Evening star., 1940-03-24
Tax Wealth for Jobs
Is Lasser's 5 MESSAGE
To Workers Alliance
Senator Pepper and Two
Representatives Speak on
End Unemployment Day

End Unemployment Day
A program ITO end unemployment
and poverty" was presented yester-
day by David LASER, president Of
the workers Alliance OF America,
as thousands of persons gathered
here and throughout the Nation in
an End Unemployment Day" rally.
A shivering crowd of about $50
persons, who braved a chilling wind
for two hours, gathered for the local
observance at Public Library Park.
The assembly heard Mr.. LASER and
= Senator Pepper, Democrat, OF
Florida, by radio. while Representa-
tives Caroline O'Day of New York
and Lee Geyer of California, both
Democrats, and others spoke at the
scene.
Earlier In the day, a committee
representing the alliance conferred
with Robert E. Bondy, District well
fare director, for more than half an
hour while other members of the
group picketed the District Build
ing.
$4,000 Jobless Here, Is Claim.
Placards displayed by the pickets
declared that while only 1000 un-
employed were on relief there were
$4,000 unemployed persons in the
District and that thousands faced
starvation"
Mr.. LASER stressed these three
points in the program Of the alli-
ance:
/. A guaranteed minimum income
to all American families which shall
not be less than SIS weekly for
single person, plus $3.50 weekly for
each additional person in the fam
lily. He estimated 10 to IL million
families have less than this income.
2. A works program on a nom
relief basis to construct houses,
schools, hospitals, roads, etc.
8. A 30-hour week with no re-
duction in pay in industries which
tend to displace men by machines.
This would put an estimated $780,
600 jobless persons to work, he said.
Urges Tax on Idle Wealth.
Ito finance this program" Mr..
LASER said, I'VE will tap the idle
wealth that today is neither spent
nor invested. We will plug loop
holes of the wealthy tax-dodgers, in
crease rates on larger inheritances,
on corporation profits, gifts, trans
fers, and tax-exempt securities"
Senator Pepper praised the alli-
ance's efforts in behalf of the un-
employed and declared the war on
unemployment must be waged with
"unyielding relentlessness." He said
the w. P. A. enrolment should be
increased to 100000 persons-700.-
600 over February.
Representative ODay scored those
members of Congress who are with
out the vision of true democracy"
and who "balk and Illustrate our
efforts to translate our visions into
reality" Touching on the senti-
ment to balance the budget, she
declared 1--WE must not balance it
against human misery and human
suffering"
From Representative Geyer the
gathering heard an exhortation for
the unemployed to organize IF you
expect to get anywhere"
Ennes Denounces War.
Howard Ennes, chairman of the
washington Youth Council, said
that war, which brings nothing but
death and degradation to youth and
profit and power to few, reaches out
for U.s."
Are we to solve our youth prob
lem by dressing it in uniform and
shooting it full of holes?" he asked.
Eugene Davidson, administrator
of the New Negro Alliance, declared
that race prejudice" lay at the
root of the unemployment problem
among colored people. He scored
discrimination" against colored
persons in Government and private
employment.
Other speakers were Jack Fucker
business agent of the United Shoe
Workers; Robert Robinson, secre-
tary-treasurer of the District Work
ers' Alliance, and Philip Bonosky,
president of the District Workers
Alliance, who presided.
Resolutions passed by the meeting
requested an increase in the Dis
trict w. P. A. quota, passage by
Congress of measure known as the
American standards work and as
sistance" bill, an increase in the Dis
trict public assistance appropria-
ton from 5000, 900 to 81, 500 900, revi-
sion by the Board of Public Welfare
of its cruel and arbitrary decision
deriving relief to able-bodied," a
vote by the Senate on the anti
'lynching bill and discontinuance of
police terror against the Negro peo-
pie" in Washington.