A look back at a year of kept promises as the International Labor Defense prepares for its Second National Conference.

‘The Word and the Deed–A Year’s Work of International Labor Defense’ from Labor Defender. Vol. 1 No. 9. September, 1926.

The following is a brief outline of the accomplishments of the first year of International Labor Defense, checked against the Resolutions adopted at the first Conference held in Chicago, June. 28, 1925. A complete detailed report will be submitted to the Second Annual Conference to be held in Chicago on September 5th, at Ashland Auditorium.

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1. Prison Relief.

The Word

“International Labor Defense will devote special attention to the organization of this work. It will undertake to institute all the necessary arrangements required to establish extensive communication between those outside and those confined and raise special funds for the maintenance of systematic provision of material comforts and necessaries of life to class-war prisoners.”

—From the Resolutions of the First Conference.

The Deed

International Labor Defense sends $5 regularly each month to each one of the 106 class-war prisoners in America. The money for the members of the I.W.W. in prison is sent in a lump sum to the General Defense Committee of the I.W.W. for distribution to the men in prison. The checks for the other prisoners are sent direct from the National Office.

2. Legal Defense.

The Word

“Inadequate and incompetent legal defense has eased the way for the framing up and railroading of many workers. Able defense counsel and widespread attendant publicity are obligations which the labor movement owes to every worker who is put on trial for his activities in the class struggle. The employment of qualified attorneys is necessary not only from the standpoint of legal technique and procedure. The correct policy is to secure the services of competent lawyers and, by combining their work in the court room with organized publicity and protest, to transform court trials of workers into propaganda demonstrations in which the capitalist prosecutors are put on trial before the working class.”

“This conference proclaims that the International Labor Defense stands ready to provide legal, moral and material aid to all workers persecuted for their activities in the labor movement or for expression of opinion.”

–From the Resolutions of the First Conference.

The Deed

International Labor Defense has provided legal defense or contributed to the defense funds of other Defense Committees in the following cases:

1. Zeigler Cases (in addition to $2,200 spent by local committee) $4,855.72

2. Sacco-Vanzetti Contributions to S.-V. Def. Com. for legal defense 1,431.32

3. I.W.W. Deportation Case (N.Y.) 445.00

4. Ford Case (Contributions to Gen. Defense Committee I.W.W.) 563.33

5. John Merrick Case-Haverhill, Mass. (Appeal) 541.00

6. Michigan Cases (Ruthenberg Appeal) 2.494.62

7. Crouch and Trumbull 778.00

8. Pittsburgh “Sedition Cases,” Horacek et al (in addition to more than $8,000 expended through local committee) 961.06

9. Bimba Case (Also financing appeal) 654.03

10. Papcun Case (to date) 1,054.30

11. John Loredo and John Lynch (I.W.W. Transport Workers, N.Y.) 325.00

12. Checker Taxi Strikers (Boston) 300.00

In addition to the above, I.L.D. has provided legal defense in scores of miscellaneous minor cases, deportations. arrested strike pickets, etc., in all parts of the country at a cost of thousands of dollars, and is financing appeals in a number of the above cases at big expense.

3. Information and Publicity.

The Word

“It is the aim of International Labor Defense to develop publicity toward this end in all its forms. Regular’ press service, public meetings, motion pictures, books, pamphlets, leaflets, stickers and posters shall be utilized for extending to every corner of the labor movement the exact news and data about all cases of working class persecution. In addition to these, the National Conference is of the opinion that an illustrated magazine devoted to the cause of Labor Defense should be published as soon as a sufficient organizational base is established to assure its success.”

— From the Resolutions of the First Conference.

The Deed

I.L.D. publishes an illustrated monthly magazine, “The Labor Defender,” which now has a circulation of 25,000. A weekly press service is sent to all labor papers. Hundreds of mass meetings have been held under its auspices. It has published 80,000 Paris Commune leaflets, 25,000 Crouch-Trumbull leaflets, 600,000 Sacco-Vanzetti leaflets, 100,000 “What is I.L.D.” leaflets, 20,000 Zeigler pamphlets, 15,000 Passaic pamphlets, 75,000 Constitution and Manifesto pamphlets, 3,000 I.L.D. posters and 5,000 Sacco-Vanzetti posters, as well as 129,000 Sacco-Vanzetti buttons. Thousands of dollars have been expended in this indispensable publicity work.

4. Relief for Dependents of Imprisoned Fighters in the Class War.

The Word

“The conference appeals to all workers to respond liberally to a special fund to be set up by the International Labor Defense for the purpose of relieving the hardships of the mothers, wives and children of the soldiers of the class war who sacrifice their lives or liberty for the cause of labor. The International Labor Defense feels it a first duty of the labor movement to provide regular material and financial aid to the dependents of class war prisoners.”

