The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1933-02-23
Wthdraws From
TheO. Jordan Case

A1tlitihutN from rage
Fund and heralded the information
throughout the country in the Negro
newspapers asking for donations TO
defend Jordan.
After making the motion for a
new trial and receiving its denial
the attorneys secured a stay of ex-
eeution from Judge Duncan, the trial
Judge. He game them a writ of
probable cause to be filed with the
Supreme Court and a sixty day stay
Of execution was granted to file the
brief. Now after every possible step
necessary had been taken, the Inter
national Labor Defense organiza-
ton (Which is the child of the Com
munist Party of Russia) seeing an
opportunity to further exploit Ne
groes for their organization en-
deavored, to persuade us to accept
them on the case and let their
lawyers cooperate with ours. We
knew what they wanted and decided
we could not under any ciFcumt
stances work with them for obvious
reasons. Not only that but we did
not need any more counsel and so
advised them that all we needed was
a little financial assistance. This of
course they did not want t. give and
frankly told us they were going to
''chiseP' in on the case, for Jordan
was political prisoner and needed
worldwide publicity. Then they re-
sorted to their old tricks of taking
advantage of Jordan in his predica-
ment, by showing him what mass
publicity could do for him, and that
the N.A.A.C.P. did not have the
| financial and worldwide backing that
they have; and over our strong OBJ
! jections and pleas to Jordan, he
gave them authority ITO enter the
! case in his behalf. i a
| We put the matter squarely up tc
Jordan and advised him of the sep
aration of the two organizations and
prepared statement for him to
| sign SO that we would know his at
titude and our ground, but he chose
to drop us or have them try to get
/ members of the N.A.A.C.P. to over
ride our Executive Board and accept
the I. l.. DIS counsel in cooperation
with ours. That was impossible be-
cause our attorneys fatty refused
| to go on this or any other case with
the Communist organization. At a
mass meeting held February 16, in
connection with the regular N.A.A.
C.P monthly meeting representatives
Of the |. L.. ID. where there in large
numbers for the express purpose of
breaking the morale of the branch
and in fact try to take the meeting
from us. We had anticipated such a
move and had prepared to deal with
them, for, several months age, our
national office advised US of their
practices in trying to disturb and de-
stroy the N.A.A.C.P. meetings, and
it was on this theory that we dealt
with them in this situation. 1t was
necessary to evict a few of them
from the meeting for constantly dis
turbing. They were even so impolite
as to jeer and sheer during the sing
! ing of the National Negro Anthem
and we had to threaten to put them
out even during the singing of this
song.
Knowing the situation, the Ex-
ecutive Board met in session a few
minutes previous to the meeting and
decided that the only thing to do
was to let them remain if they were
quiet and orderly, but to refuse them
any attempt to gain admittance to
the floor or in any way to disturb
the meeting, by evicting them entire
ly if necessary.
A few of our supposedly repre-
sentative Negroes, namely DR.. De-