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Hellraisers Journal  – Monday July 4, 1921
Messenger Calls for General Amnesty for Political and Class-War Prisoners

From The Messenger of July 1921:

BEN FLETCHER, CLASS AND POLITICAL AMNESTY

WHEN the historian of the future writes of this period he will find that black as well as white men languished in prison cells on account of the political and economic beliefs they entertained. Anthropologists take note!

Ben Fletcher was the only Negro, among the 101 Industrial Workers of the World, who was convicted and sentenced, by Judge Keneesaw Mountain Landis, to 10 years imprisonment in Fort Leavenworth, for an alleged violation of the Espionage Act.

Like Debs, these men were the victims of a vicious war hysteria. Their only crime was that they dared to proclaim the essential rights of the toiling masses, black and white, Jew and Gentile, native and foreign, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; though these rights are supposed to be vouchsafed in the Magna Charta of American liberties–the Declaration of Independence. It is clear that Fletcher and his white co-workers sinned against the sacred creed and dogma of financial imperialism, drunk and maddened with the red wine of mass murder. The excuse for their imprisonment was that they interfered with the successful prosecution of the war. That excuse no longer exists, for the war is over; still these men are not yet free. Every country, which was a party to the war has proclaimed political amnesty for political and class-war prisoners, save our own. Why?

This is the question which every black and white citizen, worker and lover of liberty should ask President Harding and Attorney General Daughterty

The MESSENGER is calling upon the Negro church and press to preach sermons and write editorials for the release of Ben Fletcher. Needless to say that the white political and class-war prisoners will be included. We call upon every Negro to send telegrams and letters to Harding, Daugherty and the congressman of his district for the release of Fletcher and other political and class-war prisoners. We only single out Fletcher because the Negro population is not aware of the reason for his imprisonment, and, consequently, has a luke-warm interest in the cause of political amnesty. We realize that all workers, regardless of race, creed or color or nationality will benefit from sentiment created; though that sentiment be created, nominally, in the interest of a single worker because of certain conditions, such as race, which make it possible to interest a large part of the population, such as Negroes, or Irish or Italians, etc.

All hands to the Wheel of General Amnesty for Political and Class-War Prisoners. 

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[Photograph and emphasis added.]

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