The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-01
BY JOHN /. SPIvAK

LOS ANGELES, Cal. - I
met q retired Nebraska
farmer in the lobby of the
Stowell Hotel here. He had a
kindly face, q rather Dubious,
blue-veined nose, false teeth and
hands gnsrled by years Of struggle
with the soil He was well dressed
We talked for q few minutes
about the difference between Neb-
rsska and Southern California
weather and then switched to the
depression and its causes.
We'll, what do you think is the
solution to all this2" I asked.
He had been standing while talk
ing to me. At this question he
pushed over a chair and sat down
touching my knee with fatherly
hand
Il know exactly the solution" he
said definitely Make the govern
ment Of the United States a great
corporation and issue common stock
one share to each man, woman
and child in the country so that
each one will get equal dividends-'
isn't that the Silver Shirt
scheme?" I asked,
yes, sir, that's the Silver Shirt
scheme" he besmed, I'm mem
Der of this God-given-"
What I don't understand about
all this, is the claim your national
leader, Pelley, makes Of having
talked with God"
why, there's nothing puzzling
about that" he explained earnestly.
"Pelley went to heaven and talked
with God for a full seven minutes.
He tells about it in his books"
And is 1t true that this system
of government Pelley wants to en-
force, the Christ Government, as
he calls it, existed in Atlantis
100000 years ago and that every
body's suppressing information
about it?"
We'll" the farmer began, when
the mentioned q Greek sounding
name which I did not get) few over
to America. it was about 10000 ago.
In an sirplane?"
Eyes, sir Why, they had better
airplanes then they have now. 1t
made 400 miles an hour"
Did they use Sinclair oilP' I
couldn't resist asking,
mo. I don't suppose so, really
don't know what they used. But it
may have been Sinclair oil that
Sinclair produced in some other in
carnation,"
And Atlantis"
81 think you're wrong about the
system existing 100000 years ago
because Atlantis sunk $4,000 years
ago. I saw it sink
I got up.
Excuse me-" I said. IT must make
telephone call.
I did not see him again. But /
had had nice little talk with a
Silver Shirt member, one OF the
members who actually believes in
the Silver Shirts instead Of using
| it as q racket. Until you got to talk
ing with him, you never would have
suspected that this nice old gent
was stark, staring, rsving mad. And
he's loose-and there are thousands
of them throughout the country.
TO summarize the growth of fas-
i cisn in California since the adj
vance made by Communist organi-
rational activities:
y With the growth Of Communists
organization activities came the
rapid development of isolated fas'
cist groups in the form of vigilantt
committees.
q These vigilantes, though men
acing labor in their own areas, wert
scattered among the various Cali
fornia valleys and consequently
weak from the standpoint of a pow
erful fascist body,
81 In the Imperial Valley, fou
separate fascist groups combined
into an Anti-Communist Association
with an initial membership Of 5000
~ Other valleys are tending t.
merge their scattered county Wgi
lantes in similar associations.
81 1t is obviously only a question
of time before the various indepen
dent Valley Associations will merge
thus bringing into being the frs
armed, powerful fascist body in tn
country which will be a real menace
to labor activities.
s. At present they are chief,
concerned with anti-Communist &C
tivities. The Jewish question ha