The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-30
ADMITS PRESENCE AT CONVENTION OF COMMUNIST PARTY
Defendant Declares He Has Been Active in Revolution
 ary Affairs Many Years

ST. JOSEPH, Mich, March 29.- (By Associated Press )-william z Foster of Chicago, charged with criminal symdicalism for assembling with an organization alleged to have been form ed to advocate the over throw of the federal government by force of violence, took the stand in his own behalf today admitting his presence at the communist conven- ton, denied all connection with the organization.
 He denied that he had filled out a questionable at the convention in which his occupation was stated as industrial organizer of the com munist party of America and he denied he had been issued 8 port folio containing radical documents.
 Both the alleged questionnairs and the portfolio said to have been as- signed to Foster had been introduced in evidence by the state Foster admitted on cross examination that he had sat in one meeting of the governing body of the convention.
 o o Q
 Witness Is Bashfui.
 0nIlhG 0HdIltS III St witness for the defense and one of Fosters co-defendants, Foster con- fined his replies to a ''yes. sir" or mo, sir" unless some explanation was necessary. Diffident and seem- ingly almost bashful, with shy and bashful smile. there was nothing in his bearing to indicate he was the man who organized more than 200,- GOO steel workers and led the great
 
 to his own statements, has been an active revolutionary leader for nearly 20 years.
 His story was one of years Of radical and union activities. At various times, he said, he has been of the Syndicalist League of North America, student of radical move ments abroad, leader of many strikes, delegate to radical meetings and correspondent in Russia, mem Der of the seamens union, railway carmen and other organizations and for the last two years subscriber to the Marxian communistic school of radical thoughts.
 Mir. Smith attempted to show that Foster had had a hand in unseating T.. F. Crable, fCrmer head of the rail- road maintenance of way men, who was defeated for reelection last fall after he had refused to call his men out in sympathy with the railroad shopmen strike.
 Poster denied he had attended the union convention at Detroit at which Grable was busted, although admit ting he had opposed Grable's stand.
 MT. Grable.' Foster said, be trayed the men when he did not call a strike after receiving vote 9S per cent in favor of it."
 Under examination by Frank P. Walsh, his attorney, Foster repeated as much as he said he could remem- Der of the speech he delivered at the had told the delegates there of a trip taken through the west to address striking shopmen, from which trip he hol returned just before the conVen- tionf meet.
 Toured West.
 on cross-examination MT. Smith brought out that Foster was In Og- den. Ut.h. about the latter part of July or first of August, and then asked him if he was accompanied on the trip by Joseph Kowalski. Foster denied knowing Kowalski.
 There were some trains abandoned out there in the desert while you were out there, weren't there?" the Attorney General asked.
 Mr Walsh objected to the question and as court adjourned Judge Charles White took it under advisement.
 Kowalski is Russian who was ar rested in Chicago in the January, 1920 raids and deported to Russia. He slipped back into the United States and when caught was sentenced to a year and a day in Atlanta, when he will again face deportation.