The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-28
WHY IT WAS CALLED.
No One Seemed to Know Reason
for the Hebrew Meeting.
Some Lively Talk and Sharp Criticism
Of Bossism INDUCED In.

There was meeting OF the Hebrew
independent Club last evening in Lib
erty Hall, 297 Canal street. The object
OF the meeting still remains in doubt and
though message came to the Office OF
this paper to send a reporter there, by
some mistake the proceedings were in a
language with which the reporter who had
the assignment was unfamiliar.
While the reporter was making notes
and talking to a bright young man of
Hebrew descent, very sharp spoken fell
low, came over and supplanted the stand
ing instructions at The News office to
give a fair report Of the proceedings and
made some unpleasant renars about news
paper men in general.
The meeting was really non-partisan
one. No citizen who followed its pro-
ceedings would imagine that the same
day it was held Major Mckinley had
issued his calm, sound and mastery let
ter Of acceptance of the Republican nomi-
nation for President, or that another
candidate for the Pres idency had been
trying to make more noise than the
whistle of locomotive. 1t was simply
Nelson ana anti-Nelson.
Though the meeting of the club was
called By the friends of the former AS
semblyman the other side had control OF
the gathering from the start. There was
little trouble in the anteroom before
th&, meeting, but Ii must be admitted the
overture was very inferior to the rest of
the work..
John Rubin at about s:25 got the key
of the hall and there was dash for the
hall door. Then there was dispute as
to who were embers Of the club, and
this was followed by a contest for chair
man. Samuel Mason, John Rubin and
HymsL Bender were named by their
friends, and on the vote Mr.. Mason had
big majority. He did not preside over
the gathering, however, tut Charles
German was at last duly installed as
presiding officer. Tho main reason why
MIR. Mason did not preside was that
hack driver named Goldstein, who
thinks Nelson is all right, began putting
out the lights. This led the son of the
lessee OF the pretty hall, Nv. S. Selig-
man, to remark that IL there was any row
the police would be called in. One OF
the Central station officers had earlier in
the meeting spent few moments ia the
anteAroom and then presumably got lit
tie weary. Both factions for time be-
cameSquie,, but Mr.. German had hard
time CT 1t for a couple OF hours, and this
morning needed remedy for frog-in-the-
throat.
Samuel Lodge was the first speaker,
and there was a tiresome debate as to
whether or not the proceedings should
he In English or Hebrew. The young
men were kind, or unkiDd, whichever
way the matter is viewed, to the
newsraper men and wanted the
speeches IN English. They were
outvotod, however. Mr.. Lodge
made en- earnest plea for individual
lit erty among voters OF Hebrew descent
and declared against bosses. This made
Samuel RsfiowItch, the club secretary,
very uneasy and he began holning
debate with John Rubin in tho rear OF
the hall bat the chairman kept order well
under the circumstances. Mr.. Rafio-
witch remarked he mad paid for the hall.
Mr.. GoIdstein, another Nelson man, had
previously made the same claim.
Samuel Mason made a good speech
and called on the voters present 10
be ipdependent and his remarks
were received with expressions OF APP
proval and OF dIsapproval. There
were a number OF other speeches and
some interesting side remarks. One OF
the latter was the Initiation OF one anti
Nelson leader that another anti-Nelson
leader had been fired out OF Republican
headquarters Just before the last munich
pal election without getting the money
he went for. Samuel Isenberg,a Dem
ocrat, was among the speakers and a cou-
ple OF friends OF Nelson were not
permitted TO talk. Though former cluo
president II. Bender bad his say.
I. tfmuel Rcffowitch made hin selt heard
finally and hc spoke for 10 minutes. He
ann need the novel fact that roit icians
were always locking out for hem selves
but ne became eloquent when he told why
Nelson had had the meeting called. The
reason he said was not political one
hut. on the contrary, most charitable
one. 1t was 10 have the Hebrew voters
protest against the pulling of an unoffend.
ing Hebrow citizen OF his piazza ana
bis incarceration by North End police