The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-21
STONE PROMISES
TO GUST FINKS
FROM BUREAU
However We Are From
Missouri
Rv LAURENCE TODD.

(StAf correspondent OF LHS Toos TTSSsJ
WASHINGTON, May 2O.-An end
has come temporarily to the. dream Of
the boss detectives to create secret
nolitical police, or political spy sys-
tenn. serving the employing and bank
ing interests thru both the big CAPT.
talist parties.
The hint given by Attorney General
stone appears to be confirmed by the
statement to the Wheeler-Brookhart
committee by John e. Hoover, masteT
red-catcher now in charge Of the bu-
reau of investigation. Hoover said
stone had issued orders that none
but lawyers should henceforth be en-
ployed in the bureau, and that the
work of the bureau should be limited
to the assistance Of federal attorneys
in the preparation of cases already in
their hands. The personnel, now 6O7
in all, is to be weeded out, and much
of the work undertaken under Palmer
and Daugherty has been stopped.
What has been indicated in recent
weeks is:
That spies are abhcrrent to Stone
as a lawyer, and are not contemplated
bv law as part of the government
machinery. Spying is to end.
That the "dossier" or irresponsible
secret report system established by
Palmer as a means of terrorizing the
country into making him president is
abolished. Burns and Daugherty found
these Jackets in the files of the bu-
reau-iackets filled with charges and
gossip from cowardly enemies OF
great numbers of citizens, whose
whole tendency was toward govern
ment by blackmail and frame-up
Burns enlarged this dossier library
paying large sums of public money
Illegally, for secret evidence" against
the political critics and opponents OF
Daugherty.
That the system of exchange OF
finger-prints and other identification
between police offices thruout the
country and with foreign police, as
built up Burns, will be dropped. Burns
is supposed to have been permitted
by himself to gather records for the
Burns agency in this way at public
expense.
Whether Stone is sincere will be
tested by the fate of this John e
Hoover and of Rush Holland, who still
draw salaries as assistants. 1t was
]. e. Hoover who caused the issuance
of 10000 warrants of arrest of labor
radicals and caused the violations
of law known as the red raids of Jan
uary. 1920. He is temporarily the
head of the bureau of investigations
while Stone is finding suitable law
yer for that job.
Rush Holland, equally rabid in his
attacks upon liberals, was Daugher
tvs representative in attendance on
the Teapot Dome oil scandal hear
ings.
Then there is Grimes, who has rep
resented the department before the
Wheeler Brookhart committee, and
who has admitted on the stand that
the records OF his bureau may snow
that Albert Fall used part of the 800,
900 he got in the suitcase from Do
heney to finance the Cantu revolt in
Mexico. Senator Wheeler charged
that the evidence of that crime was
in the departments files, and Grimes
did not deny it.
President Coolidge, then, must rely
upon the privately financed gunner
and spies for the service rendered in
national politics for the past six years
by the bureau of investigation and its
affiliates. The appropriation of So,
100000 a year for the bureau will be
sadly shrunk, and the hopes of the
convention of 62 patriotic societies,
which has just met here to restore
prosperity for the anti-Russian spying
industry will be dashed-if Stone
does what he promises.