The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-12
|ENAC i LEGISLATION :
| TO CURB ACTIVITIES
Of BQLSHEv|STS
Be One of First Matters
Brought to Attention
Of Congress.
|6OLONS AROUSED
F ace to Face With Seri-
BUSINESS Of Menace and
Need for Prompt
Suppression.
|6OLONS AROUSED

Washington, March 1.-THE urgent
necessity OF enacting legislation TO
check the distribution of Bolshevist
md anarchistic propaganda advocat-
Ing the overthrow OF the government
viii be- one OF the first matters brought
o the attention OF the next congress.
~~samaxing ooldnees with which lit
ara OF this kind is being circulated
aroused members Of the senate
house to a realization Of the mem
o and tho need OF acting with
fromptness to suppress it.
A great many samples of this insid-
Gus propaganda were placed In the
record Of the Overman sub-comnit-
80 of the senate today at the request
pf Solicitor Lamar, Of the postoffice
department. They were culled from
numerous papers. circulars, hand bills
md pamphlets printed In the United
etates and widely circulated.
In most of these publications the
vets of the Russian Bolsheviks are
auded, and American workingrnen are
rged to follow their example and or
nize 10 fight the government. The
movement is designated ~ the wer OF
apttaitsm against tnternailoualisih,
nd workers are solicited To give their
la TO the revolutionary movement ia
rider to "free themselves from the
hackies OF slavery"
Senator overman. OF North Caro-
Eua, who il chairman OF the sub
committee which has spent several
eeeks investigating The subject OF Boil
havss propaganda, pointed out today
hat there fs no law in the United
tales TO punish those who print ana
,rculata such iucendiary literature.
fhs authority Of the pos ONCE depart
annt extends only to the power to
enihit the use Of the mails for dis
rihuting the pamphlets or circulars
Ehsre IL no law to penaliGe persons
shn may distribute IL from hand TO
and.
AMEND ESPIONAGE LAW.
Senator Oyerman tonight gave to
Universal Service Il forecast OF the
eport which his committee will make
the next senate on the Investigation.
ne first recommendation in this re
art. he affirmed, will he an amend
sent to the espionage law 10 prohibit
ich distribution.
The committee also will recommend
hat the publication anywhere within
hn limited States OF newspaper.
amphlet or circular In any language
rsept. English should lee prohibited
he law would be especially framed
prohirit the publication OF foreign
nguage newspapers.
A final recommendation In the com
ttfee report will be "A strong pro-
ouncer,ent In favor or the teaching
,rue Americanism throughout the
nf,ed States as the best method OF
arotch.ng' the evil OF Bolshevisn,
herever 1t shows its head. Laws 10
royide for more intensive teaching
Americanism In the schools will bc
commended also,
SENATOR Overman has been greatly
nnressed by the testimony taken by
committee and by the experts from
Bilshevist press which are in the
IN mittee's record He believes the
dietary committee OF the senate
ouId begin the drafting OF the bills
hich are to be submitted to congress
.alinr with the subject. If this
bu1d be done, In Senator Overman' s
SIMON. no time would be lost by
,rrress In adopting measures TO
heck the spread Of the propaganda.
Ready When Congress Convenes
rho report cot the subcommittee is
bing prepared under Senator over
~ direction. He plans to have 1t
aAv for the senate as soon as con-
- i. convened At that time he
m ask the Judiciary committee TO
~ I'M the recommendations with all
,ssthie dispatch so that action by the
nate should not be delayed.
~ am very much concerned by what
committee has discovered about
ese anti-American plots" Senator
.,err,an said, land beAeve we should
down to work at once. The teach
nf Americanism and telling our
.opie exactly what this government
.ras for are the best methods TO
employed In attempting to cure
- evil We ought to have law
sxed at once to prohibit the circu-
,icn OF such literature as that which
been given the committee
Amonr the documents filed with
committee today We're papers
s,rh show that the propagandist'
AZ work among people OF nearly
arv nationality represented In
nerica's population. There are
mphIets IN the Letisn onsue' IN
[anish. italian, Russian and Finnish
we'll as those printed in English.
Littish paper called ''Atballs''
rrho'). published at AT Willis
srue. the Bronx, New York city,
ntained in n recent number an ar
IA boasting of what the Bolshevists
Russta are doing. The paper is
stcd by a man named "Apsit."
ma documents filed with the com
ttea contain also list of books that
- heen issued by I, w. w. Boil
syist or anarchist organizations
a Y list Of the recruiting unions
these organizations 1t 10 shown
thc /. W. W. alone has s,334 OF
~ recruiting unions in the United
~, while general recruiting
ssSs for the other organizations