Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-05-05
NEW CONGRESS- WILL
CURB RED ACTIVITIES


Gillett and Representative Frank
Mondell. the Republican leader Of
the next House. said today that the
incoming Congress would carefully
consider legislation to curb bolshe-
vism and strengthen laws. aimed to
reach offenders against the govern
ment. Members of Congress who are
here express themselves as fully
alive to the necessity Of immediate
action against radicalism. which.
they say, must be met by prompt
prosecution by the federal govern
ment. which lacks in present laws
sufficient power to cope with the
situation.
The May day riots, the bomb out
RACES and preceding occurrences in
different parts Of the country, have
convinced conservative members OF
the House that the policy Of toler-,
ance which has marked the attitude
of the department Of justice even to
some degree during the war, must
be dropped for one Of vigorous prose-
cution. II the Bolshevist movement
slowly gaining in strength in the
United States is to be held in check.
While these riots have brought the
situation strikingly before the coun-
try, indications are that the efforts
Of Congress to pass radical legisla-
tion to deal with crimes against the
government will be brought to a
focus early in the extra session.
Speaker-elect Gillett indicated today
that these alarming signs of discon-
tent would be brought to the atten-
ton of the House when a move is
made > unseat Victor Berger, the
Milwaukee Socialist.
Mr.. Gillett made campaign pledge
that he would move to unset Mr.. Ber-
ger. who has been convicted of disloy.
atty and is now out of Jail on appeal 10
higher courts. This pledge, he said,
would be kept. and he was confident
Berger would be unseated. There are
numerous precedents for Congress to
unSeat man who has been convicted.
Berger was under indictment, but de-
spite this was elected to the next House
last November by the same Milwaukee
constituency that sent him to Congress
several years ago when he became the
-
he is unseated the Socialist party will
have no representative in the next
House
Representative Mondell was more en-
phatic in saying that the next Congress
would not hesitate to strengthen laws to
deal with crimes against the govern
ment which We're reached in war times
by the espionage act.
eff any further legislation is necessa-
ry to punish bomb-makers and bomb
senders and the preachers and advo-
Gates of anarchy and violence" said Mr..
Mondell. 1.-The new Congress can be de-
pended on to provide it promptly. My
personal opinion is, however. that the
Jaws now on the statute books are suf-
ficient for tie punishment of these ma E.
factors.
TIE greatest of all crimes. in a free
country under our form ofgovernment.
is Treaching and practising of the doc
trines Of anarchy and violence. What
ever ills. inequalities or inequities exist
in a free country like our may be cured
and remedied through the peaceful pro-
cesses provided by the constitution and
the laws Those who preach violence
and advocate confiscation and lawless-
try. they are the worst possible enemies
Of the very people on whose behalf they
ella i'm to preach their doctrines of crime
and violence
The attitude of the government and
members of Congress has been one of
tolerance in time past and even in the
war many overt acts were not pub
lished, for the reason that sane ad-
visers believed that the disposition
to work i'll would disappear when the
war which inf1amed the people had
ended. This now is felt has not been
the case and. therefore. the Repub-
lican leaders are prepared to pass
legislation which will empower the
federal government to take drastic
action against offenders in peace
time. Such laws would permit the
government to proceed against rad
ical inflammatory preachers.
There is fear on the part of GER
tain officials that the action of Con-
gress in respect to Victor Berger will
incite the radicals to another pro-
test. as it did in the Debs case. How
ever. those who have dealth most in
timately with the radical movement
say that drastic action. when tenn
pered with full Justice would do more
than anything else to bring sanity to
those now preaching anarchy and to
the participants in the riots and pro-
test meetings.
1t became known today that al
though convicted of disloyalty Mr..
Berger has drawn his salary for
March and April. together with the
salary of his prospective secretary. in
all nearly 1900. Under the law the
sergeant alarms Of the House is
compelled to send the checks to men,
hers and this he has done to Mr..
Berger along with all other members
elect. He will receive his check for
this month and for all other months
until he is unseated, if this happens.
Although convicted Of disloyalty by
the judicial branch he is receiving $50
a day from the legislative branch.
ECATT TN1C VyrArrYr Anon ~,