Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-14
SPEAKERS CHARGED
WITH MISDEMEANOR
MEXICANS GAIN LIBERTY BY
GIVING BAIL
Attorney Declares Liberals Who Op-
pose the Reelection of Diaz Are
Prosecuted and Political Ref
ugees imprisoned

L. Gutierrez de Lara, Miguel Lozano
and Q. Lemon, who were arrested at
the Plaza Sunday night while delivering
addresses in Spanish to a crowd of
Mexicans, were arraigned in Police
Judge Roses court yesterday upon
charges of disturbing the peace. Each
entered a plea of not guilty and de-
manded a jury trial. Their trial was
set for October IS, and their bail fixed
at $50 each.
1--WE had to file some charge against
them to hold them, as they were going
to begin habeas corpus proceedings,
said one Of the detectives, land we are
going to consult the federal authorities
about the case"
The action of the police in filing
charges against the three men was TAX
en- only after habeas corpus proceedings
had been instituted for the release of
De Lara by his attorneys, Goldberg &
Meiley.
Hearing on the writ is set for $3.50
O'Clock today, but Attorney Goldberg
stated later that as the charge against
his client involves the commission of
nlisdemeanor it is probable the efforts
to procure his release will be aban-
doned. De Lara is now at liberty un-
der bail of $50.
Denounce Treatment
De Laras friends are indignant at
the treatment received by the Mexican
Liberal at the hands of the authorities.
They declare the speaker made no in
cendiary remarks during his speech at
the Plaza Sunday night, and that they
can produce scores of witnesses to that
effect
"Those detectives tried to make he
roes of themselves, and to a certain
extent they succeeded" said man
who was present at the Sunday night
meeting in the Plaza.
"I have heard De Lara speak dozens
Of times, and never heard him utter a
word of violence. In fact. his lectures
and the books he has written all teach
the doctrine of peace and disarma-
ment."
"The attempt to work up an an
archist' scare was almost hysterical. 1t
was silly" said George W. Downing, a
Los Angeles attorney, last night. "It
is such antics as these that suggest vio-
lence to q number of cranks in any
community. To shoot a fleeing man in
the heel may be an act of rare heroism
or was it the cowardly act of a man
frightened by his own overstimulated
imagination?
In Free Speech Zone
"These men were quietly speaking in
the alleged free speech zone. They
We're arrested, hurried to Jail and held
incommunicado. The morning paper
accounts of the affair would have
looked more natural had they carried
date of Moscow, Barcelona or Mexico
City.
"De Lara comes of one of the best
known families of Mexico. He is high
ly educated and a lawyer of great
ability. BY writing book entitled
The Bribers' he incurred the enmity
of the Diaz oligarchy. He was forced
to flee from Mexico.
His book was suppressed because it
disclosed innermost workings of the
system as it is operated in Mexico.
The dictator's hatred followed the au-
thor to America, and he was arrested
here on trumped up charges at the time
the other Mexican Liberals were first
incarcerated in Los Angeles.
"De Lara was held in Jail several
months, and finally, when his attorneys
forced a trial, he was acquitted. The
powerful influence that reached from
Mexico City to Los Angeles and perse-
cuted members of a political party OPP
posed to Diaz reelection is not at rest
THAT influence hired some of the
most astute lawyers in America and
some of the wickedest and most unscru-
pulous detectives.
Persecution New Thing
"The persecution of political refugees
was a new thing in the history of the
United States. But is worked and the
political refugees ere some of them dy-
ing in American prisons, while the
hired bloodhounds of the dictator await
around the cuartel gates.
"The case of De Lara will be carried
as high as it can be taken in the
courts"
Another attorney who is interested in
the case of the members of the Liberals