The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1874-02-07


Saturday morning made you aware of the
| fact that
A GREAT MEETING
Of the working people of New York was
held at the Cooper Institute on Friday even
ing. The working people of this great city
have fully demonstrated to the world that
they can assemble, discuss their grievance
in a candid and rational manner, and dis
perse without creating a riot or other dis
police force.
The meeting at the Institute was
one Of the largest ever held in that hall,
and in point of intellect and decorum was
above the average Of meetings held within
its boundaries. Long before the hour an
nounced for the opening of the meeting,
the great hall was crowded with earnest
men and women. There was a slight
sprinkling of the Internationals among
them-they could be easily distinguished
by their badges and ribbons the great
majority did not appear to affiliate with
that society They were, to all appear
ance, the representatives of the working
people Of this city.
The Mayor was nervously seated in the
Central office, and Superintendent Matsell
had his force within convenient distance
should an emergency arise.
OPENING or THE MEETING.
! At the appointed hour DIR. +. Lilienthal
walked to the front Of the platform and
declared the meeting opened He said /:
The society he represented were ready
all times to fight against error and be-
come freedoms champion" The doctor
related The history Of the Tompkins square
meeting how the police authorities pre-
vented the proprietor of the Assembly
Rooms from allowing them the use Of the
hall for meeting purposes. Five thou
sand free Americans" said the Doctor,
met in the streets that evening, in the
neighborhood of the hall"
| ''On the same evening continued the Doc
tor. the committee Of the Bund der Ereiden-
ker met in Turner Hall, and resolved to hire
the Cooper Institute. The trustees, on being
applied to. shook their heads. We were re-
quested to make the application for the hall
in writing. This was submitted to the Police
| Commissioners to ascertain whether they had
any objections. They said that they were
abundantly able to protect us, and so consent
ed that we should meet. Laughter We
were compelled to give bonds that no damage
should be done the building. And here We
are. We know that there is a disturbing ele
ment present who are bound to disturb the
meeting, but hope you will act like men and
not act unwisely.' loud and continued ap
plause.
DIR. Hober, after paying his addresses t.
the police commissioners, said
"The only and main object Of this assem-
| blage is to ask whether the people have vet
the right of free speech and assemblage, a.
guaranteed by the Constitutions Of the United
States and New York No republic can stanC
in which its organic laws and Fundamental
rights can be overridden by set of men call
ed Police Commissioners He must protest
in the name Of right, decency and law, against
the brutality Of the police. This vast assem-
blage is solemn protest against it.
Mr. John Swinton was next introduced
by the President, and he was greeted with
a loud outburst of applause. He said he
appeared at the meeting as private citi.
zen, emerging from the Obscurity int
which he had retired because he saw the
cherished rights Of the community inva.
ded, and constitutional law assassinated
Applause. The conduct of the Board OF
Police had been cruel and shameful it had
been an outrage on law. decency and order
and it was the plain duty Of the municip.
ial authorities to hold the parties guilty
who had 50 brutally trampled on the right:
of American citizens. Cheers If they
were not promptly called to account, they
would go still further, and, encouraged BY
their Immunity from punishment, might
be expected to grow daily more domineer.
ing and insOlent, until at last public liber-
ties and rights would be totally and IRENE.
diably perverted"
MI. Swinton continues at some length,
citing as instances of progress the success
Of the old Abolitionist party; gave graph.
ic description of Bradlaugh and the Hyde
Park (London) meeting, and wound up by
saying; The men who had been elected
to power were the servants Of the people,
and as such were bound to carry out Their
will. They should he asked to provide al
once for the dissolution of the Board OF
Police Commissioners, who had permitted
the outrage, and the immediate dismissal
Of the Superintendent who had carried il
out, and who had attempted to pervert and
destroy constitutional law and to override
the rights and liberties of the people.
Great applause. In conclusion he would
brand as coward every member of Con
gress who supported the gross outrage
which the police had committed.
He was followed by Mrs DIR. Lillenthal,
a bright-eved pleasant little woman. She
made stirring little speech. Said she was
born in monarchial country and came
here for freedom. No one loved her coun.
try more than she did. On the 18th o.
January she was an unwilling eye witness
to the clubbing of the police. "My affec-
tions took asudden change. Are we living in
a republic In name but not in deed. Sup
pose that A. L. Stewart, John Jacob Aston
or William f. Dodge should hold meet
ing, would the police interferel No. Where
then is the diferenceP She said, from he1
house she witnessed the transaction. When
two or three men were seen together they
were driven away, and if they did not &c
fast enough they were forced to 90 with
lifted clubs in the hands Of the police
There were many instances of brutality.
" After the men were arrested and taken
to the police station, said Mrs Lillen-
thai, 81 called to see whether could dc
anything for them. They were huddled
together in a narrow cell, the bars of which
closely resembled the cages for wild AMI
mails in Central Park, The air was sitting.
One Of the men ventured to open the win
dow for air. An officer seized him bv the
hair, dragged him over the floor tied his
hands behind him, and dubbed him un
mercifully. Kisses. The police were the
rioters, not the workingmen. Our funda.
mental rights are exposed to wilful vio-
lation by the executive authorities, and il
becomes your duty to remember the fact
at the next election, and act accordingly.
At the conclusion of the lady's address