The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-09
POST DENIES HE IS IN SYMPATHY
 WITH RADICALS
Declares He Acted In Ac- cordance With Evidence In Handling Deporta-
 ton Cases
By Associated Press

"i9 sSHpathles were with radical ele- ments rounded up by the department Of justice, Assistant Secretary of Labor Post declared today that In handling allen deportation eases he had acted solely in accordance with the evidence
 Mr. Post. in continuing his testf- mony before the House rules commit- lee as to his conduct in deportatiom proceedings, said he was aetuated al. ways by the single thought of trying to lind out whether a ems were guilty Answering Chairman Campbelps question whether the political convie- tlons of aliens he had freed had ap- Dpaled to him. Mr. Pos said:
 T am utterly out or sympathy with the attitude of the hYsieal force of the philosophical anarchists. For thirty years have been fighting that. In the deportation eases all I have tried to do was to find out whether allen was guilty or not gui.ty"
 In deciding deportation cases NrJ Post said he had followed a procedure assuring a fair trial. with counsel for the accused and full opportunity to be heard. Representative Pou, demo- erat North Carolina remarked that slr Posts rules operated to make de- Peftat'ons more difficult but the witt ness replied that any rules to protect pei sonal liberty involved exercise of safeguards tending toward delay
 At this point. MT. Pou. member oa the committee. said that while his views on deportation were different from those of MT Fost he believed, ths latter in makine decisions was actuated by sense of duty RIGHT TO FAIR TRIAL
 MT Post read court decision hold ms that alien residents had the rights to fair trial and seid that in deal- sne with the aliens he had tried to ap- ply the principles laid down in tho de4 l tiS1On. AlleDa TQnn1nd Hf b.. ment of justice agents he testified. were examined by those agents after the fashion of "a police inquisition." and were not informed of their rights or counsel and as tp trial This, he . adeed, was in plain contravention of the court decision"
 MT. Post told the committee tnat contrary to newspaper reports the fun- migration authorities had no connec- ton with the detention of Andrea SaI- seao. who committed suicide in New fork last week. Department of ius- tiea agents. he said were detainfnes saisedo and the Immigration bureau records showed that. although a war rant for him had been issued in March he had never been in the custody o6 immigration officials.
 Mir. Post was put through 1ore, cross examination by Chairman Causn. peli In which the witness said he for merly was 8 republican but now was democrat: that he regarded the con- sututlon of the United States as a sacred document and that he had no seaeme of his own for any attempted Reorganization of the government.
 Mir. Campbell sought to have Mr. Post say if "hiehbrow'' anarchists , were not as dangerous as those advo+ eating out-and-out violence. but the assistant secretary declined to give an "atstract opinion"
 Asked why E.fnrno CyoTdp,,, h.a dressed him as Our friend" Mir Post said she probably followed the custom of constituent writing a member on Congress with whose opinions the member did not agree
 RECORD GARBLED
 Mir. Post charged that the House inn migration committee had garbled the record Of the release of accused con- mun1sts so as to make it appear thai he had acted improperly.
 At the conclusion of his testimony Chairman Campbell announced the committee would meet next week to oetermine on a course of future ac- ton.
 Referring to the release in New York last fall of several members of the L W. w. on their own recognizance, after they had been transferred from Seattle Aif. Post said this action was taken because 8 trial judge had informed the | compelled to free the men through fabeas corpus proceedings. By releas- ing the men. Mir. Post said it was pos sible to continue their cases and hold hearings later
 Answering charge that without record of the hearings he had cancelled deportation warrants against 3S aliens hold as communists, MT Post said the cancellations actually numbered forty hlhe Instead or thirty-eight and that hls action was taken on the recommen- dalton of the examining immigration Inspector, and the department of jus tice agents, who caused the arrests These recomme ndations, he said had been wired to the immigration bureau refore he acted. and were followed later by the evidence, which showed ! the aliens were held not to be com munists.
 The witness went on to explain that the immigration inspectors requested ! authority to release the men on their own recognizance and in response to bureau request for an explanation wired that both the immigration in- speetors and the department of justice agents rare satisfied the warrants ' should be cancelled"
 Immigration bureau officials framed ah order authorizing the release of the men on their own recognizance, but MT Post said he changed the order so as to cancel the order for arrest de- elaring there was no reason why he should not have done so.
 At the request of Chairman Camp hell. the Assistant Secretary explained further that some newspaper men were influenced In their writings regarding , deportations by reason of salaries re- ceived from sources other than their newspapers He told the committee that he spoke entirely from hearsay.'' ana that his reference had been to Publicity men" who work under the suise of newspapermen"
 Mr. Post named Thomas F. Logan, | former Washington correspondent. as one newspaperman who. he said had received pay from outside sources Mr Logan, the witness said a few years ago received money from meat packers while getting much uore than his legitimate sary from hf