Legislature Rules Committee Plans Red Probe Bill Review

The Massachusetts House Rules Committee has before it a new bill to investigate all subversive activities in the state. The measure is an outgrowth of a bill to investigate communism in schools which was defeated in the House Tuesday.

Representative Bernard M. Lally of Dorchester, author of the original bill, succeeded in having it brought up for reconsideration on Wednesday, and two amendments were added to it.

One removed the clause calling for investigation of all "persons sympathetic to communism or its doctrines"; the other widened the probe's scope from the teaching profession to all suspected communist activities.

Representative Gordon Boynton of Boston, principal speaker against the original Lally bill on Tuesday, termed the new measure "un-American procedure and fascistic," and challenged the supporters to name one school in the state which was teaching communism.

Speaking for the bill, Representative John P. Lynch of Springfield asked. "Are we to have future Alger Hisses (LL.B. '29) in the commonwealth? The time has come to do something about this problem and not be hoodwinked."

The final vote for sending the new measure to the Rules Committee for further study was 87 to 85. Under the bill, a study of communist activities would be made by an unpaid commission, consisting of three representatives, two senators, and two members appointed by the governor. The commission would prepare a report for the Legislature by the first Wednesday in May.