The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-17
Every Worker Must Join
In Swelling the Protest
for Sacco and Vanzetti
BY J. LOUIS ENoDAHL.

THE Sacco-Vanzetti Emergency
L Committee in New York City re-
ceived a telegram from John Van
vaernwyck, president of the Massa-
chusetts State Federation of Labor,
declaring that our two comrades
facing the electric chair in Massa-
chusetts are innocent of the crime
charged against them"
Copies Of the telegram were inn
mediately rushed out as important
publicity to all the labor press. It
was displayed yesterday on the first
page of The DAILY WORKER in
a two-column box. in big bold-faced
type.
Nothing could betteB reveal the
lack Of support OF the fight to save
Sacco and Vanzetti from being muir
dered in cold blood by Americas
ruling class than this incident. 1t
shows that organized labor, espe-
cially its onlcialdom, is not in this
struggle.
When the president OF one state
federation of labor is won for this
court battle against the predatory
shoe and textile interests OF New
England, 1t is heralded as a great
achievement. And it no doubt is.
But that, is not, of course, as it
should be.
No greater indictment could be re-
turned against the whole off1cialdom
Of the American organized labor
movement, than the fact that this
endorsement by one official is &C.
cepted as something unusual Such
support should be so common that
only those labor officials exercising
extraordinary energy in this life-and-
death struggle would stand out from
the mass. Since this aid is not
forthcoming at this moment, one of
the big efforts to save Sacco and
Vanzetti from the governments
legalized assassination must be the
awakening of the American working
class on a broad scale.
The case of John Vanvaerenwyck,
president Of the Massachusetts State
Federation of Labor, must become
the rule and not remain the excep-
ton.
This task will not be an easy one.
The huge obstacles raised against
labor in its fight for Sacco and Van
zetti have all seemed insurmount-
able. But the high precipices of cap
italist opposition have been scaled
one by one until today 1t is the
American ruling class tyranny that
is on the defensive. Capitalism that
Expresses labor has been forced on
trial. It must be declared guilty be-
fore the whole American working
class. In order to achieve this result
all who toll must be stirred by the
employers deliberate, carefully plan
ned frame-up to send Nicola Sacco
and Bartolomeo Vanzetti to death.
Labor must be stirred to action, to
struggle.
The American Federation of La
Dor has not led this fight as it
should. 1t has been literally dragged
into it, insofar as 1t is involved at
the present time. It's annual con-
ventions have adopted weakened
resolutions calling for a new trial.
These resolutions have been intro
duced by progressive elements but
watered down by the official resolu-
tons committee. Instead of helping
to intensity and broaden the Sacco-
Vanzetti campaign, the A. F. of L.
has tended to cripple and hamstring
1t.
Instead Of stimulating all labor
to an appreciation of its class in
terests, the A. f. of L., as it did
in it's convention at Ell Paso, Texas,
November 1924, reiterated its de-
mand for a new trial "for these de-
fenseless victims Of race and ma
tional prejudice and class hatred. to
the end that the honor and fairness
OF the American people may be
preserved untarnished before the
eyes Of the civilized world"
Defenseless indeed! They surely
are without labor supporting them.
Defenseless indeed! Especially when