Evening star., 1937-01-30

III ih~.J 4"" David Lawrence.
Of the financing came from persons
other than those ON the p. w. A. rolls
and that there we're rumors OF COM
munistic influence.
Letters received from various parts
Of the country since then convey in
formation as to the financing. which
is Of interest at the moment because
1t may foreshadow even more in
tensive efforts to make Congress keep
up the expenditure. First is COM
nlunication from Chester Watson.
president Of the Minnesota Workers
Alliance: George Blake, State organ
iser of the Farmers Union OF Mime
sofa; Lee Casey, representing the
Farm Holiday Association Of Wadena
County, Mimi, and s. D. Davis, repre-
senting the Building g. Laborers'
Union, No. 563, of Minneapolis. 1t
says:
There is no mystery about the
source of funds of the delegates who
came to Washington.
Contributors Named.
with the exception Of the writer
Is. d. Davis, whose organization
voted the funds to send him here, the
others were sent here through collec-
tions Of small amounts from the
members Of the organization and w.
P. A. workers, but also by personal
contributions Of such individuals as
Gov. Elmer A. Benson Of Minnesota,
Mayor Thomas Latimer Of Minne-
apolis and other elected officials, as
lic-spirited men and women who
realize the need Of continuing and
enlarging the w. P. A. program.
The independent merchant IS
aware of the fact that his existence
depends upon whether those in his
neighborhood are employed or unem-
ployed. He. therefore, is interested in
helping the w. P. A. workers effec-
lively to present their problems to
Washington. Likewise. public officials,
finding relief for unemployed a prob
lem that they cannot solve alone, are
also interested in seeing w. p. A.
continued. as exemplified by the Con-
ference Of Mayors.
I'm other words, financial support
given the Minnesota delegates was
similarly given IN the other "a States
from which the delegates came"
From Minneapolis comes a COM
munication signed by G. w. Walde-
man, who says:
Il can tell you who are the Workers
Alliance Of America. They are made
up Of Communists whose business 1t
Is to stir up trouble. Communists in
this city are at the head Of the or
GAni1ation and I have no doubt they
are everywhere else. They have gotten
possession Of the labor unions here
and have instigated all the strikes
that have cursed this community"
Communistic Idea Denied.
An indignant denial that COM
nunistic influence is in any way re-
lated to the w. P. A. workers march
on Washington comes from Robert
Keller, who says:
I'm my group we had writer's.
artists, musicians and 10 actors. We
each Clipped in from our splendid
weekly salary of $21.57 a week to pay
for the cars. We also bought some
bread, cheese, sandwich meat and
some fruit, and coffee was purchased
on the way. How would you like to
subsist on that for one day, not three
As We have done? And today we have
exactly IS cents to tide us over until
we get paid Friday of this week.
Others came by truck, paid from
the funds Of their own treasury after
selling on to Washington stamps
In other cases, unions whose member
ship can't get private employment and
are working on w. P. A. dug into their
treasury and contributed to the funds
to send theirs either by train on
excursion rate or else by truck. Yet
many Of them, such as Indiana,
Illinois, Wisconsin, Montana, South
Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas,
Vermont. Maine, Massachusetts, Cali
fornia, Washington, Connecticut and
others came either by excursion or
freight.
Many had little or no sleep, very
little food, scanty clothes to keep their
bodies warm while travelling in the
truck"
From David Walker comes this
letter:
Since when do Government clerks
parade the streets demanding jobs and
making slurring remarks about the
President? If you noticed, after the
American flag they carried aloft a
large silk red flag. Why red: And
every placard they held in their hands
had q picture of tool on it: the tool
was pictured by a clenched fist -"
Holds Check Is Needed.
After half the people become Com
munists, and they have Representa-
tives elected to Congress, it will be too
late to make bills or laws to check it.
Every country that has been touched
with communism has suffered greatly
for it. Only for communism there
would be no war in Spain today"
Other letters are in similar vein. NV
Minnesota stated the case very fairly
and that while there may be in the
movement Communist sympathizers
here and there, the rumors of COM
munistic financial support, while wide
~ current, are not borne out by the
statement Of any Of the delegates who
have volunteered information.
What Is more important Is the fact
that persons are financing the relief
workers demonstrations because they
want the Federal Government to bear
most of the burden rather than the
local communities. The question arises
whether the several States can finance
the relief Of their unemployed, and
judging by the improvement in tax
receipts in many States, the contribu-
tions from the States to supplement
those Of the Federal Government
might well be expected to increase.
Worst Of all Is the fact that CO.
operation between Government and
industry has not proceeded to the
n