Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-24

MI ORE than 1000 residents of Los
wi Angeles gathered at the Simp-
AIA son auditorium last evening to
protest against the Imprisonment and
proposed deportation Of L. Gutierrez
De Lara, Mexican liberal, patriot and
educator, now held in the county Jail.
on orders from assistant secretary Of
commerce and labor at Washington.
While the meeting was called pri-
martly to voice a protest and to con-
slider action in De Lara's behalf, and
was deliberative, rather than infiam-
matory, there was an intense undereur-
rent of feeling introduced by President
Shirley Olympus of the De Lara De-
fense league, which Chairman Blight
had difficulty in keeping within
bounds. When former Superior Court
Judge D. Works, the principal speak
er of the evening, denounced the
methods of De Lara's arrest and i'm
prisonment, the audience broke forth
In batteries of cheers that shook the
chandeliers. When the speaker scored
police methods in bounding innocent
victims, they Missed like a big steam
valve.
While the audience had decidedly
what in New York would be called a
Cooper union" cast, the rabid element
was lacking and nearly every walk of
professional and business life was rep
resented in the thousands who listened
with intense interest and at times urs-
restrained to the appeals of the
speakers.
Mrs.. De Lara Welcomed
Mrs. De Lara was given a tremen-
dous welcome, the audience rising in
a body when she was introduced by
Chairman Reynold Blight of the Los
Angeles Fellowship, who presided at
the meeting. John Kenneth Turner,
author of the series of articles now
running in the American Magazine on
"Barbarous Mexico" which are thought
to be the cause of the renewed activity
of the Mexican government in the pur-
suit of the Mexican Liberal, made a
short address, giving an affecting ac-
count of his trip through Mexico and
the horrors of slavery in that country
Judge Works address was a scath-
ing denunciation of the methods of the
police in arresting De Lara without
warrant, or allowing him to be taken
before a magistrate to arrange bail. He
declared it was a violation of the con-
stitution and that by such procedure
America is in danger of becoming a
Judge Works address was in part
as follows:
II am here as an American citizen,
in the welfare and good
name of my country. I am not inter-
ssted in De Lara, except as every hui
name liberty-loVing human being is
interested in the unfortunate and op-
AS to De Lara himself, I
know nothing except by reputation.
But what I have heard of him has
been in his favor.
TsTIa ba1iaVa. educated. re-
fined, liberty-loving man. His only
,rinne seems to have been to try to free
his people from oppression. / am not
lere to denounce the Mexican govern
nent We have evil enough at home.
IF we followed up the conduct of po-
icemen and detectives in the United
States. we would find sufficient mate
ial to give vent to our tendencies to
at Sought information regarding the
De Lara case at the United States
district courts, without success. 1
.sked the immigration inspector for a
,opv of tho charges against him, and
,e declined to give them to me. I
sked the chief of police for copy of
he charges and he declined. His eX-
use was that in making disclosures re-
-arding the case, he might disclose the
ase of the government against this
nan, who was imprisoned without
.nOWieQBG OF Iil6 CHAR SCS cSoeiASN AAif.
"De Lara was arrested at the plaza,
fter making an address to his own
eople. He was arrested without any
barge being preferred against him, as
he constitution requires. He was
eld in the county jail without war
ant or authority. He was detained
here in violation of the law. Re-
uests of his loved ones to see him
,ere refused He was guarded as
angerous character. who threatened
he life of the president.
A Police Outrage
81 want to say to you that there
ever was a greater outrage perpe-
rated in a free republic than this.
hey kept him in jail without charges,
nd then they trumped UP a misde-
leanor charge. 1t was fraud It
-as done to Justify the police in their
ction When he demanded a jury
-ial, they were compelled then to re-
,ase him, but his imprisonment had
Continued ON Page Threel