The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-23

blazing hot Odd Fellows Hall,
of united action for better re
surance.
The reports from the dele
gates are stories of heroic battles
in relief stations. Examples of local
united front actions bring an i'm
mediate storm of applause.
This is the kind of thing we
need" Karl Lockner says, speak
ing Of relief fight in one Illinois
town. Sixty members Of the IN
employment Councils we're in the
relief station fighting for food A
hundred members of the Illinois
Workers Alliance were outside.
1.-THE relief authorities locked the
door, The Unemployment Council
members went down, unlocked the
door, and the two groups went to-
gether and forced the officials to
come across"
The story of the heroic fight of
Rockford workers to get the full
budget of the State was outlined.
Sixty heads of families, new to the
labor movement stayed in the re-
lief station day and night till the
full budget was allowed.
Cross-Section of Working Class
There are other stories too, ugly
stories Of the traitors in the I'M
employed movement, in the labor
movement generally. Stories of
corruption Of so-called leaders by
relief authorities, of fake unem-
ployed organizations sponsored by
sheriffs, of the splitting tactics of
certain elements in the top leader
ship of the Socialist Party. the
Progressive Miners, and the Illinois
Workers Alliance.
The delegates themselves are a
good cross section of the Illinois
working class. Hard handed miners.
tough from lifetime of labor I'M
foreground, lean and hungry, many
of them from subsistence for
months on rotten relief rations.
Negro workers, intent and serious,
sizing up their fellow delegates,
looking. as a member of the
Knights of Pythias of Madison told
me: For movement that will do
something more than talk about
unity and do more than talk about
ending discrimination He has
found that group, he said, in the
Unemployment Councils.
Other delegates: Smerkin, for
merly National Secretary of the
Young Peoples Socialist League,
now member of the Young Com
munist League, his soft office job
thrown away for the hard, risky
job OF Communist organizer in
the coal fields.
Communist Candidates
Karl Lockner of Chicago and La
Verne Pruitt of Pana, both candi-
dates for congressman t-Lerge on
the Communist ticket. Karl is
leader of Cook Countys Unemploy-
ment Council. Pruitt is Secretary
of Local Sc of the Progressive
Miners. A pair of young, clean-cut
scrappers. Pruitt has worked in the
mines since he was Is. Karl came
off a farm, and has earned the
reputation of being the most ar
rested Chicago revolutionist,
There are plenty of delegates
that are not red. The Saturday
afternoon session was stormy at
times when a few of the workers
organized in the Socialist Party, the
Illinois Workers Alliance, which
the S. P. controls and the Trade
Unions rose to defend their leaders
against criticism.
There were times when the hall
was in an uproar as delegates with
conflicting opinions shouted at each
other. But questions of personali-
ties we're finally lest in the over
whelnling sentiment for united
front. Pat Ansbury, Musteite or
ganizer in the Illinois Workers AL
lance, shouted demands that criti-
cisn of reformist leaders be
stopped, but, had to applaud Lock
ner's speech, which brought the
convention back to the basic prob
lens facing the unemployed.
Thirty thousand workers are rep
resented here. Something over
hundred organizations. Here this
week lend, you can see the workers
Of organizations that have fought
each other bitterly in the past
Joining hands. Not yet because
they agree with each other. but
because of the realizations of the
need for joint action.
And one lesson is not being lost !
on these workers. That is, that 1t
Is the members of the Unemploy-
nent Councils and of the Commu-
mist Party that are most clearly |
standing out as the leaders of the
fight for the united front of action.
My Wy a rrLyEE cTDVKE ADTICIE