The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 24, 1924, Page 7

A Little May Day Experience By ARNE SWABECK. OWN in Franklin County the Ku Klux Klan is flourishing like toad stools. The Invisible Empire has full sway. It is a league of petty bourgeois storekeepers, reinforced by the ap- pointed henchmen of the coal oper- ators and the well-known steam roller of the United Mine Workers Union. They are the servile tools of the mas- ters. Of course, any expression of solidarity by the workers is both de- tested and feared by this gang. HIS county is bordering on the south to Williamson County, made famous two years ago when the strik- ing coal miners taught a bloody lesson to professional scabbing, and made no- torious recently thru the hard boiled exploits of “Grand Kleagle” (or some- thing like that) Glenn Young. It is located right in the heart of the Il linois coal fields. Thousands of min- ers have been compelled to accept a status of more or less permanent idle- ness, At present over half of’ the mines are shut down tight. However, most of these coal miners own a little shack, and the storekeepers, in the hope of some.day taking over the deed to such property, are quite will- ing to grant credit for the most es- sential necessaries, while meanwhile nothing will be left over for clothing. It seems like the coal barons cherish the hope that some day these valiant miners will be starved into submission. AST year the little city of Chris- topher, in Franklin County, put on a grand May Day Celebration. Un- der the auspices of the two mine work- ers’ local unions a great parade thru the town was staged, winding up in a mass meeting over which the Mayor presided while Comrades Earl Brow- der and Mother Bloor spoke. Now matters have changed somewhat. The Ku Kluxers, the local operators, and I suppose, also the lieutenants of Frank Farrington, have had an op- portunity to inform the Mayor that he made a mistake. This year nothing like that was going to happen. N Thursday morning, May First, ‘after having been pulled thru the muddy road from Benton by a horse team, I arrived in Christopher for the scheduled May Day celebration. A mass meeting had been advertised at the tiny city park. Some of us board- ed a Ford and came to the park at the appointed hour. Several hundred ,coal miners lined the streets. None had béen permitted to enter the park. Immediately the Mayor stepped up and told us curtly that “no bolshevik speeches or May Day celebrations would be allowed anywhere in Chris- topher,” and “no arguments about it,” echoed the sheriffs and deputy sheriffs while a gang of the Ku Klu Klan sent us some rather hostile looks. “What were you going to speak about,” one little storekeeper asked me. “Well, give me a chance to get it off my chest,” I replied, “and you may listen.” But, nothing doing. We were pushed back into the Ford and compelled to leave. next made for the miners’ hall, folléwed by part of the audience, determined to use our “constitutional right” to free assemblage. Comrade Barney Mass, organizer of the Young Workers League, opened the meeting with a few appropriate remarks on the “rights and guarantees” set forth in the United States Constitution. However, the sheriffs, deputies and Ku Kluxers thought otherwise. No sooner had Comrade Mass started than in rushed a big organized gang of this tribe, again laying down the law: “No May Day celebration any- where in Christopher.” Arguments availed nothing. Comrade Mass was placed under arrest and the meeting broke up. excitement became transferred to the streets; the crowd increased expecting something to happen. While we paced the walk on the one side, Kluxers, growing in numbers, watched our moves from the other side, HAD a meeting scheduled at Ziegler, for that same rigicayreny and the comrades reminded me that we had better start to reach it in ‘ima, leav- ing others to take care of Barney Mass. Of course, it could hardly be expected that I should be permitted to get away that easy, at least such were not the intentions of those watch- ing us from the other side. When about ready to go, I was also placed under arrest and taken to a place they called the City Hall. “You dirty- little rat, did you write that article?” I heard the captain of the Ku Klux Klan shout to Barney Mass, when I arrived there, ashe tried to fit’ his fist to Barney’s jaw. He referred to an article on the American Legion which he discovered in an old copy of the Young Worker, confiscated from our belongings. But no reply was needed, the sheriff intervened, saying that he could not stand for anyone taking the law into their own hands, as