V E T S O N W A R
Continued from Page 1
remember that the Soviet Union was the only
country which remained true to its word to
Czechoslovakia, even after the British mission
under Lord Runciman had already sold it down
the river to the Nazis; we remember that the
arms we used in Spain were Russian 'chatos'
and 'Moscas - - of hundreds of civilians, bore
the markings of German and Italian and British
armaments firms and that the shells and aerial
bombs which took our lives, and the lives of
hundreds of civilians, bore the markings of
German and Italian and British armament firms.
"We therefore support the foreign policy of
the U.S.S.R., which has consistently led and
aided the cause of peace and of truly
democratic peoples throughout the world, and
which uses its powerful economy and armed
force for the oppressed and attacked peoples of
all the world.
"We appeal to the hundreds of thousands of
Americans who supported us and the cause for
which we fought, and to all true and loyal
Americans, to join with us in protecting
America from war and to help to bring about a
just and democratic peace by supporting only
such neutrality legislation as will enable the
United States to maintain a genuine neutrality."
Continued from Page 1
York since 1916 and is an American citizen. He
was in the Fifteenth, having arrived in Spain in
February, 1937, and was wounded on the
Jarama in April. He came home last November.
Leroy Walkoff was one of the first Americans
in Spain, arriving in January, 1937. He was
shell-shocked and came home after nine
months of service. But it seems as if he has
recovered from that shock, all right; Look at his
grin. He's from Philadelphia.
L O W D O W N
Milt Wolff was married in August... B. Havens of Chicago was married too,
secretly... So was Harry Hakam... But we probably couldn't list all the marriages,
even if we knew about them... Danny Groden was the most recent groom, though.
Cleveland reports that the vets' Cooperative Cleaners, Inc., solved their
unemployment problem... New York vets have also started a cooperative
distributing agency for eggs and coffee.
Marty Hourihan finally arrived in San Francisco. We were asking for volunteers
for a patrol to go out and find him... He's been seen riding around in a car with a
private chauffeur... It's okay though, he has a job organizing agricultural workers...
The big affair in San Francisco in August, winding up the affairs of the Friends
there, raised about $600 to take care of the disabled vets in that area... Dave
Thompson ran it... Our reporter saw Pop and Nate Thornton there... And Tex
Molinar with a Spanish-speaking cutie.
Jerry Cook let us see a letter he got from Bill Wheeler, who's also in California
and was jailed during the Marysville agricultural workers' strike... Jerry thinks that's
the only reason Bill had time to write him a letter... It said, "In spite of the obvious
unconstitutionality of the act and my inalienable rights as an American citizen, I
find my most worthy carcass incarcerated in Yuba County's clink. Pending
indictment and trial on a felony charge of conspiracy to violate the county's anti-
picketing ordinance, they've held me since July 23 (the letter is dated August 21)
under $2,000 cash bail or 4,000 property bond while I grow progressively
indignant. Eleven others are being held on the same charges. Luke Hinman was one
of them, but friends of his bailed him out two weeks ago.
"Luke and I are both district organizers for the United Canning Agricultural
Packing and Allied Workers of America, CIO. On July 13 we landed in Marysville
on our first assignment, a strike of agricultural workers against the Earl Fruit
Company, one of the main subsidiaries of the DiGiorgio Corp., which is the largest
agricultural producer in the world, owning 26,000 acres of land in five states, plus
huge allied interests. The strike was to prevent discrimination against 350 local
workers who won a 5 an hour raise last May, from 25 to 30. The company had
agreed to rehire them but of course failed to do so...
"They hoped to smash the union and open the way for wage cuts. If the Wagner
Act covered agricultural workers this would be an open and shut NLRB case. The
usual thing happened. The city and county authorities rallied to the command of the
Associated Farmers, made mass arrests of pickets, and wound up with two raids on
the Union hall, when Luke and I were pinched without a warrant and charged with
conspiracy, a much more serious charge, it seems, than simply violated the
ordinance...
"In spite of the mass arrests -- the total was 97, of whom 55 are still to stand trial
and 35 still in jail, 12 charged with conspiracy -- things have boomeranged in our
favor. Public sympathy, including the small farmers and businessmen, is decidedly
for us. Our strike kitchen was maintained by donations of food and money from
them. Now the authorities have learned that the Associated Farmers' hot chestnuts
are mighty uncomfortable to handle. If the authorities can find any way to drop the
conspiracy charges and still save face, I think they will. However, this case has
taken on statewide importance; it's our chance to smash the anti-picketing
ordinance and I believe we'll do so...
Another letter, to Lou Ornitz from Robert Doyle, one of the British vets, tells
something about the conditions they're facing. It was written before the war began.
"Listen to the conditions we have to put up with in His Majesty's British Isles. Ten
hours a day is the working day here, there is no security whatever as regards
employment, sickness or accidents. The wages on my job are 11 pence per hour,
and when you stop working, you stop eating." He encloses a letter from Father
O'Flanagan, the Irish priest who toured America speaking for the Spanish Republic,
in which he says that he is satisfied that Major Frank Ryan is still alive in a Franco
prison, and that he has been reprieved and is now only interned, so that his release
may be expected soon.
THE VOLUNTEER FOR LIBERTY
organ of
The Veterans of the
ABRAHAM LINCOLN BRIGADE
NATIONAL
N NEW YORK CITY
HEADQUARTERS: L LONGACRE 3-6213
55 WEST 42 ST.
EDITOR -- JAMES BENET
"... AND THAT GOVERNMENT OF THE
PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE
PEOPLE, SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE
EARTH." -- LINCOLN
