Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-27
HEARING ON STATUS
Of COM|MUN|S IS
FEATURED BY row


day argument, took under advise
ment tonight the question of wheth-
er membership in the Communist la
Dor party in itself constituted
grounds for deportation of aliens.
During the hearing there was a
flare up over statements attributed
to Federal Judge Anderson, of Bos-
ton, that the government Operates
some part of the Communist party"
in this country, Swinburn Hale, Of
New York UNFOLDING 1T, and J. +.
Hoover, of the department of JUS
tice, declaring it an 'unJuStltlable
misconception of the facts"
Armed with VoluminouS Commun-
list literature, Mr.. Hoover attempted
to show by quotation of lengthy eX-
cerpts the relationship between the
Communist labor party and the third
internationale.
Asserting that John Reed, last re-
ported detained in Abo Finland, for
utilization with the Bolsheviki, was
the founder of the Communist labor
party, Mr.. Hoover declared it was
like all other Communist organiza-
who have come to this country to
overthrow the government by force"
Blamed for Strike
Fifty per cent of the influence be-
hind the recent strikes, Mr.. Hoover
said, was directly traceable to the
"
In endeavoring to distinguish be-
tween the Communist party and the
Communist labor party, Mr.. Hale de-
clared the application blank for the
Communist labor party made the ap-
plicant bound to be guided" by the
principles of the party. An applica-
ton for membership in the Com
munist party, on the other hand, he
said, pledged support as IAN active
worker"
The platform of the Communist
party, Mr.. Hale averred, was nothing
more than the socialism n OF harf
Marx and argument for action OF
masses" was subject to a political
Interpretation.
On Mr.. Hoover's declaration that
he knew of no agent of the depart
ment of justice who ever had acted
as agents proVocateur, MT. Itaie 81, o.
fered as evidence confidential let
ter purported to have been signed by
Frank E. Burke, of the bureau of in
vestigation of the department OF JUS
tice, and sent to an agent OF the de-
partment in Boston on December ~,
1919, a few days before the initial
Communist raids.
The letter announced January as
the date set for the Communist RAID,
and declared you should arrange
with your under-coVer lnformants to
have meetings of the Communist
party ana the COIuHl ullloI 1dpoA P1t y
on the night set. | have been IN
formed by some of the bureau chiefs
that such arrangements will be
made. This, of course, would IA
cilitate the making of arrests"
Secretary Wilson interrupted hear
ings after reading of the letter to an
nounce that criticisms of the meth
DDS of the department of justice or
defense of those methods did not
come within purview of the hearing.
A second tilt between Messrs: Hale
and Hoover occurred lew minutes
later, however, when Mr.. Hoover OF
fered to read utterances of Louis c.
Fraina, an internationalist, as evil
dence of the advocacy of force and
violence by Communist labor mem
bers.
Mr.. Hale interrupted with the
charge that Fraina was an agent Of
the department of justice.
Palmer Issues Statement
Attorney General Palmer tonight
denied the statement by Mr.. Hale at
today's hearing that Fralna, described
as secretary of the communist party
of America, was an agent of the de-
partment of Justice. Fraina, he said,
had never rendered any service to the
department.
Discussing the departments activ-
tiles in connection with the raids and
proceedings, the attorney
general said:
Certain statements recently have
in the public press to the
effect 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 large extent responsible
for the agitation and unrest caused
by these two organizations through
their propaganda. There is no found
~ for the charge OF
course, the department of justice has
used confidential informantS ever
since it's bureau of investigation was
but they are under strict
instructions not to engage actively IN
any organization under their investl-
cation. There is no instance in the
administration of the department OF
justice where any confidential in
formant has ever actively engaged IN
the councils of the communist party
or the communist labor party. One
of the specific instances charged to
the confidential informants of the
department of justice is to the eff
feet that they were not instrumental
in the holding of the meetings of
the communists party on January 2,
1920. That was the regular meeting
night of the communist party
throughout the country, which held
it's meetings on the first. of each
month.
Certain references have been made
to the holding of individuals without
warrants in these deportation pro-
ceedings. In the large number of 81
arrests made throughout
the country there were naturally d
few isolated cases in which individ
uals were held for whom no warrant
was in hand Sometimes this result
ed from mistaken identification and
because of other circum-
stances not easily foreseen. They
were negligible in number and war
rants were promptly requested for
such persons when taken into custody