The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-10-05
CIVIL LIBER-
TIES UNION

Branding the statement, issued by
the United Mine Workers of America,
through Ellis Searles, publicity dir
ector, on the activities of the Reds
in the United States, as a mass of
ridiculous insinuatiOns" insofar as
the American Civil Liberties Union is
concerned, the officers of that organi-
cation denied the charges made.
IF IT is true that the American
Civil Liberties Union has not in
single instance come to the assistance
of man or woman not allied with the
Communists or radical movement as
Mr.. Searles declares" the officers of
the union state, "then a large part of
the United Mine Workers of America
is apparently part Of the radical
movement.
"For in the last twelve months we
have had occasion to render assist
ance and to work in close and intimate
cooperation on issues affecting civil
liberty with at least a dozen officers
of the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea from local secretaries to district
presidents, as those, Off instance, of
District No. II of West Virginia.
Among the many officers of other dis
tricts of the United Mine Workers
with whom we have cOoperated we
might mention John BrOphy, President
of District N. 2, D. L. Thomas. Pres
ident of Sub-District No. of District
No. II, and Mcclure, an officer of
District No. Is.
eve have not now and never have
had any interest in the tactics of the
| - E., 80 E~rl,A e bod
Mine Workers of America. We have
confined ourselves scrupulOusly, con-
sistently and exclusively to the one
and other question with which we are
concerned-free speech, free press
! and free assemblage."
The officers of the American Civil
Liberties Union also denounced the
assertion of the United Mine Workers
that the Union worked from within
the coal strike of 1922 on behalf of
! the Reds as a "preposterous ie".
"Our work in the coal strike in 1922
was concerned solely with the strik-
ers' right to speak and assemble
peaceabley," the Civil Liberties I'm
ions officers declare. "In the particu-
lar district of southwestern Pennsyl-
vania which Mr.. Searles mentions we
were informed by responsible officials
of the United Mine Workers of Amer
| lea that the civil rights of the strikers
were menaced by ruthless suppression
! being carried on by the local authori-
ties assisted by the State constabulary
To say that the Civil Liberties Union
sent a delegation in there to work
from within is prepOsterous lie"
According to the officers of the I'm
ion, John Brophy reported to Roger
Baldwin, director of the Civil Liber-
ties Union, on May 3, 1922, on the
wholesale violations of civil liberties
in the mining districts of Somerset
County, Pa"
''The Civil Liberties Union immedi-
ately got in touch with newspaper
II agencies and sent a special reporter
there to write up the situation. News
paper men and Others representing
our organization worked with BrOphy
and other mine leaders in issuing re-
ports on the situation in these districts
Later the Union sent Mr.. Crane Carte
of Pasadena, Calf, to make a special
survey of the field. Still later, At
torney Arthur Garfield Hays of New
York took action against the VintOn-
dale Colliery Company in VintOndale
Pa, which resulted in opening up thai
town for free speech and free assem-
bly, for the workers"
According to the officers of the Civ
il Liberties Union this is only one in
stance among many others in which
the Union cooperated with labor lead
ers in the fight for civil liberties il
their districts.
eff Mr.. .Searles," they state, "haC
the same access to our files that h,
has apparently had to the files of thu
Department of Justice agents and tn,
Pittsburgh police since they raideC
Fred Merrick and the officers of TIT
Progressive Mines in Pittsburgh OF