The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-10-31
Whitney Case Bares the
Betrayal by Union Heads
of Class War Prisoners
BY J. LOUIS ENoDAHL.

TODAY an echo of the refusal of the recent American
Federation Of Labor convention to to the defense
Of the prisoners heard in resolutions adopted by
the San Francisco Labor Council the tendsh one to
fourteen prison sentence against Charlotte Anita
Whitney.
To be sure the San francisco central labor body
grudgingy consented join in asking pardon for Miss
Whitney from Governor Richardson Pleas for pardons are
practically confessions that the capitalist law was right IN
winning its conviction, and Miss Whitneys alleged crime
making speech five years ago in conflict with ca'for
MAS vicious criminal syndicaism law
But the same moment that it advanced its pardon
plea the Frisco F. of l. oicadom expressed its oppos
ton to the release OF seventy members OF the Industrial
Workers of the World Gagged in captasns hell hole
San Quentin held guilty Of the Ofense charged
against Miss Whitney. It is certain that Miss Whitney
staunch fighter the Of the labor did not lend her.
self to this embarrassing Of imprisoned workers Yet it
typical OF labor leadership OF San Francisco
The uke-warmness with which of these labor Of
cials rallied the support Of Tom Mooney Warren
K. Billings while others actually undermined the fight to
these heroic labor fighters from the threatening gal
lows for the fact that these class war prisoners
are still behind bars
Just the whispering campaign of guilty" charged
against these labor heads helped an environment in
the employers courts that made easy for hreng Judge
to sentence Mooney and Billings prison for life,
Francscos Labor Council openly procams that the
master class had right to sentence Miss Whitney fra
past middle age to prison for long term because holds
the W. W. members justly imprisoned. The best reply
this coWardy outfit is contained in courageous by
Miss Whitney herself as follows:
~ will
have done nothing to be pardOned long
TIN on the same charges that found guilty Of Let him
men from prison. and himself only
the thousands Of influential friends that
Miss Whtneys own words challenge to the whole
left wing of American labor The American Federation of
Labor regime in the hands of the Green's the Duncans
the VOLS and the Tobns may Sacco and Vanzetti
whose lives are again in the balance before Massachusetts,
court next month"; may turn their backs Mooney and
Billings Ford and Suhr, Schmidt McNamara and KapIan,
while openly betraying the W. W. members but that only
means that the fight of abor mtans for their brothers in
chains must grow in volume and determination
When California labor permitted its most valiant fight
es to go to prison. in the days before the war; paved the
way Tor the passage of the present oppressive criminal syn
dcalism law during the aerthewar batting hystea
There no doubt that the labor was glad see
the fighters of the l. w. W. imprisoned made IL easier
for them to act their comfortable role class coaboators
me logical development Of this treason results in the
prison gates opening to receive Anita Whitney Right here
California labor must make its stand: Against the inonrs
onment of Anita Whitney, for release Of the members Of
the Industrial Workers of the World for repeal of the
criminal syndcast law for the liberation Of all other class
war prisoners now held in the expoters dungeons including
the TWO military prisoners, Paul Crouch and Walter Trr
BULL In this battle they workers Of the na+
for new struggles for all Americas labor victims Of the oro
ing class struggle e