davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Government Cuts
Relief Grants AS
Distress Mounts

NEW YORK-As applications
for relief continue to soar
throughout the country, relief
payments are being continually
slashed, reports from rural and
urban centers show. Relief Off
cials in Boise, Idaho, put
through a Ga per cent cut in the
month of June. Waterbury, Con-
necticut, slashed relief 40 per
cent. Four cities in Connecticut
show an increase of four per
cent on relief in the one month
period from May to June, yet the
amounts paid out were cut 20
per cent.
From the South come reports
of widespread relief cuts. De-
spite an increase of about half
on the relief rolls in Greenville,
5. G., textile center following
the NRA order to cut cotton pro-
duction and payrolls by % per
cent, relief payments were slash.
ed rs per cent.
Relief payments were slashed
in Little Rock, Ark; Baltimore,
Md; and Louisville, Ky. Fort
Smith, Ark, had an increase of
ten per cent in the number on
relief, but cut total payments by
20 per cent.
Work relief has been totally
stopped in Omaha, Neb., and the
issuance of clothing and house
hold necessities has been stop
ped.
In Chicago, relief lists were cut
six per cent.
New York City under the La
Guardia hunger regime is carry
ing through a policy of firing all
single relief workers and mar
ried couples and a 20 per cent
wage cut is planned on work re-
lief for the month of August.
Pennsylvania's relief expendi-
lures were cut about one fourth
for the month, South Carolina's
by one third. In Ohio total ex-
penditures were substantially
cut except at Akron where the
rubber workers are organizing
and at Toledo, where a hard
fought strike left officials fearful
of slashing the relief rolls.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Prison Strike Leader
Is Given Solitary Cell

Solitary confinement until
hell freezes over" is to be the
doom of Floyd Burgess If he
again attempts to organize the
prisoners in the jail to which
he has been sentenced for one
year, a maximum jail sentence,
as "a lesson to Others"
This is the answer given by the
chief deputy to committee oil
Albina Local of the Civic Emer-
gency Federation here, who went
to the Jail with resolution of
protest against the solitary con-
finement of Burgess.
The deputy told the commit
tee that Burgess, who is now
out of solitary, had been guilty
of "inciting riot" When asked
what he meant by riot, the dep
uty said Burgess had organized
the prisoners, who had in turn
gone on strike.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17

Early in his administration
help to him and his family on the
side. The police, discovering this,
game him twenty-four hours to
leave town. And where will | go?
What of my family?" FeOdor de-
handed.
Finding work in Moscow, he
travelled back on his free days,
when he could afford it, to see his
family, and keep contact with To-
cal comrades. Each time he came
he had to report to the police,
stating when he had arrived, for
how long, and on what train he
would leave. His wife, who at first
had fully agreed with his revolu-
tionary activities, unable to see
the children suffering, now chang
ed altogether. There were many
bitter arguments, but Feodor
never gave in.
Continued Next Week
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
WanaCe'S EdiCt
Means Starvation

WASHINGTON, ID c., Aug. l6
Passing sentence OF starvation
upon thousands of unhcrpaid
and unemployed families, Secre-
tary of Agriculture Wallace says,
Food prices will be materially
higher next year."
Two great disasters are re-
sponsible: One, natural - the
drought; the other, deliberate.
insane criminal-the Wilful de-
struction of crops and stock, the
AAA program of the Roosevelt
administration.
Food Prospects Low
Half the area of the United
States is now officially charted
as in the drought area" Pros
poets for adequate food and feed
have not been so low in 50 years.
with production of 80 principal
crops % per cent below the av-
erage of the past - years.
Meatless families will fully I'M
derstand the role of the govern
ment when they read of the pro-
gram to slaughter 100000 more
head of cattle. Cow hands in the
state of Texas alone are now
shooting down 1000 a day.
The government does nothing
to supply water and food to keep
herds alive, Farmers who can get
their cattle to market receive
prices like this: Kansas City, 800
milk cows, $3.50 a head; Kansas
City, drought cattle sold to tan
ners, 30 cents to SIPS head.
Cattle Buried in Pits
Lacking transportation, each
small town has adopted the prac-
tice of shooting the cattle in
some gravel pit or similar place
and covering them with quick
lime.
Most checks handed out
throughout the country in con-
neetion with the crop reduction
program have gone to banks and
mortgage holders in payment on
past debts.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Million HerndOn Petition
SignerS Goal For Drive

