The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-06-01
hit LYNCHING
BY VOTING FOR
FOSTER, FORD"
Negro Woman Dele
gate Makes Moving
Speech
BY JOSEPH NORTH

ny JOSEEh NOhIH
CHICAGO NOMINATING CON-
VENT1ON,-"If you're tired of being
lynched, vote Foster and Fordl"
Her name is Laura Osby, Of Chicago
formerly housemaid in the mansion
of a plantation owner of Louisiana.
She stood before the audience with
he back bent, her arms akimbo Git
was hard to unbend the back COM
pletely after years over the wash
tub and she shouted into the mic
rophone: We're not only fighting
for bread. We're fighting for social
equality for all men" z
A Negro worker had been strung
up to a tree; his body riddled with
bullets; the corpse, still warm, tied
to the rear bumper of car and
dragged through the Louisiana towns,
"Of course" she said, "the charge
was rape-just like the Scottsboro
boys" Shortly after that She came
North, TO Chicago-as eagerly ex-
pectant Of freedom as 1900 immi-
grant to the Golden Land,
Defies Machine Guns. AZ.
Tine bosses of Chicago" - Chicago
in le00-l920, the wonderful city
whose spires cleaned in mirage
which even the Negroes of distant
Louisiana could see and be drawn
North)-"never will solve the crisis
with machine guns" And she shook
her fist into the megaphone.
She kept calling the Communist
Party, the "Comrade" Party. The
Comrade Party has the world of
workers stirred up. Don't forget,
comrades. $50.
She told of the old man she met
on the street yesterday: 1--WE always
voted Republican and I'm going to
vote Republican to the day I die.
HE told her" He was an old man
about seventy, she said. You're so
much older than I am, she related,
Tn sorry to see that you're such
damn fool"
And she told why bosses try to
destroy the unity of white and Ne
gro workers. 1.-THE bosses know that
when the Negro and white worker
would become acquainted with each
other they'd have to throw away
their book and pencil and pick up
a pick and shovel"
The storm Of applause swept over
the rows of delegates at the Coli
scum. The red remnants were wav-
ing and the children were cheering:
1--WE want Ford-we want Ford.
Ford was carried on the shoulders
of white and Negro workers about
the hall.
Negro and White Together.
Laura Osby stood up on her chair
and shouted and shouted till her
voice gave way. Then she whispered
the rest Of her story to me: THE
women is fightin' side by side with
the colored women. And we find
today, comrade, there is no discri-
mination between the white worker
and the Negro-what difference is
there between two empty stomachs"?
For her husband and she have
been jobless for more than a. year.
Three dollars monthly in relief is
their lot from the charity organiza-
tons. And she enumerated the list
of groceries they expect her and the
husband to survive on: Nothing but
an OF five pound sack of flour;
pounds OF sugar; cans of tomatoes;
two pounds Of beans; piece Of meat
this blk. -. -" she showed the palm
of her hand. 80" one can of baking
powder and two pounds of rotten old
coffee" Two people live off this a
month.
No wonder she is hungry no Won
der she said. when you go TO the |
poll and get the ballot, when you
cross that little round square. .....
you will show you will not tolerate
starvation, II you're tired OF being
Jim Crowed, if you're tired OF bein'
lynchod, remember Comrades Foster
and Ford"