Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-21

We are willing to act in such a man.
ner as will not interfere with the
rights of others. If there was no or
dinance we would not come into the
business streets where there are car
lines to hold our street meetings.
"There are between thirty and forty
men and women in your city Jail who
are there because they have contended
this ordinance Is unconstitutional and
been brave enough to assert their
rights while the police were waiting
to arrest them. These men and women
are not criminals. They are from
among the best people in Los An
geIes. Some of them are well known
business men. Nearly all are the
fathers of families and the mothers of
children. They are not spending their
days in your foul prison for a joke, but
to uphold principle. They are doing
exactly the same thing our Reyolu-
tionary fathers did in 1776.
1--WE believe it is a part of good citi-
zenship to enforce the law unless that
law is manifestly unjust, then it is the
part of good citizenship to resist that
law"
counciImen Ask Questions
Here Councilman Yonkin interrupted
Mr.. Holloway to ask If the Socialist
party would be content if permitted to
speak on streets outside district
bounded by First, Seventh. Main and
Hill.
Mr.. Holloway answered the Socialist
party would be satisfied with an ordi-
nance that applied to all alike.
Councilman Wallace tried to pass the
| buck to the police commission and tolo
| Mr.. Holloway he should make his com
plant to that body, as under the or
| dinance the police commission had tn
| power to grant permits to speak, an(
| not the council.
With great patience Mr.. Hollowa.
again explained the Socialists had trie'
to get such permits and had been re
| fused.
! Councilman Dromgold wanted Il
know why they had been refused anc
| Mr.. Holloway answered permits hac
been refused to Socialists just because
| they were Socialists, and that no othel
reason had been given.
Bertha M. Bailey supported this
statement by telling the council she
was among the Socialists who had APP
piled for a permit to speak and po-
lice commissioner, whose name she did
not give, had stated at that time he
did not approve of granting Socialists
permits to speak at any place at any
time.
Demands Immediate Repeal
This brought Councilman Wallace to
his feet.
Good government is helped by al
lowing free speech" said Mr.. Wallace
Large liberty in free speech is bene-
fetal Restraint is considered perse-
cution and any propaganda increases
under persecution. AS long as speech
is not vile or reasonable it should be
allowed all the freedom it wants.
believe the council intends to do what
is right in this matter but we should
be allowed q little time"
Holloway answered this by insisting
that action be taken then.
Your first duty" said Mr.. Holloway
lis to cancel this ordinance which
makes the police commission bigger
than the constitution of the United
States. Repeal this ordinance now and
take all the time you want to make
another one. and in the meantime rec
ommend to the courts that cases
against these men and women now
ianguishing in jails be dismissed"
In lull that followed this plea
Councilman Healy, president pro tenn
attempted to tote up matter that
had been set for hearing at that hour
but other members of the council would
not hear of it.
mo. SIR said Councilman Drom-
gold, very positively. This matter
must be settled now"
He was greeted with wild applause
from the hundreds present.
Civic Organizations Protest
Councilman Clampitt took the floor
to voice his objections to the discrim-
nation practiced by the police COM
mission and declared himself ready TO
vote to repeal the ordinance.
m TO- IN n
cialist Science and Liberal Alliance or
CARNATIONS, asked in the name OF these
bodies that the clause in the ordinance
be repealed.
Dromgold was the first to put the
gathering feeling of the council into
concrete form.
81 am ready at once to repeal this
section giving this power to the ponce
commission" he said.
az am, too said President Pease,
"but whatever we do the first thing,
as l look at ii. is to get these people
out of JAIL There is no reason why
they should not be allowed to speak
il they choose, and certainly no reason
why they should be put in jail Tor IT, :.
''I move to strike out section OF
this ordinance" was the manner IN
which it was officially put before the
council by Dromgold. Mr.. Pease
promptly seconded the motion, put
remembering he was mayor pro TEN.
and could not legally do so. Withdrew
his second, but Councilman Lyon
Jumped into the breach and promptly
added his second.
1T was first ordered that the city at
torney present a new ordinance this
morning for passage by the council,
hut in their new mood this was all
too slow for the councilmen, and tney
gave him ten minutes to prepare the
ordinance, which was accomplished py
a few strokes of the pen.
Crowd Rushes to jail
When this was accomplished Coun-
Gilman Wallace moved the city prose-
cutor be requested to dismiss the cases
pending in court and the of1enoers
of the Objectionable section OF the Or