The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-03-04
SACCO- VANZETTI
TRIAL MARCH |
Italian Government Asks Post
pOnement Until Deposition of
Four Material Witnesses Can
BE Taken.
(By John Nicholas BeffeD

10y JOilIl NlCHOldS DtIlGlJ
Governor Claiming +. Cox has in
his hands a request of the Italian
| Government that he use his friend
| ly offices to aid in effecting a post
ponement of the Sacco-Vanzetti
trial until dispositions of four ma
terial witnesses, now in Italy, can
/ be obtained.
The testimony of these four per-
sons is vitality needed to establish
| the innocence of the two labor or
ganizers who are scheduled to go to
trial at Dedham on March 9TH for
payroll robbery and murder.
Unqualified support in the effort
to get this postponement is being
given the defense by the Boston
Central Labor Union. In a resolu-
ton unanimously adopted, the cen
trail body authorized its president,
jeremiah Dricoll, to appoint com
mittec to visit the governor and
assure him of organized labor's de
sire that the two accused men be
given full and adequate opportunity
to present their defense.
Driscoll Immediately appointed the
committee, comprising William j..
Doherty, Harry Jennings, and Presi-
dent Driscoll himself Doherty is
president of the Boston Molders
Union and of the New England
Joint Conference of holders Unions
and Jennings is business agent for
the Central Labor Union.
1t will require a minimum of sixty
days to obtain the essential deposit
tions, inasmuch as both the defense
and the prosecution must send sep
arate sets of questions to Italy,
have them answered by the four
witnesses in the presence of prop
er authority, and returned under
official seal to the courts here.
Interest of the Central Labor
Union in this case is something
more than an abstract wish that
justice be done to any accused mem
Der of the working class. Many of
| the delegates to the central body
are familiar with the activities of
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Van
zett in solidifying Italian-born
workers in demands for better
wages and working conditions in
the mill-cities of New England.
And William Doherty's organiza-
ton, the Molder's Union, which has
495 locals in the United States is
directly and acutely concerned in
seeing that Sacco and VanZetti are
| given a fair chance for their lives.
Not only do many members of the
Molders' Union know that Sacco
was a tireless worker for the strik-
ers in the big. foundry walkout at
| Hopedale, Mass, a few years ago,
I,,4 l,,t 6 hi,
own union was held in Jail for six
| days with Sacco and Vanzetti after
being identified" as one of the
payroll bandits.
This man who so narrowly, es-
capped being a defendant at the
coming trial is Ricardo Ociani,
member of Molders Union Local
No. 1923 of Foxboro and Norwood,
Mass. After the six days in Jail
Ociani was released when his en-
ployers testified that he was at
work all day on April Is, 1920,
when the crime was committed.
Ociani subsequently gave up a
foundry job paying $43 week to
drive an automobile for the de-
Tense forces-seven days and nights
week-for which he receives only
his meals
Members of the Molders' organi-
cation who have investigated the
case are satisfied that the prose-
cution of Sacco and Vanzetti had
behind it the same elements which
actuated the bitter drive to put
Mooney and Billings out of the
way. Just as the Mooney Molders'
Defense Committee has done her
culean work to set Mooney and Bill
ings free, so the organized molders
promise to do all in their power to
compel fair deal for the two men
who face trial in Massachusetts.