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Labor Should Lead the Fight on Mccarthy, Says NY

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Labor Should Lead the Fight on Mccarthy, Says NY Build a Labor Party Now! Anti-Trucks Law Victory Scored THE MILITANT By SWP in Suit PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE DETROIT, Feb. 23 — The Attorney General of Michi­ Vol. XVIII . No. ie 267 NEW YORK. W. Y., MONDAY. MARCH 8, 1954 PRICE: 10 CENTS gan, who set out in 1952 to smear the Socialist Workers Party and to bar it from the ballot through the reaction­ ary Trucks Law, has been forced •>■ to back down — at least ten; Trucks Law, the “ Michigan Com­ p o ra rily . munist Control Law” which was (That is the main significance passed in 1952 and used in an of the dismissal order signed last attempt to bar the SWP from the Friday by Wayne County Circuit- ballot. Another objective of the Judge Lila M. Neuenfelt. suit was to get the Trucks Law Labor Should Lead Fight declared unconstitutional. the The Socialist Workers Party had gone into court seeking an Reluctant to fight the SWP suit, order to restrain Attorney Gen­ to a conclusion, Millard delayed eral Millard and other Michigan it as long as possible,' and then officials from enforcing the introduced a motion to have it dismissed. In order to achieve this, how- er, he had -to make some damag­ On McCarthy, Says N.Y. CIO Trucks Victory ing statements that were incor­ porated into the jdismissal order. One was: Hits McCarthyism “Thg Attorirey General of this Their Frankenstein Monster State, as of the date of this in­ terlocutory order, has made no M ’Carthy Shows Power Resolution Dobbs Declares determination nor has he con­ NEW YORK, Feb. 21 — Farrell ducted a hearing to determine Dobbs, national secretary of the whether the Socialist Workers Socialist Workers Party and one Party of Michigan, one of the In Bid to Control Army Cites Peril of the plaintiffs in the SWP suit plaintiffs herein, is a communist By George Breilman against the Trucks Law in Mich­ front organization within the igan, today greeted the partial meaning of that term as defined “Senator McCarthy this afternoon achieved what victory against the law won in by the legislature in section 4 General Burgoyne and General Cornwallis never achieved Of Fascism the Wayne County Circuit Court of the Michigan Communist Con­ — the surrender of the American Army.” — Washington By Joseph Keller as “a blow against McCarthyism, trol Law, nor does he deem at the correspondent of the London Times, Feb. 25. a vindication for the Socialist present time that he has suf­ Aroused by the growing Workers Party, and an encourage­ ficient proof to establish the fact, Secretary of the Army Stevens •>- Republican Party and convert it power of McCarthyite fas­ ment to continue the fight until if it exists, that any of the plain­ could not have surrendered "more into an instrument to further his cism, as demonstrated in the the thought-control Trucks Law tiffs, individually or collectively, abjectly if he had got down on ambition to become the first fas­ w ill be wiped o ff the sta tu te are communists, communist front his knees.” — McCarthy to a Wisconsin senator’s bold moves cist President of the United books.” organizations, or members thereof rep orter, Feb. 25. to bring -the Pentagon under his “ Senator McCarthy was asked States. control, the Nei^ York City CIO The Michigan Attorney Gen­ within the meaning of said law.” whether he agreed with Senator Almost the entire capitalist Council on Feb. 25 unanimously eral, Dobbs said, ‘‘by admitting A R E T R E A T press cheered wildly when Sec­ adopted a resolution calling upon that he doesn’t have proof in Dirksen that Mr. Stevens had not This marks a definite retreat surrendered. ‘I agree with that,’ retary Stevens promised to back the “national CIO to organize and 1954 to sup po rt his 1952 charges up a general who was threatened lead this fight to preserve the of ‘subversion’ against the SWP, by the Attorney General. One of he said with a big grin on his the firs t thin gs he did in 1952 face. ‘It was just a case of reach­ and insulted by McCarthy for basic American liberties from has exposed the frameup nature after the Trucks Law was enacted ing an agreement.’ Surreptitiously, obeying executive orders not to destruction.” of those charges and of the UJ3. discuss certain information about Attorney General’s ‘subversive’ was to rule that the SWP came he kicked a correspondent in the Recognizing that labor is the under the provisions of the law shins as he made the statement.” the Army’s purge of a dentist only force in America which can list, on which those charges were accused of “cqmmunist” associa­ (Continued on page 4) — N. Y. 