Montana labor news., 1948-06-03

Sole opposition witness hear
of hearings schedul was
Rep. Leo Isacson C 'ortcal
Isacson said the so-calleo D.
versive activities control bill
would throttle free thought
and would bring great dis
aster to the American people,"
The bill has been brought before
the senate judiciary committee with
unprecedented speed. Civil rights
legislation, including an anti-lynch
bill. has been allowed to languish in
the committee for more than a year.
AS a result of the s%uddenness with
which the hearings were called. the
committee met in the big senate eau.
Gus room with less than so people in
attendance. Through much OF the
session, committee chairman Alexan-
der Wiley Or. Wis., sat alone at the
committee table. No Democratic
member of the committee appeared
at any time.
In his testimony as leadoff witness,
Richberg said he thought the Mundt
bill was necessary and constitutional.
Richberg's qualifications as a consti.
tutiOnal lawyer are based on years Of
representing major corporate inter.
ests. He was considered one OF the
guiding spiritsAin the drafting OF the
Taft-Hartley law. He recently came
out against a fair employment prac-
tees law.
Wiley used his questions to Rich.
berg as a way to try to refute an edi.
torial which appeared the same day
in the influential Washington Post.
The Post is probably found at the
breakfast table Of more congressman
than any other paper. 1t said:
Senator Wiley's announcement
that the judiciary committee he heads
will accord the Mundt-N Nixon bill pub
lie hearings today. tomorrow and Sat.
urday Is a travesty on the legislative
process This legislation, proposing
as 1t does the most sweeping program
Of political repression since the alien
and sedition laws were enacted a
century and a half ago, deserves more
than three days of perfunctory con-
sideration."
In a series of angry Interruptions
to Isacson's testimony Wiley also in
dicated a sensitivity to the more than
1000 kilograms on the Mundt bill
which he said he had received. He
nearly shouted as he said he would
not be influenced by what he called
Communist pressure.
Isacson retorted that the volume of
the protest mail proved there are con-
siderable numbers Of non-Communist
Americans who oppose the bill. 1t
was revealed by a committee spokes-
man that the mail has been running
10 to l against the bill.
Richberg and other witnesses sup
porting the bill including Rep. Rich
ard Nixon Or, Call, tried to quiet
fears that the Mundt bill might be
used to outlaw, unions. However, even
as they spoke a report came from the
Justice department that several un-
ions might appear IN Atty. Gen. Tom
Clark's next list OF prescribed organ
~izations. The attorney generals list
would be the basis for enforced regis
tration OF organizations.
1t was learned that Clark and new
party presidential candidate Henry
Wallace would testify May 20. Wiley
said to Isacson that Wallace would be
allowed" to speak.
lsacson, a Wallace supporter, said
the latter represented a considerable
body of Americans and his right to
speak was mo- a matter Of s%uffrance.'
During a heated exchange Wiley
asked Isacson II he Is a Communist.
1sacson said he is not, and went on to
say that the asking of the question
illustrates what is wrong with the
bill. He said:
The mere fact Of opposition appar-
emily establishes foundation in the
minds Of the committee Of suspicion
Of communism. Is 1t now improper
eve to oppose the bill?"