New-York tribune., 1922-05-29
BOrah Accused
By Semenoff
Of Aiding Reds
Attorneys for Cossack Lead.
er Demand Senate Com
mittee Hearing; Accuse
Senator of Hiding Truth
u. S. General Attacked
Alleged 'SButcher'' Held Up
as Friend of Christian
Church Being Prosecuted

The law firm of Clark Prentice &
Roulstone made public yesterday an ap-
peal in behalf of General Semenof to
the Senate Committee on Education and
Labor for a hearing on the charges
against the Cossack leader. The ap-
peal was made three weeks ago to SEN
ntor Borah, chairman of the commit
tee, it is said, and has been ignored.
Now it is made to the entire COM
mittee.
In it Senator Borah is accused of
prosecuting General Semcnoff as pro-
Bolshcvik propaganda to pave the way
tor his resolution recommending the
recognition of the Bolshcvik govern
ment in Russia. The charges made, it
ls SAID, by witnesses called by Senator
borah. already had been passed upon,
IT is. alleged by the special board Of
inquiry which admitted General Sem
enof to the United States and the
civil action was brought on assertions
found to be without legal basis.
About seven weeks ago it is said
IN the letter to the comm ttee, "Senator
Borah, who, as a result of the resigna-
tion Of the former chairman, has be-
come the head Of your committee
which had jurisdiction in the Senate
OF the affairs Of the immigration De-
partment, apparently concluded that
wide newspaper publicity was available
to aid the cause Of the Bolshcviki by
an attack on General Semenoff. 1t also
appears that a certain United States
Army officer. who had been. accord
ing to report, subject to Bolshevik
influence while in Siberia, and who, as
a result, had become bitterly hostile to
General Semenoff, and whose conduct
in Siberia had, to say the least, not
benefited the prestige of the United
States there, was ready and willing to
lead such an attack upon General
Semenoff.
Charges Bo1shevik Plot
General Semenoff had then been in
the United States for some time; his
arrival had been announced in the pres s
weeks in advance. All of the charges
made to Senator Borah had been lodged
with the State Department. and the
immigration bureau long before. Pur-
suant to law, General Semenoff had ap-
piled for permission to enter the
United States and, in accordance with
the statutes, hearing was had by a
special board. The charges against
him were on record, but after taking
testimony, as provided by law, the
board duly voted him leave to enter
the United States. This determna-
tion, in due course, became the final
ruling of the department.
The Bolshevik representatives in
Washington either directly or indirect
ly apparently enlisted the aid of Sena-
tor Borah against General Semenoff
Although the General had been in
Washington for days no notice was
given to him that any Senate commit
too 3rto al
ceeded to New York on his journey
through the United States, in accord
ance with the permission which the
United States government had Of
fcially extended him.
ION his arrival in New York he was
unjustly subjected to arrest in civil
action on charges which have been nd
judged entirely without legal basis for
such action. At that moment, without
sending General Semenoff any notice
and without procuring any resolution
of your committee authorizing such a
proceeding, Senator Borah summoned
witnesses to launch campaign Of un-
precedented slander and libel against
General semenoff. Charges, based en-
tirely upon hearsay, made not under
oath, branded him as murderer and a
brute, and were circulated all over this
nation and the world. The Bolsheviki
rejoiced. The publicity resulted in the
cancellation of General Semenoff's bail
and he was thrown into prison in New
York, where he was held over Good
Friday and Easter, while the Bolshe-
Vik sympathizers on the East Side
jeered the man who had been the lead
ing supporter Of the Christian Church
in Siberia.
Demands Fair Play
without giving General Semenoff q
chance to answer these charges Sena-
tor Borah, nominally sitting as the
head of an investigating committee
presumably in semi-judicial capacity,
spread these unsupported charges
against General Semenoff in the Con-
gressional Record in a speech, which,
rs events proved, was to lay the foun-
dation for his resolution a few days
later seeking the recognition Of the
Bolsheviki.
Three weeks have passed by since
General Semenotf sent the inclosed
plea, yet Senator Borah has refused to
permit him and his witnesses to be
heard. We have appealed over and
over again for hearing, but in vain.
The damage which Senator Borah has
done to General Semenotf and the anti
Bolshevik cause already is incalcu-
liable, and his refusal for over month
to give General SemenoF chance to
deny the unjustifiable charges against
him has constituted substantial! de-
nial of justice. 1t is utterly incon-
sistent with the American spirit Of fair
pay and decency and would hardly be
expected from those with the ideals of
the Bolsheviki whom he is supporting.
"We cannot believe that your great
committee will permit this injustice to
continue. We respectfully but earnest
ly insist that General Semenoff be per-
mitted mmediately to have hearing"
Rum Heayed Overheard.