Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-01-03
Arrests Over Country Total
Over 4,5M AT Neon; Half
Subject To Deportation Is
Claim OF Authorities.
tAssociated Press Leased wire)

Sht anu tOuuy ildu cXCecU6u
$500 at noon, it was estimated at
the department of justice. More
than half of this number prob
ably will be held for deportation.
officials said
y Assistant Attorney General Garvan
in charge of the raids, said that more
than 1000 persons were held on per
feet cases and that the raid promised
to be not only the greatest in scope,
but also the greatest in results of any
in history.
1000 Perfect Cases."
In every city where the raiding ma
chinery was set in motion, he said
success attended the efforts Four
thousand warrants were issued, but the
arrests exceeded that number.
Besides the 1000 perfect cases." Mr.
Garvan said, federal agents obtained
sufficient evidence to Justify the ar
rests of the others
Scores of parlor bolshevists were
among those arrested in the raids u.
ficials said. These, it was admitted,
may have to be dealt with under state
laws. ------------- ------,--.---
Washington, Jan. BIN sweep
ing drive against radicalism, agents
of the department of justice were com
pleting today nation wide raids
against communist organizations in
which several thousand radicals were
taken in custody with the view to de-
portation.
Raids were ordered in 33 cities over
the United States and promptly at the
hour of nine last night the operatives
moved with clock like precision in the
round up of communist workers and
sympathizers. Today the number of
arrests had risen to the highest fig
ure of any similar raid in the history
of the country.
To Be Deported
The government hopes to fill an
other Soviet ark and send it float
ing across the Atlantic to Bolshevik
Russia. The department of justice es-
timated that three thousand ''unde-
sirables' would be caught in the drag
net and with their deportation it was
believed the back bone of radicalism
in America will have been broken.
The raids were conducted particu-
larly against communist and commun
ist labor groups of radicals, the de-
partment of justice announced, with
the object of obtaining evidence to
submit to the department of labor for
deportation of "a very large number
of our most dangerous anarchists and
radical agitators." The general charge
of attempting to overthrow the gov
ernment by force and violence was
placed against those arrested.
Literature Sought
The agents particularly searched
for discriminating documents. some of
which they claimed revealed plans to.
establish soviets throughout the
country to be later merged under a
soviet council similar to the Russian
council.
Attempts to organize the negroes
in a movement to overthrow the pres
ent political and economic system of
the United States we're disclosed, Of
ficials of the department said and
they admitted that the propaganda
was of such far reaching effect that
trouble may be experienced in some
negro localities.
Fruitful fields for the radical prop
agandists was found specially among
the ignorant and foreign workmen,
officials stated. A manifesto issued
by the communist party stated that
the party was the conscious express
sion of the class struggle of the work
ers against capitalism" and it pro-
posed to 'end capitalism and organ
ize workers industrial republic"
Newspapers Are Hit. =
A new feature of the present raid
was the drive at the sources of propa
ganda. The Communist party alone
had 25 newspapers printed in several
languages actively supporting its
cause The Communist labor group. the
second radical contingent against
which the raids were directed, was
said not to have gained the strength
in propaganda through its newspapers
so much as through literature. tons "a
which were taken in the 33 cs-sea
where raids were conducted.
In addition to the newspapers, the
Communist party was actively engaged
in soliciting support for its cause
Through alien agitators. Scores of
these agitators were arrested
Mr.. Garvan said that although his
was incomplete it was rea-
sonably certain that the whole editor
ial staffs of most of the Communist
party newspapers had been taken by
federal agents. He added that the de-
partment believed it was striking at
the root OF the menace by destroying
the beginnings Of what promised TO be
the greatest propaganda campaign Of
alien radicals yet uncovered in Amer
lea.
More Raids Ordered. -
Only aliens were included in the
perfect casas" according TO officials.
Continuation of the raids for today
were ordered by Hr. Garvan when II
became evident last night that local
raids in seevral cities. staged against
the request of the attorney general
had not effectually disrupted plans OF
the federal agents. There was, now