The daily worker., 1930-06-30
No Death Sentences! No Prison
Sentences!
FRED ELLIS

ileges allowed the other women prisoners. Lit
erature is not allowed the prisoners, even the
New York Times and the Saturday Evening
Post being denied them. They are held incom-
municado not being allowed to receive visitors
according to the usual prison rules. 1t was
under the cutting lash of this barbarous prison
regime that Atlanta lynch law justice planned
to hold the prisoners until the court machinery
had turned out its DEATH they had been made
ready for the electric chair. But let no one
be deceived by the apparent retreat of the
capitalist court in finally agreeing to fix bail.
Originally $4,000 was demanded for each pris-
oner. This is $4,000 in all, an impossible sum-
The international Labor Defense fought for
a reduction in this huge ransom, pointing out
it meant no bail at all for workers. At this
writing bail has been fixed at $4,000 each
for Powers and Carr, $4,000 each for Burlak,
Newton and Dalton, and 81, 900 for Story. This
amount totals $4,000. The International La
Dor Defense fights to have this amount still
further reduced. The capitalist court knows
that labor in Georgia is propertyless, the ex-
cessive bail means no bail for workers. This
apparent change of front on the part of the
courts must not be misconstrued. Let it only
be an urge to greater protest by all labor
against the proposed death sentences, not
lessening of the struggle.
The militancy of Georgia's working masses
in this crucial situation is reflected in the ac-
tion taken by even the Atlanta Federation of
Trades, and by its official organ, the Journal
of Labor, edited by Jerome Jones, in hypo-
critically demanding ga fair trial" for the pris-
onors. Thus these agencies of the American
Federation Of Labor try to create the illusion
before the masses that ga fair trial" is pos
sible in Georgia, thus hoping to maintain the
fiction of fairness" for the courts of the boss
class in the state where lynching and the chain
gang are the favored instruments of oppres-
sion.
Workers know that it is impossible to secure
justice in the courts of the boss class. They
have probably fewer illusions about "the. law
in the South than anywhere else in the nation.
They will not be fooled by appeals to the 'fair-
ness" Of the courts, whether it is made by
leading A. F. of L. officials, fearing for the
growing resistance by the oppressed masses to
capitalist law and ORDER" by some section of
the capitalist press, or by liberals, whether
college professors churchmen or other middle
class elements.
Workers remember the whole liberal clamor
in the Gastonia case over the fairness" of the
judicial harlot, Barnhill, that spread for a
time like paralyzing poison and had to be
energetcally combatted. The lessons of Gas
tonia will profit the workers in their struggles
against the Atlanta persecution. Beneath the
SNUG veneer of the Atlanta Journal of Labor
there is to be found the open appeal to violence
against all militant workers that appears week
ly in every issue of the Birmingham Labor
Advocate, that has already resulted in the
dynamting of the home of the worker, Gglio,
in this pittsburgh of the South"
Workers will remember that it was A. Steve
Nance, President of the Atlanta Federation of
Labor who ordered the arrest of Mary Dalton
when she attempted to ask question at mass
meeting addressed by President William Green,
of the A. F. of L., and who is now revealed
as the assistant secretary" of the grand jury
that indicted Dalton, Burlak, Newton and
Story. Workers will remember that Louis F.
Marquadt, the secretary of the Georgia Fedora
tion Of Labor, is an assistant" in the office
of the prosecutor, Solicitor General John A.
Boykin, whose name is signed to the indict-
ment, and in whose office Assistant Solicitor
General Hudson prepares the prosecution.
Unemployment is increasing in the South.
Pellagra-the disease that grows out of mall
nutricion, an alias for starvaton-is taking
a death toll that mounts continually Charity
bread lines-are actually being organized in
the effort to keep down the discomfort of the
landless farmers.
The Southern ruling class tries desperately
to meet this situation by imprisoning and
sending to the electric chair the leading spokes-
men of labor.
All labor must throw it's best efforts into
the breach on this important class struggle
front No death sentences for Powers, Carr.
Burlak, Newton, Story, Dalton! No prison
sentencesl Defeat the infamous Gastonia ver-
dict and all living death sentences! Release
all the class prisoners! Defeat the lynch
ers Abolish the chain gang system! Defend
the struggles of Southern labor to organize,