The Daily Worker

IWW Asks Police To Smash Jobless Council Meeting in New York

NEW YORK.-Friday night, after the Down Town Council of the Unemployed had started a meeting at University Pl. and 14th St., and a couple of hundred men were listening, the I. W. W. officials came along and stated that they had advertised the corner for their speaker.

The Down Town Council meeting's chairman challenged the I. W. W. to divide the time and let the crowd decide between the merits of the two unemployment programs: the Unemployed Council's policy of militant struggle, fighting all evictions, demanding relief and insurance, and raising relief after demands on the city officials and charities, or the I. W. W. "unemployed union," which is a social service club with a soup line, but which also has a theory that the jobless should picket all shops and factories where other workers have jobs.

But the I. W. W. appealed to the police for help. The New York Times, which had a reporter on the ground, and which runs a headline, "Reds Best the I. W. W.," says: "The I. W. W. orator appealed to two policemen who were supervising the meeting in the interest of the existing system. 'It's our meeting,' the I. W. W. orators said."

The Down Town Council speakers stood fast, the crowd gathered closer around to defend them, the police (it takes more than two to break this kind of a meeting) did nothing. The I. W. W. set up their stand, found few listeners and left an hour and a half without anyone following.

The Jobless Council speakers went on for a couple of hours longer and closed with a big crowd.

The Down Town Council will hold its usual daily meeting at 11 a. m. today at Leonard and Church Sts. This Unemployed Council sold 500 Labor Unities last week.