Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-25
COMMUNIST LABOR
PARTYS STATUS IS
ARGUED At LENGTH
Deportation Question Taken
Under Amusement by
Secretary Wilson.

Secretary of Labor Wilson. AFTER
an all-day argument. took under ad-
visement last night the question
whether membership in the commun-
ist labor party in itself constituted
grounds for deportation of aliens.
During the hearing there was
flare-up over statements attributed
to Federal Judge Anderson of Boston
that the government operates some
part Of the communist party in this
country" Swinburn Hale of New
York upholding it and J. E. Hoover
of the Department of Justice declar-
ing it "unjustifiable misconception Of
the facts
Armed with voluminous communist
literature, Hoover attempted to show
by quotation of lengthy excerpts the
relationship between the communist
labor party and the Third Inter-
rationale.
Called CutthrOat Aliens.
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 over
throw the government by force"
Fifty per cent of the influence be-
hind the recent strikes, Hoover said.
was directly traceable to the COM
munist organizations.
In endeavoring to distinguish be-
tween the communist party and the
communist labor party, Hale declared
the applicat ton blank for the COM
tee la1N 1r,f, L. f1o
cant 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 IAN active worker"
The platform of the communist
party. Hale averred, was nothing more
than the socialism of Karl Marx and
argument for action of masses was
subject to a political interpretation.
Palmer Denies Hale's Statements.
Attorney General Palmer last night
denied the statement by Hale that
Louis C. Fraina. described as secre-
tary of the communist party of Amer
lea, was an agent Of the Department
of Justice. Fraina, he said, had never
rendered any service to the depart
ment.
Discussing the depa rtment's activi-
ties in connection with raids and de-
General said:
Certain statements have recently
appeared In the public press to the
effect that the Department of Justice
has had its agents actively identified
In the formation of the communist
party and the communist labor party,
and was to a large extent responsible
for the agitation and unrest caused
by these two organizations through
their propaganda. There is no foun-
dation whatever for this charge. OF
course. the Department of Justice has
used confidential infofmants ever
since it's bureau of investigation was
instructions not to engage actively
in any organization under their in
vestigation.
No Agent i'm Communist Council.
"There Is no instance in the admin
istration Of the Department of JUS
tice where any confidential informant
has ever actively engaged in the coun-
ellis of the communist party or the
communist labor party. One of the
specific instances charged to the con-
fidential informants Of the Department
of Justice is to the effect that they
were instrumental in the holding of
meetings of the communist party on
January 2, 1920. That was the regu-
lar meeting night Of the communist
party throughout the country, which
held it's meeting on the first Friday
Of each month.
Certain references have been made to
the holding OF individuals without war
rants in these deportation proceedings.
In the large number OF simultaneous ar
rests made throughout the-country there
were naturally a few isolated cases in
which individuals were held for whom
no warrant was in hand Sometimes this
resulted from mistaken Identification
and sometimes because Of other circum-
stances not easily foreseen. They were
negligible in number, and warrants were
promptly requested for such persons
when taken into custody by the Depart
ment of Labor"