Arizona republican., 1920-04-25
GOVERNMENT TO. DEFINE US.
 IF COMMUNISTS
Labor Secretary Will De- termine if Membership in Communist Labor Party Constitutes Grounds for Deportation of Aliens
lRepubIican A. p. Leased wfrel

WASHINGTON, April 24.-Secretary of Labor Wilson. after an all-day argu- ment, took under advisement tonight the question whether membership in the communist labor party in itself constituted grounds for deportation of aliens
 During the hearing there was flare up over statements attributed to Fed eral Judge Anderson of Boston, that the government operates some part or the communist party in this coun- try, Swinburn Hale of New York up- holding it, and J. Hoover of the depart ment of justice, declaring it an ''un- justifiable miSconception Of the facts"
 Armed with voluminous communist literature, Hoover attempted to show by quotations of lengthy excerpts, the labor party and the third interna- tionale.
 Blames Communist For Strikes
 Asserting that John Reed, last re- ported detained in Abo, Finland, for utilization with the bolsheviki. was the founder of the communist labor party. Hoover declared it was like all other communist organizations, "a gang of cut-throat aliens who have come to this country to overthrow the government by force.''
 Fifty per cent of the influence be-
  was directly traceable to the commun- ist organizations.
 In endeavoring to distinguish be- tween the communist party and the communist labor party, Hale declared the application blank of the communist labor party made the applicant bound to be guided by the principles of the party" An applicant for membership in the communist party on the other hand. he said. pledged support as "an active worker
 The platform of the communist party. Hale asserted, was nothing more than the socialism of Karl Marx and argu- rnent flor action of masses'' was sub ject to q political interpretation.
 Palmer Denies Employing Fraina
 Attorney General Palmer tonight de- nied the statement by Hale at today's hearing that Louis c. Fraina, described as secretary of the communist party of America, was an agent of the depart ment of justice. Fraina, he said, had never rendered any service to the de- partment.
 Discussing the departments activi ties in connection with the raids and deportation proceedings, the attorney general said:
 Certain statements have recently appeared in the public press to the ef- feet that the department of justice has had it's agents actively identified in the formation of the communist party and the communist labor party and was to 2 large extent responsible for the agi tation and unrest caused by those two organizations through their propa- ganda. There is no foundation what. ever for this charge. Of course. the deDartment of justice has used confi- dentia1 information ever since its bu reau Of investigation was estab1jsShed but they are under strict instructors not to enga ge actively in any o-ean- ization uoder their inves+igation. There is no instance in the administration of the Sera-tment of irstice where any confidential information or informant has actively engaged in the councils Of the communist partv or the communist stances charged to the confidential in | forrnants of the department Of justice | is to tFe effect that they were instru. mental fr the holding of meetings Of the corrmunist party on January 2. l 1920 That was the regular meeting O. the communist party throughout the l country. which holds it's meetings on | the first Friday of each month. E~prsins Arrests Without Warrants
 .Certain references have been made l to the holding of individuals without warrants in these deportation Droceed- l fnes. As large number of simu1tane- l ous arrests made throuehout the coun- 1 try. there was naturally a few isola ted | no warrants was in hand. Some times | this resulted from mistaken identifica- l ton and sometimes because of other | circumstances not easily foreSoon. | They were negligible in number and | warrants were promptly requested for | such persons when taken into custody | by the departm of labor