The daily worker., 1934-04-07
of Slain
ShareCrOpper
atCOnVentiOn
By MARGUERITE YOUNG

CLEVELAND. April 6-An Ala
bsms Negro girl, niece Of a tenant
farmer murdered by sheriff and
white gunner for recruiting mem
bers into the Shsrecroppers' Union,
stood before the Communist con-
vention. telling how the Negro
youth in Dixie are spreading tine
news Of Communism. AS she I'm
ished another Negro delegate rose.
far back in the auditorium, and
flung high her voice. The tune was
that Of the ancient spiritual. "Old
Time Religion" but instead Of the
words: 1T was good enough for
Moses: It's good enough for me. A."
this woman stang: 1T was good
enough for Lenin; it's good enough
for me"
The speaker, Euls Gray. picked
up the refrain. So did James W.
Ford, recent Communist candidate
for Vice President, stepping for
ward on the presiding committees
platform. Back from the woman
delegate in the rear came another
stanza, and this time the whole
convention sang the reyolutionized
spiritual.
II am speaking for the youth at
Tauapooss County in the Young
Communist League" Eula Gray
said. She is a 1.-THE, attractive girl,
her big eyes shining. her teeth white
and flashing Her dress Is a green
cotton slip, and she wears an old
green sweater. "The Youth is 1000
Of the Sharecroppers' Union in the
Black Belt, and they have become
most active in the union.
Bad Dogs Don't Hinder Communists
I'VE, the youth. because We lead
squads, organized groups to dis
tribute leaflets. We suggested one
way to begin. All went out together
and put leaflets everywhere. The
landlords couldn't understand how
the leaflets we're in such peculiar
places. One Of the youth girls-the
landlord asked her was she out dis
tributing them League things. She
told him: What the hell difference
did it make?' One of them asked
the girl-he found leaflets in his
kitchen-he had bad dogs and he
did not see how the leaflets were
put there. I told him bad dogs do
not hinder the Communist Party"
To appreciate bad dogs" one
must know Dixie. They are a ter
ror But this 23-yesr-old Eula has
withstood far more, as have many.
many others who aid the swift work
Of the Communist Party below the
Mason Dixon line. They take it in
their stride. They have built the
Sharecroppers' Union, more than
5000 strong, in Alabama, Kentucky,
the Carolinas, and other deep South
States. They have recruited hun
dreds into the Communist Party.
They have taken the first steps to-
ward uniting the Negro and white
steel mill hands in a Steel and
Metal Workers Industrial Union
local in the Alabama bailiwick of
a mighty steel trust. New members
have been focking in, ever since
the Scottsboro boys we're tried, to
Join the International Labor De-
| fense. There are 1000 in the Bir-
mingham district.
Red Words TO Spirituals
That's when they started setting
revolutionary words to their spirit
ual tunes. That's how Eula Gray's
uncle, Ralph Gray, came into the
Sharecroppers' Union. He had been
organizing for it about two months
when the landlord law began to
show its force One Sheriff Young
went to the Gray cabin in Dade-
vile, one night, banged a shotgun
over Gray's head and hit his wife
with the weapon. Then they real
lied what it meant when they were
watched in their meetings. They
decided never to 'let the lights
shine on"-never to be caught on
/ the road ahead of auto headlights,
But one night when Gray and sew
eral friends we're on their road to
the meeting, the headlights shone
on them, and he didn't dodge fast
enough. A shotgun bullet whistled
into his flesh. He fell. They picked
him up and drove him toward the
Jail, but he died before they arrived
They flung his body into the Jail
yard and kicked it. No arrests have
been made--in fact, there was nc
inquest,
But his name has become q SYM
Dol in the movement for Negro ano
white unity. Poems have been ded-
icated to his heroism and songs are