Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-08-24
More Smith Fascism

In line with the local efforts to squelch the
recall movement directed at our terrorist Mayor
Smith, come dispatches from Oregon indicating
that similar tactics are in use against workers
everywhere. Smith, alegedly paying from his
own pocket to have the names of recallpetitiOn
signers copied from lists and forwarded to fas
cist employers who may bring pressure upon
their employees to Withdraw signatures-and
County officials in Oregon checking lists of sign
ers of petition to place the Communist Party
on the Ballot, then terrOrizing the singers-here
is pretty parallel.
Illustrating the close connection between
fascist tools and capitalists determined to crush
out the voice of true public opinion all over
the country Tactics adopted in one district
are quickly copied in remote regions. Anything
to keep the working class from having any
real voice in the government. The facts about
the local efforts at back-stabbing the recall
campaign are too well known to need repeti-
ton.
Read the fragrant abuse of wOrker-citzen's
rights in Oregon:
Recently when a petition was circulated to
get the Communist Party the ballot, 200
ClatsOp County voters signed it. This petition
was checked at the County Clerks office and
the county officials took advantage of this OPP
portunity to publish the names OF the sgners
in the AstOrian-Budget branding them all as
Communists All workers on relief jobs who had
signed the DeUlIfOIl were llTeIl AlsO NOIh-
ers on other jobs were layed off. As a result of
this the bourgeois Portland News-Telegram pub
lished the following editorial
"A POOR PRECEDENT"
"Clatsop and Jackson Counties are linked
in an interesting experiment.
County courts of the two districts have
ruled that no one connected with the Commun-
list Party will be given relief.
1T seems an odd method OF securing converts
20 II folIoU hat an
radical if starved long enough, would with
draw his card from the radical party, and sign up
as a decent Democrat or Republican, and be
given square meal.
More strange is the origin of the ruling.
County judges and others of the court appar-
emily back the ruling. The Jackson county dis
trict attorneys office is aiding in determining
affiliations.
As things stand right now, there is a rec
ognized Communist political party in the state.
"A Communist cannot be prosecuted for be-
ing Communist Communist may be prose
cuted for being law-breaker.
"The probable result of the experiment will
be that the prosecuted reds will be given state
wide publicity, will attract sympathy by their
plight, and will gain new members from the I'M
employed who are none too pleased with things
in general
"Multnomah County steamed up its patriot
ism several years ago. tried 10 radicals convicted
one and then found the l0-year sentence was a
trifle barbaric. The prisoner, Ben BolOff con-
tracted tuberculosis and died shortly after be-
ing released from prison. Ben Boloff was then
martyr to the radical cause, and his name was
spread in a national radical campaign.
THE sad feature of the experiment is: Men
must eat. Oregons radicals and unemployed
have been among the best behaved in the ma
ton. Deprived of food-and food is hard to get
-men will act. The governing bodies are then
put in position rs first movers In violence.