The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-06-24
LYNCHlNC peril,
Still MENACES
MILL PRISONERS
Bosses Secretly Build
Their Murder Gangs

kCVitttHUCO JfOHt L uUG OVtGJ
emphasized the danger to the women
prisoners, and to my question as to
whether they would dare to murder
women he replied that: "Once they
force the Jail no one can tell what
they will do"
He based his conclusions on views
expressed in private conversation.
This attorney believes that by
abandoning open agitation for the
present the Loray committee of one
hundred" and other elements whom
the mill owners can get to do their
bidding hope to weaken the vigilance
of those who sympathize with the
strikers and organizers. Once this
is done nothing could be easier than
to stage another orgy of terrorism
eliminating in lynching.
Picked Monsters.
1t would be quite easy for a squad
of fifty or hundred picked men to
place guards in the Western Union
and Postal Telegraph offices and in
the telephone exchange to prevent
any inkling of their activities leak
ing out for twenty-four hours at
least. A few guards on the main
roads could force travellers to detour
and the picked gang left free to do
what it liked with the working men
and women now in jail.
The seriousness of this danger
must not be ignored simply because
the mass of the people do not sup
port the Manville jerks Co. and its
murder program. The political
power in Gastonia is in the hands
of section Of the exploiting class
which has everything to lose: profits,
position, reputation and for some
even the prison doors yawn: In the
event that the realignment of class
forces now taking place continues,
this element wants to see the fate
of the National Textile Workers
Union as solely dependent on lead
ers. They dare not acknowledge
openly what they really know: that
the struggle in Gastonia is the open
ing skirmish in a whole series of
stern class battles in which the
southern working class itself will
develop a leadership specially fitted
to solve the complicated strategic
and taotical problems of class strug-
gle in a new South still burdened
with the traditions of the old.
Old Murder Tactics.
The tactics of "loyal supporters"
of textile lords are the old, old tao
tics of the ruling class everywhere
when it faces the growing conscious
ness and militancy of hitherto
docile workers. These tactics are
first to try to buy the leadership,
national and local, and if this fails
to try to terrorize both leaders and
the masses and finally when this
does not work to kill sufficient
number of capable leaders to furnish
an example of what can be done
with political power when those who
hold it really mean business. There
is unquestionably a feeling among
the members of the Chamber of Com
merce crowd that even the legal
murder of workers and organizers
now in Jail in the electric chair is
in certain measure defeat for
them and their masters, Manville-
Jenckes. They would prefer to en-
gage in what they think is more de-
cisive action. A lynching of strike
leaders would, if accompanied by
proper publicity prepared in justifi-
cation of it and making it appear
as a popular movement, have the
effect of making the community re-
sponsible before the world and thus
conceal the real instigators and per-
petrators C this and previous out
RACES.
This is the situation in Gastonia
today. To prevent it reaching the
climax desired by the mill barons
and their retainers, it is necessary
to make them understand that there
exists among the masses throughout
the entire country a healthy dis
trust of their belated conversion to
legality"
After weeks of terrorism, steps
must be taken to remove the prison.
ers who are the chief targets for
the hatred of the mill crowd to jails
outside of Gastonia county. They
are in deadly danger precisely be-
cause a lot of well-meaning but
naive people think they are not.