NEW YORK. Aug. 16-A cam
paign for one million signatures
to IA petition calling for the free
dom of the nine Sc0ttsbOro boys
and of Angelo lIerndon, and for
the enactment by Congress of a
Bill for Negro Rights and tho
Suppression of Lynching, was
launched at a SeOtsboro-Herndon
Emergency Conference held here
on the evening Of August s, at
st. Paurs church.
The conference called jointly
by the International Labor De-
Tense, the League of Struggle for
Negro Rights and the National
Committee for the Defense of
Political Prisoners, was the first
of Il series of such conferences to
be held in every city.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Soviet
Main Street

regions conference. Here sixteen
electors were to be chosen who
would take part in the final
choice of the workers Duma rep
resentatives.
The government thought to
provide "a safety valve for itself
in this manner. 1t caleu lated
without the Bolsheviks. At the
conference, Il leaflct was given
out, giving program and list of
the sixteen electors for whom
to vote. Feeders name was on
the list! when the Party asked
me to run" he tells us, my heart
began to beat. On the one hand,
! was being put forward On the
other, it might mean going to
exile or prison. But since the
Party wanted me, felt | must do
it. And all sixteen of us on that
list were elected. That's the kind
of organization we had!" OF these
two were later elected to the
Duma. One of them came to Po-
dOlsk to see FeOdOr, bringing i'm
portant Party documents. These
Feod0r read and burned, trans
ferring their message by word of
mouth to the others. There was a
big meeting in the woods one
night with this Duma member,
which the police could not To-
cate. Andree attended and it OPP
ened his eyes to much that was
not clear before.
Feodor and his small group of
comrades would meet in different
workers homes, secretly study
ing, preparing themselves. They
Organized a small library. They
read Marx, Gorky, argue I'd,
thought. In the plant, among the
workers, they were agitating
raising their bread and butter
issues, all the while enlightening
themselves on political questions.
Much work was likewise done
among the peasantry in the vii
lagos close by. Small tea shops
were opened up, where literature
as well as tea was distributed and
much propaganda carried on.
Dixon, getting reports from his
spies on Feodor, called him in
and fired him. you've always got
a group of workmen around YOU
he told FeodOr. He felt lucky to
get off so lightly, and not be
sent to Siberia as well. For three
months he was unemployed. His
fellow-workers slipped food and
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
WORKMEN
FORCE BIG
CONCESSION
Spokane UC Gets Free
disqualification For
Infantile Cases

SPOKANE, Aug. 49, Forcing
authorities to open the isolation
hospital for victims OF the cpl
demie of inlantile paralysis, the
Unemployed Council here won a
distinct victory.
II had been reported. autehn-
tically, that children who had
been exposed To the disease were
playing with other children OF a
work ing class neighborhood;
that the father of these children,
a victim of the disease, had been
refused incubation until he
ould pay twenty dollars. Further,
orders had been given that II
alive last Tuesday noon he would
be evicted from the hospital be-
cause of the fear OF his contain.
mating doctors, nurses, and we'll
TODD patients.
NC Sends Protest Committee
When a committee from the
Unemployed Council, Local No. 3,
called on Dr. Hendricks OF the
health office to demand that the
isolation hospital be opened, DIR.
Hendricks said he believed the
committee had been "misinform-
ed" but upon phoning the hos
pital found it Il ease of MANTLE
paralysis that had not even been
reported to the health authori.
ties.
The committee also demanded
that free NEGOTIATIONS be given;
that all people exposed be isolat-
ed, and their dependents, Il any,
be given food, clothing and shell
ter free. If there is no other
means of sustenance.
No Protection Laws
10 these demands the doctor
replied that free inocculation Tor
needy patients would be impos-
sible; that under present laws 1t
was impossible to apply riga So
cial laws to protect the public;
that "you couldn't take IA man OF
his lob" even If he had been ex-
posed to infantile paralysis.
A suggestion OF a member OF
the committee that the health
authorities pay mans salary
during isolation, was entirely be-
yond the doctors social compre-
hension.
The day after the Unemploy-
ed Council committee had made
it's call, an article in the kept
press stated that by request OF
some of the citizens (tbe Unem-
ployed Council was not men,
toned the isolation hospital
had been opened.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Communist Party
Calls Conference

