Montana labor news., 1939-12-21
JEWISH PEOPLE DEFENDED BY 4. F. OF |.
The Miners Union andFree5 Speech

bility. Perhaps it should not be out
of place to refresh the memory OF
the Company in relation to the
prosecution of the Finnish people
in 1909 and 1911 when they inaug-
urated a purge or pogrom and again
in 1914 to 1917 when another purge
also instituted resulted in many peo-
pie in this county being blackballed;
that the company ultimately had to
complain that there were not enough
experienced miners here to operate
the mines.
A paper this very morning at
tackled the Montana Labor News, the
only newspaper in Butte who has
the courage to defend civil liberty.
We feel this attack is just what the
Montana Labor News says it is. It
is not an attack against the Com
munist party, but nearly an effort to
cause suspicion and hatred toward
the officers and leading members of
my organization.
Furthermore, the organized labor
movement cannot and will not per-
NIT under any circumstances what
soever any corporate interest to die
tate its policies 0 who shall be its
elective officers. When we do that
we have become a company union
and a violator of the National Rela-
tons Act, any suggestions as to who
shall be officers of a certain union
are in themselves tantamount in vio-
lation to the law and the Miners
Union is going to try in all respects
to live up to the laws of the land
and to preserve the government and
its cherished constitution.
Perhaps the subtle attack of We'd
nesday and Thursday may be also
attributed to the fact that the miners
are alleging that the company is VIC
lating the eight-hour law and have
brought the case into the courts of
the state for adjudication It can
not be denied that the Miners Union
and the leaders of the labor unions
in Butte stand for free speech, free
assembly, the preservation of the
Constitution and all of those things
which we have been taught to re-
we're since 1776.
The Supreme Court of the United
States has expressed itself in nu-
merous recent cases in support of
the right of free speech and free
press.
One month ago four Communists
in Chicago were arrested for dis
tributing anti-war leaflets; in this
case, the United States district at
torney's office upheld the right of
free press by dropping the case
when the international Labor De-
Tense protested.
In conclusion I wish to present
the full position of my organization
on war as adopted at the last on
vention of the Congress for Indus
trial Organizations.
MANY new problems confront our
country as a result of the European
war. In coping with these problems,
your officers have taken the follow
ing position:
/. That organized labor is en-
phatically opposed to any involve
ment of the United States in the
European a
2. That labor demands the right
of adequate representation in all
governmental boards and agencies
set up to cope with the war situa-
ton and to mobilize national de-
tense.
8. That the real wages of Ameri-
can workers must not be allowed to
suffer from rising living costs, and
that every effort must be made to
stop profiteering and to adjust wage
levels to rising prices.
4. That pre-occupation with for
eign affairs must not be allowed to
detract attention from unemploy-
ment and other pressing problems of
internal economic insecurity.
S. That more than usual vigilance
must be exercised to guard existing
labor and social legislation and
democratic rights against curtail-
ment under the pretext of emergen-
cy considerations.
In general, it is our conviction that
the greatest contribution that can
be made to the cause of democracy,
peace and prosperity, is through the
building Of the progressive labor
movement.
For in proportion as the workers
are made a~rticulate through organi-
cation, they will make their influ-
ence effective for the preservation
of democracy, against the danger of
war, and for the establishment of
internal security which will make
cur country immune to the horrors
which now afflict so much of the
rest of the world"