Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-03
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Mr.. Matthew Vol of the American
Federation of Labor and of Americas
Wage Farmers Protective Conference
has contrived almost by his lone self tc
fill the relations between the Republic
of the United States of America and
the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics
of Russia with fogs and storms and
thunders which the whole world at this
week end is painfully endeavoring tc
penetrate and to comprehend under the
glare OF hourly lightning flashes from
Mr.. VOLTS dynamic pen.
Plenty of dazzled and stunned COM
mentators claim they now clearly see
ahead of us q worldwide boycott of al
nom Russian countries against all Rus
sian goods. 1t has family begun, they
contend, under Mr.. VOLTS inspiration
with the orders issued by our Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury, Seymour
Lowman, against certain cargoeS OF
Russian lumber and of Russian pulp
wood. The United States Government
they apprehend, has determined 70
take advantage of Mr.. VOLS asSer-
tions regarding the broad existence OF
forced labor in Russia and in initial
ing q campaign of high-world politics
for the extinction of Russian exports
and for the extinction thereupon OF the
Russian Communist government~itsen.
-
So magnificent q plot on so vast
an international scale, all growing out
of a few cargoeS of Russian forest
products and large number OF drops
of ink from Mr.. Vol, deserves certain
ly the most intensive analysis. 1t viii
then be found to be no plot at all and
vet at the same time contains, along
with all its empty vaporS, certain
solid core of potential international
severe conflict In the future.
In order to discriminate between
what is trivial and what is transcend
ent in this matter it is necessary nrsl
TO draw the line between the CONVEX
labor" provisions on the one hand and
on the other the forced labor pro-
visions of section 307 of our present
tariff law. Mr.. Lowmans orders, as SC
far issued, are wholly under the con-
Wet labor" provisions and have noth-
ing in the world 70 do with Mr.. VOLS
general aSSeyerationS about the alleged
general employment of forced labor
in Russia by the Russian Communist
economic national authorities. Mr:
IoWmen'S existing orders were secured
from him, not by the philosophical
concentrations of Mr., Vol, but by the
technical specific trade complaints OF
the National Lumber Manufacturers
Association. The narrow question
which Mr.. Lowman to date has been
called upon to decide Is SIMPLY ano
solely the following:
Is convict labor" used. or is il not,
in the production of woodStuffS in the
forests of Northern Russia?
The answer by the importers here is
that II Is not The answer by our offt-
cial governmental, diplomatic and
commercial observers on the edges OF
Russia is that it sbundantly Is.
The hearSay testimony OF these oo-
servers is thereupon denounced rs be-
ing secondhand" Thereupon. coun-
terwtse, the testimony Of the importers
is also denounced as second hand
The State Department meanwhile does
not permit the United States Govern
ment to maintain within Russia itself
any 'firSt hand" observers OF any sort
whatsoever. II does not even, as this
writer is authoritattvely informed,
maintain on its own account wtnnn
Russian any secret service agents.
Mr.. Lowman'S Official knowledge OF
Russian conditions Is therefore admit
tedly derived from indirect and Sec
sources Is nevertheless heavily ON the
side OF the contention that thousands
upon thousands of Russian prisoners are
used in Northern Russia logging and
saving operations Mr.. LowniaR in Sucn
circumstances exposed himself 70 niiSin-
depreciation through issuing orders 50
abruptly that wholly innocent shippers
with vessels already ON the sea between
Northern Russia and the United States
-. hi
merited financial loss This Suddenness
Of his. however. does not shift the main
point of his final duty. That duty,
under section SCI. viii be 70 exclude
from the United States, upon fair no
tice. all goods from Russia, or from
anywhere else, that are produced by
convict labor either wholly or even
in part.
Mr.. Iownan win then be able to de-
vote himself in this general field Of his
life 70 his true troubles. No large pro-
portion Of Russian industry is operated
bv ''convfctx" The utmost enoeaFcES
OF the Moscow government against
counter -revolutionaries" have left the
Overwhelming bulk of the Russian popu-
lation free II does not thus escape,
however. from the relentless inveStiga-
tions and manifeStoeS Of Mr.. Vol.
Mt. N0A some nloklt&kS ago pSAS0aNcN
the makers Of our present tariff law 10
insert into section 3UT q provision 10 the
effect that from January 1. 1882. for
ward our customs authorities should ex-
ciude from these shores all goods pro-
dueed by any labor that was forced"
and involuntary. Mr.. Vol had preyi-
Dusty claimed. and he now proposes to
prove, that vast masses Of Russian
ianoFers are subjected by the Russian
government 70 involuntary labor seryt-
tude.
The best information that this writer
can CLEAN from the best informed
sources in washington. oeictal and
ether, is that Mr. Vol Is only seantiiy
rirnt rs q narrator, but runs q chance
Of being mere Amply right as = prophet.
Our Government does maintain -ex-
rerts" wno fellow Russian Affairs most
6iliReuf2Y t6rc7Rh q per1sal o1 RuxssAn