Continued from Page One)
workers party, the Socialist Par
ty renders most loyal service
to the capitalist eXploiters.
The AL leadership through
their non-partisan policies of
reward your friends and pun
ish your enemies" are keeping
the masses chained to the cap
italist parties. They are work
ing hand in glove with the ex-
.ploiters of the Republican and
Democratic Parties.
The Communist Party is the
only Party which organizes and
fights against the capitalist class
for the daily and immediate needs
of the workers, against hunger.
misery, faScism and war, and for
the establishment of a Soviet
America. The capitalist parties
are avoiding the main issues in
the next election campaign. The
Communist Party brings forward
the following election platform:
1. Against Roosevelt's New
Deal. For higher wages, shorter
hours and improved living
standards.
2. Against capitalist terror,
and the growing threat of fas-
cism.
AZ Against compulsory arbitra-
ton and company unions.
b. Against use OF troops in
. strikes.
g For the workers right to join
unions Of their own choice.
ID For the right to strike, pick
ct and demonstrate.
e) For maintenance of all DEM
ocratic rights of workers.
3. For Unemployment and
Social Insurance at the expense
of the employers and govern
ment. workers Unemploy
ment Insurance BILL
q. For the repeal of the Agri.
cultural Adjustment Act.
a. Exemption of impoverished
farmers from taxation.
b. Cancellation of all debts of
poor farmers.
5. Against jim Crowism and
lynching. For equal rights of
Negroes, and self-determination
in the black belt.
6. Against Imperialist war
and for the defense of the Sow &.
let Union and Soviet China.
The Communist Party Nomin-
ating Convention will be held on
primary day, Sept. II, 2 p. m, at
the IOGT hall, 1109 Virginia st.
You are asked to elect two dele
gates to the convention.
Fraternally yours,
DISTRICT COMMITTEE. COM
MUNIST PARTY, DISTRICT IL
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
By Richard Wharton

Orchard, the nine-year-old pi-
oneer sent to the summer camp
by the Voice of Action, dictated
the following)
Oh, gee, it was swell! 1t was
so pretty there, all big pines and
back Always was a little alder
forest, and a trail led down to
the beach. The eats was good!
And boy, the last dinner was the
best, so the kids said.
We had six squads. l was in
Squad Two, the Pioneer Tramp
ers. This was our yell: You can
beat eggs, you can lick cream,
but you can't beat the Pioneer
Trampers by any means" We
had points for being ready first
and keeping quiet at nights and
other things. Squad Three, the
Red Sparks, won. They were the
biggest girls.
Squads Have Newspapers
Each squad had a wall news
Continued on Page 4, Col, 81
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Farm Paper Sponsors
Interstate Sub Drive

SPANAWAY, Wash, Aug. 10
The United Farmers League,
whose call for a State Convention
to be held in Everett sometime in
October is to be announced soon,
is popularizing its militant farm
paper, 'The Farmers National
Weekly" by socialist competition
between the Oregon and Wash
ington organizations of h c
League.
The Executive Committee OF
the Washington UFL has chal-
lenged Oregon in race in filling
their respective quotas of 400
new subs.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
HermdOn Courage Indicates
Negro Emancipation Near
By Lowell Wakefield

gang is death by torture. No
man ever lasted that long.
Even the ~ long months spent
in Fulton Tower, the County Jail,
made terrible inroads on the
health of Herndon.
This young Negro worker
took his life in his hands when
he went to Atlanta.
| worked in the South with him.
| know the chances he. or any
other Negro organizer runs.
As the courage of Commun-
lists under Hitler foreshadows
the Germany OF tomorrow, so
does the spirit OF Herndon
point the way to the new South
OF a free and independent self
governing Negro people.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17

President Roosevelt announced
that as one of the New Deal
measures our pOStmasterS would
be put under the civil service
but after that one first state
ment nothing was heard of such
a measure in Congress.
Emil Hurja. former University
of Washington man, and now
Farley's assistant, does IA good
deal of the actual job dispensing
at Washington. There are only
two requirements for a job, first
was the applicant a supporter of
Roosevelt before he received the
nomination at the Democratic
convention in Chicago, and sec
Ond. is the applicant endorsed
by his Democratic Party organ
iZation.
Once these two matters are
settled Hurja gives the man his
recommendation to a depart.
ment head written on a white
slip of paper if the fellow is to
get fair job, a buff slip if he is
to be given a good job and a
blue slip if he is to have very
special consideration.
Says Time magazine, The Far,
ley appointments have been no
better, no worse than those of
preceding Republican admins
tratiOns." New Deal?
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Finnish Festival
Defes Tear Gas
WORKERS MEET RED SCARE
BY DOUBLE ATTENDANCE
AT FESTIVAL

