Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-30
Representative Fish Address
es Defense Congress on
Soviet ATROCITIES"
DISARMAMENT DECRIED
BY REAR ADMIR-. M0FFETT
Gen. Amos Fries Proposes Military
Training and Stamping Out OF
Communist Teaching.

power was urged upon the Sixth Wom-
ans Patriotic Conference on National
Defense by Representative Hamilton
Fish, jr., this morning to demand that
the Treasury Department request,
through the State Department, permits
sion to send inspectors to Russia 10
investigate reports of the use OF prison
labor in the cutting of timber and pulp
wood, which is now imported into the
United States from that country.
eff the Soviet government should re-
fuse this reasonable request" declared
Mr. Fish, when approximately thou
sand Russian engineers and Soviet sub
iectS are roaming at will through the
United States inspecting our factories,
mills and mines, and gathering all kinds
Of information, then the Treasury De-
partment should prohibit the entry inn
mediately of all Soviet pulpwooo ana
lumber, until such time as the agents
of the Treasury Department are per-
mitted to make a thorough investiga-
ton and ascertain the facts by and
with the permission and cooperation
Of the Soviet government"
Convinced of Atrocities.
'T am firmly convinced" declared
Mr.. Fish, that large part of the
lumber produced in Soviet Russia is
through the use not only of convict
labor, but through the most appalling
suffering, brutality and atrocities to
many scores of thousands of helpless
and innocent people. 1 urge that the
aroused conscience of the American
people shall demand of President Hoo
yer and the Federal Government that
the United States shall not abet in
this bloody crime against civilization"
10 oA concluded the Rpnrp-
sentative, that no more lumber or pulp
wood is brought into the United States
from Soviet Russia in competition with
free American labor and in violation
and degradation of humanity"
Moffett Hits Disarmament
Lack of armaments has never proved
an insurance against wars, declared
Rear Admiral w. A. Moffett, chief OF
aeronautics, u. S. N, who, in an address
this afternoon before the conference,
urged the immediate carrying forward
of the naval program as provided for
the United States in the London naval
treaty.
TT has been said" declared Admiral
Moffett," that ornaments make Tor war.
We can Judge by our own history"
Calling attention to the five wars IN
which the United States has been en-
gagged since the Revolution of 1776, Ao-
miral Moffett said: "At none OF these
periods were we armed and yet war was
forced upon us. Many OF you would
have been spared suffering had this
country been a real sea power in 1914.
If we had had an adequate Army and
Navy at that time, the responsible lead
ers in Germany would have considered
us before going to war, instead of re-
garding us with contempt. We could
have forbidden war by declaring that we
would oppose them with real force"
Cites Belgian Plight.
Admiral Moffett cited the case Of
Belgium's fate during the World War
and declared Treaties are not worth
the paper on which they are written
unless backed by sufficient force"
Development of aviation as a means
of national defense was urged by the
Nays air chief.
Admiral Moffett also spoke in favor
of development of the American mer-
chant marine.
No compromise should be given to
Soviet Russia, declared Gen. Amos
Fries, who urged military training for
the youth of this country as the Ma
tons greatest need" and warned that
great danger lay in the spreading OF
communistic teaching in the United
States.
"The world cannot continue half
Communist and half free" said Gen.
Fries. THE Russian Communists know
they must spread Communism through
out the world, and thus destroy all free
people, or else eventually the free peo-
pie of the world will destroy COM
munistic Russia
Enumerating the benefits Of military
training for boys, Gen Fries said: 1T
teaches the boy joyful obedience 10
properly constituted authority. BY d.
rection and by inference he Is taught
to oppose all that is wrong and EVIL
and beyond all that honor Is TO be con-
sidered before his life"
Representative Douglas Speaks.
At the morning session, Lewis w.
Douglas, Representative from Arizona,
speaking on national defense, declared
that national defense need not be con-
fined TO physical and material power.
1t occasionally may be fitting to specu-
late on the inner destructive forces
which slowly and imperceptibly are cor
roding our structure of Government.
Mr. Douglas warned against the
rapidly increasing encroachment OF
Federal power over individual States
rights.
Local responsibility" he declared.
sis dying lingering death"
Frederick H. Payne, Assistant Secre-
industrial preparedness. declaring that
a nations ability TO mobilize industrially
was as important as its ability to mo-
billie men for national defense.
ITO you assembled here, would urge
the careful consideration and active
support of industrial preparedness. BY
so doing, you emphasize the Intelligence
and vision of your citizenship" said Mr..
Payne.
Music was offered at the mornings
session by the United States Army
Band Reports of committees were made
by Mrs n. N. Mock, chairman of the
American War Mothers. and Mrs. Kath-
crime w. Kittredge. chairman of the
Credential Committee, Daughters of the
American Revolution.
After adjournment of the mornings
session, delegates were received at 1890
by President Hoover at the White
House.
An imposing scene was offered last
evening at the opening exercises OF the
conference in Memorial Continental
Hall. To the music Of the United
states Marine Band, standard bearers
carving the banners of the 40 patriotic
organizations participating filed down
fine center aisle of the hall to the
stage. where they stacked their pen
Ynants and took their seats. High
school Cadets and Girl Scouts served
as pages.
After the invocation, pronounced by
Lieut.. Col Thomas j. Dickson, U. 5. A.
retired, an address of welcome, deliv'
erred BY Mrs. Lowell Fletcher Hobart
G.nrida,1k general ID. A. r.. and