Vignettes from the four-day, Depression-era Hunger March from Paterson to Trenton, New Jersey during February, 1931.

‘Some Experiences of the Trenton Hunger March’ from The Daily Worker. Vol. 8 No. 106. May 2, 1931.

THE unemployed delegation, elected by the Unemployed Council and working-class organizations of New Jersey, began their hunger march to Trenton on Feb. 28 from Paterson, N.J., to demand from the State Legislature that they recommend to Congress the passage of the Workers’ Unemployment Insurance Bill and to fight for immediate unemployment relief.

Much work had been carried on in every city of New Jersey in preparation for the hunger march. Demonstrations and meetings were held almost in all cities. Unemployed Councils were set up; the working-class organizations had been mobilized to help raise money and collect food and clothes for the marchers. All workers were called upon to participate in one form or another in the preparatory work. The widest possible movement was initiated to popularize the march and win the confidence and backing of the unemployed workers and the workers’ organizations of the entire state.

All efforts possible were made to involve the delegates in the preparatory work so that through participation they would be made to feel directly responsible for the march–to feel the importance and significance of such an undertaking as well as the hardships and difficulties that they would encounter on the way.

The march was a four-day march, passing through many cities on the way to Trenton, in some of which the marchers stopped to eat and sleep. The food and shelter was provided by the working-class organizations of each city. These organizations were approached for assistance in this work, into which they entered with great spirit and wholeheartedness. The hypocrisy of the Socialist controlled Workmen’s Circle was very clearly exposed in this when they refused to do anything to help with the hunger march and in one case, in Linden, N.J., they went so far as to call the police to drive the unemployed workers away from their hall.

In those cities where marchers were to pass through, the workers waited for hours for them to arrive. Cheers and applause would greet them as they approached. Particularly in the smaller towns, where the population is almost wholly a working-class population and where the workers depending upon one or two industries, are suffering from severe unemployment. In these towns the most enthusiastic welcomes were given to the marchers, inspiring and encouraging them in their work. Two good examples are Linden and Carteret.

In Linden as the delegation arrived they were met by about 500 workers who had been waiting for over an hour in a pouring rain. The marchers carrying placards and singing “Solidarity” were greeted with great applause. A very good demonstration was held and in spite of the fact that Linden has Blue Law Sundays, the police did not dare interfere with the march or meeting, the workers having demonstrated on Feb. 25 their determination not to permit the police to break up their demonstrations. Many workers at this meeting joined the Unemployed Council and the T.U.U.L. and bought Daily Workers and other literature. A collection was taken up with the workers contributing generously. From here they proceeded to Carteret.

With placards raised high, and a hundred voices shouting “We Want Work or Wages” the hunger marchers marched into Carteret, a small industrial town, never before reached by the Unemployed Council. The workers of this town were notified the day before that the marchers were coming through on this day. It had been pouring hard all day, but the marchers were full of enthusiasm. They did not expect workers to meet them in Carteret when suddenly they saw a crowd of people. A whisper ran through the marchers “Are they waiting for us?” “No!” “Yes! Yes, they are!” this last as a large number of children made a dash toward the street the marchers were coming in on.

A meeting had not been scheduled in Carteret, but due to the fact that so many workers were out to greet the marchers, open air meeting was held on the main street, in spite of the attempts of the police to get the marchers to move to another more isolated corner.

Hundreds of workers were present at the meeting, to say nothing of the children. The whole child population had come out. One woman comrade had a large group of these children around her and was explaining to them the nature of the Pioneer paper, and what the Pioneers were.

The marchers went among the workers, selling Daily Workers, and other literature, as well as collect money for the march. With great eagerness the workers snatched up all the literature that they were approached with. The speakers were greeted with applause and a thunderous cheer arose when a vote was called for in support of the delegation and the Unemployment Insurance Bill.

The most inspiring sight was when the marchers again resumed their march. It appeared as if the whole town had joined in the march. Men, women and children formed a line blocks long. Once the marchers stopped and held a discussion with the workers, teaching them the songs that they had been singing, explaining the work of the Unemployed Council and T.U.U.L. The workers were very eager to learn these things. A vote was taken to ascertain the number of unemployed present and almost every hand went up. The marchers had very little time to spend in Carteret, but were unable to proceed on their way for some time, the workers, enthusiastic and anxious for information, simply would not leave the march. Never before had the workers of Carteret witnessed a demonstration of this kind.

This experience, as well as many other like instances, illustrates clearly the growing discontent of the toiling masses and the crying need for organization. These workers see no relief from their miseries. They realize, through bitter experience, that they have nothing to hope for from their city officials. They also realize, and this is particularly true of the workers of New Jersey who have been betrayed so many times, that the A.F.L. is not an organization of struggle and fully understand the treacherous role of the leaders of the A.F.L.

The workers, knowing that only through organization and struggle can they hope to better their conditions, are looking for leadership. It is up to the T.U.U.L. and the Unemployed Council as well as the Communist Party, to continue the good work started by the hunger marchers, to organize these workers in struggle against their present starvation conditions.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1931/v08-n106-NY-may-02-1931-DW-LOC.pdf