Crusade Against ‘purveyors of Class, Racial, Religious Hatred,’ Urged by Dies at Rally

Representative Martin Dies tonight called for “a crusade against the purveyors of class, racial and religious hatred and the conspirators who are now seeking to subvert the institutions of our country.”

Americans fall short of their duty “if we hesitate to make known clearly and unmistakably our uncompromising opposition to that contemptible breed of fake patriots who mask their bigotry and intolerance under the guise of patriotism and Americanism,” the chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities declared in an address prepared for delivery at a Madison Square Garden “Mass Meeting for America.”

The meeting was sponsored by about 50 civic, patriotic, church and social organizations, including the American Legion, Knights of Columbus and several Jewish groups, and marked the opening of a nation-wide series of speeches by Mr. Dies. Other scheduled speakers tonight were Merwin K. Hart, chairman of the sponsoring committee; Borough President George U. Harvey of Queens, Jean Mathias, of the Jewish War Veterans; Jeremiah Cross, of the American Legion; Lawrens Hamilton of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Joseph P. Ryan, of the International Longshoremen’s Association.

After denouncing Communism in America, Mr. Dies declared:

“With equal sincerity and severity we must condemn those other cults of the Marxists, namely the Fascists and Nazis. They, too, are at work in America in the attempt to subvert the political and economic institutions in our country. Some of them are members of Fascist organizations in this country but the majority of them masquerade as patriots and use the bait of religious hatred to attract followers in this country to their standards.

“While we stand united in disapproval of such organizations as the German-American Bund, the Silver Shirts, the American Nationalists and others that are unquestionably Fascistic in spirit and in ultimate aims, we will fall far short of our duty as Americans if we hesitate to make known clearly and unmistakably our uncompromising opposition to that contemptible breed of fake patriots who mask their bigotry and intolerance under the guise of patriotism and Americanism….

“From this great gathering we offer to Americans of every race, creed and economic condition an American program which will restore us to the path of constitutional democracy from which, under the insidious wiles of foreign influence, we have begun to stray. Let us not be fearful of launching a crusade against the purveyors of class, racial and religious hatred and the conspirators who are now seeking to subvert the institutions of our country.

“We reaffirm our allegiance to the God of our fathers and the Constitution of our country. As did our fathers in the past, so now do we turn to God for aid and guidance. We declare that any man who, under any pretext, preaches, spreads or encourages–directly or indirectly, openly or secretly–race, religious or class hatred is un-American.

“We maintain, as did our fathers, that every American, regardless of race, creed or economic condition, is entitled to the equal protection of our laws and institutions if he loves America and the principles for which it stands. We hold that the Bill of Rights is the sacred heritage of every American and we condemn those groups and organizations in our midst who seek to use the Bill of Rights for the purpose of destroying it.

“We beseech our citizens to drop all the hyphens which tie him to Europe. Either we are Americans or we are not. To the newcomer in our midst we extend the helping hand. We welcome him to the greatest fraternity of citizens ever known and invite him to learn early and well the principles upon which this State is founded. But to the disciples of totalitarianism who would bring with them the strife of Europe, we say “halt.” Marxists of all brands are not welcome at our gates.”