Evening star., 1954-08-20
President Receives
Measure 10 Outlaw
Communist Party
BY l. Edgar Prino

After eight days Of political
jockeying, debating and voting,
q combination bill to outlaw the
Communist Party and crack
down on Red-dominated labor
unions was at the White House
today awaiting President Eisen-
hower's signature.
Congressional leaders. who ap-
peared to be happy to be done
with it, were unanimous in pre-
dieting the President would sign
the new anti-subversive meas
ure into law.
Both Houses yesterday COM
pleted action on the bill which
strips the Communist Party Of
its rights. privileges and inn
munities as a legal entity but
does not include a controversial
provision which would have made
membership in the organization
o crime.
1875 In Senate.
The Senate vote, after nearly
four hours of debate, was 70 to
o. The House rushed 1t through
without discussion, 265 to 2.
Congress also sent to the White
House yesterday bills the Presi-
dent had requested to deprive
persons convicted Of advocating
the forcible overthrow of the
Government Of United States
citizenship and to permit the
death penalty for spying in
peacetime as well as in wartime.
The lawmakers have failed,
however, to pass two of the prin-
cipal anti-subversive measures
the President asked for-bills to
permit the Government to use
wiretapped evidence in prosecu-
ton of national security cases
and to let the Government bar
from defense plants in time of
emergency persons whom it be-
lieves might engage in espio-
mage sabotage or other SUBJ
version:
Humphrey Proposal Dropped.
The way was cleared for pas
sage Of: the legislation outlawing
the Communist Party Wednes-
day night when House Senate
conferees reached an agreement
to eliminate the amendment Of
Senator Humphrey. Democrat,
OF Minnesota. which made Com
muniSt Party membership q
crime punishable by fines of up
to $4,000 and prison terms of
up to five years.
Justice Department spokes-
man had opposed the pro-
vision on the ground that it
would destroy portions of the
Internal Security Act and make
prosecutions more difficult under
the Smith Act.
The administration did not,
however. seek any legislation
outlawing the Reds. It accepted
the combination bill in order to
get approval of the original
Butler-Velde bill aimed at
Communist-infiltrated unions
and because it would have been
politically dangerous to block a
ban on the Communist Party.
Velde Pleased.
Chairman Velde of the House
Committee on Un-American
Activities called the sections
dealing with unions a "real new
weapon to round out the Justice
Departments arsenal against
Communists in the United
States, He added that the out
lawing section merely reaf1irms
and strengthens the Internal
Security Act"
The Democrats. too, are claim
ing a victory. Senator Humphrey
said now that Congress has
found the Communist Party to
be a conspiracy" prosecutions
under the Smith Act can be ex-
pedited.
"The go-ahead sign has been
given for prosecutions of party
members" he said.
The new bill makes persons
who knowingly and wilfully"
became Communist Party mem
bers subject to the registration
requirement and restrictions on
activities provided in the 1850
Internal Security Act for mem
bers Of Communist = action"
groups.
Persons who register as Com