The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-04-17
ON THE
CAPITALS CUFF
BY HENRY ION

There is a federal grand jury II
Washington that's breathing heavy
down the neck of Rep. Clare Hoffman
(R., Mich. J., the gentleman from Mich
igan who delights in the homespun
brand of barnyard humor in his at
tacks on labor.
The thing that has the federal
grand jury interested Is the number OF
under-the-rock jewellers who made use
of Hoffman's speeches, printed in the
Congressional Record at the public's
expense and then distributed via
ranked envelopes.
One such distributor is an Omaha
editor named Charles B. Hudson. Hud-
son recently refused to tell the grand
jury, which is investigating axis
agents, who printed card which was
enclosed in the envelope with Hoff-
mans speech.
Hudson was sent to jail for three
months.
Hoffman's speech was titled: Don't
Haul Down the Stars and Stripes"
In it he called President Roosevelt a
Judas" The members of the house
heard it January 81 and on January
80, $4,000 reprints were ordered from
the government printing office to-
gether with $4,000 franked envelopes
to carry them through the mails post
age free.
Hudson is the editor of America
in Danger" a Jew-baiting, Roosevelt
hating little bulletin which proclaims,
END the War Quickly" 1t adver-
tises the Hoffman speeches in guam
tity, % for 10 cents.
Other Hoffman fans, it was re-
ported, are Hermann D. Messenger, a
Kansas City lawyer who was fire.
quent contributor to the paper of the
German American bund, Deutscher
Weckruf and Deobachter. He was
arrested December II on charges of
attempting to interfere with the pros
ecution of the war and released on
December 20 by order of Attorney
General Francis Biddle.
In March Messenger got several hun
dred copies of Hoffman's Roosevelt
is a Judas" speech.
Gerald B. Winrod, notorious Kansas
was another of Hoffman's
fans. He was called before the grand
jury to testify.
Another Hoffman fan to come be-
fore the grand jury is Mrs. David
Stanley, wife of an Aluminium Co. of
America employe and leader of a
group called United Mothers of
This group held confer
ence in Cleveland on March 81 at
which the principal speaker was a
Mrs. Agnes Waters. Mrs. Waters
the jailed German agent,
George Viereck, a patriot and Presi-
lent Roosevelt "a traitor"
Other Hoffman fans are John Gels,
exported to be a Christian Frontier of
Long Island, Charles W.
Phillips who publishes bulletin in
Lincoln, Neb, Mrs. Beatrice Knowles
If the American Mothers" of De-
:roit, and Mrs. William B. Sheldon of
he League of Constitutional Liber-
les, Brooklyn, ~ Y.
Not all of the names of Hoffman's |
ans and distributors are available. |
Who the rest are only the rabid Michi-
yander himself could say.
The card which Hudson distributed |
With Hoffman's speeches and which |
the curiosity of the grand |
ury was headed west Africa Is Not |
ICELAND = It's Anything But Nice |
land" At the bottom 1t had the note |
This card is intended only for Amer
cans in possession Of their full civic |
lights. 1t is not intended for the |
Lrmed forces of the U. S. A"
This notation was regarded as an
.ttempt to avoid penalties for melting
nsurrection in the nations armed
orces
1t was Hudson's refusal to say who
rinted the card that accompanied
Ioffman's speech that led to his be-
ng jailed Does it make any differ
nee who printed it?" Hudson said,
,hen told by Judge Bailey that he
lust answer.
nat CdIu iS HUI buDNeISlf0. Dc
ides | said my friends were perse-
uted by a committee of Jews and
nat reporter left out the word Jews"
have bunch that there would be
lore questions of the same kind.
"My holding" replied the judge, '1s
nat you are in contempt of court"
How close the grand jury will get