The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-07
ScottsborO Exhibition
of Documents, Photos
at the John Reed Club
By JACK KAINEN

NEW YORK.-The international
Scottsboro Exhibition opens this
Wednesday evening, at John Reed
Club headquarters, 43O Sixth Ave,
under the auspices Of the Inter
national Labor Defense and the
club. 1t is an extremely significant
exhibition, featuring the epic Of the
international struggle for the lib
Grafton Of the Seottsboro boys.
The vast amount of work done by
the International Labor Defense
and the International Red Aid,
testified to by documents from al
most every country in the world,
has been collected and mounted.
AS one goes from exhibit to ex-
hibit, from South African leahet
to Swedish radiogram, the thought
arises Of the millions Of workers
throughout the world who have
been involved in the struggle to free
the Scottsboro boys; who have
learned Of American ruling-class
lynch law through the I. L. D. and
the I. r. A.
The Labor Defender is prominent
in this exhibition, particularly
through its photographs. Scenes
Of actual lynchings, torture and
terror no bourgeois publ
cation would care to publish, are
gathered from its pages.
Running like a thread through
the exhibition and contributing
most to its international character,
are the testimonials Of the world
tour Of Mother Ada Wright and j.
Louis Engdahl. Everywhere they
stopped they modified masses to
hear the story of the Scottsboro
frame-up. Leaflets, posters and
pamphlets were distributed, radio
grams of protest were sent, mass
meetings were held. These docu-
ments are all on hand, from
France, England, Holland, Belgium,
Sweden, South Africa, Canada,
Australia, Panama, Cuba, Czecho-
slovakia, U. S. s. r.: everywhere.
ONE Of the most interesting phases
" of the exhibition is the vital
creative impulse generated by the
Scottsboro case. 1t has been the
source of poems, drawings, stories,
plays and songs in many languages.
Quite a number of the drawings
and poems are from the New
Masses and the New Pioneer. Many
are from foreign publications. An
nouncements Of the play by John
Wexley, "They Shall Not Die"
shows how the Scottsboro play was
popularized through the theatre.
Documents of vital Importance
are featured. The letter of Ruby
Bates to her friend Earl, so i'm
portant a confession that the Ala
hama authorities relinquished it
only after great pressure, is here
in photostatic reproduction. This
intimate letter states that the police
forced her to testify against the
innocent boys. Letters from the
prisoners to their parents and
friends tell of the brutality of their
wardens and the miserable condi-
tons under which they are impri-
soned.
The minutes of the trial are here.
This ponderous tome was used by
the U. s. Supreme Court prepara-
tory to arriving at its last decision
on the Scottsboro case. Articles
from newspapers of every political
shading and almost every country
have been collected, from Nazi or
gans, through Social-Democratic
and Communist organs.
An inspiring note is struck in the
radiogram of the English seamen
of the S. s. Hartbridge, protesting
the Scottsboro frame-up. Many
other testimonials of historical i'm
portance are on the walls.
Speakers will officially open the
exhibition Wednesday evening,
Thereafter, the exhibition will be
open daily, in the afternoons. A
small admission fee will be charged,
the proceeds to go to the I. L. D.