Pay-Off

"The Dole!" groaned conservative citizens last November when it was announced that Relief Administrator Hopkins would put 4,000,000 unemployed on direct Federal payrolls to do civil works. The awful example of Great Britain's dole army was conjured. Once on, the unemployed could never be taken off the Dole, said the prophets. There would be riots, bloodshed, insurrection. Administrator Hopkins heeded not at all. By December he had hired his 4,000,000 men. In mid-February, still heedless of the conservatives' lugubrious prophecy, he began to fire them again, promising to extinguish CWA by May 1.

There was a lot of grumbling, but little happened. CWA workers staged "strikes" and demonstrations. Sometimes unruly protesters got into mild scuffles with police. But Harry Hopkins stuck to his course, fired CWA workers even faster than he had promised. To prevent suffering and minimize protest, those fired were told to establish that they were in want and, having done so, were given "work relief," just enough hours each week to provide subsistence.

Last week sitting in his office Mr. Hopkins was deluged with objections from every State in the union, was visited by a protesting delegation claiming to represent 100,000 unemployed in Philadelphia, New York and other eastern cities. But Mr. Hopkins was pleased. Save for workers on a few special projects, he had fired his 4,000,000 CWA workers almost a month earlier than he had promised, he had reduced the Government's dole bill from some $70,000,000 a week (which it had been under the CWA) to the same amount per month--and there had been neither bloodshed nor riot.

In the hour of his success a small incident occurred. In Minneapolis several thousand relief workers converged on the City Hall to demand of the City Welfare Board a 40% increase in relief allowances, continuation of CWA work, an end to the requirement that former CWA workers prove their need in order to get relief. When the Welfare Board did not admit a delegation of the protesters within five minutes, the crowd broke down the door of the Mayor's reception room where the Board was meeting. The Board members scampered out through other exits. It was just an incident, little more striking than what had occurred in other cities.

But four days later the Minneapolis Council was in session, and the mob came back, 6,000 strong--strong also in convictions, for the Northwest has a considerable floating labor population, a type always more bitter in protest than local unemployed. Some of its members were wearing red arm bands. They stopped a coal truck and converted its load from fuel to missiles. Crash, crash, tinkle, tinkle went the first floor windows of the City Hall. Flop went a policeman felled by a lump of coal. Hiss, hiss, hiss went tear gas bombs as the police replied. When the load of coal became exhausted, sticks, stones and bottles took their place. The police used clubs.

The crowd backed off for a time when fire engines and ambulances arrived with shrieking sirens. But the firemen were loth to turn water on the crowd and the battle continued. Meantime the City Council first balked at, then agreed one by one to the rioters' demands. Ambulances carried away 15 seriously injured, including eight policemen. Fifteen mobsters were arrested, also a delegation of 23 who carried in demands to the City Council.

The first grade-A riot of the dole payoff had occurred. Minnesota's bluff, tobacco-chewing Governor Olson hurried over to investigate. The Minneapolis chief of police offered him in explanation twelve Communist membership cards taken from men arrested. But the Communists did not mind the blame. Earl Browder, secretary of the Communist Party, meeting last week in Cleveland, declared that Communists had organized Minneapolis' bloody holiday.

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