Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-11-17
MARTENS OFFERS
|. To PAY EXPENSES
Of RUSSIANS HOME
Ambassador" of Soviet Gov
J : > oe.Qment viii Provide Trans
Y. %N,ation for His Country
\N<o Their Home Land,

| n FAN tiSlI WIN [Ntl'N'
! tsM u. JRNAL GpUe,AL LSksse w,Hs
| New ov. 16.-budwig c. A.
X. Marte elf-styled ambassador
of the Rus, an soviet government to
| the United states, has offered to pro-
vide transportation from United
States to Russia for all Russian citi-
zens who desire to leave America, or
whose presence in the United States
| is undesirable to the federal govern
ment. This offer was made in let
ter written by Martens to Secretary OF
State Lansing and made public to-
night.
In his letter Martens protested
against the 'unwarranted and cruel
treatment" to which many Russian
citizens in the United States are sub
jected by the federal and state Of
ficers, as well as by mobs acting with
out authority" He proposes that the
soviet government be permitted to
return the citizens to soviet Russia
and declares that he has received
| thousands of applications from such
| citizens who are anxious to return to
|
Arrested for Contempt
| Martens was arrested for contempt
Saturday and released on $1,000 bail
after he had refused to appear and
bring certain documents before tho
! Lusk legislative committee. investl-
| eating radical activities in New ~ ork.
He based his refusal on the ground
that all communications passing be-
tween himself and his government
were privileged. When brought be-
fore the committee in the custody OF
| deputy sheriffs Saturday afternoon,
Martens promised to appear before
the committee Monday and to bring
his papers with him.
Calling attention to press reports
! that it is proposed to deport certain
Russians to parts of Russia under
control of the enemies of the soviet
government, Martens in his letter to
Secretary Lansing protests that such
deportation would mean certain death
for the persons deported and would
constitute 'flagrant breach of all
principles of international law
Are Anxious to Quit United States.
1T is quite unnecessary" he says
for the government of the United
States TO take the trouble Of deport-
! ing citizens of the Russian socialist
! federal soviet republic. They are
only too anxious to leave. ], there
| fore. respectfully suggest that the
! United States government could
easily be relieved of the presence OF
unwelcome Russian citizens. II those
citizens of Russia whose lives are be-
| coming unbearable in the United
States. were permitted to leave. l
| desire to assure you that the govern
ment l have the honor to represent
is ready and willing to provide means
of transportation from the United
| States to soviet Russia.
Americans Treatment Abroad.
! THE government of the Russian
socialist federal soviet republic has
accorded American citizens in soviet
| Russia civil and considerate treat
ment, even in cases where active hos
tility on the part of such Americans
| toward the government of soviet Rus
sia has been proven beyond all doubt"
the letter continues.
only in some exceptional cases
where offenses of a particularly grave
nature against the Russian govern
ment have been committed by Ameri-
can citizens We're they prosecuted by
officers of the law. American SOL
diers taken prisoners in the Archangel
district, which was invaded by Amer
ican troops without a declaration of
war, have been treated with special
consideration. and were unconstitu-
tionally released as soon as it was
practicable to send them home, so
that there remains today no Ameri-
can prisoners of war in Russia
On the contrary. Russian citizens In
America, Martens said, have been de-
MED the protection of the law. THE
lot of thousands of Russians In the
Ut ytof lat
exceedingly unhappy through no fault
of their own. Through daily abuse in
the press and the prejudice created
by virulent campaign of misrepre-
sentation, their Russian citizenship,
has been a bar to employment and
advancement. They have been ar
rested without warrant and subjected
to oppressive treatment against which
they have had no adequate protection.
as citizens of a country whose gov
ernment is not recognized by the
United States.
Russians Suffer Violence.
Within the past few days he
adds. great numbers of Russian cit
izens In New York and elsewhere have
been arrested and have suffered the
most brutal physical violence at the
hands of public officials In the city
of New York alone over 1000 per-
sons were recently arrested. among
them many citizens of soviet Russia,
and although those arrests were made
in a manner which caused much suf-
fering and physical injury to these
citizens, and although property be-
longing to them was wantonly de-
stroyed in these raids, il developed
that few of them could be held for
further investigation and criminal
prosecution.
"a number of affidavits bearing
evidence to the fact that the lives and
liberties of Russian citizens have been
threatened without reasonable grounds
will be submitted to the state depart
ment within a few days"
Discovery has been made that six
teachers in the public schools here
are members of the communist party
of America, it was announced tonight
by Deputy Attorney General Berger.
The teachers, when questioned by
the Lusk legislative committee, ad-
mitted, it was said that they were
perfectly familiar with the principles
and doctrines of communism" but
denied having taught its doctrines to
their pupils