The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-12

kers arrested here in Saturdays
" demonstration for Porter's lib
Grafton, consented to accept
bail today and were released
from Jail.
The rest of the 29 class war pris- .
oners refused bail
The three men released are Paul
4 Crouch, secretary of the All-Amer-
lea Anti-Imperialist League, Karl
Reeve, editor of the Labor Defender,
and Karl Jones, prominent Negro
militant. They prepared immediate
ly to fulfill speaking engagements
in various cities where they will de-
mand the release of John Porter.
The twenty-nine members of the
Workers (Communist) Party and
the Young Workers (Communist)
League were arrested during one Of
the most stirring working class
marches that the Washington work
ers have ever witnessed.
Those arrested include Ben
Thomas, well-known Philadelphia
militant machinist; Paul Crouch,
secretary of the All-American Anti
Imperialist League; Karl Reeve.
editor of the Labor Defender; Karl
Jones, well-known Negro militant
and organizer for the American Ne
gro Labor Congress; Clarence Mil
Ter, Philadelphia organizer for the
y o u n g Workers (Communist)
League, and others prominent in the
militant labor movement.
Singing the international" and
hurting defiance at the police the
courageous little band of 29 work
ers led the march in front of the
I War Department building in an
anti-imperialist war demonstration,
in which over one hundred workers
and representatives of various mill
tant organizations, including the
Workers (Communist) Party and
4 the All-America Anti-Imperialist
League participated.
Following their release, the three
bailed workers revealed a story Of
the bitterest persecution, including
Jim Crowism in the case of Karl
Jones, practised against the pris-
cners who had dared to denounce
imperialist war and demand the de-
fense of the Soviet Union. They
further announced that the im-
prisoned workers had gone on
hunger strike in retaliation against
the cruelties to which they are be-
ing submitted.
When the prisoners arrived at
the Jail after the finger printing,
Crouch wired the Daily Worker, the
police attempted to place Karl Jones
in a section separate from his fell
low workers. The others protested
so vigorously against this Jim Crow
tactic that the officials finally per-
mitted Jones TO remain with the rest
of the men prisoners.
Conditions in the prison, as dis
closed by the released workers, in
clude cell five feet by seven in
which five men are crowded. One
steel bunk is provided for the five.
The cell is alive with vermin.
The officers Immediately refused
to permit the prisoners to communi-
cate with their attorney by telephone
or even to call an attorney to the
Jail. He further forbade any news
papers or other reading matter TO
the prisoners.
Besides declaring hunger strike,
the imprisoned workers have issued
the following protest against the
treatment they have received:
I'VE, seventeen representatives Of
seven organizations, while attempt
ing to present demand to the Sec
retary of war for the immediate un-
conditional release of John Porter
from the military prison at Fort
Leavenworth, were prevented by the
police from presenting this demand
and We're arrested. The refusal to
permit US to present our demand,
our arrest, and at present the con-
finement in station No. l show again
the class character of the capitalist
government and reveals that the
role of the government and police is
to protect the bosses and perpetuate
the enslavement of the workers,
especially in the preparations for
the coming war We have no illu-
sion about the nature of demo
cratic" justice and the courts of the
bosses.
1--WE protest against our arrest in
the effort to present our demands,
supported by tens of thousands of
workers. to the secretary of war.
We demand that Immediately:
81. We be placed in cells with
out the extremely unsanitary condi-
tions we are forced to endure at
present.
"2. No more than two of us be
placed in one CELL
%. We have the right to have
reading matter freely.
ID. Our incommunicado confine-
ment be ended Immediately, and
that we be permitted to communi-
cate with our attorney.
eve have decided to refrain from
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