The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-03-12
INTERNATIONAL
RED AID URGES
WORKERS. FIGHT
Calls for Battle for Class
War Victims
(Continued from page b

| NNOAtAhuCu A1Nn pdbC ~
the victims Of the class war in capital
list lands. The letter addressed to
Roger Baldwin, temporary chairman,
is as follows
Letter to Baldwin.
Dear Mr.. Baldwin: InIyou letter of
December IS, 1924, to the Internation-
al Workers Aid you say the follow
ing:
"A group here in New York is I'M
dertaking to raise relief for political
prisoners abroad. 1t includes political
prisoners in Russia as well as in other
countries. We want to relate our work
to that which you are doing and we
want to ask you to designate one or
more representatives Off the Interna-
tional Workers Aid gwho would be
helpful as a member of the commit
tee." gu
Your proposal as it stands is totally
unacceptable to us. We cannot for
Lone moment place on one level and
treat in the same manner the counter
revolutionaries and enemies of the
working class imprisoned in Soviet
Russia with the brave and courageous
fighters for the working class impris-
oned by the capitalist governments.
Political prisoners of the Soviet gov
eminent are in jail for the dastardly
crime of helping international reac-
ton to obstruct and overthrow the
rule of the workers and peasants.
While the political, prisoners of the
capitalist countries are in Jail as a
rule, for loyalty and devotion to the
working class and to the oppressed
masses generally.
To conclude about the political pris-
oners in Russia we wish to draw your
attention to the "open letter to the
Second International" addressed by
the Executive Committee of the In
ternational Red Aid containing the
following proposal:
81. That the l. r. A. and the Sec
ond International undertake, in &C
cordance with a preliminary mutual
agreement, to alleviate the nardships
Of the victims of civil war, namely:
"(a) The /. r. A. will do its ut
most to induce the government of the
U. s. S. r. to exchange persons incar-
cerated in that country not because
they have hesitated TO employ any
kind of means and methods to rob
the workers and peasants population
of its revolutionary achievements, for
the captives of capitalism lingering
in the prisons of boWs eois states. on
account of their fight against the cap
italist regime of these countries.
"(2) At the same time the Second
international and the SOCIALIST parties
affiliated to 1t are to use their influ-
ence over the government of bour-
geois states to induce them to open
wide the doors of political prisons and
to release the fighters Of the revolu-
ton in exchange for the counter-rev-
dictionaries imprisoned Ii. the U. S.
S. R., whom the Second International
has always championed.
"(2) If the Second International
agrees to this proposal Of ours, the /.
r. A. suggests that to prepare this ex-
change of prisoners the Second Inter
national and the /. r. A. should assist
each other as regards mutual informa-
ton about the conditions in which the
victims Of the present class war thru
out the world have to live. An i'm
partial picture of the existing situa-
ton could be then presented to the
world on the basis of the material col
lected by both organizations"
AS far as we know the Second In
ternational never answered the pro-
posal. This to us, is additional proof
that the campaign carried on by the
Second International for the release
of the political prisoners in Soviet
Russia is in reality a campaign to I'M
dermine the rule of the workers and
peasants in favor of International i'm
perialism.
The task Of our organization which
| is the American Section of the Inter
national Red Aid is to assist the vic
tins of capitalist reaction thus help
ing the workers against the capitalists.
If you and your organizations are will
ing to engage in securing relief for
the victims of capitalist reaction we
shall submit to you d concrete pro-
posal for such a campaign selecting
one or more capitalist countries (Es-
thonia, Germany or Poland) where
help is now most necessary.
Fraternally yours,
INTERNATIONAL WORKERS AID,
Rose karsner, national secretary.
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