The daily worker., 1931-12-03

Workers! demand:
The Jury to try Jones be composed
of both Negro and white workers and
not rich farmers!
The transfer Of Jones' trial from
the Eastern Shore to Baltimore!
Equal rights for the Negro masses!
to make some compromising state
ment.
Speaking after Walker, Aaron
Shapiro, well known spokesman for
capitalist interests in California, but
claiming to speak for Mooney, tried
to declare that the final word lay
with Governor Rolph. Mooney will
be destroyed forever" said Shapiro,
"if the pardon were denied, because
no one would ever appeal for his re-
lease again"
Outside 10000 workers were giving
Shapiro the lie. Throughout the
United States 100000 unemployed,
and millions facing starvation, feeling
the bloody hand Of capitalism at their
throats, Shapiro knew, were ready to
take up the fight and force the re-
lease of Mooney.
Demanding the immediate and un-
conditional release of Mooney and
Billings, and branding the Walker
role in the Mooney case, the Interna-
tional Labor Defense, through its
general secretary, J. Louis Engdahi,
issued the following statement:
THE sheer hypocrisy and gross de-
ception OF the so-called appeal by
James J. Walker mayor of New York,
for pardon for Tom Mooney should
make clearer than ever before the
| whole working class the absolute ne
cessity of growing, intensified mass
mobilization and protest not only for
| the immediate and unconditional re-
lease of Tom Mooney, but of all po-
litical prisoners,
'Mr Walker, treading carefully in
the footsteps Of all supporters Of boss
class, alti-1abor, persecution, directed
bis whole effort TO creating smoke
screen to rob the savage irnprison-
ment Of Tom Mooney Of its class
character, Mr.. Walker sought valiant
ly to develop the fraudulent approach
to this vicious act Of tyranny, try
ing to characterize 1t as a miscar-
riage of justice growing out Of the
perjury Of the two witnesses, Frank
c. Oxrnan and John Mcdonald.
1t should be clearer than ever
that the Mooney persecution is not
a miscarriage Of justice but a typi-
cal case of capitalist class justice, Of
persecution by death and impriscn-
ment of workers as in the Hay
market, the Moyer-Haywood-P
bone, the Sacco-vanzetti and numer-
GUS other cases.
"Oxrnan and Mcdonald were mere
ly the pawns Of the great business
interests of California in their efforts
to put the labor organizers, Mooney
and Billings, out of the way. The
sudden journey of Walker to Califor-
mia, Walkers statements in Califor-
mia that the Mooney issue must be
hushed up to stop labor's growing
protest, clearly indicates that the
great capitalists Of the nation feel the
threat Of this phase Of labor's dis
content. 1t is certain that the
Mooney case was discussed at the
recent reunion at the White House
in Washington Of Stanford Univer-
sity's football team OF 1894, which in
cluded President Hoover on the one
hand, and on the other Charles NJ.
Fickert, the district attorney who
sought the life of Mooney. Fickert
returned to California and now says
1t would probably be in the best in
terests of justice to pardon him
(Mooney)'.
TT Is clear, however, that the
maneuvers of boss class justice in
California, in order to cover up its
own hideous features, seek still fur.
ther to victimize Mooney 1t is clear
that Mooney has been bounded in
these recent days even in prison by
his so-called saviours, necessitating
the issuing Of the statement by
Mooney that he is opposed to any
parole from prison that would still
brand him with guilt, deprive him of
all rights, especially his activities
in the working class movement.
MONEYS sentence was once conf
muted from death to live imprison-
ment. 1t can be commuted again,
paving the way for his release, but
with class justice still maintaining its
brand of guilt and tyranny over on