Dear Sir, kindly

are using them in no uncertain manner.
note that as far as revolutionary tactics are concerned, we
have not presumed to lay down any general law. We are
not Utopians. We have spoken of American conditions, the
only ones we as a Party have to deal with. We have spoken
of, and we advocate, what we consider the best and most
expedient tactics under American political democracy. As
for general revolutionary tactics and methods we have no
creed. We are Socialists and revolutionists, and as such
we will and must adopt such tactics as will bring about the
revolution and insure order in the new social structure in

the quickest and most expedient manner. This has ever
been the case in history. As to the Russian Bolsheviki we
have nothing to do or to say about their tactics; we have no
reliable information as to what has actually taken place; and
as to whether the Russian revolutionists have adopted the
best possible methods under their trying circumstances, or
whether they have committed blunder upon blunder which has
cost hundreds or thousands of lives, not we, Mr. Senator, but
future history alone has the right and power to judge. We
are Americans, and Americans, above all people, should be
tolerant with those who may be forced, as the American
revolutionists were forced, to suffer privation, to starve, and
to die, to organize armies and fight their own flesh and
blood for the cause they hold dear a cause which means
the happiness of the future. Such moments in history, Sir,
are occasions for sackcloth and ashes, not for rash condem-
nation and harsh judgment."

The attitude of the party towards this country is further illus trated by a statement which appears in the report of the national secretary, Arnold Petersen, published in the American Labor Year Book, 1917-18, at page 364:

"When in 1916, therefore, we at the very outset commenced our campaign on the burning question of the hour 'preparedness' basing our arguments on the principle that the workers have no interests in militarism in any form, having no interest in defending a country in which they as yet owned nothing, and whose political institutions had largely outlived their usefulness, we did so in line with our previous pronouncements."

As a typical example of the expression of sympathy which this organization holds for the Russian Soviet regime, we quote' from a resolution adopted at the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the party on May 4, 1919, which appears in the May 10, 1919, issue of the "Weekly People:"

"When, on November 7, 1917, the Workers, Soldiers and Poor Peasants of Russia, by a revolutionary act, put an end to the painful attempt on the part of the Russian bourgeoisie to assume the heritage of czarism, and when, as a result of that act, the power in that vast realm passed over to the hitherto disinherited and oppressed, a thrill of delight went through the hearts of the revolutionary workers the world

over.

"Here at last, they experienced the first visible triumph of the class struggle, the first fruit of the world war which, unlike all its others, was wholly acceptable and was of corresponding bitterness to the capitalist foe.

And we declare that, with all the power that in us lies, we shall assist them in their struggle by incessant revolutionary propaganda in order to awaken America's proletariat and, by unflagging efforts, to organize that proletariat into a class-conscious, militant body on both the political and the industrial field, bent upon ending capitalist misrule on this side of the Atlantic; and Resolved, that we

condemn all military intervention in the territories of these countries and insist upon adherence to a policy of absolute non-interference with the affairs of the people of these countries now engaged in the work of building the only real democracies the world has ever seen; and be it further

"Resolved, That we denounce and condemn the vicious campaign of slander and vituperation carried on by the capitalist plunderbund against Soviet Russia, a campaign conducted with such brazen mendacity and utter disregard of the dictates of common decency-to say nothing of common. sense as to throw into bold relief the strumpet character of capitalist society. We view with disgust the spectacle of a committee of the United States Senate permitting itself to be made the depository of foul tales about the nationalization of Russian women, but we realize that, in its anger and its fright, the capitalist class, when hawking these prurient tales, is only revealing its debauched inner self— repeating

history as it were, by imitating a profligate Roman patriciate which habitually charged the early Christians with their own moral decay."

Owing to the dogmatic stand taken by the leaders of this party, it plays no very significant part in the general revolutionary movement in this country.

The national headquarters of this organization are located at 45 Rose street, New York City.

CHAPTER VIII

Investigation into Radical Activities in Upper Part of the State

While a large part of the work of this Committee of necessity concerned itself with conditions existing in the City of New York and vicinity, a fairly comprehensive survey of radical activities existing in the upper part of the state of New York was made. This survey was by no means exhaustive, owing to the limited resources and limited time at the disposal of this Committee.

The upper part of the State, for purposes of convenient reference, was divided into certain zones, and annexed to this chapter are maps of these zones with a reference to the centers of radical activity in each particular zone. The extent of the activity in each place indicated on these various zone maps, of course, varies. In the case of some cities indicated, such as Utica, Rochester and Buffalo, there is considerable well-organized revolutionary radical activity. In the case of other towns and cities indicated on these various zone maps, the revolutionary activities are more or less. sporadic, and the sole reason for referring to them on the mapз is that there is some activity that requires attention.

As a general rule, the revolutionary radicals sought to gain a foothold in industrial centers, and numerous unjustified strikes may be traced directly to the efforts and the propaganda of Communist and Socialist agitators.

In this chapter we will briefly summarize the results of our investigations in the various sections of the State indicated on the attached zone maps marked, respectively, Zone A, B, C, E, G, and H.

ZONE A

Zone A includes the counties of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Wyoming. For purposes of convenience in reference we will include Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Tonawanda, North Tonawanda, and Depew as one group.

Buffalo has been a center of radical activity for some time, and until a wholesale round-up, conducted by agents of this Committee and of the District Attorney of Erie County on the 29th day of December, 1919, practically disrupted their organization, there was a large and growing Communist movement in that city. The headquarters of the Communist Party in Buffalo were situated in the Teck Theatre Building, and the organizer of the party

was one George Till. He is an American citizen and has been a revolutionary radical leader for some time. The membership of the party in the late part of 1919 was some 600, and the organization was rapidly increasing in numbers, owing to the agitation carried on by Till and his followers, until his arrest and indictment on the charge of criminal anarchy was brought about by this Committee. Mr. Moore, the District Attorney of Erie County, worked in the closest co-operation with this Committee and caused the indictment of eighteen members of the Communist Party Local on the charge of violating the Criminal Anarchy Statutes of this State.

The literature, books, pamphlets and propaganda found in Buffalo were practically the same as that found in New York City and were, of course, part of the same general scheme of creating industrial unrest, class hatred and revolutionary aims as was found in New York City.

The Committee ascertained that there were in Buffalo the following branches of the Communist Party: The Central branch, which met in the Teck Theatre Building, 760 Main Street, Buffalo; the English-speaking branch, at 7 South Niagara Street, Tonawanda; the Ukrainian East Side branch, which also met at the Teck Theatre Building; the Russian branch, which met in the same place; the Bulgarian branch, which met at 194 Oak Street; the Williamsville branch, which met in the homes of various members on each Sunday of the month; the German branch, whose headquarters were at Sycamore and Smith Streets; and the Polish branch, of Depew, which met at 77 Main Street, Depew.

There were found in this section also other revolutionary organizations, among them a branch of the W. I. I. U., and some forty-five members of the Union of Russian Workers, of whom twenty were arrested by the Department of Justice and held for deportation.

The membership in the various branches of the Communist Party was ascertained to be as follows:

Central branch, 220; Polish branch, 150; Russian branch, 90; Ukrainian and Black Rock, 60; North Tonawanda, 36; Ukrainian East Side, 32; Bulgarian, 22; Williamsville, 16; Lithuanian, 15; German, 10.

Information came to the Committee of the presence of an anarchist group at Niagara Falls. This group was composed