An Appeal for Aid to the 12 Class-War Prisoners and Their Families

From Fourth International, Vol.5 No.1, November 1944, p.352.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.

Dear Friends:

Twelve members of Minneapolis Truckdrivers Local 544 – CIO and of the Socialist Workers Party have been in prison now for over ten months, solely because of their labor activities and political opinions. Six others were released on October 20th.

The imprisonment of the 18 under the vicious Smith “Gag” law makes the Minneapolis Labor Case the most important civil liberties issue in the Second World War. Already over 350 unions and other progressive organizations representing more than 3,500,000 members have supported the work of the Civil Rights Defense Committee.

Ever since the 18 went to prison the CRDC has provided relief for their wives and children. Without this aid the families of these persecuted labor leaders would suffer great hardships and privations. Today, with the high cost of living, feeding and clothing their unfortunate ones becomes an ever-increasing problem for the Committee.

The Minneapolis Labor Case directly involves you and the democratic rights of your union. Our campaign to free the 18 and repeal the Smith “Gag” Act is a campaign to defend the hard-won rights of the American labor movement.

HELP US TO MAKE THEIR CHRISTMAS CHEERFUL!

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS DEFENSE COMMITTEE, 160 FIFTH AVE., NEW YORK CITY 10, N.Y.

			Fraternally yours
JOHN GREEN President, Industrial Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers – CIO		JULIUS HOCHMAN General Manager, N.Y. Joint Board, Dress and Waistmakers Union, ILGWU – AFL		GEORGE BALDANZ1 Executive Vice-President, Textile Workers Union – CIO
	WILLARD S. TOWNSEND President, United Transport Service Employees – CIO		ROGER BALDWIN Director, American Civil Liberties Union
JAMES T. FARRELL Novelist		JOHN DEWEY Philosopher and Educator		WARREN K. BILLINGS Famous Labor Prisoner

Top of page

Main FI Index | Main Newspaper Index

Encyclopedia of Trotskyism | Marxists’ Internet Archive

Last updated on 4.9.2008