The Washington times., 1923-04-10

Will Not Be Prosecuted Unless
Force Is Advocated Police
to Stop All Meetings.
By H. X. REYNOLDS.
International News Service.

~>@ernAta0nal News Service. 20. Z.
So long as William z. Foster
and other officers of the Work
ers Party of America do not actu-
ally advocate the overthrow of
the Federal Government by force,
the Department Of Justice does not
intend 70 proceed against them
for q ICED violation Of the Grim
'inzf statutes OF 1910, ii was
learned officially today.
Attorney General Daugherty
and his associates in the Depart
r1ent of Justice have taken cog
nizance of recent activities of the
Workers party, together with
the radical trials in Michigan,
and the manifesto of Carl E.
Ruthenberg, secretary of the
party, urging a great demonstra-
ton on May ! against the pres
ent Capitalist Government.
Officials Have Evidence.
All OF the publications of the
Workers party and the evidence
submitted by the State in the trials
at st. Joseph have convinced De:
partment of Justice officials, how:
ever, that little can be accomplished
by prosecuting the. alleged red
leaders on the ground that they
have maintained illegal connections
and communication with the Soviet
government of Russia.
Demands for the prosecution OF
James P. Cannon, president of the
Workers party; Foster, ~Ruthen'
berg. and nine others under the old
Logan ACT Of 1899 were made to
Attorney General Daugherty last
month by a number of civic organ.
izations in Massachusetts,. Mary
land and Virginia.
The accusers quoted from The
Worker" the official organ of the
Workers party, in their bsfforts to
prove that Cannon and Foster were
guilty of offenses against the ex'
istence of the Government" because
of their relations with the Moscow
Soviet.
Defends killing of Priests.
Since these charges were filed
Cannon has delivered one speech In
Washington, but was not molestcc
by the Federal or city authorities
In this address, he defended the
communist government Of Russis
and it's execution of ecclesiatics whit
refused to obey its orders.
The most recent radical" nut
break in the National Capital oc
Cured last night when a meeting
was planned in defense of Foster
acquitted last week of charges d
violating the Michigan syndicalisn
laws.
Before the meeting could be he'd
however, agents of the Department
of Justice swooped down on the hal
reserved for the gathering and
arrested sixteen persons, including
Edward j. Irvine, secretary OF the
local branch Of the workers party
Will Purge Washington.
Closeted for more than an hour
this morning Major Daniel Sullivan
superintendent of Police, and Chic,
Of Detectives Clifford l.. Grant, to
gether with a number of RED" ex
perts of the detective bureau anC
the Department of Justice, the
officials announced after their SEES
sion that Washington will be purgeC
of enemies of America who would
set up q Soviet government anC
that the entire forces of both or
CARNATIONS will be devoted to frus
trating the plans of the Reds" Il
enlist thousands of Government
workers within their ranks.
The officials announce that close
scrutiny will be made Of all public
gatherings from now on, and under
no circumstances will anything thai
smacks of a Red" gathering b.
tolerated.
AS the RED" experts go over tn,
quantity Of literature which the,
confiscated last night they are
amazed at what the alleged Red
leaders were teaching.
May Day WAS designated as the
date for a campaign of death and
CONTINUED on Page 2. Column ~