Evening star., 1939-02-05
BY Blair BoHes.

history, sleeps eight hours night and
ting-up exercises The rest of his life
belongs to the w. P. A. workers and
the jobless.
The 1889 technique of pleading the
cause of the unemployed is far different
from what it was two years ago. Now
Mr.. LASER acts without fanfare. He
prefers the pressure of numbers to the
pressure of demonstrations. But during
the first few years of the Workers AL
lance, which was organized on its pres
ent scale in 1885, he arranged parades
and protests. He was never content to
suggest or to protest. He always de-
manded His picture-framed by burly
polcemen-made the front page.
Then Mr. LASER had harsh words for
almost everybody. including President
Roosevelt. Vice President Garner has
more than once shown his anger at
Mr.. Lassers disrespect for the Demo-
cratic party ITO hell with President
Roosevelt We want jobs read BAN
ner carried aloft by parading Workers
Alliance members who strolled past the
White House in April, 1886. Mr.. LASER
at the time was urging relief appro-
priation of s6O00,000,000
Garner Is Angered.
Although few months later he voted
for Mr.. Roosevelt for a second term,
he told reporters:
IF nothing is done to give these
people jobs, there will be a hunger
march on Washington next summer in
which hundreds of thousands will take
part. We are tired of Mr.. Roosevelts
promissory notes"
From the White House. the 600 march
ers proceeded to the Capitol. There
Garner. who shook in anger when Mr..
LASER remarked, The jobless feel that
we have been sold out by the Demo-
cratic party" The injured Vice Presi-
dent returned: Il resent that. have
been in politics 40 years, and I don't
think anybody has ever been sold out
by the party"
With 1000 jobless parading, Mr.. LASER
staged another demonstration in Wash
ington in the following January, few
days before the second Roosevelt in
auguration. At the White House they
demanded money, and Marvin Mcintyre,
White House secretary, heard their cries
with equanimity. But at the Capitol
they only succeeded once more in rub
bing Mr. Garner the wrong way
"You can go and see the Presi-
dent and tell him that he hasn't kept
his promises, if you want to-" the Vice
President told the demanding Mr. Las
ser, but I don't think So"
Credit to LASER.
Delegations of the jobless probably do
get better reception now than they
used to, and Mr.. LASER takes much
of the credit for the change When the
alliance held convention in Cleveland
last summer Mayor Burton not only
addressed the delegates, but thanked
them for their "businesslike and con-
structive suggestions on relief" 1t was
time for Mr.. LASER to smile. A few
years ago, he said, the same delegates
would have been dubbed and arrested
for daring to think they could hold
convention
The change in tactics which has re-
duced the emphasis on dramatic, de-
monstrative militancy has cost the al
lance some of its members. But LASER
is unperturbed. He argues that the al
lance has accomplished much, and he
has an integrated program out of
which, he feels, could come further ac-
complishment.
Before 1885," Mr.. LASER Said in an
interview-and 1888 was the year in
which he turned his attention to the
jobless problem-"the problem of unem-
ployment was considered primarily q