BOLSHEVISM.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18282, 18 December 1919, Page 9

BOLSHEVISM.

REVELATIONS MADE TO COMMITTEE.

FOREIGN ANARCHISTS ACTIVE,

[From Our Correspondent, j LOS ANGELES, November 15. Effects of tne steed strike in Gary, ( Indiana, and some sideiignts on an-' arcmstic activities m tuo district, were given in evidence to tne committee set up by the Uiuecl tetuces Senate to investigate the striae. Lieutenant D. (J. van Huron, intelligence omcer *.i the staff oi lUajor-ueiierai Leomuu \V ooci, rnado some very interesting statements. “ our nrst interest in Gary, he said, “ came wnen Uuier ol Ponce Forbis or that city visited Onicago last spring with a request tor luaciiine-guns anu nuutary intervention. Ho toict us tne 1 Rous' there were planning to parade on may 4 and start a revolution. Tw.o names wore given to us as tnoso of leaders or tne anaicmst eluu at Gary, .'dvestigatio Ivannoff and Degeorgo. i hoy were Russians or Austrians- uegeorgo was a cnemisc, and we learned later ne was operating near tlie Aetna explosive works, outs'iuo or Gary, wnero guncotton was avahabie iiom tlio wastes outside tne mill.” Replying to the chairman, Senator Kenyon, lnoutouant \ an J>uien said a report was made to the Department of Justice, but so far as ho anew mere had been no prosecution. The two men hau iort Gary. Describing military intervention, he said: '“.iNo one lias even sustained, a biacff eye since.” ANARCHIST BOOKLET. The witness jeau v...tracts irom • a boon seuteu at uury. it urged revolution upon all workers in uu lauus, in uie niuiift oi tuo ’ * conquering proletariat or Russia. ' “ au mo radicals in tlio country are centring on tuo piopaganua or Lenin and iiotskj’,'' tie continued. “ine uooii was prmtou m vnieago byt,’.no ' Aioeitor rioitung ’ i'uuusnuig Company', which is sigmlieaiu. “is tms stun going through. tho mans!”' inquired the cuamtuiu. "Oh, yeo,” canio the repiy. “ Are tnoro any organisations in Gary wlncn support tins programmer"' *• Yes, i have a list ol thorn.” He commenced prouuumg a series of doeumeucs printed in Russian, witn tne names 6i societies attached. ‘ ‘ Dow many ioreiguors are taking part in this strike:"' asked a Senator. ” i haven't iound an American yet, thougn some of tne leaders nave tueir seconu naturalisation papers.” “ Dare are some of tne productions of tho Gmon ol Russian Workers,” no continued. ‘‘.Tam is a straignt anarchistic sbciety.- Here's one or tnem, entitled ‘ Tne Crimes ol uod,’ an anurong|pus/pampiuet discussing war.” Tuo cuairuutu: it lias been alleged that this material was sent in to uary to create prejudice against the strikers. ' •• LENIN AND TROTSKY HEROES. “ Wo only know We found it tliere,” Van Duron returneu. “ ine poopie wno hau it usuauy nud a largo-size pnotograpii ol Lohm and iimsky. we aetuauy iounu thousands ol tnose photographs. “it .was reported to us that Richard J Verna.gm, vice-president and treasurer ol tuo steel workers' council at Gary, was a revolutionist, winou is me central Uouy>- ol unions engaged in tile striko, and L unuorstanu tuoy are all American Deaeration oi Dituour organisations. Ine workers’ international Doionce League is an anarenistio nouy working through tuo i.w.w. 1 asuou raul uxasor, attorney lor the strikers, ,ir lie-was a Loisnovik. Do said, ‘ you hot i am,’ We recommenuea tne Department of Justice to rake steps toeauoei ms citizenship papers.” Russians in Gary * tar tea a movement last summer to organise a “Red Guard ” in preparation lor a revolution whicJi tney beuevod was coming, tne witness saiu. Inc Russians wanteu .to get all tne lormer soldiers in Gary into a group and anil and equip them. Agitators, no said, were constantly wonting among tne people of Gary, telling tnem to prepare to manage and operate the inuustries. 'Tne military autnorities had investigated the records oi some oi tne agitators, and asked tnat tney be deported.

. OFFICERS’ STATEMENTS. Lieutenant Van Buren presented statements of a set of officers and members of tne Hungarian society, arrested uunng a raiu at Gary, in early all ol tlieru said tiie.y were members ol tno I.YV.W., and proiessed adiiereuce to tne “one big union"' idea- 'All were participating in tno steel strike. Aioat of tnem Had au I.YV.W’. member slap card, an American federation of Labour card, ana a picket • bauge re use wnen tiiey were on uuty in mint of :be nulls trying to get otners to 30m the striae. THE SOVIET. “ 1 think most of this literature is provided by Ludwig Marten's bureau 01 iNew xorli,'’ Van uuren added. ‘■Marten is tne representative 01 Wdviet Governments of Russia in tlio United States. ,

“Here is a list of members of the Hungarian Socialist Federation, and heading it is the name of Oscar E. Anderson. Anderson beads the organisation in Gary. Don't you, Anderson ? ' He turned to the audience as lie spoke, and Anderson, who nad been summoned by tbo committee, nedded. 11 We looked up several men on this list,” the witness continued, “ and recommended that they be deported. The immigration authorities refused to act, however, though one of them admitted that he was a Socialist, an 1.W.W., and a Bolshevik, It seems you havo to get them with a bomb in their hands before the officials will act.” A DENIAL. , In his evidence, Anderson put in a staunch challenge to most of Van Buren’s conclusions. " There are not more than 250 or 300 Reds in the 75,000 people of Gary,” lie declared. 0 They don't count. Wo don’t pay any attention to them. In the Labour movement they are regarded as looso upstairs.” • ■ “ You consider this a strike foi eight hours and a living American wage,” the chairman began. “ Don’t you think you would get further before the public if you got rid of these Reds, purged your organisation completely of them and went ahead without them?” “Yes, Mr Anderson,” Senator M’Kellar interjected, “ why don’t- you pitch them out? This committee has sat here and listened to -anarchists who have been taken into council on youi' strike matters, and heard them boast of it. Don’t you know that this prejudices the public wholly against-you and your cause?” •'Yos, I do,” Anderson responded. “ But you can’t tell me how these men are affected until a strike actually comes along. We don’t make religious and political distinctions in calling - a strike.” The whole issue in the strike, ho said, was the eight hour day.