Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-01-23
Browder Brands
Conviction a Move
In Drive Toward War
Coils 1t On Honor to Be
A Victim Of U. S. Fight
Against Civil Liberties
By the Associated Press.

~ the Associated PreSS.
NEW YORK, Jan. 23.-The Gov
eminent, pursuing it's drive against
Federal law violations that might
have foreign implications, added to
its list today the conviction of Earl
Browder on passport fraud charges
"a conviction the Communist
leader said was "but one movement
In the drive toward war"
Browder was silent yesterday as
he left the courtroom where he had
been sentenced to four years in
prison and fined $4,000, but he went
to Madison Square Garden Lenin
memorial rally few hours. later to
lash out against the Government
after pleading in court in his own
behalf that he was victim of
Federal campaign against "civil
rights"
Browder, native of Kansas and
head of the American Communist
party. heard his verdict after
four-day trial and 45-minute jury
elaboration. He was convicted on
CdSll VI lWO COulltS VIldl llllSlll have
brought him 10 years in prison.
His bail of $500 was continued
until tomorrow, when he must ap-
pear for approval of new bond
pending an appeal.
At the Lenin mass meeting
Browder termed his conviction a
great honor"
10000 Hear Him.
The 0O00-capacity Garden was
filled to hear the man who served a
prison term for draft-dodging dur
ing the World War and who was his
party's presidential candidate in
1898.
After his speech, the rally by a
rising vote adopted a resolution de-
claring his conviction was "a YER
dict not only against Earl Browder,
but against all Americans who
cherish peace. freedom and we'll
being"
1t pledged, also, an "uncompro-
missing struggle to keep Earl Brow
der free-free to work for peace, for
well-being, for the socialist reorgan-
ization of society"
At his trial, the defense offered
no witnesses and Browder, calling
himself correspondence school
lawyer, argued his own case.
He was warned several times from
the bench to stick to evidence and
it was this he referred to when he
told his Garden audience that he
was prohibited from speaking ex-
cept within the limits laid down by
the Judge. Above all, was pro-
hibited from discussing the motives
Of the prosecution"
Curb on Labor Seen.
In his speech he paid little atten-
ton to the details of his trial, of his
conviction on charges-which he
had admitted anyway-of using
names not his own on passports sc
that he might pass through coun-
tries where his Communistic ident-
ity might have proved troublesome
Instead, he told his listeners:
ut is not enough to say that the
motives of the prosecution lie in the
general campaign of the ruling class
to prepare this country for war. The
trial today is the opening gun tc
curb the labor movement.
ut belongs with the war and hun
ger budget-the campaign against
labor leaders"
He said a capitalist court" hac
convicted him because the Com.
munists stand in the way of effort.
of President Roosevelt and Wal
Street to drag us into the imperialist
war"
Browder said the Communist party
had supported the New Deal "up tt
last August, when a great shift
had taken place and the New Dea
abandoned its progressive program
in favor of an alliance with its
erstwhile "reactionary opponent"
$50 long as the camp of reaction
found any obstacle in the New Deal
we supported it" he shouted "But
when peace was made with the
economic royalists, they could MOI
carry us along with them.
Poor Relations.
eve Communists were a part o.
the Democratic bloc. We were the
poor relations. even though Gov
Lehman occupies his position in.
stead of Thomas E. Dewey Gre.
publican gubernatorial candidate ii
the last New York State election,
on account of the votes of the Com.
munist party"
Referring to Supreme Court Jus
tice Frank Murphy, he said:
when the Governor of Michigan
in 1888 was deserted by his owl
political machine and faced with +:
stiff fight with the Republicans, h
was glad to get the support of tn
Communist party. He woult
not deny he had long intimate con
ferences with Communists as to hov
best to conduct his campaign TO
Governor.
But he lost. After he wa
defeated he saw a great light. HI
became convinced he had made {
great mistake when he failed to heet
the advice of some of our hes
families And there was opened VI
the prospect for him to retire to tn
most exclusive old mems club II
America.
But before he could do that, h
had to present certain guarantees
some head on a charger Tina
is one of the smaller angles to tn
sentence in the Federal Distric
Court today"