'rimes, Feb. 26. smash McCarthyism, the largest based.” tions. After the “agreement” with local CIO Council in America also The credit for this “setback This time McCarthy had gone Stevens, McCarthy “offers wand­ calls on all its own local affiliates to the w itch hu n t,” said Dobbs-, too far, the press exulted. The “belongs not only to the SWP erers in the Capitol corridors to “organize and lead the fight morale of the armed forces was against McCarthy and the people but also to the excellent work of Army commissions if they want at stake, and this time the Eisen­ who would subvert and destroy the nonpartisan Citizens Commit­ them.” — Alsops, Feb. 28. hower administration would have our basic American freedoms.” tee Against the Trucks Law, to “Officers of the Army in par­ to stand up to McCarthy and tell the Michigan CIO and the Mich­ ticular were in a state of in­ him, “Thus far, and no farther,’ “DAY OF INFAMY” igan Federation of Labor (AFL) credulous shock. The general etc., etc. The council’s resolution describ­ which denounced the law, and to mood at the Pentagon was But all McCarthy had to do was ed W ednesday, Feb. 24, 1954, as the other organizations and in­ gloomy and bitter.” — N. Y. stand firm and talk tough. “a ‘Day of Infamy.’ ” For on that dividuals who supported our suit Times, Feb. 26. Stevens was summoned to a day “our country witnessed the and demanded that the law be “In Washington the next morn­ meeting with the Republican ignominious surrender of the declared unconstitutional or re­ ing, the atmosphere suggests members of McCarthy’s commit-^ American Army and the Govern­ pealed. Berlin after the Reichstag fire tee. ‘-‘Thrice McCarthy threatens' ment of the United States to that “The only legal action against with Stevens in the role of Van to leave the room and split the most dangerous demagogue, the Trucks Law that is now be­ Der Lubbe, the dullwitted Dutch­ Republican party wide open there Senator Joseph McCarthy of fore the courts is the suit filed by man who committed the arson; and then.” (Alsops, Feb. 28) Wisconsin.” the Communist Party. We hope with Eisenhower as the aging Stevens capitulated, endorsing a The resolution declares: “No and urge that the organizations Hindenburg and with Hitler play­ written “Memorandum of Under­ longer can we sit idly by and which aided our suit, despite their ed by you-know-who.” — Alsops, standing” which granted McCarthy watch the antics of McCarthy and po litica l differences w ith us, w ill Feo. 28. e ve ryth in g he demanded. In Ills Republican cohorts • without jo in us in sup po rting the Com­ “Okay, Bud. When I want you return Stevens claimed he had an realizing that our basic liberties munist Party’s suit, despite our again I’ll send for you.” — unwritten promise that McCarthy ire in mortal danger.” It there­ political differences with them, Captjon on Herblock cartoon would stop browbeating Army of­ fore points to the need for the as a vehicle for getting the showing Stevens offering Mc­ ficers. When he told this to the CIO and the labor movement to Trucks Act declared unconstitu­ Carthy his sword, Feb. 26. press, McCarthy publicly called take, the lead in the fight. tio n a l.” * * * FARRELL DOBBS him a liar. Stevens, sobbing, said We reprint the above especially appropriate cartoon from the Sept. 22, 1952, issue of The M ili­ McCarthy’s growing arrogance he might have to resign until tant on the occasion of our celebration of the 10th anniversary of Laura Gray's first cartoon for SILENT ON DEMOCRATS has a solid base — it parallels Eisenhower assured him it wasn’t this paper, published on March 4, 1944. On Page 2 we reprint other examples of her famous car­ The leaders of the Council did he steady g ro w th o f his power .necessary. not see fit. to point out th a t the toons, some of which have been reproduced around the world. Also on Page 2 are a number of and of the dismay, demoralization The cheers of the press vanish­ Democratic party leaders, includ- CITIZENS GROUP HAILS ed. If they didn’t exactly sob, the and discreditment of his Repub­ tributes to our Laura from all parts of the country. :ng its so-called “fair dealers” lican and Democratic opponents. ‘editorials expressed anguish, like Senator Lehman, have capi­ The white flag run up by the mournfulness and fear. Eisen­ tulated to McCarthy just as DECISION IN SWP CASE Pentagon marks the greatest suc­ hower had let them down. Stevens ignominiously as Eisenhower and cess he has recorded in his drive had said, “Thus far, and perhaps Secretary of the Army Stevens. DETROIT, Feb. 22—The Citizens’ Committee Against a little farther.” They hoped the to McCarthyize the government #/30 for 4 0 ”ProgramLehman and his fellow “liberal” the Trucks Law today hailed the agreement in Circuit bureaucracy and take over the (Continued on page 3) Senators voted for the funds to Court arising out of the Trucks Act suit.
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