The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-20
IT.
BY HARRY HAYWOOD

mand for the death penalty against
lynchers in the Costigan land other
-lynching'' bills now before
Congress. This omission is signifi-
can't. Lynch murder is clearly not
regarded as a capital crime by the
sponsors of these bills. Is this not
an obvious concession to the lynch
ers? Is this not proof Of the hypoc-
risy of the sponsors of these So
called 'anti-lynching" bills?
While thus protecting the lynch
srs from the death penalty. the Cos
tigan Bill sponsored by the N. A.
A. c. P. leadership offers the rela-
lives of the lynch victims the tllu~
sion Of securing damages from the
authorities. II provides that they
may bring suit for $4,000 against
the county or counties in which the
lynching occurred. This is supposed
to penalize these communities and
to increase the vigilance of the 10
cal governments against lynching.
Here it is sufficient TO point out that
similar law exists in West Vtr-
ginia. It's inefcctiveness is shown
by what happened when such q suit
was brought before the courts of
that State. The suit was won" but
when the county officials announced
they had 10 funds appropriated 'for
such q purpose the courts readily
accepted this excuse, and no pay
ment was ever made Of the in
demnity.
This, Of course, merely confirms
the fact that any legislation, even the
most perfect having seriously as its
purpose the lettering of the condi-
tons OF the masses, means nothing If
it does not have organized around it
a militant mass movement of Negro
and white toilors to force its enamel
ment. without organized mass pres
sure, any bill in the hands of the adj
ministrators of bourgeois law will be
used against the masses and in the
interests of the oppressors.
So-Calied Anii-Lynch Law
IN the statutes of the states where
lynehing is mos common, where
violators of every basic right of the
people Is most fragrant, there are
laws supposedly guaranteeing these
rights For example, there are anti
lynching laws in eight Southern
states in which lynchipgs have
mounted year by year 1t is clear
that these bills are not for the pur-
pose they proclaim, but are used
by the authorities TO divert the
masses from militant struggle against
lynching by fostering illusions in the
courts and other instruments of the
lynchers. Even in the 18th, 14th and
18th amendments TO the u. s. Con-
stitution, which supposedly provide
guarantees for the civil rights Of the
Negro people, have now become
weapons in the hands OF the ruling
class against Negro masses and the
entire working class, because these
amendments are used to hide the
role of the national government as
the oppreSsors Of the Negro people,
by fostering illusions in the federal
institutions. These amendments, so
far as the masses are concerned,
have become mere ShibbolethS in the
mouths of demagogs, who constantly
pirate of the guarantees they sup
poseoly give to the constitutional
rights of the Negro people, and shift
responsibility for their violation from
the national government to the yari-
Gus states,
IT is clear that the fight against
tynching must be directed against
the national government as the in
strument of the oppressers and
Iynchers of the Negro people. ANY
point of view which fosters the lie
Of impartiality ON the part of the
government (and precisely this, is
the point of view behind these re-
for,nist proposals. strengthens the
hand of the lynchers.
Why Such Feyerish Activity
But the question raised now is
why these feverish activities Of the
reforinists and imperialist politicians
around the issue of lynching at the
present time, since these bills are OBJ
viously not in the interests Of the
Negro masses and the working CLASP
Then in whose interest are theyp
These questions can only be answered
in the light of recent Developments
in the mass fight against lynching.
In recent months the wave of
lypching has grown tremendously,
against the background Of the crisis
OF capitalism and the sharpening Of
fensiye against the white and Negro
toiling masses. The savage lynch |
terror has evoked the widest indig- |
nation among the masses, bringing |
home to them the necessity for a |
militant struggle against lynehing. |
This widespread indignation is being |
crystallized ill mass protest actions |
of white and Negro workers and in
tellectuals. This movement Is in |
creasingly coming under the leader
ship of the Communist Party and |
The whole revolutionary movement,
as it becomes more and more clear
TO ever widening sections OF the toll
ers that the revolutionary movement |
is tine only force conducting q real
fight against lynching and for ma
i0nal liberation of the Negro people.
IN this process, a united front OF
Negro and white toilers is being