New-York tribune., 1920-02-07
Plot
Revolt i'm n.
Newton Says
State Attorney General Tells
House Committee ssRedo
Menace L. Real and Must
BE Met Firmly at Once
From The Tribune's vashino,on Bur.ou

From The Trj6une's Washinoton Bureau
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-Attorney
General Charles D. Newton of New
YORK, appearing to-day before the
House judiciary Committee in connec-
ton with sedition Iegis ation, urged the
necessity Of Federal statute to reach
the radicals in the United States and to
curb their activities.
Mr. Newton insisted that the menace
ol radlcalisni was real and must be me t
nrmiy and ct once. He declared there
were between 100000 and 100000 radi
calls IN New York City alone, belonging
to organizations which advocate the
overthrow OF the government, with al
most a hundred headquarters, from
Whlch thelr activities are directed.
john ID, Moore, of New York, repre-
sentlng the Friends of Irish Freedom.
appeared before the committee later in
one day and took issue with this state
ment. lie said census statistics would
snow that ii Mr.. Newton's estimate was
correct one out of every six males in
New York must be a radical. In his
opinion such an assertion was ridicu-
lous.
The other principal witness before
the committee was Francis Fisher Kane,
former United States District Attorney
at Philadelphia, who resigned several
weeks ago because he disagreed with
the poRcy as TO radicals of Attorney
General A. Mitchell Palmer and the
Department Of Justice
To Safeguard Free Speech
Questions from members Of the com
mittee were regarded as indicating that
unusual care is being taken to frame
sedltion bill which will not interfere in
any way with the freedom of speech or
of the press and viii touch only radi-
Gals who actually work for the over
throw OF government by force and vio-
lence.
''In New York City" said Mr.. Newton,
who was the first witness, there are
between 800 900 and 100000 radicals be-
longing to organizations which advo-
eata the overthrow Of the government.
They maintain between seventy and
eighty headquarters, whose Offices are
known. st these headquarters Socialist
propaganda is published and circulated
Before October last every one of
these headquarters was located with
ease, but since then property holders
have tcon notified they would be prose
cuted under the New York law if they
ren-4d TO radicals, and many of them
have been moved and are not so readily
discovered.
There are thousands Of radicals
throughout the United States of a vio-
lent type who advocate the overthrow
OF the government and the establish
ment Of dictatorship, such as existed
in Russia. Their efforts are en-
couraged and the aims they hope and
are pledged to accomplish are boldly
set forth and glorifed by a press
equally as radical and violent as are
hos : tin~, l.
Il feel that if we had q Federal law
it would be Of great assistance to
state statutes" said Mr.. Newton in
conclusion. The federal authorities
could reach radicals that cannot be
easily apprehended by state officials
and federal judges could deal with the
IN more comprehensive
way. Fo instance, we cannot get wit
nesses or testimony from persons out
side of New York while acting under
the New York act ] think the federal
law should be strengthened to prohibit
the transmission of radical propaganda
by mail or otherwise.'
"RidicuIous," Kane Says
Mr.. Kane told the committee that
current Ieports thar "conspiracies are
on foot TO capture the government by
IOEce ana violence are fidlculous.'
Considering the size OF the United
States and the fact we are a nation of
100 00O000 persons" said Mr. Kane. "it
seems to me there have been extremely
few outrages since the signing of the
armistice.
The people who have been arrested
for deportation have not been armed.
and practically no arms or explosives
were found in their possession. There
have been few real bombing outrages,
and the miscreants can be brought to
justice under present laws cannot
take the menace OF Bolshevism ser-
ously.
Il don't believe there is any organ
lzed rebellion in this country.
haven't seen any evidences Of it. There
may be few wild citizens: possibly
some of them are crazy over the soviet
system Of government'