Evening star., 1922-09-04
Effective Action Instead of Spec
tacular Raids.

The recent raid on communist
gathering in Michigan, followed by
the arrest of William z. Foster and
some of his radical associates. leads
the editors of the country to the be-
lief that what one writer calls the
Say 1t With Bombs Cult" has closer
grip on the present industrial up
heaval than had before been apparent,
suspicion strengthened by develop
ments in connection with the Gary
wreck. and by the disabling of loaded
freight cars and various other de-
structive practices. There is there
fore a demand for action more drastic
and effective than spectacular raids
that get nowhere.
The Roanoke Times believes that
"the existing industrial troubles have
evidently caused these enemies Of our
government to assume that the time
is ripe for active propaganda against
the republic" and the newly disclosed
evidence of their continued activities
ought, the Detroit Free Press thinks.
ito awaken the people of America
to the fact that the declaration of war
pronounced against the United States
years ago in Moscow never has been
rescinded." In the view of the Free
Press, there is no doubt at all that
most of the untoward happenings of
the coal and the railroad strikes have
been directly instigated il not carried
out by these emissaries."
The Indianapolis News also feels no
hesitancy in laying the Gary outrage
at the communist door. and it points
out that in that wreck two loyal
union members" were killed, since
1.-The communists who are working for
revolt think little of the union men
they have destroyed" Thus, it adds,
organized labor itself is a the mercy
Of these alien bandits, who would stop
at nothing to gain their ends" In
such a situation. says the Mobile
Register, "the chief thing to be con-
sidered is I" the attitude the
labor organizations, and. in fact. any
and all organizations, ought to as
sumo toward the effort to undermine
and destroy our American Union
= 1t cannot be believed that they
will knowingly serve as the tools of
the revolutionary agents"
The 1. w. w. and the doctrines it
teaches have no place in the unions
of America" declares the Fargo
Forum, "and American unions if the
I. w. W. is gaining any foothold in
unionism, should stamp it out. for,
as the St. Joseph NewsPress holds,
these men are not friends OF labor
Some are dangerous Missionaries, 9TH
ers self-seeking plotters and dema-
gogues. and all deserve to be treated
as public enemies"
The American people are not "in
any mood just now to temporize with
those whose citizenship is a mere
cloak for activities directed against
the welfare of the country" the
Springfield (Mass) Union declares.
and it agrees with the Duluth News
fN
invoke its criminal syndicalism law"
to stop such activities, both papers
being convinced, in the words Of the
former, that "the mental IL not the
physical health of these reds and
'pinks' would be improved by course
Of exercise in breaking stone"
When Michigan passed that law
would be invoked in so spectacular a
case," relates Michigan paper. the
Adrian Telegram. 1t was regarded
'tas q sort Of preparedness measure,
whose very existence in the statute
book would keep the radicals within
bounds" In defense Of the law and
the action just taken under 1T, the
Telegram goes on to say:
'1t is idle to argue that it does no
good to suppress criminal and revo-
lutionary organizations. If that Is
true then there is no such thing as
an accessory to q crime, ana no such
offense as aiding and abetting crime.
If that IL true then there would be no
objection to larceny societies, murder
associations. text books on burglary
an newspaper organs for hold-up
men. II it is not wise to suppress
q school Of crime wherever we find
it. then II Is not wise to prosecute
crime at all"
But in the opinion Of q vigorously
outspoken minority, the whole affair
is unpleasantly reminiscent Of the 'red
hysteria" Of 1918 and 1890. The Ashe-
Michigan authorities are unduly ex-
ercised" and are taking the reds "too
seriously; in short. that "they are
seeing ghosts" There was time.
not long ago." the Syracuse Herald
recalls, '''when timid citizens looked
with dread upon efforts OF the Ameri-
can reds" to popularize their level
inr doctrines In this country
hut today one cannot imagine the
mbst timid, pessimistic American be-