October, 1937, 1937

Trouble developed in two small Arkansas towns. At Forrest City, union lawyer C.A. Stanfield was attacked while attempting to defend two STFU members; the papers include a press release on the incident (2) and nine affidavits from witnesses (8,9,11). At Blytheville, local planters forcibly prevented cotton pickers from working on adjacent plantations for higher wages; in addition to considerable correspondence with the leaders of the union in Blytheville, there are 4 affidavits (13) and statements from town residents (15). There is a series of detailed letters between STFU and UCAPAWA headquarters, trying to iron out administrative problems (6,8,9,11,19), as well as a number of letters from Mitchell to local STFU officials explaining the new administrative procedure (19 to 29). In this connection, see also the nine-page typewritten memorandum from Gardner Jackson to the CIO on the STFU (1). Throughout October and November, there is an especially heavy volume of correspondence between J.R. Butler and various union members, dealing mainly with their personal problems. Finally, there is an affidavit of a black union member refused the vote even though he had paid his poll tax (25)