The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-26

der if they were permitted TO see
them.
SO Indictment and indammability
were more or less the basis of the
censorship? Again no definite an
swer. At this point the Warden read
to us from letter which stated that
the International Publishers Study
Courses could not be permitted into
another prison because they were
SubversiVe and tended to make enc
mics Of the government out Of the
inmates Of that prison.
And pictures were particularly sug-
gestiYe. Everybody can understand
pictures" said the Warden. At this
point Father McCafrery couldn't
stand it any more and clustered:
4 don't know what all the shoot
ms about. I let Lenin lhe pro-
.ounced it Leeaine) in. Because I
figured you'd have to be up to a Ger
tain grade Of intelligence TO under
5tand him."
FINALLY, when the Warden, press
4 ed hard for the authority which
granted him the right Of censor
ship, began looking into books Of
rules for the particular section
fEr0 Oh he couldn't find because it
isn't there, the conversation was
.'Lncd over to the mental and spir-
itual guardians. DR., Baker, the psy-
chiatrist, was asked whether he
didn't consider that political pris-
9ners-nen in jail because Of certain
principles and convictions they had
did not require q different attitude
md treatment than other prisoners
The doctor Immediately echoed War
Cen LaWes by stating that there were
no political prisoners in Sing Sing
All the men behind those high walls
were there for ohenses against the
penal law and therefore they were
2ot political prisoners.
Suppose he did hGYe political pTis-
oners. But he didn't have, he plead
ed. rs Tom Mooney q political pris
Cner?" he was asked. The doctors
crows knitted in thought. TON
MONEY!" he repeated, the tone Of
his question showing clearly that he
didn't know who Tom Mooney vast
The rabbi then came to his rescue
with & hypothetical case (punctu-
2ted with oily bows TO the waraen's
iiheralism), Suppose a worker in q
shop wanted to get a union into that
shop. And the boss was determined
% keep the union cut This struggle
developed on both sides and finally
in an open fight the worker shot the
s2ss. Is that man a political pris-
oner?"
Certainly"
The Fathers looked at each other
nth an I-told-you-so resignation.
But Father BcCaGc-y was getting
1ore. Il suppose you'll want them TO
5et special privileges because they're
political prisone-s?"
"Of course we do"
The rest OF the interview was oceu.
ed with a cross fire Of questions
md answers about pictures and what
pictures would be permitted to pass
Che censorship, all Of which brought
no satisfactory response. We had
brought with US six daily New York
newspapers, all Of which carried pic
ytreS CT New Yorks finest slugglng
workers in front Of the Austrian En-
basSy during the demonstration last
Wednesday. Since the objection to
me Labor Defender had been 'ex-
aggerated pictures of police brutality
would the warden bar these papers?
But the Labor Defender is no
longer barred" answered the warden.
It will still, however, be censored
rs viii all other publications that en-
ter Sing Sing. And the prisoners who
receive them will not be permitted to
pass them around. Everybody can
understand pictures"
so ENDED the interview with War
y den Lewis E. LaWes. But the fight
has just begun. Spnrred on by this
@recedent Of victory other delaga-
lons will visit other prisons through
ut the country where there are po-
itical prisoners. The working class II
not such sttckler for definitions az
S the liberal Warden Lawes. We
'now that Weinstein and Soderberr
n Sing Sing, the Scottsboro boys in
Nabama, Tom Mooney and McNa-
in San Quentin, Ray Becker in
Walla Walla and hundreds of Others |
IRE political prisoners. Workers arc
not fooled by flulzy chargesi Dis
'urhing the peace, rape, dynamiting |
locking traffic. Workers can see be-
ind these canoufiages and will de- |
hand recognition for political pris-
'ners as such for these victims Of the
sJa &C cty.f1ooia