Montana labor news., 1939-06-29
IntI. Labor Defense,
lis Aims, 0bjedives;
What Il Means 10 You
By KYLE PUGH

Since the start of the International
Labor Defense-June %, 1925, they
have given legal defense to more
than 10000 men and women in the
United States and have been sue
cessful in getting about go per cent
indicated. Most of said cases were
handled through very hostile courts
and had many disadvantages. We
are proud of the fact that they played
a great part in securing the free
dom of Tom Mooney.
Out of this great multitude less
than $4,000 served prison terms (the
majority of these under one YEAR,
and the rest of these went free.
Eighty per cent of the total number
of cases handled were active trade
unionists. The remainder were cases
ranging from persecution on purely
racial or political grounds to sup
preston of the unemployed asking
for bread and work, persecution for
distribution of leaflets, etc. Thirty
per cent of the total number of cases
handled were those of Negro people.
The l. L. D. has initiated 95 per
cent of all united defense work,
throwing the full weight of its long
years of experience, its 800, 900
members and affiliates, and its vol
unteer legal staff of 1000 qualified
attorneys, behind each new effort in
this direction.
The defense work of the I. L. d.
goes on for "a hours every day of
the year in every part of the country.
The 1. L. D. has raised and ex-
pended $275,000 in national and in
ternational relief to $4,000 labor
prisoners and their families since
1925.
The women and children get regu-
lar monthly relief checks for food,
clothing, and shelter for as long as
the breadwinner is in Jail, and where
special needs exist, additional funds
for medical care, schooling, etc. The
prisoners get regular monthly relief
checks, smokes, reading material,
newspapers, and other such ~necessi-
ties for the duration of their sent
ence. Widows and orphans of labor
martyrs are also carried on the re-
lief rolls of the l. L. D.
The number varies, but there are
always more than 200 long term
prisoners, families, widows, and
orphans who receive I. L. D. relief
on the 18th of every month.
The l.. L. D. is dedicated to the
defense, preservation and extention
Of civil and democratic rights of the
American people wherever they
have been violated through so-called
legal channels, or at the hands of
extra-legal or illegal bodies like the
K. X. K, Vigilantea Mayor Hague,
or the Nazi Bund. The l. L. D. de-
tends the right to organize, strike,
and picket-all Labor's rights. En-
ployed or unemployed, Negro or
white, native or foreign born, thou
sands who are deprived of these
rights, faced with anti-labor injunc-
tons, have been defended by the
l. L. D.
The 1. L. D. maintains a legislative
bureau in Washington, D. c., which
in addition to initiating progressive
legislation, serves as a Peoples
Lobby" for supporting or for OPP
posing legislation which tends to
enlarge or restrict labor and civil
rights as the case may be.
The I. L. D. conducts a ~ceaseless
fight against lynching, vigilantism,
persecution and deportation of for
eign born, and for protection Of
human rights Of the American
people.
It has a branch office at the Miners
Union hall in Butte and invites labor
and liberal organizations and in
dividuals to join.