The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-18
LABOR DEFENSE
UNIT LAUNCHED
IN n. Y. CITY
GitIOw Makes Report;
70 Unions Present
(Continued from page d

on trumped-up charges. In the an
thracite region, 1t is impossible for
the workers even to hold a meeting
In New York meetings have been
broken up by the police-thus, a
meeting to express solidarity with the
Chinese workers. All of these facts
indicate clearly that there is no real
freedom Of speech in this country"
said Comrade Gitlow.
comrade cltlow's Speech
"In New York the criminal anarchy
law has been tested, and the decision
of the u. S. supreme court in uphold.
ing the constitutionality of the law
means that club is held over the
head of every worker who expresses
the opinion that a change of govern
ment can and should be effected by
other means than the ballot. The
sanction of thelU S. supreme court
makes the criminal anarchy law a
national statute.
These facts make it evident that
the workers must have a powerful de-
tense organization lighting for the
rights of the workers.
Further, let us regard the iniunc-
tions that have been issued by the
courts against the workers. A recent
Injunction against the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers Union in this city
makes 1t an offense for a worker to
be seen within 10 blocks of the Inter-
national Tailoring company. What is
true of New York is and can become
true of any other section Of the coun-
try. In the coal regions, where every
thing is owned by the coal operators,
any miner who goes on strike, can be
evicted by the coal company and he
and his family left to starve and
freeze. The workers therefore. must
fght against government by injunc-
ton, against arrests during strikes,
against the denial of the right to or
ganization, against the use of She
riffs, police and machine guns against
the workers.
Fight Against Imperialism
when men in prison have wives
and children, it becomes the obliga-
ton of the workers outside to take
care of them. The !. L. D. is the or
ganization that will take care of them.
when Sacco and Vanzetti faced
execution, the workers of Paris and
Moscow demonstrated and the execu-
ton was stayed. aARd today we know
that these two militants are innocent
an the Baltic states, thousands OF
workers have been butchered by the
bourgeoisie; In Morocco the Riffs are
fighting against French Imperialism
in China the workers are being mass
acred by American, British and Jap
anese imperialismiy in Africa, British
imperialism shoots down the workers
The workers must unite against world
Imperialism. sn
I'm this country again, we have
laws against foreign-born workers
against the Negro workers; we have
the ku klux khan, Is
Therefore, it is high time that a
defense organization has been formed
to combine the interests of the work
ing class. Unity behind the defense
means success in building up the In
ternational Labor Defense, as the re
preventative defense organization OF
the workers of this country"
Comrade Gitlow's speech was greet.
ed with long applause, which showed
that the delegates were united in the
determination to build up the l. L. D.
Report on Deportations
Comrade Rose Baron made a report
on the deportation cases. She told of
her experiences as secretary of the
National Defense Committee which