| Show Mar Marquis uis Childs Spy Should Tour Nation DENVER Driving through L the west you west you get a powerful Impression Impression Im lm of ot people at work and L LI at play In spite of ot the ordeal I of the war in spite of ot inflation and the postwar overcrowding you have the sen sense e of a nation m moving forward with vigor and confidence Then you read the the headlines I in the newspapers They hey convey the idea that Soviet So Russia has this country by the throat that the nation is in deadly peri peril I from a conspiracy into which many Americans have entered That idea is Ls in my opinion n. n false To spread such an idea is to do a disservice to the thc country It is to spread pread fear and doubt far beyond any jus jus- The moving spirits of toe the house un-American un activities committee and the agitators allied al ai allied al- al lied with them seem never to tc have thought how their behavior reflects on the country itself They behave as though Americans Americans Ameri Ameri- cans might actually be persuaded ed in large numbers that Russian Russian Rus Rim sian communism was superior to the American system Have e Common Sense This is Is of course absurd Our Oui way of life Ufe in this country offers offer infinitely greater rewards both boti bothon on the material and the spiritual spIritual spirit spIrit- ual and intellectual side than Russian communism And th the great ma mass mans of the American people people peo peo- pie have the common sense to tc know it I l believe if it Chairman J. J Parnell Parnell Par Par- nell Thomas and the other men mer who seem so frightened would get out into the country away from the overheated atmosphere of Washington they would recognize recognize rec rec- rec- rec that fact They would see America in the f full tide of road building of home building of work of play Certainly what has b been en Unfolded unfolded unfolded un un- folded so far does docs not justify this fright Eccentrics visionaries visionaries visionaries vision vision- aries idealists ts with a childish love of conspiracy ha have vo gone mysterious and conspiratorial Apparently this has satisfied some impulse that the ordinary person does not feel But if they have given information information information mation of any value to the Soviet Union or if they ha have ve succeeded in undermining the faith of any substantial number of Americans American then the papers that I 1 have seen have not printed it il It has been on the level of supposition accusation rumor and hearsay Undermines Belief Bellef Part of the harm it does in my opinion is to undermine belief belief be be- lief lid in the basic American free free- doms When a man can be accused accused accused ac ac- ac- ac of disloyal action on the statement of a single Individual with apparently no ing proof and the charge proclaimed pro- pro proclaimed i claimed sensationally to the world then we are jeopardizing the fundamental guarantees on which the American system r rests I 1 do not mean by this to doubt that Soviet Russia has an espionage espionage nage network in this country But the way to uncover that network net net- network work is not by sensational hearings hearings hear hear- ings that produce sensational headlines and charges and coun coun- There is an agency authorized by law to protect the country from treason and sabotage That agency is the Federal Bureau of Investigation tion under J. J Edgar Hoover Until these lurid so- so called hearings began the FBI F B I had a very high standing in the country One of the incidental effects of the investigation Isto is isto isto to make people wonder whether the F FBI B BI I has been on the job Canada Shows Way WayA A Russian espionage network In Canada was uncovered that had drawn some Canadian citizens citizens citizens citi citi- citi- citi zens into its toils just as some some American citizens may have been perverted by communism or the agents of communism Canada demonstrated an another ther way to tc combat the threat threat- to n na national na- na lional security represented by the Communist spy ring in Ot Ot- Ot- Ot tawa A royal commission was ap ap- appointed ap- ap pointed The responsible and andr r respected citizens on that commission commission com corn mission held a long iong painstaking inquiry in secret The commission commission commis commis- sion Lion published a long careful report report re report re- re port and where evidence justified justi justi- fied lied it individuals were prose prose- The names of those not guilty were not dragged into the record If the F FBI B I 1 needs greater powers then it shou should d be given greater powers and a larger ap ap- ap- ap Perhaps something like a royal commission is I necessary necessary sary in this country in order to carry out an inquiry thoroughly and with documentation rather than with movie cameras and headlines But I 1 believe a healthy thing would be to get Chairman Thomas and his fellows out into the country Seeing so many busy active people they could not long ling ding to the Illusion that seems to motivate their fears that is Il that Americans are about to fall for communism Copyright 1918 by United Feature Syndicate Inc |
