Evening star., 1944-05-23
Sedition
Continued From First Page)

President "conspired" with Premier
Stain and Prime Minister Church.
ILL.,"
If these defendants talked and
wrote as the Government charges
Mr.. Klein said, they were doing nc
more than great many Other
Americans who were never indicted
Il filed charges for Mr.. Roosevelt's
impeachment before / came into
this case" Mr.. Klein added, "but
1 am not charged with crime. The
law gives me that right
Contempt Motions Denied.
At the outset to today's session OF
the trial, Justice Eicher denied mo-
tions by James j. Laughlin of de-
tense counsel for orders citing fol
alleged contempt Of court Special
Prosecutors Rogge and Joseph W.
Burns, the Washington Post and its
editor. Eugene Meyer. The citations
were asked because of news stories
and an editorial which the news
paper published.
Mr.. Laughlin charged that the
prosecutors improperly gave ad-
vance information for news accounts
of the trial.
I'VE will prove" said Mr.. Klein,
that the groundwork for Com
munism in the United States al
ready has been laid and that all
that is needed Is a word from
Joseph Stain for the final act, to
turn this Republic into communis-
tic Soviet country.
I'VE viii prove that Communists
control not only our Government
but our politics, our labor organiza.
ton, our agriculture, our mines, oul
industries, our war plants and oul
armed encampments."'
In charging that the defense
would show Premier Stain "has OBJ.
tanned obsolute control over Presi.
dent Roosevelt, Mr. Klein added:
And Congress has virtually abdi.
Gated during the past 10 years
That's why these defendants wrot'
and condemned what they believe,
was inimical to our Government, in
cluding Mr. Roosevelt himself"
DayQuietest So Far.
Despite the explosive nature o
Mr. Kleinis opening statement, tn,
trial proceeded in quiet and orderl,
way. 1t was, in fact, the least dis
turbed OF all the sessions by mid
day There was no recurrence O
the bitter argument between defens'
tables and the bench which brough
Mr.. Klein a $206 contempt of -cour
fine yesterday and Ellis o. Jones, 4,
defendant, $l00 fine. = =.
MIR. Klein represents Eugene N
Sanctuary, retired Army colonel, whit
served in the last war.
Mr.. Klein's opening statement wa.
followed by one from Mr.. Jones
who is defending himself.
MIR. Jones saiG the offenses with
which he was charged consisted ir
spreading doctrines in Los Angelo.
which some members of Congress.
still were expressing.
He quoted members as having
said, in effect, I'VE are not In tn,
war because we were attacked. but
we attacked because We were al
ready in the war through our lease
lend plan"
I've always been for the ade
quate defense Of our country" Mr.
Jones added. Anybody who is no
is a fool"
Believes President Sincere,
Unlike many other critics, he add.
ed, he thought President Roosevelt
was sincere in saying he wanted te
keep us out Of war. but the Presi.
dent wanted everything short o1
war" to cover up failures of thu
New Deal at home.
In an earlier opening statemen,
Joseph H. Bilbrey, counsel for Fran,
K. Ferenz, challenged the Govern.
ment's theory in the case that tn,
defendants conspired with the Nazi
to overthrow the United States Gov
ernment and in doing so violated 4,
law OF 1910 forbidding the under
mining of the morale and loyalty O
the armed forces.
The armed forces. Mr.. Bilbrey de-
clared, are not required to suppor
any particular form of American gov
ernment. Other democracies-and h
cited Cuba-have set up rigid die
tatorships under the constitutions
he contended.
This indictment" Mr.. Bilbre,
told the jury, lis an insult to mer
in the service. It's assuming tina,
they would be Influenced by such .
conspiracy"