Evening star., 1936-03-01

Better Economic Order ANY one
who knows Communism as exemplifed
in Russia today and who is still willing
to live in Communist state as pri-
vate citizen is fit subject for the
judicial process known as de lunatico
tnquirendo.' deteSt the Communist
mentality, proposals and propaganda,
but believe that our beloved America
is in less danger from the preaching
Of the Communists than from certain
professedly Communism propa-
ganda which is, in reality, directed
against social justice.
"Soon after the close of the Great
War, I saw the anti-red hysteria
which nearly resulted in the enact
ment Of a congressional statute that
would have imposed a fine of $4,000
and 10 years Imprisonment upon any
person who advocated the violation of
any law of the United States. And
the Volstead act was then on the
statute books. For the last two or
three years we have been witnessing a
resurgence of political heresy- hunting.
It's various manifestations exemplify
the same method, Technology and
technique. Certain newspapers and
politicians and masters of industry
and finance strive to make the people
believe that the New Deal is Commu-
nism, more or less disguised. The
anti-red rider is calculated to persuade
the inhabitants of the District of CO.
lumbia that the entire teaching body
is Communistic. During the hearings
before the School Board on certain
text books that were attacked as red,
the assertion was deliberately made
that one Of the most eminent histo-
rians in the United States, Prof. Carl
Becker Of Cornell, is well-known
Communist. Here is the danger that
threatens us: Effective measures of
economic reform and social justice will
become widely discredited if the epithet
Communist is hurled at them and
made to stick.
"Nor is this the whole of the danger.
From prohibitions of teaching COM
muinsm to prohibitions of teaching
'subversive' doctrine, both without
and within the schools is only one
short step. If we are to judge from
the frequency with which it is used
and the evident satisfaction which is
derived therefrom by the users, we
must conclude that 'subversive' has
become . more blessed word than
'Mesopotania' 1t is vague enough and
elastic enough to take in such meas
ures as the holding company act, the
+. v. A. and the Guffey coal bill, for
do not all of these restrict substan-
TALLY the rights Of property? And are
not all such attacks upon property
fundamentally communistic? Under
. reactionary Congress and reac-
tionary national administration, all
such measures could be prohibited
and every other legislative proposal
that is anathema to the National As
sociation of Manufacturers and the
American Liberty League"
Wagner May Introduce Bill.
The fight to repeal the rider also is
expected to spread to the Senate this
week with the introduction of a bill
similar to that sponsored by Sisson.
Senator Wagner, Democrat, of New
York, who Is said to be sympathetic
with Sisson's move, probably will in
troduce the measure.
In an effort to expedite hearings on
the Sisson bill so that it can be re-
ported to the House in time for con-
sideration the next District day, March
., the Education Subcommittee of
the House will hold an all-day session
tomorrow. Chairman Norton of the
District Committee has been granted
permission by the House for an all-day
hearing.
In the meantime, requests for an
opportunity to be heard are piling up
in the District Committee, in addition
to resolutions urging repeal of the
rider. Some of the most recent reso-
lutions were received from the Citi-
Eens' Association of Chevy Chase, the
Professional Directors of Religious
Education Of the District and the Par