The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-03
REJECTS DOAk'S
CONCESSIONS"

NEW YORK-Proposals made by
the Department Of Labor at Wash
ington through Secretary William N.
Doak that working-class leaders
facing exile agree to deportation if
they are permitted to depart for the
Soviet Union, we're emphatically
rejected in a statement issued by
the International Labor Defense,
which is handling the cases of the
threatened deportees.
"Smarting under the exposure of
its savage deportation program, the
Hoover administration makes these
proposals in an effort to carry
through these barbarous attacks on
labor in secret" declared j. Louis
Engdahl, secretary International La
Dor Defense. Secretary of Labor
Doak proposes, for instance, that all
appeals to federal courts against
outstanding administration persecu-
tons be withdrawn and he will grant
voluntary departure to the Soviet
Union. He opposes raising in court
any doubt of his authority.
1--WE definitely reject any such
tricky proposals. Such an agreement
would mean completely giving up the
| fight for the right Of political asylum.
Such an agreement could, of course
be revoked by the administration
under circumstances more favorable
TO itself. 1t would be open COLA
boration with the Hoover-Doak de-
portation program. Instead the In
ternational Labor Defense will inten-
sify the struggle for the right OF
political asylum and against de-
portations on every front. The at
tempted puSsyfooting tactics of the
Hoover administration, to hide its
crimes against foreign-born workers,
will be fought openly through mass
protest and by taking full advan-
tage of every opportunity offered in
the federal courts"
Secretary of Labor Doak set forth
the administrations policy in letter
to the American Civil Liberties
Union, July %, as follows:
You request that this department
agree to allow one of these cases to
go into court, while the other persons
included in this group be permitted
voluntarily to depart for Soviet
Russia.
at appears to me that my con-
sideration of the plan to have the
members of this group of aliens
under order of deportation go to
Soviet Russia is a concession beyond
which the department should not
go I do not concede and in
fairness to myself can enter into an
agreement which commits me to a
doubt of my discretion in such mat
tiers. I must decline to be placed in
position Of appearing to have
doubt of the power reposed in me by
Congress and can enter into an
agreement to make test case of
! such question"
The International Labor Defense
points out that numerous foreign
born workers, activea in the labor
movement in this country face death
in the fascist countries to which
Washington threatens to send them.
These include such cases as Guido
Serio, Italian: Machado, Venezuelan;
Lii and Des, Chinese; Kenmotsu and
Nishanura, japanese, and Louis Be-
britt, Rumanian.
The International Labor Defense
charges that the immigration agents,
in their attempts TO smash the strike
struggle of the working class, often
arrest native-born citizens, like Anna
Burlak, leader in the Rhole Island
textile strike, and Nat Kaplan, Bos-
ton district organizer of the Com
munist Party. Edith Berkman, New
England strike leader, is faced with
deportation to Poland. although she
is a citizen through her fathers
citizenship. The case is also cited
of the Los Angeles food worker, John
Vilarino. who has lived so years in
the United States, with u children
BORN in this country He is faced
With deportation on the admission
that he is Communist
w ~ $500