Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
"SED|T|OUS" BOOKS
ON FILE IN LIBRARY.
"Joker" Seen in Pending Act
Which Would Bar Such
Literature.
EY THOMAS r. HENRY.

An enormous mass oil "Sed1tlOuS
literature, which might or might no
be barred from the country under tn,
tariff act, and which is probably tn,
largest and most complete in tn,
United States, is maintained openl,
under the shadow of the Capitol.
Thus If section 305 of the pendini
revenue act is open to as broad an in
depreciation in enabling customs Off
Gals to bar from the country literature
Of revolt as some authorities hav
given it, it will be like locking the
barn door after the horse is stolen.
No Restrictions on Use.
For any innocent can get his fill OF
the worlds literature of revolution
from the shelves Of the Library OF
Congress. Up to the present, SO far
as could be learned, there are no re-
strictions on the use Of this htera-
ture. 1t is available to any one who
calls for it. for it is the property OF
the American people. Much OF it adj
vocates armed revolt against estab-
lished government. 1t includes not
only the vaporous o~utpourings OK radi-
cal philosophers and the mildly pink
rawlings of light headed ladies, but the
emotional appeals of the direct action
lists.
The section Of the proposed revenue
act which has raised the storm cad
as follows:
"All persons are prohibited from i'm
norting into the United States from
any foreign country any book, PAM
phlet, paper, writing, advertisement,
circular. print, picture OF drawing. con-
tanning any matter advocating or urg-
ing treason, instruction, or forciole
resistance to any law of the United
States or containing any threat 10
take the life of or inflict bodily harm
upon the President OF the United
States"
Meaning Not Entirely Clear.
The meaning is not entirely clear.
Do the words treason or insurrectlon
mean treason and instruction against
the United States. or are they ADJ
stractions so that the law woul apply
as well to a philosophical advocacy OF
tnsurrection anywhere?
According to Prof. Zechariah Chafee,
ir., of Harvard University, described as
an authority on the law and history
of such legislation, it seems almost
certain that this clause Is not limited
to books and pamphlets which specific
ally refer to revolution in the United
States. The clause appears to include
any general advocacy of revolution as
a means to social change, since such a
doctrine naturally would extend to the
United States as well as other
tries. This clause creates an effective
censorship over foreign literature"
MARKS Writings Cited.
It would prevent, he points out, OBJ
tanning from abroad such books as the
writings Of Marx, Proudhon, Bekunln
or Stirner or even such moderate pub
LEGATIONS as some Of the philosophical
works of Bertrand Russell. He con-
tinues: THE law not merely will pre-
vent the Importation Of important
books printed abroad, but It also will
stop indirectly the printing OF such
books by our own publishers since they
would be unable to obtain the neces-
sary sheets from abroad for use in set
ting the type here"
IF such is the case, Congress appears
to be contemplating a rare joke on it
self, for under its own authority the
cream Of "seditious literature" Of the
world has been imported in the past
few years and made available to the
American people. The Library Of
Congress contains the books and PAM
phlets written and published in the
period of unrest during and after the
war which saw so many thrones over
turned.
Lenin Well Covered"
For example, there are approximately
rs volumes by and about the. arch rev.
olutionist Nicolai Lenin. cross-indexed
for convenience, under his family name
of Vladimir Ilich Ulianov. Some Of
this literature praises highly the father
Of the bolShevist revolt and some of 1t
describes him as a bloodthirsty scoun-
drel. The Lenin section in the card
catalogue is headed by a complete edi-
ton of the works of the Red dictator
in Is volumes, the only edition author
lied from 1893 to 1924 by the v. I,
Lenin Institute Of Moscow" A little
later comes Vladimir Ilrich Ulianov's
personal Letter to American Working
Men"
The comparatively conservative, Leon
Trotzky. also filed as Lev Trotskii for
those unfamiliar With the AngliciZed
name, has only about 20 volumes TO his
credit in the library files. These in
clude his Defense of Terrorism" trans
lated by Max Eastman; also "Bolshe-
vism and World Peace. Problems of
Life, and the Real Situation in Russia"
Gregory Stain Is represented by many
cards in the catalogue. No phase of
the radical thought which led to and
inspired the revolt of 1917 Is left I'M
represented.
Proudhon in 20 Volumes.
Nobody in the United States need re-
main in ignorance of the teachings Of
Karl Marx, father of socialism anc
grandfather of communism. There are
approximately 100 volumes by him anc
about him. His published writing ex
tend from The Eighteenth Brumaire Of
Louis Bonaparte," through the cele-
brated 'Das Kapital and Value, Price
and Profit" There are books praisint
Marx to the skies. damning him anc
considering the philosophical basis o.
his thought. Pierre Joseph Proudhon /:
represented by about II volumes.
The notorious Rosa Luxembourg wa:
not a prolific writer, but she Is repre-
sented by four volumes-"Einfuhruni
in die acknowledgements" Die Indus
trielle Entwickelung Polens," Die KRIS
der Sozialdemokratie" and the revolu
tionary letters to Karl and Luist
Kantsky. There Is hardly a radica
writer OF note In modern history of thu
western world who has not his place
on the shelves Of the Library Of Con
gress. If any notable work is lacking
It probably is because the Library O
Congress couldn't get 1t.
Library officials Reticent.
Library officials were loath to com
ment on the situation yesterday. The.
pointed out that any titles contained
in the enormous card catalogue or de
scribed as accessions in the annual re
ports Of the librarian were in tn
i.b5rary, and no further comment wa
necessary. The library does not cenSo
&c ShnIunc ncnnrdinn tn the nnnr0rni