The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-16
6 POOR WORKERS
FACE The LORDS
OF STEEL TRUST
Fight Against Tyranny
is Battle to Finish
BY w. J. WHITE.
Especial to The Daily Worker)


Pennsylvania, in a hamlet of some
$500 souls, one of those historic bat
ties of the working class is being
fought. Two workers have already
been convicted but the defense has
remained firm, with the result that
the outlook for ultimate victory is
much improved.
Late in January of this year, the
police Of Farrell, Penn, raided the
local headquarters of the Workers
Party South Slavic branch, conhscat-
ing a good many dollars worth of radi-
cal and non-radical literature, for
which the Farrell Communists will
never be reimbursed. The notorious
Federal dick, Lennon, was called in
from Pittsburgh to examine the litera-
ture for "radicalism."
Raid Workers Homes.
That was not all. Farrell is a steel
trust town and it was enough. A few
DAYS later the police raided the homes
of 10 workers, with warrants charging
"Sedition against the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania" The police were I'M
able to locate all of the 1S and ar
rested the following: Tony Kovaco-
vlch, Andy Kovacovich, John Radias,
Tony Marich (all members of the
Workers Party) and John Sarich and
Andy Dugan mot Party members).
Free Speech Not for Communists.
Andy and Tony Kovacovich were
tried before a jury of Mercer County
farmers last May. The power of the
Steel Trust was everywhere manifest
behind the scenes. Despite the fact
that not one scintilla of evidence of
conspiracy was brot out, the two Com
munists were declared guilty of violat-
ing of sedition law of Pennsylvania.
The spirit of the trial was that free
speech for Communists is not permits
sable in America.
Now, however, the tide appears to
be turning, altho any sign Of weaken
ing in the defense will spoil every
thing. The prosecution has found it
convenient" to agree to a tacit under
standing that none of the other Far
relI defendants are to be brot to trial
until the appeals in the two Kovaco-
vich cases are disposed Of. With
proper financial support, there is
chance to win the appeals, which
would probably mean that there would
be no more trials.
One of the remaining defendants,
Andy Dugan, who was in Jail for weeks
because he could not secure the
$4,000 cash bail, has at last been re-
leased on his own recognizance, thru
the good work of Attorney l. e.
Ferguson of Chicago.
Ferguson of Chicago, Attorney.
Arguing before Judge Mclaughlin
on the motion for a new trial in the
Kovacovich cases, the defense pointed
out the legal absurdity of considering
the Workers Party an outlaw organiza-
ton in steel trust territory, while it is
a recognized and lawful political party
everywhere else in the United States.
Attorney Ferguson showed that the
Workers Party has its candidates,
William z. Foster and Ben Gitlow, in
dent, and that the Party will have
state tickets in about 20 states. The
Workers Party is now printing thous-
ands of papers and pamphlets and
books in its own plant, on its own
printing presses, in its own building,
and all this is recognized by state and
federal statutes.
Ferguson made a strong point for
the defense when he proved that the
imported federal gumshoe artist, Len
non, posing as an expert in all things
radical, had been allowed to testify
in a manner which implied that the
Workers Party was an underground"
party, a circumstance which is directly
counter to the facts.
Attacks Pa. Sedition Law.
What stood out most in Ferguson's
argument before Judge Mclaughlin
was his well-documented attack on
the constitutionality of the Pennsyl-
vania sedition law. He cited Stevens
work on criminal law to show that
this authoritative commentator consid-
cItu anGulllou ObpOi1At oliASS thO 9Se'A
1890" The brutal Pennsylvania
statute, he showed, was the product
Of the hysterlcal condition Of our law
makers during and Immediately fol
lowing the world war.
The Kovacovich case will come up
again in October.
The Farrell cases involving six
Woodworking Pennsylvania steel work
ers, is a fight for elementary rights
against the arrogant autocracy Of the
steel kings The fight must be fought
TO a finish. The Labor Defense Coun
ell. which is collecting funds to de.
fend the workers, calls on workers
everywhere to help with their dollars
All contributions should be sent to
Room 3O7, 166 w. Washington St.,
Chicago.