A JUSTIFIED PETITION

Announcement that the Liberal Club has petitioned the Massachusetts legislature to vote down a bill which would make membership in the Communist Party a felony is welcome news. Not only does the bill violate the principle of free speech, but it would encourage the very activity it is intended to destroy.

The experience of all countries who have tried to end Communist activity by legislating against it has shown that such action only gives the movement added impetus. Activity is carried on secretly instead of openly, and the clandestine movements attract many who might not otherwise be interested.

If Communism is to be defeated in this country, moreover, its doctrines must be met by convincing arguments and its charges disproved or adequately explained. Driving the organization underground is evasion of the issue. The Communist Party is attracting members because its arguments and charges are forcefully and clearly set forth so that the common man can understand their import. He many not understand the intricacies of "dialectical materialism" or "surplus value," but he does know that he cannot find work, though he is willing, that men reap financial gains far greater than their usefulness to society merits, and that the present system of production and distribution is unfair and often inhuman.

If State legislatures want ultimately to defeat the Communists they must not be afraid to vie with them in convincing their constituents which system of government is most beneficial to their interests and those of society generally. The suppression of an organization by law can not prevent the dissemination of ideas, especially when those ideas have a strong appeal to many exploited individuals.