Evening star., 1938-10-09
By NC. r.

SAA@S
fishing prominent articles on w. p. A.
One is Harpers Magazine, the other the
Commentator. THE White Collar
Chokes" Is the title Of the former
piece; its author is Grace Adams. "Mr.
Browder's Trojan Horse" is the name
Of Commentator article; its author Is
Frederic sondern, jr.
Mr.. Sondern's piece is the leading
one of the issue and IL given speclal
editorial mention, In part, rs follows:
"Tne Commentator, for some
months, has been in possession OF Ger
tain facts dealing with Communistic
activities in the United States. Hav-
ing become convinced that these activ-
tiles are more widespread than is COM
monty believed, we assigned Mr. FRED
eric Sondern. jr., to the task Oh In
vestigating further. and we are now
presenting the first of two articles
dealing with this problem.
The Commentator has in its pos
session quantities of original docu-
ments, together with photostatic cop
les Of others, proving every statement
of the accompanying article.
In this and the succeeding article
the author has made no attempt to
editorialize, nor does he offer his ideas
as to how. to correct the basic difficulty
because Of which this problem has
arisen"
On reading these words the reviewer
sighed and said Dat old davil Com
munism again!" For she had just
been congratulating herself that the
last possible word on the subject-at
least as it applies to America-had
been said by Mr.. Wilson Follett in his
article Letter to Communist
Friend" which has a leading place in
the current Atlantic Monthly. But
no-here was Mr.. Browder's Trojan
Horse.
A perusal of Mr.. Sonderns piece,
however, makes it clear that he
is dealing with the relief problem
quite as much as with the comrades
well-thumbed ideology. He is endeav-
oring to show that the Workers Alli-
ance of America, which he says is
Communist controlled and Communist
led, has practically gained control OF
the administration Of relief in large
sections of the country. He writes par
ticularly of New York City, to be sure,
but he says that his case histories
could have been taken just as we'll
from the Tennessee Valley, from De-
troit or elsewhere
What he reports is that when the
Workers Alliance combined with the
Communist Unemployment Councils in
1886 the Communist organization took
control, and that it has since used its
control to strongarm relief admins
traitors into obeying its orders. Admin
istrators who at the time were carrying
out their duties impartially, following
the rule of treating all cases on their
merits, are now forced to give prece-
dence to cases recommended by the
Alliance, says Mr. Sondern, and adds
that the means of applying the COM
pulsion has been well-organized thug
gerry The Alliance, in New York
office to which any instances of inde-
pendence on the part of relief admin
istrators is reported This central ofice
Immediately orders pickettng. rioting
and sit-in strikes-for, as part Of the
organization, the clerical force of many
relief oflices is made up to a good ex-
tent of Alliance members. The article
quotes shocking instances Of violence
and the use OF threats. 1t gives the
names and dates in most cases. ,
The article further says that the
cases so powerfully recommended"
by the Alliance are frequently
those of men and women who have
no need of relief whatsoever. 1t quotes
the instance of Negro who was
'heaving -four at $3.50 week for
bakery" He wanted home relief.
The Alliance demanded that he re-
ceive it-and he did, says Mr.. Sondern.
He adds: There are many, many
people with steady jobs-in every New
York borough-who get their relief
checks every week"
Coming to w. P. A. jobs, MI. Sondern
says that 1t is the policy there to
make work proceed slowly and that
any foreman on a project who tries
to keep his men moving briskly is
subject to sabotage. He also gives
some very curious data about the Fed
eral Writers Project, which, Of course,
Is division Of the w. P. A. OF it he
says:
The Writers Project is the Com
munist party's JOY. The powerful
managing editor, Mr.. Nicholas Wirth,
was formerly package wrapper on
the Daily Worker. Mr.. Browders Of
ficial newspaper. (HumorousO Com
munist members are burdened with
only very light assignments of two
or three hundred words week. Their
spare time cspare' seems to the re-
viewer very happy they may and do
spend doing party work or errands
for the Daily Worker" This last
information, Mr.. Sondern says, was
given him most casually by project
supervisor. He adds:
"The men who really work-the nom
Communists-whoh have edited the few
books produced by the project, are in
bad odor and get no promotion. One
editor in charge Of a w. P. A. Writers
Project is attacked almost daily as
.slave-driver.' He demands no
less than a thousand words a week
from each of his subordinates-three
hours work. To illustrate how great
Is this demand, it is fair to say that
ordinary newsnaner renorters regularly