KELSO, Aug. 16-In an attempt
TO break up the Oregon-Washing-
ton Finnish Workers annual
Summer Festival at kelso, Wash
ington. August 4 and ), three tear
gas bombs were thrown, one out
side and two inside the Hippi-
drOme Pavilion where the Festiv-
al was being held on Saturday
night, Aug. 4.
During the beginning of the
program three state deputies
(plain clothes mem were inside
observing the crowd and the pro-
gram. They left in the middle of
the program, and about 1880,
during the dance the bombs were
thrown. Everyone was forced to
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
JObless to Meet Later;
State Convention Off

SEATTLE. Aug. 16-Announc-
ing Tuesday the postponement
of the State Convention, sched-
uled for August 1926. the State
Committee of Action gave as its
reason the cancelling of the ma
tional tour of Herbert Benjamin,
National Organizer of the IN
employed Councils.
The Committee will proceed
with convention plans as soon
as Benjamin's tour is rescued
uled.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
PORTLAND
MILITANTS
IN PRISON
Many Still Held, Some
On 'C.S.' Charges;
Olson Free

PORTLAND, Aug. l6-Of the
more than 10 workers arrested
during the Portland red raids,
fifteen were still in the county
iail. August 10. Some are held for
$1,000 bond.
OF the original 10, ten were re-
leased following the PRELIMINARY
hearing. Is were turned over to
the grand jury on $25 bond each,
and the rest were turned over to
the grand jury under bonds of
from $3.50 to $1,000.
Louis Olson, Section Organizer
of the Portland Section OF the
Communist Party, is out on $1,000
bond.
Stewart Jailed Twice
For the first time in the expert
ence OF the International Labor
Defense in Portland, workers out
on bond have been rearreSted
on the same charge Earl $ ewart.
arrested during the raid on the
headquarters of the Communist
Party and charged with criminal
syndicalism. was released on $1,000
bond
After speaking to an audience
of workers concerning his arrest,
he was sought by the police and
arrested again on charges OF Grim
inal syndicaliSm. He is awaiting
release in lieu of $4,000 bond. The
Judge has refused to apply the
bond submitted when Stewart
was released on $1,000, to the new
bond
Dirk De .Jonge and Don Cluster.
Section Organizer of the Young
Communist League were also
victims of rearrest while out on
bond, and are also charged with
criminal syndicalsim.
Prisoners Denied Literature
The workers in Jail are denied
all working class literature. At
tempts are being made by the To-
cal section of the lid and other
working class organizations to
force the sheriff to allow the de-
PENDANTS the literature which
they want to read.
All workers and workers or
CARNATIONS should send protests
to Sheriff Pratt of Portland, de-
handing that he allow the Grim
inal syndicalism defendants liter
allure of their own choosing. Pro-
tests should be sent to Judge
Long, Municipal Court, Portland,
protesting against the high bail
set by him upon Dirk De Jonge,
Earl Stewart. Don Cluster and
Edward Denny.
Foreign born workers suspect
ed of sympathy with the working
class movement are being arrest
ed in their homes, and held for
the immigration department.
Send protests to Officer ! or
enc, Immigration ID par ment,
Portland, demanding that he re-
lease all foreign born workers be-
ing held by him pending deporta-
ton proceedings.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Officials PiHer
Workers Grants

CHICAG0-Evidence of whole
sale graft in the administration
OF relief in Illinois was suppress
ed by the Legislative Committee
which, after delay OF nine
months is Investigating misuse
of funds.
Concrete proof OF whoopie par
ties given relief officials by
wholesale grocers after the relief
trade, OF workers orders issued
and eashed, on which the unem-
ployed never got one cent, of
grocery boxes furnished Mt the
cost of several hundred thous-
ands OF dollars a month, making
"a fine pork barrel for wholesale
grocers, of relief orders issued
to fake addresses and the pro.
ceeds split, was in the hands of &
delegation of the Unemployment
Councils which was invited to the
investigation"
Refuse to Hear Evidence
After agreeing to u demand
from the councils that the dele
cation be given the witness stand
the legislators got cold feet and
tried to cover up the facts Of
graft by refusing the delegation
the floor.
Representative Ryan of Chi
cago said. we don't care for your
Communistic stuff" Police and
flunkeys then drove the delega-
tion out of the building.
A starving woman, reading in
the capitalist press that the pub
lie was to testify. walked to this
hearing only to find the building
being guarded by several squads
of police parading up and down
with riot guns.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
DEMONSTRATION STOPS ii
EvICTIONS

