City's Communist Hunt Seen Failure

The Cambridge City Council sponsored order that all Communists in the city must register with the chief of police will "die a natural death before it ever becomes law," Councillor Joseph A. DeGugliemo '29 stated yesterday.

The order, proposed by Councillor John R. Lynch at last Monday's Council meeting, was approved by seven of the nine members--including Mayor Edward A. Crane '35. It must pass from City Manager John B. Atkinson to Chief John R. King, and then be submitted on the problem of constitutionality to City Solicitor John A. Daly. As of last night, King had not yet received the order.

"There is no question of the illegality of the order under the Constitution," DoGugliemo insisted. "We can't push citizens around like that. The Council has no rights along those lines and the seven men who voted for the order know it.

Accuses Councillors

"They are afraid of political repercussions--afraid they'll be accused of voting on the side of Communists. The order will undoubtedly die."

Mayor Crane did not want to express a personal opinion on the order, but admitted that "as I said last spring, the gathering of the names of Communists is essentially FBI business and does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Cambridge City Council."