The Omaha guide., 1935-10-05
BULLETS FELL
ON ALABAMA
BY BRUCE CRAWFORD

Our committee that went into Ala
bama to investigate abuses of civil
liberties really was shot at, though
Governor Bib Graves asserts the
contrary We not seeking pub
licity for ourselves, as the Governor
told the press; we were seeking pub
LEFTY for conditions which Alabama
doesn't want uncovered
The committee-myself from Vir-
ginia- Jack. Conroy from Missouri,
Emmett Gowen from Tennessee, Shir-
ley Hopkins from Massachusetts and
Alfred H. Hirsch Of New York, sec
rotary Of the National Committee for
the Defense Of Political Prisoners,
which organized the trip-went first
to Birmingham to test the constitu-
tionaIity Of the Downs literature or
dinance. This city law makes it a
crime punishable BY 800 fine and
sir months Imprisonment to possess
more than one copy of a radical pub
LEGATION. We distributed copies Of The
Nation, the New Republic, the New
Theatre, the Labor Defender, the
New Masses, and the Daily Worker
IA front Of the City Hall. For posses
sing copies Of these publications more
than sixty persons, white and Negro
workers and their friends, had been
arrested. Many, after being released,
had been kidnapped by Ugilantes and
beaten up The ~vigilantes are mainly
corporation dicks" who capitalize
the race prejudice and h~undred-per-
centism Of the ignorant population
Although the press reported that
Chief of Police Hollums received" Us
with measured courtesy" three OF
our group, myself included, were seiz-
ed by city detectives and forcibly
ushered into the City Hall Miss Hop
kins and Mr.. Hirsch were finger
printed and photographed. An officer
struck Hirsdh on the ear when he re-
fused to answer a question But we
weren't arrested!
Chief HolIums sidestepped a test
Of the ordinance "This literature does
not violate our law, he said, flip
ping the pages and barely noting
headlines. ] sat before him for an
hour, asking as wei as answering
questions. Officers, reporters and
hostile onIookers crowded around "If
this literature doesn't violate your Or
dinance," 1 ventured, why do you
arrest people for merely possessing
it,"
But we turn them loose" he hasti-
~ assured me with a smile.
"Yet such arrests break up their
perfectly legal activities" / returned,
land after you do release them they
are kidnapped and beaten. Cant you
discourage these arrests?"
"WeIl," replied the chief, painful
" smiling, Eve have a certain ele-
ment here, some anti-radicals, that
do things we don't always approve
Of. This literature isn't unlawful, but
it contains what offends some people.
Besides, the ignorant working people
shouldn't be allowed to read such IL
terature. 1t stirs them up. Why, be-
fore these radicals began scattering
such stuff, the niger would come
holding I'D his hands when a white
man called to him. Now the niggers
are uppity."
Nobody, white " black, should
have to come holding up his hands"
I said. This sounded crazy to him.
They're too ignorant to have this
stuff he added. When asked why
they we're ignorant, he guessed il
was because they didn't read When
asked why they didn't read, he allow
ed it was because they are too ig-
norant"
III came a detective with two type
written sheets. q took these out of
that woman's handbag, Chief" he
said, dutfulIy.
The chief ran his eyes down a page,
but it was clear he didn't intend to
find any unlawful dynamite Miss
Hopkins had volunteered to carry
two circulars which went even far
Their in a revolutionary way than the
publications. ''They won't put a wo-
man on the chain gang" she said.
The circular was my composition, adj
dressed to workers Of Birming-
ham, white and Negro" It urged
them to resist and war in which the
rich would profit and the workers
would do the fighting. It contained
an obscure passage from Daniel Web
ster to the effect that liberties for
the many vanish when wealth con
~centrates- No quotes were used, nor
was Webster's name mentioned. Like
wise a buried statement was lifted
from Lincoln-this was also passed
off as 0urs-to the effect that when
government ceases to serve the ma
ro---v- o4 tho -1or1o IT, - -