Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-24
KANE SAYSPALMER
STAND IS POLITICS
Repressing New Party Is One
Purpose in Raids, He Charges.
Urges Dry Enforcement
HAS HIS LETTERS PRINTED

United States District Attorney
Kaue's letter to Attorney General Pal
mer. in which he gives his reasons for
resigning, follows:
January -, 1920.
"Hon. A. Mitchell Palmer. attorney
general. Washington, d. G.
'My dear Mr.. Palmer beg TO thank
you for your note of the Sd inst. say
ing that my letter. in which protested
against the contemplated Communist
party raids, came too late for your con-
sideration.
You say that there does not seem to
you to be any question of policy in
volvcd. and that it is your duty to arrest
aliens who come within the definition OF
the law for dcportations-that the par,
ties for whom warrants were issued all
do come within the law.
Disagrees With Views
II must answer frankly that l dis
agree with you in your view of the mat
ter. As 7 read the manifestSes of the
Communist party. the party does not
expressly stand for the overthrow of
this government by force. aud it was
surely & question of policy-not one OF
| law-whether the Department of jus
ticc should take the initiative and cause
bers of the party generally. irrespective
| of whether they were taking an active
part in its councils, or only on the
| fringe of the organization. On this
question of method | am directly out of
| sympathy with the policy of the de-
partment.
"It seems to me that the policy of
raids against large numbers of indi-
viduals is generally unwise and very apt
to result in injustice. People not really
guilty are likely to be arrested and rail-
roaded through their hearings. The ma .
chinery of the government breaks down
because of the strain put upon it and
undue hardship and injustice are sure TO
result. Jail accommodations are over :
taxed and personal rights disregarded.
Some times. of course, raiding is neces :
sary. as where we have to wake up a
sleeping and Indifferent public. but these
reasons do not exist in the present in =
stance. Public feeling is running
strongly against 'Bolshevists' and 'radi-
Gals and by such wholesale raids the
| department is III danger OF being made
one of injustice. My thought would
have been to arrest the really guilty
persons one by one as we secured evil
dence against them, and not resort to
general raiding unless absolutely neces-
sary.
Questions Deportation Policy
AS regards the policy of taking the
initiative in securing wholesale deporta
tions under the act of October 16, 1918
/ question the wisdom, and indeed the
justice, of pursuing noncitizen members
of the Communist party-the mere
members ! mean and not the active in
diyiduals-when we are unable on thu
facts before us to punish citizen mem
bers under the espionage act and thu
limitations prescribed by the conStitu
ton. 1t is one thing to debar an alier
coming into this country by administra
tive methods, but it is quite another
thing to deprive a man who has beer
in this country a long time, and wht
perhaps has n wife and children here
of what we are accustomed to think o
as constitutional rights, irrespective o
a mans citizenship. ] refer, of course
to the right of trial by jury, ETC., whicl
the alien to be deported does not have
We must remember the fact that man!
of these people have wives and chill
dren. in many cases born in this coun
try. and by the deportation of the fathe
and breadwinner we are inficting
much more cruel punishment than II w
put the man in Jail under definite sen
tcpce. Under the terms of the depor
| tHTlOn law Nbu VIII ludl !
is an offense for man once deported Il
afterward attempt to return to . thi
country. so that deportation means
lifelong separation Of the man from hi
wife and family. Such discrimination
against the alien who has not been nat
uralized is bound to bear i'll fruit il
the long run. Furthermore, / depre
cate very strongly an appeal by yol
as attorney general TO the state authori
ties to punish citizen members of sucl
organizations under state sedition laws
This is in effect asking the state au
thorities to punish what Congress ha
not vet said is punishable in the fedora
courts. This is going much too far
much further than any policy of ''lav
ard order" at the present time requires
To Repress Political Party
again, in the present raids we appeal
to be attempting to repress politica
party. II has platform most of whicl
is highly Objectionable 10 you and me
So much I grant you, but il at leas
calls itself political party and hold
open meetings and discussions. Conse
auertly. we ought not TO raid it upies
we sre acknowledgement to do ~ !,