Don’t worry, Fellow Worker,
all we’re going to need
from now on is guts.
-Frank Little
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Hellraisers Journal, Thursday August 29, 1918
From the Cook County Jail: “Hold the Fort! We have nothing to regret.”
From The Ohio Socialist of August 28, 1918:
A Letter To All Reds
After 4 1-2 months of the most bitterly fought legal battle in the history of American labor, the prosecution scored an initial victory in the trial of one hundred of our fellow workers in Chicago.
A masterly defense was provided by Attorney George F. Vanderveer, assisted by William B. Cleary of Arizona, Otto Christensen of Chicago and Miss Caroline A.Lowe of Seattle. It is not too much to say that everything seemed to point to an acquittal, even the charge to the jury by Judge Landis, who, we gladly admit, proved himself to be impartial in all respects. The verdict of “Guilty” came as a shock, a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
The jury was out fifty-five minutes. It may have been only a formality that they left their seats to go to the jury room. A Chicago paper states it is evident that only one ballot was taken.
Motion for a new trial will be filed immediately and if necessary, appeal will be taken. All defendants are now in Cook County Jail. A word of cheer from the fellow workers in the field will be appreciated by them.
Fellow Worker Haywood gave out the following:
[Said Haywood, at the county jail:]
I have no fault to find with Judge Landis, and none of the rest of us have. He was fair to us, absolutely square throughout the whole trial. His instructions were fair, I thought, and certainly he treated us excellently while the trial was in progress.
Everything possible that could be done for us during the trial was done. This is shown by Judge Landis letting about seventy of us out of a jail on our own recognizances. I am glad that none of us violated the confidence he reposed in us, but that all were on hand for the final day.
I think if the jury had followed instructions there would have been a different story. I hope the next steps will be taken quickly. If our motion for a new trial is denied, we shall, of course, appeal.
We are still good I. W. W., all of us. Everyone is still loyal to the organization. We look upon our conviction as merely an incident in the history of the I. W. W. In reality we regard the organization as only born yesterday, and are sure it will flourish. We’er not for Germany, as they said we were. For me, I’d like to see the kaiser licked off the face of the globe.
One hundred of our fellow workers are thus temporarily barred from activity in the organization. There are about 199,800, taking the figures of the prosecution, still active. The organization has weathered many storms. It is for you to determine how this blow will affect it.
The next case in line is the Wichita indictment. The fellow workers there are entitled to the best possible legal defense that can be procured. We realize that a great strain has been put upon our membership and sympathizers in raising funds for the defense, is a sacrifice for the workers, and we believe nothing will be left undone for all fellow workers in jails from coast to coast.
The following message to all fellow workers comes from Cook County Jail:
Hold the Fort! We, who are on the inside are cheerful and have nothing to regret. We look to and expect of every member of the I. W. W. out of jail a continued fidelity to the principles of Industrial Unionism as set forth in the Preamble. This is but the birth of Industrial Democracy.
A. S. Ambree [Embree] is now Acting Secretary-Treasurer of the General Defense Committee with the Secretaries of the Industrial Unions, acting in an advisory capacity. Offices at 1001 W. Madison St., Chicago. All remittances and correspondence should be addressed to him.
Yours for Industrial Democracy,
A.S. EMBREE,
Acting Secretary General Defence Committee.[Newsclip added is from August 21st Edition of Ohio Socialist.]
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SOURCE
The Ohio Socialist
“Official Organ of the Socialist Party of Ohio”
(Cleveland, Ohio)
-Aug 28, 1918
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/ohio-socialist/031-aug-28-1918.pdf
IMAGE
IWW Defense Fund, OH Sc p3, Aug 21, 1918
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/ohio-socialist/030-aug-21-1918.pdf
See also:
Tag: IWW Federal Trial Chicago 1918
https://weneverforget.org/tag/iww-federal-trial-chicago-1918/
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