Of your being
dismissed rom the mines after many
years of work2 When the owner elects
you forcibly from his premises, this
| is not called force; when you resist,
| they say you are using force and vio-
lence. When the sheriff puts your be-
| longings on the sidewalks, that's law
! When you break the paddock and re-
place your furniture in its old place,
that's unlawful Why is it that yio-
lence against the workers is law and
resistance to violence is unlawful?
Protecting Private Property
| One more instance. The workers
| declare strike. They have been told
many times by many fine gentlemen
that there is 8 partnership between
| the owners and the workers. that
they must cooperate for the benefit
of the industry. When partners dis
agree on certain issue they fight
| out their dispute. Suppose you decide
to fight 1t out by refusing to work
You are entitled to DO so under the
law. You organize picket line. You
say you are partners to this plant and
you want to fight 1t out with your
/ employers. The employers try o.
bring in scabs. You refuse to admit
the scabs into the plant. Immediately
police arrive. The law protects the
scabs and attacks the strikers.
There must be something wrong in