Evening star., 1948-06-07
Daily Worker Replies
To Wiley, AssaiIing
Mundt Bill Hearino
BY The Assoeiofed Press

Chairman Wiley of the Senate
Judiciary Committee traded in
suits today with the editor of the
Communist newspaper the Daily
Worker over the Mundt-Nixon
anti-Communist bill.
Senator Wiley started the name
calling by sending an open letter to
the Daily Worker saying its alleged
news reporting and editorial COM
ment" on the bill were "the cheap
est, foulest sort of gutter journal
ism"
John Gates, editor of the Daily
Worker, fired right back.
He said Senator Wiley, as chair
man Of the Judiciary Committee,
showed contempt for the American
people" by shutting of testimony
on the bill.
Senator Wiley, he said, had al
lowed only four days in which to
deliberate measure which will
revolutionize the entire legal sys-
tenn of civil liberties in the United
States"
Letter to Be Put in Record.
Senator Wiley said his letter
would appear in the Congressional
Record. Mr.. Gates asked that his
letter also be put in the record.
Opening the exchange, Senator
Wiley wrote:
The Communist Party stands ac-
cused on the basis of it's record, of
insolence and insult to the American
people and, in particular, to the
United States Senate before whose
committee, Communist witnesses be-
haved in a most evasive and out
rageous manner. You sought, more
over, to sabotage the bill by extend
ing hearings indefinitely, but we
would not tolerate your stalling
tactics. -
There will be no hySteria in COM
mittee action, no Red-baiting, no
witch hunting you have tried
to accuse us. We have sworn to pro-
tect and defend the Constitution
and we will do so, preserving the
civil liberties of all our people
yes, even of despicable Communists"
Committee Decision Sought.
Replying to Senator Wiley from
New York, Mr.. Gates said:
I'VE have proved our statements
about the Mundt bill; you cannot
prove your statements about the
Communists or those who oppose the
bill.
Not only Communists, but hum
dreds of non-C Communist Americans
offered to prove to your committee
that the Mundt bill gives one man
the United States Attorney General
the single handed power to out
law any and all political activity OF
which he does not approve"
Senator Wiley called his commit
tee together today to decide what
to do about the House passed bill.
1t would outlaw all activity de-
designed to set up in this country
a totalitarian government controlled
by a foreign power. 1t provides for
registration of members of organi-
cations held by the Justice Depart
ment to be subversive.
The Committee of One Thou
sand" yesterday quoted Is educators
and others against the measure.
The committee says it is q non
partisan group of authors, edu-
Gators, business men, church men
and scientists originally formed to
work for abolition of the House
Committee of Un-American Activi-
ties. 81
Among the committees list of obs
jectors were DR.. Henry W.rrWiemanI
of the University of Oregon, Olin
Downes, music critic of the New
York Times; Dean Russell Bowie Of
Union Theological Seminary, DR..
Harlow Shapley of Harvard, DR..
Robert M. Yerkes of Yale and Prof.
Howard Mumford Jones of Harvard.
Also, the Veterans Committee
Against the Mundt-Nixon Bill"
called a conference here to fight
the measure. It's chairman, Russell
H. Fluent, treasurer of the State of
Washington, said in a statement:
Our forefathers fought and died
20 that men may speak and as
semble in freedom. No ad-
ministration in temporary power
has the completely un-American
right to declare people or organiza-
tions 'subversive' just because they
disagree with the administration.