Show ECONOMIC E C 0 N 0 M I 1 C highlights H IG H L the problem of whether in a free society we should make membership in the communist party illegal clearly involves dee deep p questions of principal many nori non communists feel that it would establish a precedent of great po tentie danger many finers reel strongly that communism at home is as great a menace as communism abroad and cannot be tolerated an extremely interesting contribution trib ution to this controversy has aadi provi provided aided by justice robert cjackson NJ jackson ackson of the supreme court tc ac is found in an opinion written by him in a test case before the court concerning the constitutional validity of that provision of the taft hartley act which requires that officers of a labor file an affidavit that they are not nort members of the communist party mr jackson opened his opinion with these words if the statute before us required labor union officials to foreswear fo membership in the republican party the Demo cartic party or the socialist party I 1 suppose all would agree that it would be unconstitutional but why if it is valid as to the communist party the answer for me is in the decisive difference between a communist party and every other party of any im x nor artance tance in the ion long experience athe the united states with party the justice then went on to point out five distinguishing characteristics of the communist party which place it in this unique position in each case he elaborated at length on these points which in very brief form are as aa tol follows lows 1 the goal of the communist party is to seize powers of government vern ivern ment by and for a minority I rather than to acquire power through 11 the vote of a free electorate 2 the communist party alone among american parties past or 01 present is dominated and controlled by a foreign gov emment 3 violent and undemocratic means are the calculated and methods to attain the communist bartys goal 4 the communist party has sought to gain this leverage and hold on the american population by acquiring control of I 1 the labor movement 5 every mamber of the communist party Is s an agent to execute the communist program mr jackson of course was dealing wi with th a specific provision of one law not with the proposition of whether the communist party could be declared illegal however the points he laid down are in general those which have caused many thoughtful depole to conclude that american communism nf with its foreign allegiances is too great a danger to the nation to be allo allowed ared to exist the evidence is now overwhelming that its sole purpose is to destroy this government and that the kremlin calls the tune to which it dances |