Evening star., 1948-06-03
Anti-Mundt Bill Demonstration
Costs $4,000, Plus 3 Arrests
Leaders Remain to Map Plans to Defeat
Measure and Fight for Civil Rights
By Robert K. Walsh

BY kobert n. Woish
| Demonstrators in a one-day
washington stand against the
Mundt-Nixon Communist con-
troll bill counted the cost con-
servatively at $50,O00 for picket
ing the White House, button
holing Senators and gathering
for a Sylvan Theater session
that turned into a Wallace-for-
President rally.
Most of the 1000 were back home
today in New York, New Jersey ano
Pennsylvania, and in lesser num-
bers in a dozen other States. Many
said they paid their own fares
Others reported their expenses were
covered by some of the more than &c
labor union locals and civil rights
organizations that repeatedly ar
ranged the turnout.
A follow-up meeting of about So
delegation leaders today broke into
a long argument on move to eject
two men who refused to identity
themselves.
The group voted to let the men
remain. Former Representative
Jerry j. O'Connell of Montana,
general chairman of the demonstra-
ton, said I'VE have nothing to hide. y
One of the men assured the dele
gates that you don't have to worry
about us"
The meeting at the Vermont Ave-
nue. Baptist Church, at Vermont
avenue and P street NV, decided
to send representatives to the Sen
ate Judiciary Committees session
tomorrow on the Mundt bill. Al
though the session is scheduled as
closed, the delegates said they would
ask an opportunity to testify.
Among immediate results OF the
demonstration were the arrest OF
two persons charged with disorderly
conduct at the Senate Office Build
ing. and an admission that some
members of the visiting groups were
Communists. At least one OF the
organizations that sent delegates
was on the Attorney Generals list
of subversive groups. A protest was
made in its behalf to Assistant At
torney General Quinn yesterday.
A third arrest was reported late
in the afternoon when about Is
persons, some of them Negroes, went
into the Astor Restaurant near the
Ring Building at Eighteenth street
and Connecticut avenue NV. Police
said they arrested Gloria Gioielli
Is, of Woodside, Long Island, when
she refused to leave the restaurant
after the group was unable to
obtain service. She was charged with
disorderly conduct and forfeited SIS
collateral.
John Roussos, the proprietor, said
his employees would not serve the
group. When the group left after an
hour he closed the restaurant until
pm, he said.
At the two noon rallies the
demonstrators were given lists OF
segregated and non-segregated eat
ing places. They were informed that
inter-racial groups had sometimes
broken Jim Crow rules in two chain
restaurant organizations here.
Robson Gets Ovation.
The most popular figure, judging
from the ovation he received at the
wind-up rally near the Washington
Monument last night, was Paul
Robson, the singer. Mr.. Robson
on Monday. at Senate Judiciary
Committee hearing on the Mundt
bill, refused to tell whether he was
a Communist.
Representatives Marcantoniu and
Isacson, American Labor Party
members from New York, also
aroused cheers. Mr. Marcantonio
asserted that Senators Vandenberg
Republican, of Michigan and Taft
Republican, of Ohio are chiefly re-
sponsible for Illustration and delay
on civil rights measures.
Mr.. Isacson attacked both major
parties but exclaimed that for
tunately there is one group with a
policy and a program, and that is
the group that follows Henry A
Wallace"
The Communist question came ur
earlier as approximately 1900 dem.
onstrators, in groups of 5 to so
converged on the Capitol and Sen.
ate Office Building 10 interview
Senators. They managed to SEE
fewer than a half dozen Senators
although secretaries of two or three
read statements opposing the
Mundt bill.
When a group, introducing itsel1
as representing various Maryland
labor units, called on Senator
O'Conor, the groups spokesman re-
fused to say whether any of the
visitors was a Communist.
Senator O'Conor said later hi
brought the conference to a "quicl
halt when one of the delegation re.
fused to take an unqualified posi-
ton on the question" The Senator
said he asked the question aftel
another in the group had "volun'
teered the information that SOm(
members of the organization prob
ably were Communists.
Wallace Camp Criticized.
The demonstration brought ,
charge from heads of the CIC
United Auto Workers that "Henr,
Wallace and his Communist collab
orators seem to be trying to pro
woke" Congress into passing tn
bill. The union opposes the bill.
Let's keep the Communist Part.
and its front organizations, it
stooges and dupes above ground,
Emil Macy, acting president o
the union, said in telegram to tn
Senate committee"