New-York tribune., 1919-06-29
cleft Wingers'' Accused of
Seeking to Control Social
ist Party by Packing
1t With Foreign Reds
Rand School in Court
Seeks to End Searches;
Attendants of ''Modern
SCHOOL, Face Charges

The developments yesterday in the
investigation by the Lusk committee
into the activities of the radicals were:
1. The LEFT Wingers," composed
largely of foreigners who believe in
armed rebellion, were charged with
laying plans to steal the organfza-
ton of the Socialist party by pack
ing it with Reds.
2. The Rand School, through it's
counsel, will appear in court to-mor-
rev in an attempt to vacate the
search warrants on which books,
documents and letters, some Of which
have been characterized as seditious,
were seized by the I.usk committee.
D. The lusk committee is hot on
the trail of the angels" who supply
the Rand School with a sum esti-
mated at not less than $25,000 a
year.
A. Officials of the Rand School yes
terday declared that the letter of the
one-tilne head of the schools lecture
bureau, D. P. Bewnberg, in which oc-
Cured the following: Take over the
state. Are you ready to meet the
militia when the powers Of the state
and the courts are against you?" was
not an invitation to armed rebellion.
Charges Against Reds
s.. New York Reds, according to
testimony given at secret session
of the Lusk committee, dominated
the policy of the Ferrer Modern
School Colony, at Stelton, N. J.
At this secret session, which was held
on Thursday, an agent Of the Lusk
committee swore that many of the
women members of the colony went
about naked down to the waist" at
tired only in a pair of bloomers which
came to the knees. Some Of the men,
according to the testimony, wore a
garment not unlike night shirt. Most
members of the colony went barefoot.
Extremely radical conditions, accord
ing to the agent, obtained in the
housing and schooling of the children.
Many of the children attended the
school sessions, according to the re-
port, stark naked.
The children, according to the testi-
mony, graduated at eleven, and at
tendance at classes was optional.
considerable portion of the testi-
mony is unprintable.
Ex-Minister Principal
Leonard D. Abbott is executive head
of the school, according to the testi-
mony. William Thurston Brown, a
Yale man, and a former Unitarian
minister, is principal Harry Kelly,
publisher of "Freedom," with offices
in the Russian Peoples House, at 1873
East Fifteenth Street, this city, a head
quarters Of Bolsheviki, is one of the
trustees.
Many of the members of the Ferrer
Colony are said to be intimately asso-
ciated with the Rand School, the l. w.
W., the LEFT Wingers" and the local
anarchists.
Mrs. Bertha NJ. Mail1y, executive Sec
statement to explain away any sinister
purpose to the advice alleged to have
been given by the former direction Of
the schools lecture bureau in a letter
to trade unionist.
Much has been made before the
Lusk committee of statements alleged
to have been made in the correspond
ence Of person (Berenberg) formerly
connected with the school, to the effect
that the workers must be prepared to
take over the government, the insinua-
tion being that the intention is
to take over the state by means of
violent and bloody revolution; where
as, as a matter of fact, no such inter
probation can be placed upon that
statement by anybody having an intel
ligent understanding of the Socialist
programme, which is that of peaceful,
political action"
Nearing's s61o Explained
Mrs. Mailly, who was acting as
spokesman for Algernon Lee, educa-
tional director of the school, said that
the $610 paid to Professor Scott Near
ing in one month did not represent
what he actually received. She did not,
however, indicate what DR.. Nearing re-
ceived. Mrs. Mailly made this state
ment:
None of the persons employed in
the school receives anything more than
modest salary"
Referring to the charge that the
Soviet Bureau supplied the Rard School
with names of persons to whom ltera-
bill to the bureau, Mrs Mallly said
that the date of the bill was August,
1918, six months before the Soviet Bu-
reau was established. She said chat
the literature was sent out at the re-
quest of Mr.. Nuorteva when he was
acting as the representative Of the
Finnish Socialist Republic.
s. John Block and l. NJ. Sackin,
counsel for the Rand School, will ap-
pear in court tomorrow to have the
search warrants vacated. Both law
yers declared yesterday that the war;
rants were void on their face and that
Chief Magistrate McAdoo exceeded his
authority in issuing them. They al
legged that the warrants violated the
Code of Criminal Procedure of this
state as we'll as the Federal Constitu-
tion, and intimated that if nee. ssary
they would carry the fight to the
United States Supreme Court.
To Test Courts Respect"
Mr.. Block, speaking for both, said:
"We intend to take this matter into
court to see whether there remains
any respect on the part of the courts
for American laws and the Consttu-
tion of the United States. We intend
to see whether or not the courts would
sanction the lynch-law methods which
were followed by the men who raided
the Rand School and the building of
the Society of Che Commonwealth Cen
tre. We hope that when the matter
is heard in open court and our side is
given the opportunity to state its OBJ
jectons to the warrant, the gross il
legality Of the proceedings which were
instituted against the Rand School and
the Society Of the Commonwealth Cen
tre will be manifest.
"The newspapers report that Attor-
ney General Newton has stated that he
intends to take legal action to have the
charter Of the American Socialist So
any official notification Of such a pro-
paper reports as such notification. We
will say, however, that there is abso-
lutely no legal ground upon which
~ q y<n ~ ho IA