The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-11-29
MEETING OF
COMMUNISTS
Jim Larkin Makes Speech in
Which He Favors Organiz-
ing of Soviet
Army.
OATH TAKEN BY 500
UndesireabIes at Ellis Island Abandon
Hunger Strike With Five Of
Them In Hos
pital.
OATH TAKEN BY 500

[ United Press Leased wire SeTVlCe.I
NEW YORK, Nov. department
of justice officials were today exam
lining transcripts of speeches delivered
last night at a mass meeting by Jim
Larkin and ex-assemblyman, BENJAMIN
Gitlow, both Of whom are at liberty
under $4,000 bail following indict-
ment for criminal anarchy.
Stenographers of the police depart
ment and department. OF justice took
the speeches.
An attempt was to be made to deter
mine the names of nearly five hun
dred persons who took the communist
oath to remain true to the tenets of
the party as repeated by Larkin.
The meeting, held under the aus
rpices of the communist labor party OF
America to raise funds to defend Lar
kin and Gitlow. was presided over by
DR.. Morris Fucker. at liberty on $15,-
600 bail under sentence of fifteen
years for violation of the espionage
act.
Larkin scoffed at the report that
chemicals used in making bombs had
been found in room of the Union Of
Russian Workers, adding:
"sWe don't use such weapons. We
suse mental bombs to blow a new
idea, a new ideal into life"
We've got to organize soviet
army here" he continued. "Of course.
II mean we've got to meet together in
a drilled manner, come early. stay
throughout the meeting and then be
dismissed by the chairman. Such a
proceeding will cause fear in the
hearts of the capitalists.
+ At Ellis island nearly seventy men
held as undesirables started on the
fifth day of their hunger strike with
five Of their number in the hospital
suffering from fever and weakness.
No attempt was to be made to feed
the men forcibly. Their deportation
hearings are to be conducted in regu-
lar order as each Is brought before the
inspectors by department of justice
guards.
Members of the congressional COM
mittee on immigration who have been
conducting an investigation into the
reason for delay in deporting unde-
sireables, intimated today that
charges of conspiracy to obstruct the
operation of immigration laws would
be lodged against at least two off
cials in the near future.
The congressman will resume their
investigation at the island next week
after a brief visit to Washington.
Food WithAt Victory
NEW YORK, Nov. 29.-The hun
ger strike Of the sixty-seven alien
anarchists held on Ellis Island was
broken today.
After fasting since Wednesday
morning, passing up Thanksgiving
dinner of turkey and seeing one of
their number taken to the hospital
late yesterday because of his weak
ened condition, sixty-one of the strik-
ing radicals sought food without vic
tory at breakfast time today. Five
were still holding out for removal of
the wire screen which separates the
"red" prisoners at the station from
visitors and from other aliens. Re-
fusal Of immigration authorities to
accede to this demand four days ago
brought on the strike. ;&
The "strong arm" squad of the de
partment of justice asked for yester-
day by immigration officials was on
duty at the island today and after
separating the leaders from the re-
mainder of the prisoners began TAX
ing leaders before the board examin-
ing them for deportation. The exam
ination of the sixty-scven will take
several weeks, it was said. Frederick
Antonchik, 25, was arrested before
he got out of bed today on a United
States warrant charging criminal
anarchy.
month ago, local authorities ar
...,d bj,, for distrihutinp namnh-
lets during the longshoremen's
strike. advocating a soviet dictator
ship for America.