Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-04-19
CHARGES.
SHEVITCH, WAkEMAN AND
DELABAR WILL PREFER
THEM.
The Socialist Labor Party Demands
an Investigation Of the Great
Police Outrage at Union Square
Men Crippled for Life by the
Clubbing they Received In 1887.

At business meeting of the American
Section, S. L. P, held at the Labor
Lyceum last Monday evening, April IA,
the following resolutions were unanim-
ously adopted;
Where's, The Police Board, in reply to
certain published memorial of the
Central Labor Union Building Trades
Section) falsely, dishonesty and inpu-
IDENTIFY claims that it is ready 'at all
times to receive, examine into and Justly
dispose of all specific complaints against
members of the police force, ''or that in
any wise may relate to the administra-
tive or executive functions of the De-
partmen of Police; and
Whereas, The Fassett Committee, So
called, claims that it is ready to investi-
gate ''specitic charges" against the Po-
lice or any other Department Of this
| city; and
Whereas, On the 8th of October 1887,
at Union Square, in the presence of Po-
lice Commissioner Voorhis a murder
GUS assault was committed by the Police
force under the command Of Captain
I.eilly, and a lawful, peaceable political
meeting of citizens held by the Progress
sive Labor party was di persed with
Siberian brutality, in violation of the
Constitution of the State and Of the
United States; and
| Whereas, Some of the citizens present,
though unresistirag, and even while rum
n,ng away from the infuriated police
men, were actually manned for life by
the clubbing they received at the hands
of those madmen; and
| Whereas, The Police officials, when
called upon by the authorized represen-
tatives of the said Progressive Labor
Party to give the names of the officers
who had thus participated in one of the
most dastardly and reasonable outrages
ever perpetrated in a civilized country,
fatty deniel the request, thereby using
the great police powers vested in them
to prevent the investigation of a mons
trous crime against private and pubic
rights; and
| Whereas, A statement of the facts
that could then be collected was placed
in the hands 0. the District Attorney;
and
Whereas, neither the Police Board nor
the District Attorney ever took any
steps in the matter under consideration;
therefore be it
Resolved, That committee of three
be appointed to prefer "specific" char
ges before the Fassett committee, and
to demand that an investigation be made
of the Police Board and the District At
torney's Office.
That S. E. Shevitch, Thaddeus B.
Wakeman and August Delabar const-
tute said committee.
Some of the men who were crippled
for life by the clubbing they received at
Union Square can be produced before
the Fassett committee, and also some of
the women who were clubbed. The
same Commissioner Voorhis who wit
messed the outrage is still Police Com
missioner; the same Captain Riley who
committed it is still in command, and
most of the men he had at Union Square
are still on the force. If out of all this
charges cannot be made than the Fassett
committee will deem "specific' enough
to warrant an investigation the word
specific" must be struck out of the
vocabulary.
In view of the demonstration to be
held on May |, the action of the Social
ist Labor party is quite appropriate and