The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-05-10
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE,


have been great mistake. The
Congress remained necessarily
Free Tom Mooney Congress; but,
it was a question of finding the
means to accomplish this objective
in the existing situation. Taking the
given situation in the United States,
with the most catastrophe economic
crisis of all capitalist history, with
great masses Of unemployed in mo-
ton, with the great Negro working
and farming population II state of
desperate suffering and beginning
upheaval with farmers actually
marching by the thousands against
appropriation, with each session OF
Congress trembling before the mar
chcs of x-servicemen-in this Situa-
ton it becomes possible as never be-
fore to apply the mass pressure that
can free Mooney. But it is known
on all sides that any nationwide uni
ted action of the working class on
any issue whatever concerning the
struggle with capital and the capital
list state, cannot fail to raise the
whole struggle between capital and
labor to higher stage by the mere
fact Of united action.
The capitalist class understands
this as well as we do.
The Parole Offer
1t is known that the ruling class
of California recently adopted as its
main counter-move against MONEYS
unconditional liberation the offer to
let Mooney out Of prison on parole,
to have the status of paroled muir
derer, at liberty within one county
under severe restrictions and report
ing constantly to parole officers, re-
manning under day-to-day strict po-
lice supervision and excluded from all
participation in the labor movement.
Therefore it had become center Of
the tactical struggle-that MONEYS
friends fight for his unconditional
release in connection with the whole
struggle of the labor movement, with
Mooney thus acknowledged to be in
nocent of crime and free to take
his place in the labor movement as
one Of its leaders.
The fight to release Mooney and
Billings has never been and cannot
be fought in a vacuum. Everyone
knows this, or at least feels it in
stinctively; and all react to it &C
cording to their programs and aims.
1t is one of the unacceptable facts
of the day that the effort Of the
struggle for MONEYS liberation to
bring about q united front of action
could hardly fail TO start a landslide
of unity of action which could not
but include questions of wage-cuts,
unemployment and social insurance
the soldiers bonus, prevention of ex-
preparation of farmers, etc.,-in short
tumultuous fight along the whole
front which would raise the struggles
between labor and capital to con-
stantly higher levels. Anyone with
imagination cannot but see in this Q
perspective of still greater masses In
unemployment demonstrations, cou-
pied with the Mooney issue, and TAX
ing advantage Of the established un-
ity for the spreading OF tremendous
economic strikes such as the recent
Briggs and Hudson auto strikes, with
victory temptingly within sight, a
perspective of greater marches of vet
Grams, OF Negroes, of farmers--a per-
spective of political mass strikes, etc
The idea of a general strike for the
liberation of Mooney already has a
certain popularity.
With such perspective it was in
evitable that great many elements
in the labor movement would shrink
from the connecting of Tom Moneys
case. with the class struggle-would
shrink from the fight for Mooney a:
ito use the words Of Moneys Cal
for the Congress) "the symbol of la
Dor struggling for its rights. =. the
center around which the workers will
rally in their desperate struggle
agsinct unemployment, wAg e-cuts
and starvation" In the Mooney Con.
gress, therefore, there was consider
able tendency, both consciously ant
unconsciously, to reduce the struggle
for Mooney, ID to purely the ques-
ton of working class aid to a legal
case in court, and Cd to purely the
question of the prisoner Tom Mooney
ScottsbOro Issue.
One of the most significant achieve
ments was the defeat of an effort tt
leave open the great chasm of divi-
sion OF the working class between
Negro and white-a thing which
would have emasculated the mas:
movement perhaps more than any
thing else. This was expressed in tht
effert to eliminate the Seottsboro is
sue, or at any rate TO reduce it te
one of many cases and identical te
all others with no peculiar character.
istics in regard TO special persecution
of Negroes. That this effort was un
successful. was one Of the great tn
umphs Of the effort to get a great