The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10
BY HARRY CANNES

If the N.R.A. would certainly come
Attorney Louis Waldman, Socialist
ieader who believed his little piece
at General Johnson's field day Of
criticism"
Waldman spoke in a dual ca
pacity, as code chairman of the
Public Affairs Committee of the
Socialist Party" and representing
several international labor unions, I"
more accurately the officialdom.
How did Roosevelt define pa
triotic critic?" ''The critic is patri-
otto" said the President, "if he says,
I don't like the methods you are
using to solve the problem; I be-
heve it would be far better if we
we're to use the following alternate
method, and thereupon outlines for
the benefit Of his neighbor and his
Cd government a helpful proposal"
In other words, a patriotic critic"
is one who does not attack the
whole class, fascist nature Of the
NRA., its undermining Of the liv-
ing standards of the American
worker, but rather one, who like Mr..
Waldman did, objects to mere
method" and tells the government
Of Wall Street how it can best use
she MIRA. to preserve capitalism.
Now to inquire how well Wald-
man filled the bill.
We feel that MIRA. is a distinct
step forward" said Mr.. Waldman
(aH quotations are from the Off
cial NRA. record and must be
regarded m an candor and honesty
as an important branch Of social
legislation"
Before group NO of the round
up of critics." Waldman perfectly
qualified for the title of patriotic
critic" 81 desire to present" he
stated, "a few criticisms of the So
cialist Party of MIRA. as it has
been administered"
"a distinct step forward" should
show some results. Mr.. Waldman
said: 1--WE believe the facts warrant
the statement and conclusions that
as to the claimed purposes and &C
complishments the MIRA. is a gross,
dismal failure"
In other words, between the tor
rent of baIlyhoo of Roosevelt, aided
by Mr.. Waldman, Norman Thomas,
William Green, John L. Lewis, and
similar patriotic critics." and the
actual results felt in the workers
pay envelopes, in their union Or
CARNATIONS, in company unions, in
higher prices, there is a gap that
not even the legal training of Mr..
Waldman can cover up.
That brings the whole matter
right down to, what is the Socialist
Party's attitude to the MIRA, as
against the "unpatriotic," basic
criticism of the Communist Party?
The Socialist leaders at the be-
lining told the workers to support
tie NR.A~ as a different step
ward" N. Thomas called it
the most powerful weapon, if
rightly used, to aid the construction
of genuine socialism" What they
actually did is gobble up all of the
lies, demagogy and ballyhoo of the
capitalist class which was the cell
loplane wrapping around the N.
r. A., in order to blind the work
ers about the real unmistakable
class purpose of the MIRA.
The Communist Party pointed
out when the N, R. A. was passed:
DThat it would stimulate monop-
oily, tremendously increase prices;
q That it would lower real wages
and shove down living standards;
- that Section Ia, which the So
cialiStS said was a boon to labor,
would be used to smash strikes, and
ultimately to smash the workers
organizations and to stimulate COM
pany unions; a. that the MIRA.
con t aine d the roots fascism
in its efforts to save capitalism,
and would be used as a powerful
weapon against the workers and
their rights.
While the Socialist Party fostered
all the illusions Of the Roosevelt
regime, plus particularly putrid
brand of left" patriotic criticism,
they went further and urged the
workers not to strike against the
N.R.A., since it was a distinct for
ward step and must be regarded in
all candor and honesty as an i'm
portaTt branch of social legisla-
ton
Throughout his speeches at the
NR.A. hearings, the Socialist lead
er Waldman strove to revive the
workers waning faith in the NR.A.,
to keep them tied up within the
strikebreaking structure of the
Roosevelt regime.
A reading of the Consumers Ad-
visory Boards Report on the re-
suits of the MIRA. leaves no doubt
about the fact that not only has
the N.R.A. fostered the development
of the most vicious, brutal, crushing
monopoly and parasitic capitalism,
but it has definitely lowered and
will stfll further lower the workers
living standards.
The Consumers Advisory Board
pointed out that under the N.R.A.
the trusts and cartels have invented
new methods OF price raising.
THE average purchasing power
per employed industrial and COM
mercial worker" says this report,
has been decreased by rising
prices. Although the new
workers employed at minimum
wages, necessarily pull the aver
age down it seems very probable
that the low average also means
that some of the gains of the re-
employment program have been
made at the expense of the pre-
viously employed"
In other words, this distinct for
ward step" has not only lowered
the living standards of the en-
ployed, but made them pay for
those who were re-employed.