Evening star., 1940-01-22
CoughIin
Continued From First Page

my stand beside the Christian
Frontiers"
He said that, recognizing also
that in one sense the opposition to
Communism is on trial, 1 freely
choose to be identified as friend
OF the accused"
If the charges cannot be sub
stantiated, he said, the II deserve
"official exoneration." If they are
guilty, he said, "let them suffer the
penalty of the law
Referring to the arrests as "Mr.
Hoover's q. Edgar HooveD descent
upon a group of Christian young
men," Father Coughlin charged that
erroneous reports had been pub
1ished regarding the extent of fire.
arms seizures and that sinister
implications" had been falsely made
from the case.
mo wonder" he said, "that GER
tain news journals whose editors
endeavor to avoid prejudice and
who resent being duped by propa-
ganda-no wonder they regret that
the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
ton, with its admirable chieftain
j. Edgar Hoover, was used as a
springboard from which was cata-
pulled an attack upon members of
the Christian Front"
General Aims Praised.
'They know that the Christian
Front stands for God and country
even though few crackpots, as they
call them, found entrance into its
ranks"
Mr.. Hoover has said the II hac
been training to set up Hitlerlike
Jew-baiting government in this
country.
Shortly after the men were jailed
the Justice Department was asked
by 16 persons-including Prof. Har-
old c. Urey of Columbia University
and Robert w. Searle, general Sec
retary of the Greater New York
Council of Churches-to investigate
any possible connection Father
Coughlin might have with the ar
, rested men.
The radio priests address last
night was heard at a Christian
Front rally in the Bronx, before
which Albert Gunnison, the move
ment's Bronx leader, said, THE
Christian Front will see that these
men get fair trial, even if every
Christian Front man lands in jail.
Charges of Politics Made.
Father Coughlin commented that
although Mr.. J. Edgar Hoover
and his colleagues were careful tc
describe them (the II accused) a.
members of two distinct rifle clubs
nevertheless the press of the Ma.
ton saw fit to identify all OF tken
with the Christian Front, thereby
placing that organization and thost
who sponsored and encouraged il
on trial before the bar CT publ,
opinion"
Mayor La Guardia of New York,
Father Coughlin said, properly ridi
culed the entire affair as ludicrous
Some public officials intimated tina
the Government was playing poll
tics with the Department of Jus
tice."
While the major charge agains
the II Is sedition, Father Coughlil
said, much has been made of mino
charges. "Chief" of these, he said
is that the accused group, togethe
with all members of the Christian
Front, stand for anti-Semitism.
He himself has repeatedly deniet
charges of aGti-Semitism on hi
part.
$50 much effort has been mad
to emphasize this latter charge" h
said, that the impression is nov
created in the minds of millions o
newspaper readers and radi
listeners that the arrest of certain
individuals belonging to this groul
of Christians will prove to be
benediction because it will result ii
the liquidation of Father Coughlil
and his followers who are repre-
sented as the chief anti-Semites il
America"
Bearing out this point, the prizes
said, were editorials in the Balti
more Sun of January 16 and in tn
New York Daily News of the sam
date.
Charges Seizures Exaggerated.
Judging from these anG sin,ila
editorials" he added, zone migt
suspect that the main charges {
sedition were only incidental, an
that the main purpose in jailin
these youths and in smearing tn
name of the Christian Front was t
use the majesty Ct t',c rsate not onl