The herald., 1896-01-04
An Indignant Workingman

| tu tNiuStuau
| EDITOR HERALD: When | am not other
wise engaged in the scramble for existence,
working out my salvation with fear and
trembling saunter into that perennial
summer-kissed spot, the Sixth Street park.
That occasion happens about once or twice
a month. On the 3Oth of December, 1895,
l quietly wended my way through the
winding vistas and meeting some acqusint-
ances entered into a social chat. The sur
rounding beauty of flower and shrub and
| their dancing shadows are animatng and
| inspiring. and it, perhaps, more than any
| thing else, stirs person to the depths.
realized it fully when | opened my mouth,
| for words seemed to flow with more than
ordinary vivacity and speed. Indeed, my
! fellow listeners and takers were evidently
enthused by the same delightful environ
ment. While thus engaged in playful re-
| partee and not in the least obstructiug the
pathway. park employe came along and
! tapped me on the shoulder and ordered
! me and others to disperSe. Immediately
| the conversation was hushed, and several
! of the men hung down their heads and
| quietly retreated was astonished at the
unexpected rebuke, and for several
moments | could scarcely realize what had
happened.
The heavy browed statesmen who sit in
the city hall, was informed, had passed
law prohibiting the assembling of men in
the parks. who indulged in debating or dis
cussing. 1t is strange indeed that such a
preposterous absurdty should be stretched
like piece of rubber to include quiet
knot of working men conversing together.
Stretched at the discretion of irresponsible
satraps who seem to think that working
men have no right to open their mouths
and exchange ideas. The park of all
places should be the proper nook, where
the tired ''brawn and brain" of the city can
convene and drink III perfect rest. renrea-
ton and instruction. "Well-to-do'' people
have parks of their own and do not need to
go away from their own doors to enjoy the
ver1ant tresses of nature. but the toiler is
not so pleasantly situated. He finds him
self most generally cramped up in foul
lodging houses or confined within squatty
cottages without the advantages of the
commonest vegetation. The park then is
the garden of the socalled common herd''
and in the nature of things they deserve
this recognition at the hands of the upper
ten" But the worst part of my burden is
yet to be unloaded.
The little group of men that had gath
cred around the seat where was convers-
ing had, by the threatening aspect of the
aforesaid park employe, dispersed, and l
was about to follow suit. when l noticed
another little group of citizens few yards
further up the walk, evidently engaged in
sprightly conversation. | could not dis
tlnguish any loud, bolsterous or unseemly
language, but hum of earnest voices. 1t
struck me that | might receive some useful
suggestions and pointers, and l was about
to step up to the group whenI noticed a tall
individual shoot out of the gathering, fol-
lowed by two workingmen of my acquaint-
ance. On passing me he turned the lapel
of his coat back to his left shoulder and
displayed huge policeman's star. The
two men, learned. were prisoners, and
the oflense was talking or engaging in de-
bate. One of the men gave $40 bail, and
the other, being without money, was thrust
into the loathsome prison, to remain there
until the trial took place. This, to my
mind, is the sheerest brutality, and no
freedom-loving people ought to tolerate it
one instant. In the first place, freedom of
speech is one of our grandest constitutional
guarantees.
In the second place, it ill becomes the
guardians of the peace to roughly lay
hands on honest and respectable working
men for the mere offense of exchanging
ideas, when notorious criminals are plying
their devlish traffic under their very