This is not Russia. It is a view from the U. S. Sub-Treasury in "Little Old New York," as 300,000 communists began their parade uptown to Union Square. Fifteen hundred police reinforced by fifteen hundred heavily armed reserves were called out to protect property and maintain order.

"The following is part of the testimony of William Z. Foster, twice candidate of the Communist Party for President of the United States, before the committee, in which he explains some of the principles of his party:

The CHAIRMAN. Would you mind stating to the committee the aims and principles of the Communist Party?

MR. FOSTER. The aims and principles of the Communist Party, briefly stated, are to organize the workers to defend their interests under the capitalist system and to eventually abolish the capitalist system and to establish a workers' and farmers' government.

The CHAIRMAN. Does your party advocate the abolition and destruction of religious beliefs?

MR. FOSTER. Our party considers religion to be the opium of the people, as Karl Marx has stated, and we carry on propaganda for the liquidation of these prejudices amongst the workers.

The CHAIRMAN. To be a member of the Communist Party, do you have to be an atheist?

MR. FOSTER. In order to be—there is no formal requirement to this effect.— Many workers join the Communist Party who still have some religious scruples, or religious ideas; but a worker who will join the Communist Party, who understands the elementary principles of the Communist Party, must necessarily be in the process of liquidating his religious beliefs and, if he still has any lingerings when he joins the party, he will soon get rid of them.

The CHAIRMAN. Do the communists in this country advocate world revolution?

MR. FOSTER. Yes; the communists in this country realize that America is connected up with the whole world system, and the capitalist system displays the same characteristics everywhere—everywhere it makes for the misery and exploitation of the workers—and it must be abolished, not only on an American scale but on a world scale.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, are the communists in this country opposed to our republican form of government?

MR. FOSTER. The capitalist democracy—most assuredly. We stand for a workers' and farmers' government; a government of producers, not a government of exploiters. The American capitalist Government is built and controlled in the interests of those who own the industries, and we say that the Government must be built and controlled by those who work in the industries and who produce.

The CHAIRMAN. They are opposed to our republican form of government?

MR. FOSTER. Most assuredly.

The CHAIRMAN. That is, what you advocate is a change of our republican form of government and the substituting of the soviet form of government?

MR. FOSTER. I have stated that a number of times.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, if I understand you, the workers in this country look upon the Soviet Union as their country; is that right?

MR. FOSTER. The more advanced workers do.

The CHAIRMAN. Look upon the Soviet Union as their country?

MR. FOSTER. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. They look upon the soviet flag as their flag?

MR. FOSTER. The workers of this country and the workers of every country have only one flag and that is the red flag. That is the flag of the proletarian revolution.