—From the Resolutions of the First Conference.

The Deed

Relief Is now being provided irregularly for the dependents of ten different prisoners where the needs are very great and in a few cases regularly to the extent of $20 per month in each instance. The Second Annual Conference will take up this question in real earnest and adopt the necessary measures to further develop the work of providing regular systematic support for the dependents of all labor prisoners.

5. The Fight for Release of Class War Prisoners.

The Word

“The labor movement must be awakened from its slumber and must be roused to the menacing significance of the attempt of the capitalists to break the morale of the working-class by imprisoning its best fighters. The workers must not be allowed to forget those who lie in prison for them, but must be stirred into action in their defense.

“The International Labor Defense will take the initiative to organize a wide-spread campaign for the unconditional release of imprisoned fighters of the class struggle and will endeavor to unite all the forces of conscious and militant labor for this fight.”

—From the Resolutions of the First Conference.

The Deed

In addition to providing legal defense for workers on trial, I.L.D. has conducted widespread publicity and agitation in behalf of the imprisoned workers. Almost forgotten fighters, languishing in prison have again been called to the attention of the labor movement through the work of the I.L.D. The great campaign of the I.L.D. for Sacco and Vanzetti has resounded throughout the entire labor movement of America and the entire world. I.L.D. initiated the organization of an “Anti-Sedition” law conference in Pennsylvania which gained wide support from the trade unions, and is initiating the formation of similar bodies in other states. A widespread organized campaign for the release of Mooney and Billings, and other long-imprisoned victims of capitalist tyranny is one of the next tasks to be undertaken.

6. The White Terror in Other Capitalist Countries.

The Word

“This conference declares itself heart and soul for the cause of internationalism and reaches out fraternal hands to oppressed workers and exploited peoples in all lands who fight and suffer under the iron heel of capitalism.

“The conference dedicates the International Labor Defense to whole-hearted support of the victims of the white terror in other lands. It sends fraternal greetings to the Labor Defense organizations throughout the world and pledges its co-operation in the work of aiding class war prisoners in all capitalist countries.”

—From the Resolutions of the First Conference.

The Deed

When Mathias Rakosi and other Hungarian revolutionaries were facing imminent danger of death by court martial, the energetic campaign of I.L.D. aroused great activity in their behalf in America. Prominent labor leaders, publicists and liberals were induced to send telegrams of protest to the Hungarian Prime Minister. The Hungarian Embassy and Consulates were picketed by I.L.D. members carrying banners exposing the bloody deeds of the Horthy government. The campaign of the I.L.D. undoubtedly played an important if not a decisive part in the International Campaign which saved the lives of our Hungarian comrades. Similar campaigns, on a smaller scale, were also conducted in behalf of the victims of the White Terror in Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria.

7. Organization.

The Word

“INTERNATIONAL LABOR DEFENSE aims to fraternally unite all forces willing to co-operate in the work of labor defense into a broad national organization based upon individual and collective membership that will stand as an ever-willing and ever-ready champion for the defense and support of all workers and exploited farmers, regardless of their political or industrial affiliations, race, color, or nationality, who are persecuted on account of their activity in the struggle for the class interests of the workers and exploited farmers.”

—From the Resolutions of the First Conference.

The Deed

I.L.D. has established branches or locals on a permanent dues-paying individual membership basis in 146 cities throughout America. In addition to the branches of individual members, the local organizations in 51 cities have labor unions and other workers’ organizations affiliated collectively to them and paying regular monthly contributions to finance the work. I.L.D. is already developing into a powerful machine carrying on continuous activity along the line laid down by the first National Conference. The second year of I.L.D. will be an “organization year” when the energy of all the members will be especially concentrated on the task of building and strengthening the organization and multiplying the number of its individual and collective members.

Labor Defender was published monthly from 1926 until 1937 by the International Labor Defense (ILD), a Workers Party of America, and later Communist Party-led, non-partisan defense organization founded by James Cannon and William Haywood while in Moscow, 1925 to support prisoners of the class war, victims of racism and imperialism, and the struggle against fascism. It included, poetry, letters from prisoners, and was heavily illustrated with photos, images, and cartoons. Labor Defender was the central organ of the Scottsboro and Sacco and Vanzetti defense campaigns. Editors included T. J. O’ Flaherty, Max Shactman, Karl Reeve, J. Louis Engdahl, William L. Patterson, Sasha Small, and Sender Garlin.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/labordefender/1926/v01n09-sep-1926-ORIG-LD.pdf