Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-12-03 | Page 22 | Utah Anti-Red Laws Explained

rasnTi-iti KEpiB Assistant Attorney General Van Dam Discusses Re- I i cent Legislation. j In the fight against syndicalistic propa- , ganda unaccompanied by the advocacy ' of violence, the laws recently passed by 1 the Utah legislature give little or no aid, 1 declared Herbert Van Dam, Jr., assistant attorney general In a lecture before the Joseph Simmons Wilkes post, American Legion, at the Commercicl club last night. "Syndicalism," Mr. Van Dam said, "is a modern word and defines a modern conception, con-ception, which, in Itself, is not criminal. It teaches the abolition of the present Industrial In-dustrial and political system by means of the general strike, and the establishment establish-ment of a system In which the means of production would be in the hands of the workers, who would operate them for thu good of all. Against the teaching1 of the doctrine unaccompanied by the advocacy of violence, the statutes of Utah can give little or no aid. It must he met by counter coun-ter propaganda, and the theory is so absurd ab-surd that it will defeat ltseL' if people are properly educated. Syndicalism would subvert the fundamentaJ principle of American government that the majority shall rule and p'ace the sovereign power In the hands of the minority. "If. however, the advocates of th system sys-tem preach sabotage, force, destruction of property or any other violent means of compelling people to accept their doctrine. doc-trine. It tii en becomes criminal syndicalism, syndi-calism, and i prohibited by section 1117 of the 1919 session laws of Utah. Sab- t otage is defined as the malicious criminal ' destruction of property for the purpose ' of effecting political ends or revolution, and the teaching, advocating or suggesting suggest-ing of it is prohibited by the statutes. The law also provides that the owners, lessees, superintendents or persons In control of any building used for Lie purpose pur-pose of furthering the teaching or advocacy advo-cacy of sabotage, rhail be guilty of a misdemeanor mis-demeanor and punishable upon conviction. "Tills latter phase of the law gives us a powerful weapon against sabotage, because be-cause many of the so-called loyal Americans Ameri-cans who otherwise would be tempted by the money of radicals are held in check by the fear of criminal process, and meeting places for the criminal teachings jare made difficult to secure."