we were going to have a fair and “partial” trial (he meant impartial). * Snes particular part of the country has witnessed many bitter fights between the “upholders of the law” and those who want to administer speedy “justice” with the help of a gun or a piece of rope, in line with the traditions of the “good old days.” So, while the city authorities, evident- ly moved by the fact that a couple of dangerous reds had been caught, de- cided that we were to be transferred to the county seat, Benton, IIL, the Ku Kluxers made ready for a “Neck- tie Party.” They filled two big Buick cars with gun totters and set out at A Voice From Prison. (Clip this out. When you feel like becoming a “Tired Radical” read it over and remember that Vanzetti was in prison four years when he wrote it. * * Then put it away till you need it again.) * * “Go, thought, upon the Golden wing.” Fly, my thought thru the- living, flaming atmosphere of this spring morning. Fly to the hearts of my comrades, and voice to them my mes- sage which can be felt tho it cannot be said. What if | have loved Freedom too much? What if the world has re- volved four times around the Fatherly Sun since | was put behind prison bars, and deprived of all that makes the travail of life worth living? No reflection of blue sky nor heavenly flame reach the prison built for men, by men. The People are prostrate under the ferocious folly of the Tyrants, Lords of the Land, and the violence of their ruffian soldiers, children of the poor. Is then all in vain? is all vanity? No, not all is in vain, not-all is vanity. The sacrifice of women is not in vain if they give birth to real men. And the real, the immense generosi- ty of the universe is a us if the love of freedom still warms the human heart. Spring approaches, Resurrection is at hand! freed from the yoke of the criminal All the living creatures authority, renew themselves, rejoice and sing. This is the force that will free the souls from darkness and cowardly captivity and sopsee the -human family to the shores and summits of infinite freedom. Resurrection! Vain were the chains and the gallows, vain the pyres, the crosses and the arenas where martyrs have been flung to wild beasts. Vain are the ukases of those who rule the earth. There is a cosmic virtue that transcends the power of all tyrants. For this | bear manly my cross, | know not to have suffered in vain, Oh, my friends. BARTOLOMEO VANZETTI. IN THE LAND OF GLOOM (Continued from page one) Fascisti. ‘ACT number four is the growing militancy and the growing number of the extreme Right which in Ger- many is called the “Voelkischer” and which we may name with the old fa- miliar Fascisti. The program of the Right is very simple: abolition of the constitution, establishment of a mon- archy, dissolution of all Socialist par- ties, annihilation of the Communists, a ten or twelve hour labor day, organ- ization of a strong national army un- der a great national dictator, fight to the finish against the French. The Fascisti are militant not only in words but also in action, They make riots. They appear in workers’ quarters and attack workers’ gatherings. They do scab work in strikes. They organize anti-Jewish pogroms. For a radical or a person with an intellectual or a semitic appearance to come to a meet- ing of the Voelkische is to risk a couple of ribs. I was told by an éye- witness that at one of their meetings the younger members formed a line néar the door asking the comers for donations and thereby singing a song which had the refrain: “Give, give, give, That we may kill off The Messopotamian-flatfoots.” It is quite obvious that a movement ofthis kind, appealing to the patriotism of the German philistine, appealing to the class interests of the German in- dustrialist, appealing to the group in- terests of the military caste, appealing to the consciousness of power and supremacy which is inherent in the German , appearing to of-| might get a hearing before of | ment. bourgeosie, fer a quick and glorious solution . * | House. the present crisis, must attract a great number of disgruntled elements in the unhappy German empire. The weak- ness of the movement is in its in- ability to offer any real solution. It is childish to imagine that the Ger- Mans could wage a successful war against the French in the near future. * . © Among these forces the Communist party of Germany must steer its way and lead the masses towards a revolu- tion. When I was in Berlin the Com- munist national congress was still in progress. It ended on the eve of my departure from Germany. The story of my meetings and conversations with the German comrades must be postponed to a later correspondence. Moscow, April 29. Walsh Wants Senate Consideration Of Child Labor Bill ABy The Federated Press) WASHINGTON, May 23.