Evening star., 1938-10-21

SueS.
By the Associated Press.
Edwin Hughes. police captain at
Flint, Mich, told House Investigators
today that man he knows as a Com
munist used sound truck to incite
rioting at Flint's Fisher Body plant
In January, 1887
Testifying before a committee in
vestigating un-American activities,
Capt. Hughes expressed the belief that
"the Communist party attempted to
dominate" the strike, a sit-down affair
He said Victor Reuther, whose name
has entered many times into the COM
rnittee's inquiry into Communist ac-
tivities, was the man who shouted
through the sound trucks amplifiers.
Victor Reuther exhorted the people
to attack" he said, and to go home
and get their guns and come back and
give the police the licking they de-
served"
Police ran out of tear gas in about
20 minutes, Capt. Hughes related, and
1t was necessary to resort to fire.
arms" to restore order around the
plant.
Fourteen police and about the same
number of civilians required hospital
treatment, he said, for gunshot
wounds and the effects of tear gas.
Martin Unable to Appear.
Chairman Dies. Democrat. of Texas
said he expected to question persons
from both Lansing and Flint. He had
subpoenaed Homer Martin, president
Of the United Auto Workers Union, for
his first witness, but Mr. Martin re-
ported he was i'll and asked that his
appearance be postponed until next
week.
The executive board of the U. A. w.,
c. I. o. affiliate, recently REIN
stated four national officers Who had
been expelled after disputes over
union policies.
A number of witnesses have testi-
fed that Communists dominated the
union and other labor organizations
in Michigan.
James Mitchell of Detroit, former
welfare chairman of u A. w. local,
told the committee yesterday that
President Martin had tried every
thing in his power" to rid the union
Of Communists.
But it seems" Mr.. Mitchell added,
that they are on the inside of the
international union"
Predicts an Awful Clash"
Fred w. Frahm, Detroit police
superintendent, testified that labor
organizations in the Detroit area were
being destroyed by Communists and
that union men were dropping out
in droves"
He said Communists were respon-
sible for at least rs per cent of the
237 sit-doWn strikes that had oc-
Cured in Detroit in 1886. 1887 and
1898.
The witness added that unless Com
munist influences are removed from
the city's labor unions an awful
clash" is coming and "a lot Of peo-
pie are going to get hurt"
People Taken for Ride.
Another witness, John P. McGillis,
secretary of the Detroit Council of
the Knights of Columbus. testified
that Communist organizations had COL
lected thousands and thousands of
dollars in Detroit" for which no ac-
counting had ever been given.
They take the American people for
suckers" he said. "and laugh about
1t afterward."" He added that Com
munism was "a racket and had
taken the American people for a
beautiful ride"
Representative Mosier, Democrat, of
Ohio asked Police Supt. Frahm many
questions as to whether he had had
any help from the State of Michigan
in putting down the strike situation
The answer was that he had had
none, but he later told reporters that
he had not asked the State for any.
Gov. Frank Murphy, he said in
response to further questioning from
Representative Mosier, had made nu-
merous speeches to labor organizations
''on May Day. or any of their big
days, or at their demonstrations" On
one occasion, he continued. Gov. Muir
ply was in Detroit store when a
sit-down strike was called.
Was With Labor Head.
The Governor was sitting on box"
with Frank Martel, head of the Detroit
Federation of Labor, he said When
Representative Mosier questioned him
further, the witness said he could not
say whether the Governor was "encour-
aging or discouraging" the strike.
His warning of what might be ex-
pected, unless Communist elements are
eliminated from the unions, came in
answer to a question from Chairman
Dies as to the effect of the wave of
strikes and of Communist agitation on
law and order.
During the afternoon session, Chair
man Dies read telegram from Bene-
dict Wolf, once an attorney for the
Labor Relations Board, denying that
he invited Ralph Knox to become a
member of the Communist party. Knox
had so asserted Wednesday. Wolf said
the statement was entirely false, and
that his only connection with Knox
a.-f ~.