The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-01-29
Broaden the Mass
Movement to Free
the ScottSboro Boys
BY B. ID. ANIIS.

THE struggle to free the scottsboro boys eans
not be limited to the framework of bour-
geois legality, neither dependence be placed
in Negro leaders" to give aid in building up q
united front mass defense movement
To follow such course is an opportmlist
error which will have disastrous effects upon this
struggles to free the nine boys and the Negro
liberation movement.
The first error is right opportunism dependent
upon legal measures, which ignores the impor-
lance of polticalizing the struggle. 1t Is re-
treat to the positions of the reformists who adj
vocate reliance upon ''justice" from the courts
of the lynchers. 1t effectively supports the
base theory of these same scoundrels that a
mass movement will disturb the calm Of the
South and good southern race relations"
These wrong tendencies have been revealed
during the of the campaign Their
source springs from the opportunist conceptions
lack of faith in the Negro masses to struggle
for immediate partial demands and against the
sharpening persecution.
This lack of faith has expressed itself in the
failure to build Scottsboro block and neighbour
hood committees. (And where they were built,
to limit the struggles of the workers to the
Scottsboro campaign only no attempt being
made to raise the level of the struggle and link
it up with the growing waves of lynchngs and
increased terror against the Negro masses)
Failure to give revolutionary leadership to the
militant struggles Of the aroused and angered
Negro masses at the present time subjects the
struggles to savage verbal and physical attacks
from the reforlnsts the capitalist class and
their agents. Consequently, in the end, the
struggles will be beheaded or turned into paci-
fist channels.
The second error is negaton of the forms
of the united front tactic from below 1t fol-
lows the path of least resistance combining tne
struggle to a struggle" with the Negro preach
erS for permission to "steal" their carefully
guarded congregations from before their eyes.
1t is an attempt to build united front from
the top, to follow in the tail Of the msleaders,
who stand ready to serve their class interests
and not the interests of the Negro toilers.
The leftist mistake to limit the struggle to
the acts OF a few revolutionary mass organiza-
lions places the campaign on narrow sectar-
ian base. The wrong conception of winning
freedom for the boys (only adopting protest
resolutions and sending protest telegrams) with
out the aid of outside pressure from the Negro
masses and white and colored workers fails to
broaden the united front. Rarely has the strug-
gle been concretely linked up to the every day
struggles of the workers for partial demands.
How to Avoid Mistakes.
How can we best overcome such opportunistic
errors? The comrades in the suburban town of
Detroit Hamtramck, have set a good example
to how to broaden out the struggle by cor
rectly linking it up with the election and I'M
employment campaigns. The demonstration of
workers before the town council produced suf-
ficent mass pressure to force the City Council
to send protest telegram to the governor of
Other cities must follow this good example by
rnobilizng masses of whites and Negroes to dem
onstrate before the city councils in their respec-
tive cities and demand that they too should take
the same action. Especially should demonstra-
tons be held before the homes Of Negro poll
ticians such as Aldermen of Negro Wards Mass
pressure will force them to declare themselves
on the case and growing Negro prosecutions
We must demand of them to accede to the pres
sure of the indignant masses and send protest
kilograms to the Alabama state officials Their
failure to do so gives opportunity to expose
them before the Negro masses and brand them
for what they are-class enemies to the strug-
gle to free the nine boys and to the Negro lib
Grafton movement
We must appeal over the heads Of the Negro
reformists to their rank and file membership
Their treachery and class interest must be ex-
posed and they must be isolated from the rank
and lille VINO are willing and ready TO struggle
Building block and neighborhood committees is
method to reach the rank and file members
of the reforrnist organizations. Street demon
STATIONS in the Negro neighborhoods and be-
fore local politicians will draw into the struggle
the most conscious sections of the Negro masses
Appeals to the membership of workers clubs
should be made. Such forms of activities take
away from running around to churches and
bring us in direct contact with the toiling
masses.
The slogans issued on Scottsboro, appearing In
the Daily Worker, January 20, 1892 will with
our concrete agtation) awaken the political con-
seriousness of the Negro masses and white work.
to intensity the struggle and raise it to
higher political level. Masses of Negroes and
white must be drawn into such a program to
produce required results and to broaden out the
struggles
We must smash through the subtle frame
work Of bourgeois legality with a tremendous
out-pouring of proletarian protests and demon
STATIONS. Such activities will draw into the
struggle those organizations and sections Of the
masses which are not on the periphery Of our
movement 1t will turn the extensive indigna-
ton of the Negro masses ito real revolutionary
channels Of struggle and will afford us an OPP
portunity to build our organizations. The fact
must not be mnnlzed that the form of strug-
gle applied in Hantramck is one that will