The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-07-28
POLITICAL PRISONERS STILL
BEING HELD BEHIND PRISON BARS

While the Harding administration
is still busily engaged in robbing
the American people through the
manipulation of a high protective
tariff with one hand, it is as busily
engaged in trying to break the strike
of the coal miners and the railroad
shopmen with the other, the workers
who were railroaded by the open
shop laborhating Judge Lands near
ly five years ago are still rotting in
the iron bound bells of the Harding
administration at Leavenworth and
elsewhere for the Crime" of having
tried to organize their fellow work
ers for a better life during the war.
Appeals for their release have gen
orally fallen on deaf ears. Why
should the business agency of Wall
Street at the White House be con-
cerned as to what becomes of nearly
100 workingmen incarcerated in its
penitentiaries Dine the Fort
Thieves to their hearts content.
Dine the railroad hooters and tickle
their palates. Dine the lords of coal
while the people freeze. Take care
of the fat. sleek gentlemen first.
Take care of the powers that be
who fill the Republican campaign
Golfers to Overlooking. That is the
business of prime importance to the
Harding administration. All others,
especially when they are mere work
ers rotting in Jail for a just cause,
can wait and rot for all they care.
Yet through constant agitation on
the part of the active spirits in the
labor movement an impression has
been made in high places in Wash
ington that all is not well in the
country. That things are not straight
and will not go straight as long as
such terrible injustices as the hold
ing in iails of labor's prisoners of
war remains as black spot on the
record of the present administration
is being made evident to all con-
cerned
Labor's voice is being heard in
high places these days. 1t hurts
Wall Streets agents at Washington
to have to be reminded constantly
that labor has not forgotten its fell
lowworkers, who have made such
tremendous sacrifices for their move
ment It's voice may now be heard
from one end of the land to the 9TH
en- Burke in Pennsylvania, Brook
hart in Iowa, Frazier in North Da-
kota are the weather vanes that in
dictate which way the wind is blow
ing.
The strikes of the coal miners and
the railroad shopmen are the voice
of labor speaking in no uncertain
terms. Labor will not much longer
be manhandled by the iron heel of
capitalism. The release of the men
who have been railroaded to prison
for from 5 to 20 years demand it's
share of attention. They must be
turned loose. A stupendous crime
of such proportions perpetrated up
on labor cannot be permitted to pass
unnoticed. Labor is demanding the
release of the political prisoners of
the Harding administration and now
is the time to make its voice heard
and its power felt in circles of the
higher up.
The drive on Washington for the
release of the remaining political
prisoners organized by the Pcnnsyl-
vania committee for political prison
ers, the American Civil Liberties
Union. General Defense Committee,
Workers Defense Union, Emergency
Comm.tte for General Amnesty Is
making itself heard The Children's
Crusade in Washington is worrying
the life out of the political respon
sible for this outrage.
Demands Now the Release of All
POliticals
Thousands of local unions in the
United States are demanding the
release of the political prisoners.
Now is the time for labor and all
public spirited citizens to grid up
their loins for the supreme and final
effort to get the political prisoners
out of Jail. This is the time to do
it. This is the political year when
the voice of the lowly is being list
ened to by the political ears that are
glued to the ground. Make the su-
preme effort to get them out. Wire
the White House, your senators and
congressmen-get action out of them.
They are coming back home to get
the people to send them back to
Washington. Now is the chance of
lifetime to get action from them.
Demand it from Washington in no
uncertain terms and the gates of the
Republican penitentiaries will swing
WHAT WILL THE {