Montana labor news., 1937-09-30
AUDIENCE AppLAUDS|
FLAHERTY BROTHERS
AT OVERFLOW MEET
Mayor Hauswirth and Dunno
Deliver Addresses.
By LEO GARNET

By LEO GARNET
An enthusiastic audience which
filled every seat in the Miners Union
Hall listened with rapt attention to
every word of the thrilling account
of what was happening in Spain
when the Flaherty brothers spoke
on Monday, Sept. 27.
The meeting was arranged by the
Friends of the Abraham Lincoln
Brigade in conjunction with the
Butte Miners Union No l, the Butte
Workers Alliance Local 1856, and the
international Workers Branches 784
and 4319; and was endorsed by the
Silver Bow Trades and Labor Coun-
Gil. Robert c. Brown, leading mem
Der of the Miners Union, was chair
man.
Mayor Hauswirth welcomed the
two Irish-Americans (the third, Ed
ward Flaherty, is i'll in New York;
to Butte, and stated that he was
proud to be the Mayor of city
where the people are so interested
in what was taking place among
their fellowmen in Spain"
Frank Flaherty, leaning on a cane
because of a wound in his leg from
an Italian fascist bullet, gave a
thrilling description of the heroic
stand made by the Spanish people
against the fascist invaders. 'The
Loyalists" he said, "are fighting
against becoming a colony Of Mus
solini and Hitler. The Spanish Peo-
pies Army was born during the war
and has now begun an offensive
against the fascists."
q am confident" he concluded,
that democracy will be victorious
in Spain"
William F. Dunno delivered a
masterful address on the significance
of the war in Spain to the American
people He warned that there are
forces in Montana who are delib-
erately trying to prevent the spread
ing of the truth about Spain, stating
that these forces have stopped the
showing Of motion pictures Of the
war. He was ardently applauded
when he challenged to debate "any-
one in Montana, before any audi
ence, at any time" on the war in
Spain.
The former editor of the Daily
Bulletin referred to the many inter
national allies that aided the Ameri-
can colonies in the Revolutionary
War of 1776-the French Lafayette,
the Polish Kosciusko, the Irish Pat
rick Henry, the German Steuben.
He described the support that Karl
Marx gave Abraham Lincoln in the
struggle against slavery, when he
rallied the British textile workers to
resist the attempts of the British
ruling class to aid the Shareholders
in the Civil War.
''These traditions" he said, prove
that the American people have every
reason to give material aid to the
Spanish people," That material aid
was forthcoming when the collection
for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade
was made. The result was $110.50
to supply many necessities to the
5000 Americans in Spain.
Charles Flaherty, the oldest of the
boys, his arm in sling as a result
of fascist explosive bullet, was the
last speaker on the program. He
vividly outlined the various sections
of the International Brigade. CAL
most all nationalities are represented
in the Brigade" he said. mot all
the Italians in Spain are fighting on
the fascist side. One of the most
heroic sections of the Brigade is the
italian, called the Garibaldi Bat
talon"
One of the highnotes of the meet
ing was Charles Flaherty's descrip-
ton of the heroic stopping of Italian
fascist tanks by unarmed Spaniards
and the determined stand of the
Austrian miners against the fascist
army in northern Spain.
The Flaherty brothers left Butte
Tuesday morning for Great Falls
where they spoke in the evening.
From there they are proceeding to
Seattle.