Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22
CONVICT GOODSBAN
IS DRAWN TIGHTER
House Passes Bill to Bar All
ForCed-L abor Products.
Hits Soviet Trade.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
Designed to combat the menace of
Russian labor conditions. the Kendall
bill to tighten the embargo against
products of convict labor and extend
this ban to forced labor was passed
today by the House.
the measure goes to the Senate. 1t
moves forward from next January to
April the effective date of the tariff
act prohibition against products of
! forced labor. defining this term to
mean all work or service which Is
exacted from any person under menace
Of any penalty for its performance
and for which the worker does not offer
himself voluntarily"
| The exclusion Of products of forced
and convict labor would be extended to
all merchandise in the transportation
and handling of which such labor was
involved. Reports of Government off,
Gals would be acceptable legal evidence
in enforcing the bill.
Opposed by Ramseyer.
Representative Ramseyer, Iowa, Re
! publican member of the Ways and
Means Committee, opposed it as "a
make-believe bill that won't accom-
plish anything not accomplished by the
present law"
| Earlier, the Ways and Means Com
mittee closed all hearings on embargo
! legislation and set Monday to decide
how much foreign oil should be al
lowed Tree entry IN competition with
domestic production.
| The Government as a whole Is giving
serious attention to its relations with
that vast political. social and economic
experiment known as the Union of the
Socialist Soviet Republics.
Move for Recognition.
On the one hand has developed a con-
tinuing and cumulative pressure Of
| agitation for diplomatic recognition.
But those who have approached re-
Sponsible officials have been informed
definitely and in direct words that the
recognition policy of Wilson, Hard
ing, Coolidge and Hoover stands un-
changed
Meantime, actual developments are
taking place in another direction. AS
the Treasury continues consideration of
trade restrictions the full severity of the
ban against Russian convict-produced
goods becomes more and more apparent
New evidence relating to Communist
activities in America has been added to
the bullying Government files. One
document which recently fell into Gov
eminent hands purports to contain in
structions from the political secretariat
of the Executive Committee of the Com
munist International, to agents in the
United States, outlining plans for self
determination" of the Negro race.
No modification of the diplomatic
position has been made since Secretary
Hughes announced in 1923 that recogni-
ton must be preceded by three
conditions:
Restoration of the property seized
from American citizens in Russia,
valued at millions; repeal of the decree
which repudiated the war debt OF
former Russian governments to the
United States. now amounting. with in
| terest, to S308,o00,000, and cessation Of
propaganda designed to overthrow the
| established institutions of American
Government.
Stimson View Noted.
Those favoring recognition saw pos
sible hope for an alienation of these
conditions when Secretary Stimson,
speaking last week on Latin America,
expounded doctrine of broadly
recognizing government, which, in fact,
had established themselves in control of
their respective countries. At the SAM
time, however, Mr.. Stimson emphasized
| that American recognition had been ex-
tended only to those governments
which also had met their international
obligations"
On this question Of international
obligations-the war debt and the
seized American property-all inquirers
are told definitely there has been no
compromise. As to propaganda, officials
have added little to the findings of the
House Committee which investigated
recently and proposed drastic re-
strictions. There was no indication to-
night that the manifesto relating to
American Negroes would be put to
special use.
This document covers 81 typewriter
pages so detailed is its treatment of
the status of the Negro race in Amer
lea. 1t says there has been no abol-
ton of slavery, that the Negro suffers
from social and economic oppression
and is the victim of extortion and ex-
cessive punishment
Aims Are Set Forth.
The aims of the self determination"
plan are set forth as including Con
| fiscation Of the lands of the white land
owners for the benefit of the
Negro peasantry," and the establishment
of political unity" of the race.
On the economic side of the Russian