Evening star., 1920-01-08
WILLING TO HAVE
MARTENS TESTIFY
BEFORE SENATORS
Justice Department Expects
to Arrest "Soviet Envoy"
at Any Time.

With the arrest of Ludwig c. a. X.
Martens. self-styled Ambassador of
soviet Russia" expected at any time.
Department of Justice officials today
stated that the radical will be al
lowed to testify before the foreign
relations committee of the Senate be
fore steps to deport him will be taken
Martens, for whom a warrant has
been issued charging him with circu-
lating red propaganda, is being
sought by Department of Justice
agents and Washington city detect
ives. His arrest, it was said, is only
a question of hours. That Martens
has not left Washington. but is seek
ing refuge with friends in the cap
ital, is the theory of the authorities
Says Martens VIII Not Run Away.
S Nuorteva, secretary to Martens.
who has opened up headquarters in
the La Fayette Hotel. said today that
Martens will not run aWay-espe-
cially if he gets an opportunity to
testify as to the real conditions in
Russia" and that he will be ready
when the foreign relations committee
wants to hear his testimony"
Inspector Grant of the Washington
detective bureau was asked today by
the Department of Justice to cooper
Martens. Every available city detec-
/ tive was placed on the case. and in
structed to arrest the radical.
Capt. Burke, head of the bureau of
investigation, Department of Justice
was cIoseted this morning with agents
who are conducting the search for Mar
tens, and careful instructions were
given.
1t was pointed out that as soon as
Martens is apprehended he will be
turned over to the immigration author
tiles. He will then Be allowed to tes-
! tify before the foreign relations COM
! mittee. following which he will be sent
! to the immigration station at Balti-
more, there to await the result of de-
portation proceedings which will be in
stituted.
Seeks Official Recognition.
1t was learned that Martens is using
every available means to gain official
recognition of himself and soviet Rus
sla by the government. 1t was said
that he has dispatched a number of
letters to government officials with
the hope that in replying to the mis-
sives he will be addressed as "am-
bassador But Department of Justice
officials say he has another guess
coming"
Nuorteva said today that both he
and Martens personally didn't care if
the United States government deports
u.s.
IF Martens is deported the Russian
government will have to establish
some other relationship with the
United States sooner or later" said
! Nuorteva.
| .Martens will refute the charge that
| he is disseminating propaganda inim-
| lcal to the United States when he
| testities al the Senate committee hear
| ing. Martens has been in America a
| long time and no one has ever before
| attempted to arrest him. But they are
! doing all they can 70 trump up
| charges against him in order to de-
port him..
Declares Martens Not German.
| Nuorteva declared that Martens is
| not a German. He was born in Rus
sia. Of German parentage." he said.
But that wouldn't make him Ger
man. according to the American no.
! tons of citizenship, would it? He
would be a Russian.
THE very fact that they are try
| ing to trump up ridiculous charges
against the man is proof that they
will fail. Martens wants to tell the
| committee just what sort of Russia
soviet Russia is. He wants to place
| thousands of American firms-mer-
! chants who are anxious to open trade
! relations with Russia and find mar
i ket for their goods over there.
| Talk about deporting Russians,
| Your newspapers are filled with the
cry. 'Deport the reds Why. the Rus
slams in this country-thousands of
| them-are only willing and anxious to
I go back to their native land. And
| they will pay their own way. They
don't need any soviet ark to take
them back. They are willing to go
and pay their passage.
There are thousands of Russians in
every walk of life here in America.
Many are skilled workmen-experts
in their line. They want to try their
| ability in Russia. and we are anxious
to get their services"
Nuorteva said that on the staff at
the soviet Russian headquarters in
New York are about thirty men and
women who are placing Russians in
colleges here. and assisting them so
that when they do go back to Russia
they will be well fitted for their
work"
Americans have surrounded Russia
by a great stone wall" he said. And
you won't peek in or let any one else
do so. Now we want to tell the Sen
ate committee just what's what over
there and give them an opportunity
to see over the stone wall of malicious
SANDER
No "Blanket'' Proceedings.
Though the evidence in more than
I C,uVb cases against dl1en
radicals now being held for deporta-
tion is identical in many cases. no
blanket" proceedings are contem-
plated. and the Department of Justice
has completed each case independ-
emily of the others. Where docu-
i.mentary evidence is TO be used certi-
fed photostatic copies have been pro-
vided and every case will stand on it's
own merits.
1t was~said at the department to-
day that the officials Were not going
to rest on their oars when the pending
cases have been disposed of and the
few remaining warrants for Martens
and others served. Rather. the bureau
of investigation will keep vigilant
watch over all groups preaching the
overthrow of the government by vio-
I lence Care will be taken not TO in
terfere with the liberties of those who
confine their preaching to changes
which may be brought about through
the ballot box or other legitimate
methods. but disciples of the down
with-everything policy" can expect
no respite.
Asked if it was not feared that
the recent activities against anar-
chists. bolshevists. sovietists and COM
munists would give rise to another
series of bomb outrages. an official
of the department today said this
was not expected. The bureau is
taking every precaution against such
activity, but the belief was expressed
that the ultra-radicals had been
"driyen to cover" and that it was not
their practice to take risks when dis
covery was so certain.