PITTSBURGH-The mass evic-
ton of eleven families was stop
ped here last week by the organ
lied demonstration of one hum
dred and fifty workers.
In the Lawrenceyille section, 100
evietions are slated for next week.
The Unemployment Councils are
mobilizing the workers to stop
these .eyictions.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Unemployed Agency Racket Barred,
Workers Money Taken By Officials

for any reason will the applicant
be refunded this registration fee,
is the commissions rule.
When registration closed on
August 2, 597 unemployed and
destitute white collar workers
had coughed up 81 apiece. for
the privilege of sweating
through a three hour exam.
Then, after the exam, the COM
mission will pick the two appli-
eants who were pretty high"
and who happen to be relatives
OF the mayor or friends OF the
commissioners.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17

Meet the best unemployment
agency racketeers in the north
civil service commits
sion. Here's how they work:
Two temporary vacancies are
open now in the City Light de-
partment. Junior Clerk is the
title, paying approximately $i00
per month. You have to pass a
three-hour civil service exam
nation just to qualify for the
job.
But you have to pay 81 to
qualify, whether you are able to
take the examination or not. Not
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
SEATTLE, Aug. i6 - Word
burns wires from the East,
ANGELO HERNDoN rs OUT
ON RAIL.

Released from his torture
chamber in Fulton Tower. Allan
TIA, Georgia, on $4,000 cash bond
raised by a nationwide Interna-
tiOnal Tabor Defense campaign,
he was rushed North under guard
and met at Pennsylvania Station.
New York. with a tremendous
demonstration.
Under antiquated Georgia laws
HerndOn was sentenced to twen-
ty years on the chain gang for or
ganizing Negro and white unem'
ployed workers and instituting
"a campaign for more relief.
Arrest of six Negro and white
workers Including two white
girls on the same charge of or
ganizing the Negro slaves for in
surreetion" stirred world protest
four years ago. They have never
been tried.
The pre-civil-war Georgia sat
ute carries possible death PEN
atty. Twenty years on the chain
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Aluminium Strike On

PITTSBURGH, Pa, Aug. 10
BY the first of the week, 10000
men were ON strike against the
aluminium trust. the Aluminium
Company of America.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
GARMENT UNION.
LEADER SCORES.
WILLIAM GREEN

NEW YORK, Aug Putting
most of the blame for the break
down OF the San Francisco Gen
eral Strike on William Green's
shoulders, Charles s. Zimmerman,
vice president OF the lnternation-
al Ladies' Garment Workers I'M
ion, said that. 1T would be an
insult to the American labor
movement to regard Mr.. Green's
statement as truly representa-
tive of the sentiment of the mass
es of the organized workers in
the American Federation of La
Dor" He continues:
AT time when the combined
forces of big capital, the gigantic
industrial corporations of the
country, have launched vicious
campaign to wipe out every trace
of unionism and to turn the al
legged guarantees of Section IA
into scrap of paper, it is the
IllulllitSl uulg VI tNtl y ollt WIN
the interest of labor at heart, of
every friend of labor, to give en-.
I husias tic and unconditional
support to every struggle of the
workers for their elementary
rights.
President Green's pu lie
statement was only an open dis
avowal of an action undertaken
and carried out by the recognized
American Federation of Labor
unions in San Francisco, but was,
in hardly disguised language, IL
direct attack upon the general
strike then in progress.
1T was IA powerful instrument
in the hands OF the bitter union
hating Open-shop employers of
San Francisco. As such, the Am
erican workers must judge it and
must Judge President Green"
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17
Children Recite Tales of Summer at
Pioneer Camp; Had Happy Season

Editors Note: The stories below submitted Voice
Action by children attended
held for workers children.
Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-17

Continued from Page One)