—Senator Walsh of Montana, has served notice that he will move within a few days that the Senate take up the child-la- bor resolution already passed by the Unanimous consent that the resolution be considered on May 22 was blocked by Sen. King of Utah, Sen. Norris served notice, at the same time, that he would take similar action to secure consideration of the MecNary-Haugen and Norris-Sinclair farmer relief bills. He said he had waited long enough, and would not hesitate to seek to set aside current business in order that farmer relief adjourn- | sheriff. = ae aN a speed of about 60 miles an hour de- termined to catch up with us while we were yet on the hard road to Ben- ton and where they would have a bet- ter chance to overpower our sheriff guardians. EAVILY guarded by a total of eight sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, Com- rade Mass and myself traveled along, our party divided into two Fords, with Benton as our goal. Just before the entrance to that city travelers were compelled to switch off from the hard road, which is not quite completed there, and take another road, muddy, about two feet deep. We got stuck and sheriffs had to pull the cars out. Just then the two cars loaded with Ku Kluxers arrived on the scene and got stuck too; they failed to reach us on the hard road. Up came the Klan captain, owner of.a little hardware store in Christopher, armed ‘with a gun in one hand and a nice slender rope in the other, ready fo administer “justice.” Furious that we had slip- ped away, he commanded, “stick ’em up,” and continued, “these are my prisoners, I claim these men and we'll fix ’em.” One deputy sheriff, daunted at the gall, stuck ’em up. A minute’s hesitation, at which many thoughts ran rapidly thru our minds, Was this a frame-up? Were the sheriffs going to turn us over to that mob? But no— the fellow had overreached himself. The sheriff in command, noting that only one man had come forward while pointing his gun at him, retorted, “these are niy prisoners, they are go- ing to have a fair and “partial” trial (again meaning impartial) and if you make another move this gun is going to come off.” One sheriff quickly snatched the gun out of the hand of the Klan leader. He turned around and found himself starring into the gaps of seven other guns. Like a whip- ped cur, the would-be hero waded back thru the mud to his followers, and we felt perfectly at ease in the care of Our brave sheriffs, who step- ped on the gas and we soon arrived at Benton. . HEN brought to the States At } torney’s office, the frozen atti- tude of the sheriffs melted away and they discussed the incident with us in a jolly, good humored manner. “One more move by that fellow and I would have Jet loose,” said the head “They have tried that stunt on me before but never succeeded. Once in a while, however, they have their necktie parties, that seems to be a sort of costume here.” HE States Attorney delved into our literature supply without finding anything of an incriminating nature. He informed us that we would be held “}until further notice, rather as a mat- ter of protection against any possible snipers. When we asked what spe- cific charges had been submitted, he replied: “Well, if all those guns you saw had been discharged you wouldn’t have asked for any charges. He was quite a jovial fellow, did not know that this state had a criminal syndical- ist law, he had heard some rumblings about a Third Party and a Labor Party. and wished them.all kinds of success, but was rather keenly interested in local politics and the candidacy of Governor Small. He agreed that the attempts of the Klan to hold up the sheriffs was a “grave offense.” A little later, in a phone conversation with the Mayor of Christopher, he informed him that it would be of no use trying to make a case against us unless he, the Mayor, had some spe- cific evidence to the effect that we had been advocating the overthrow of the government by force and viol- ence, and he added, “these fellows seem to be advocating a Labor Party.” - At 6:30 the same evening we were released, and made our way to Ziegler, Til. There we were informed that the Klan were organizing to get some speakers who had arrived in town. Twice they cante to the hall where the miners had a dance. But it was late for any May Day celebration. This incident with the Klan is help- ing to clear the class lines. It is grad- ually hammering the mine workers in- to one solid front against their enemies.