The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-01-30
ALL labor MUST
RALLY TO MICH.
Fight OF REDS
All Workers I threatened
c. E. Ruthenberg Says

The charges against the Com
munists in Michigan constitute
a threat against the entire labor
movement, c. E. Ruthenberg,
executive secretary of the Work
ers (Communist) Party, told
the DAILY WORKER yesterday.
Ruthenberg called on all labor
organizations to rally with the
Communists in united front
against the establishment of
the crime of assembling
with" other persons.
The prosecution of the Communists
arrested in Michigan Is endeavoring to
attack labor by trying to establish the
principle that groups of workers have
no right to assemble or strike against
the employing class, Ruthenberg de-
clared.
Workers Must Fight.
The fight which the Communists
are making against the prosecution in
the state of Michigan is one which is
OF importance to the entire labor
movement Of the United States" says
Ruthenberg.
If the principle which the prose
cution is endeavoring to establish IN
the Michigan case and which it has
been successful in establishing in the
state of Michigan is upheld by the SUI
preme court Of the United States, it
viii lay the basis for future attacks
upon any labor organization or any
other workers organization which car
ries on militant struggle against the
employing class industriaIIy thru
strikes or upon the political field" he
continued.
The only charge made against the
Communists is that the individuals
indicted assembled with an organize
ton which the state of Michigan
claims violates the state criminal syn
dicalist act.
Charges Against Communists.
"The Communists are not charged
with saying anything, writing any
thing, or doing anything in the state
Of Michigan except assembling
there. The criminal syndicalist acts
of the state Of Michigan as well as
OF some seventeen other states are so
drawn that a labor union carrying on
a strike and making demands upon
the employing class can very easily be
declared an organization violating the
criminal syndicalist acts.
'If the supreme court Of the United
States upholds the Michigan decision
and establishes the new crime that
assembling with is punishable by
ten years in prison and $4,000 fine,
we may be sure that in the future
these laws will be used to prevent the
mere assembling Of groups Of work
ers who are carrying on strikes
against the employing class.
To-day the Communists are singled
out for the application of this law.
But if the principle can be establish
ed, the next step win be to apply
the law to other workers organiza-
tons as a means of destroying all ef-
forts of the workers to achieve high
er standard of life for themselves.
ut is because the establishment OF
the crime charged against the Com
munists in Michigan is a threat
against the whole labor movement Of
the United States that the Commun-
lists are calling upon labor unions and
other labor organizations to unite
with them by forming branches Of the
Labor Defense Council for the pur-
pose Of continuing the fight against
the establishment Of this new crime
thru widespread agitation and protest
by labor.
1T is only IL the workers rally to
these united front Labor Defense
Councils and carry on a militant
struggle against the Michigan prose-
cution that the labor movement OF
the United States can be protected
against the attack which capitalism is
making under the guise of prosecution
OF the Communists"
'The Beauty and the BoIshevlk" Is