Evening star., 1942-05-10

Like Social Justice, the Philadelphia
Herold, circulation 10000, is accused un-
der the Espionage Act of having carried
on "a sustained and systematic attack"
on the Nations war activities.
The issue of the paper for May was
admitted to the mails after a review
which showed, the Post Once Depart
ment said, marked change in the tone
of its contents. The department an
nounced, however, that the hearing on
the Herolds second-class franchise
would be held as scheduled.
The fourth paper to be officially ac-
cused of violating the Espionage Act was
the violently anti-Semitic, anti-British
and Roosevelt-hating weekly published
by Court Asher at Muncie, Ind, under
the name of the X-Ray. A hearing to
permit Asher to defend his second-class
mailing franchise will be held here
May 10.
AS in the cases of Social Justice and
the Herold, the Attorney General at
tributed to the Muncie paper part in q
sustained systematic attack on the war
effort. THE danger of such an attack"
he added, has already been amply
illustrated by the fate of other countries
where the Axis utilized such an attack
to prepare the way for military con-
quest"
Editor and Son Indicted.
Last week fifth paper, Publicity.
published at Wichita, Kans., felt the
effects of the anti-sedition drive when
its editor, Elmer j. Garner, 76, and his
son. James F. Garner, were indicted by
a Federal grand jury at Kansas City,
Kans., on charges of having conspired
TO impede recruiting for the armed forces
of the United States and to foment dis
loyalty among men already in uniform.
The indictment was in language which
strongly indicated that similar action
against other papers would soon be
taken.
Statements quoted from Publicity as
being seditious included not only that
papers own outgivings on the war but
material it had picked up from other
publications on the unatic fringe Of
Fascism. The Garners had used, for ex-
ample, an article from the Beacon
Light, published at Atascadero, Calf, by
William Kullgren, which predicted civil
war" in the United States and the sui
eide of persons holding responsible
positions in the Nations Capital"
There are some go other sheets which,
to greater or less degree, have been
echoing the Axis propaganda. All are
under close watch by the Department Of
Justice. the Post Office Department and
other official agencies.
In addition, special grand juries are
being set up under instructions of Mr..
Biddle to assist in a general campaign
of enforcement of the laws against sedi-
tion. The work Of these juries-one at
Chicago, one at Los Angeles and others
to be announced-will supplement that
of the jury which has been in session
here for several months and whose in
dictments have resulted in the jailing Of
such outstanding Nazi agents as George
Sylvester Viereck and Laura ingalls,.
Others In Roundup.
Individuals who have fallen into the
Biddle net include two Californians,
Robert Noble and Ellis o. Jones, whose
release on Mr.. Biddle's orders after an
earlier arrest caused storm of protest.
Mr.. Biddle at that time was leaning over
backward to maintain free speech. Noble
and Jones were kept under surveillance,
with the result that F.. B. l. agents
rounded them up for dangerous inter-
ference with the conduct of the war"
after their release in December.
Conspicuous among others who have
been arrested on charges of subversive
activity is George w. Christians of Chat
tanooga, Tenn, organizer of the Eco.
nomic Liberty Movement and the CRU
sader White Shirts
Such are some of the extremists,
among papers and individuals, whose
activities warrant the description of
Fascist" Not so clear is the category
in which should be placed other ele-
ments which, in varying degree and
from varying motives, have followed a
divisive line. Elements of this kind,
which include a segment of the metro
politan press, have been roughly Jumped