Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-24
FREE SPEECH DENIED;
TWO ARE ARRESTED
PATRoLMAN INTERRUPTS TALK
BY SOCIALISTS
A. F. LindwaiI and Mrs. A. J. corker
Taken Into Custody for Adj
dressing Audience on
Street

"A. n. IlnQWdll, CITY organizer IOI lHe
Socialist party. and Mrs. A. ]. Corker
of 1879 South Figueroa, were arrested
last night for speaking In public with
out a permit from the police commits
sioners of Los Angeles.
At the station each prisoner was
called upon to give bail in the amount
of 500. Attorney George w. Downing
was on hand and took charge of the
case for the speakers.
The arrests were made at Seventh
street and Grand avenue, where about
500 persons were grouped about the
speakers, who held their soap box plat
form over an hour without being in
terrupted. When the patrolman APP
peared Lindwall declared he had per-
NIT to speak. He handed the patrol.
mn printed slip which he said con-
tanned the extract from the constitu-
ton of the United States which guar
antees free speech and the right to
peacefully assemble.
That's no good. / know nothing
about the constitution. l want per-
init from the police commission" said
the officer.
I'VE want to speak. We can't afford
to wait for the laws delay" said Lind
wall at the station when asked why the
Socialists insisted on keeping up the
campaign even after twelve arrests
were made. He was asked If twelve
cases were not enough to test the con-
stitutionality of the law.
Say Law is Unconstitutional
I'VE will test the case. We do not
for a minute doubt the unconstitution-
atty Of this city-made law which runs
Numerically to the organic law of the
United States. 1t isn't that. Our CAM
paign is on. 1t is always on. we snail
not supinely submit to this unlawful
suppression of free speech. We don
want them to arrest us. we want TO
sneak. We want to tell the working
people our side of the story. We want
to put our case fairly before them
They are as eager to hear as we are TO
carry the message. Everywhere we
have interested crowds. 1t Is UNFAIR ana
unjust for Mayor Harper or any other
Democrat to say when another political
party shall begin it's campaign. That
is for us to decide, and our decision is
that our campaign never ends. Our
contest for free speech will never cease
as long as we are Illegally restrained
from our rights"
Mrs. Corker said she had lived in Los
Angeles forty years, paying taxes all
that time.
Is Property Owner
II do not feel that I am disgraced. 1
nave DTOkcl1 ITO law. illot VI
NOT law. inasmuch as 1t is not legal
4 number of women came to me when
the poIicemen were awaiting the wagon
They offered me their sympathy. i toil
them their sympathy was good but II
was needed elsewhere, and ] told them
of the factory children, OF the little
ones in the cotton mills, in the mines
and the stores-yes, ana IA the sa,oor us
and worse places. ] talked to them OF
child slavery so widespread and preVa-
lent in our fair land. gave them some
thing to think about, and / beiieVe
some of them will think. That Is all
we want people to do.
st helped pave the street Wnere was
tonight denied the right to speak TO my
neighbors. I have invested q large
amount of money in Los Angeles rea,
estate and / am going to make stano
| for my rights. We applied through ne
regular channels for permits to speak.
we were denied the right on the wnlm
Of some politicians who have the notioii
| they are the rulers of the universe
MY neighbor, Mrs. Blanchard, has
been allowed to talk prohibition on the
street, and I have done that myself,
and 1 know it does no good. While we
were raising up one poor wretch three
| fall down or are pulled down by the
| system. My Salvation Army neighbors
are allowed to speak OH the streets, and
they do not relieve the growing dis
tress. They offer a poor palliative.
They feed 100 on soup while 10000 go
hungry. They are doing their best. but
they know but little If anything of the
real cause of the Distress,
Over a hundred men and women, ac-
cording to the friends of those who
were arrested last night, are pledged
to make speeches and submit to arrest
and trial in order to force the hand OF
the city authorities or break the or
dinance.
| Cloudsley Johns, secretary of the So
cialist local of Los Angeles county, said
last night:
1--WE are assured of at least 300 who
| will risk arrest to exercise their con-
stitutional right of free speech if the
ordinance is not in the meantime i'm
| peached.' ~