The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-14
| EGION STEALING
|. W. W. THUNDER IN
WHIPPING BOSS"
Radicals First Exposed
Florida Lashing
BY KARL PRETsHoLD.

When the American Legion is fore
ed to steal its thunder from such or
CARNATIONS as the Federated Press
and the I. w. W., It must be pretty
hard up to find something to its Gre
dit. The poor legion in need of mon
ey and prestige and publicity is show
ing motion picture, "The Whipping
Boss" in a Chicago theatre The story
Of the picture is based on the tragedy
Of Martin Tabert, a North Dakota lad
who was arrested as a vag and beaten
to death while a leased convict in a
Florida prison camp.
In order to help along with the pub
licity that will make the showing of
the movie a financial success, the le-
gion is letting it to be known that
they had great deal to do with ex-
posing the conditions which lead to
Tabert's death. They also claim they
helped abolish the lash and the con-
vict leasing system in Florida.
Appealed to Labor Press.
The truth is, C. H. Crimson, district
attorney in Langdon, N. D., Tabert's
home town, wrote to the Defense
News Service of the l. w. w. asking
that they give publicity to the Ia
bert case. The Defense News BuIIe-
tin for March II, 1923, carried a story
about Tabert's death. The Federated
Press also carried a story about the
same time. These were the first
stories carried by national news or
CARNATIONS. The stories from both
services were widely reprinted in la
Dor papers all over the country.
On March 16, 1923, the Defense
News Service sent letter to the dis
trict attorney suggesting to him that
he write the New York World about
the case.
The World carried several stories
about Tabert's death. When the legis-
lature of North Dakota protested to
the legislature of Florida about the
treatment accorded Tabert, the World
began claiming credit for all publicity
given the case. The first story in the
World was printed after many labor
papers had told the story to their read
ers.
When the state legislature OF Flori-
da abolished the lash and the convict
leasing system, the World sat back
and did little Growing. "See what a
great paper we are. See what we
did. We are the stuff. We are the
defender Of the under dog. We are
the original cats meow"
: The story which had been a seven
day wonder. passed ana was forgotten.
Legion Claims Credit.
Now, in Chicago, the American Lee
gion comes along needing both pub
icity and jack and is running the
movie, "The Whipping Boss" They
claim and insist that they are the
original and only defenders of the un-
der dog. They and no one else abol-
ished all evils in the prison system
in Florida.
Up till now no one ever heard of the
legion in connection with the Tabert
case. But no one seemed to remem-
Der that the /. w. w. Defense News
Service and Federated Press were the
first national news agencies to carry
the story to the World ana that the
labor papers Of the country were the
first to publish the story.
The Chicago Tribune review OF the
legion movie said: 1.-THE American
Legion and other organizations started
an investigation which resulted in the
adjustment of the convict leasing
system in Florida and a law against
the lash"
Entirely just, that "and other organ
izations."