The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1948-08-20

ficials using brass knuckles
and gun butts on fellow Americans whose
only crime was that they belonged to the
Democratic party.
But for all the lynch" atmosphere, all the
witchhunts, all of the wrecking of the private
lives of fellow Americans probably none has
been so brazen as the latest ''red herring
fiasco being pulled off by no less than seven
congressional committees over the 'Stesti-
mony" of one Elizabeth Bentley and one Will
liam Chambers.
That this so-called testimony of Miss Bent
ley and Mr.. Chambers had been viewed re-
viewed and re-reviewed several times over by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
found wanting is of little Importance to head
line-hunting Mr.. Thomas and his coterie of
un-American vultures. That President Tru-
man and the FBI have indicated that the
Testimony" of both Bentley and Chambers
was so poorly substantiated that no indict-
ments could be drawn likewise was of little
moment Thomas and his committee would
bask in the murky light of nationwide motor
iety no matter how many innocent people
were smeared-no matter how false the testi-
mony accepted from such reformed" COM
munists as Miss Bentley or Mr. Chambers.
However, to go on the assumption that
notoriety for Thomas & Co. was the sole pur-
pose for this latest outbreak of ''red rash
would be most naive. Headlines played a
part it is true = but - behind these hate
breeding harangues lie far more sinister pur-
poses.
First. To all discerning persons it must
be apparent that one of the motivations of
the committee is to leave no stone unturned
to smear the late Franklin Delano Roosevelt
to discredit his entire program for reform,
to tear down the regulations and good names
If Loo H.
tration. In word the NAM Old Guard.
through its congressional vassals, as in 1886,
1910, 1914, is still fighting Roosevelt. 1t is
making an about attempt to prepare the
people of this nation for the complete aban-
dOnment of all the social and economic re-
forms of the '30s.
Second. The 80th Congress has just gone
home from its second special session. AS
was forecasted--it did nothing to alleviate
the housing shortage except to pass legisa-
ton beamed at providing financial bonanza
for banking and real estate interests. Other
than passing weak bill on credit controls
it did nothing to slow down the upward spiral
of Republican High Prices. On civil rights,
despite platform pledges of both parties at
deal was concocted between
southern bourbons and northern reaction
aries, whereby filibuster tied up the senate
sion. Result-no civil rights legislation-no
initiation or housing legislation - no long
range farm programme improvement in the
and nti-Catholc Displaced Per-
sons law enacted couple of months ago.
An Even More Sinister Motive
But, bad as were the first two motives for
his lnvigorated congressional campaign of
1ysteria- breeding, there seems to me to be
third, and even more sinister motive This
motive is to use the fear of persecution" to
nstill in. Americans new standard of social
md economic morality Henceforth, to
avoid having your name dragged through the
muck of trial by press" you must refrain
rom expressing any sentiment against the
economic inequities casting their pail over
Millions of Americans. You must worship at
he sacred fetish, Capitalism. And when the
economic 'fuhrers" command that you raise
our voice in Hell, King Capitalism that I
ou must door you too will be dragged off 4