The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-04-29
Nv ROBERT MINOR.


HE have lust read an article dated April % In
the Pittsburgh Courier, on the Scottsboro
case Of the nine Negro working class boys framed
tu and rairoaded to the electric chair, slated to
die on July 10th.
We are glad to see the Pittsburgh Courier give
prominent and sympathetic publicity to this
horrible crime against the Negro people and the
working class. Nearly all Of the Negro news
papers prior to this time have been damned full.
as usual, with silly prattle about divorce cases
and sensational crimes and other meaningless
stuff. while these deserted boys were facing death
in Alabama OF those papers which mentioned
the Scottsboro tragedy, nearly every one printed
accounts obscurely in the back pages, written in
the terms of the boss class, without a word OF
defense for the victims Of the court house lynch
ing We are glad to see change for the better
united front OF all forces that can possibly be
used to mobilize the masses in defense Of these
boys is necessary to save their lives. We hope
that the so-called Negro newspapers viii, at least
for few weeks, drop their silly capitalist-class
chatter about divorces and night-club scandals
and lend hand to save the lives Of these Negro
working class boys
II is necessary however to call attention to
dangerous tendency shown in the Pittsburgh
Courier article of its latest issue.
The Courier vaguely hints that the National
Association for Advancement of Coored People
can be expected to take part in this case "at
the proper time" In the effort to check what is
termed" Gas they express it in quotation marks
legal Iynching.
We beg to ask the gentlemen of the Pittsburgh
Courier when in the hell is the proper time" to
Join in defense of boys who condemned to die
on July 10th? Would perhaps July 18th be the
proper time?
Furthermore, the whole story in the Pittsburgh
Courier is written in terms as though the paper
were In doubt about the character of this hideous
frame-up and intended murder Of the nine chill
dren Of our class In the story for instance, is
sub-head which reads "fRailroaded to the
chair? why does the Pittsburgh Courier so
lovingly incline to faith in Alabama ruling class
Justice to Negroes as to put quotation marks
around the word "railroaded" and question
mark after it-when in its own article it says
that the boys were damned through court
procedure without shadow of real defense and
condemned to death at the rate OF two day for
four days, with no time or opportunity of any
kind to prepare defense? Why does the Pitts
burgh Courier refer mysteriously to prominent
ministers" who also are supposed perhaps pos
sibly maybe at proper time" to raise their
OA~SS @NNS ~
mean perhaps. that after mass movement gets
under way and it becomes relatively safe to say
me too that then these reverend gentlemen
will find the courage to come into this AFFAIR."
Certainly anyone, minister or otherwise, who
may be willing to lend hand sincerely to fight
to save these boys will be more than welcomed
by those who are already in the fight. 1t is not
necessary for them to agree with others engaged
In this defense, except in one thing: willingness
to fight to the lives of these boys. There are
already many different groups now engaged in
this united front-including some southern Negro
ministers whom it has not been possible for the
lynchers to frghten away with the cry that they
are associating with rough Communist working
men. AS for the anonymous ministers, who the
Courier says, haven't come in yet, but will per-
haps come in at some proper time" Cto be
hoped, before July 11th), their assistance, too,
would be welcomed. though we hope they will not
be allowed to bring into the leadership Of the
fight that timidity which conceals even their
names up to the present time.
And what Of the N. A. A. c. P. and the proper
time?
We have looked at the latest press service bull
letin OF the National Association for Advance
nient Of the Colored People in vain to find any
admission from them that it is the proper time"
even to let the public know that these boys are
IN desperate need of rescue from death. With
the date of April 18th (after the Daily Worker
has been calling for weeks for the defense Of
these boys we find in the N.A.A.C.P. press serv-
ice much quoted praise of their organization by
reactionary capitalist newspapers. much talk of
a rich lady who made it possible for Negro
pastors to join the NAACP by putting up the
money for their dues, and much talk about how
lot Of capitalist judges in Ohio, already we'll
known for their framing up and savage SEN
fences against working class strikers, black and
white, have condescended to join the NAACP.
But in all Of the five long and closely written
pages Of their publicity, we find not one word of
cali to the masses TO defend these boys, framed
UP by the capitalist judges of Alabama
We Communists. black and white are working
men We are not so refined" as to dress this