Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-27
Where Is the Defense Fund?

While the SacCo-Vanzetti case was
was frequently stated and was gen
orally accepted that n large fund had
been raised for the defense Of the two
men-a fund that ran into the hundreds
of thousands. This money had been
contributed by radicals in this country
and in Europe in voluntary subscrip-
tons and assessments upon members
of organizations. The money was sup,
posed to be expended for the procure.
ment of testimony. the pay of counsel
and court costs. stenographic work
and the preparation of records and
appeals 1t was believed to be the
best financed defense ever set up in
this country save in the case of a few
individuals of great wealth accused of
crime.
Now that Sacco and Vanzetti are
executed the defense committee in Bos-
ton is having hard time to pay it's
bills. Its chairman and secretary say
that if. as has been stated, half a mil
lion dollars was raised by the Com
munists and affiliated radicals here
and abroad, very small percentage
of that sum reached the organization.
The chief counsel for the defense is
still creditor and it begins to look as
If his fee, which should be a liberal
one, will never be paid. Indeed, the
chairman of the defense committee
declares that the amount received
from Communist sources was only
about $500.
Now the question is raised, where is
this money, this half million supposed
to have been poured out by the indig-
nant partisans of the accused men,
the friends of humanity" Who
thought that American justice was on
trial and that the rights of man were
being trampled upon by ruthless Off.
cialdom? An investigation is to be
started by the defense committee to
answer two questions: Was the money
raised? And, if it was raised. who
got it?
Probably it will be found that
very small amount of money was
really contributed. and this will be
a further evidence to show the actual
size of the element of discomfort in
this country. Alarmists talk of hun
dreds of thousands of extreme radicals
in America and point to the large mobs
that form for demonstration as proof
OF the existence here of a grave spirit
OF revolution against the established
order. 1t is true that there are great
crowds on all such occasions, but they
are composed in large measure of curl
osity seekers. A very few hundred
c!amorous agitants can give the inn
preston of powerful force, with the
aid q bystanders and onlookers, who
are really not sympathizers.
New York has a population of be-
tween six and seven million people.
At the lower figure one per cent is
$4,000. At no time during the Sacco-
NanZetu demonstrations in that city
have there been quarter of that mum.
Der of people engaged in any form of
infiammatory manifestation. In Bos-
ton, too. the numbers Of the persistent
protestants against the execution of
the law have been relatively small. A
few hundred picketers have gone
forth carrying placards A f1ashlight
photograph taken the other night of
the silent death watch" at the bar
riers drawn around the prison showed
that four-fifths Of those present were
childr-n.
Tia truth is that there are a very
few raal Communists in the United
States and the chances are that the
Communists Of Europe gave little if
any money for the defense of these
men.