The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-08-15
RIOT Of 0RATORY
BARELY AVERTED
Study Club IN Economics Has
Tempestuous Meeting
in Church.
SOCIALISM Is DISCUSSED
Trouble Starts When Questions Are
Fired ,t Speaker, but Chairman
Finally Comes to Reseue.

What threatened to be an intellectual
riot. a battle of sarcastic questions, was
quelIed last night at a meeting Of the
Study Club in Economics, held at In
gram Memorial Church, by the presence
Of mind of Julian Pierce. chairman. who
read newspaper accounts of the previous
gathering. in which 1t was said that =
riot was narrowly averted."
J. X. White, socialist orator. had jus:
concluded the piece de resistance. He
had been loudly applauded, even though
the chairman announced. in stage
whisper, that he had consumed most of
the two hours usually devoted to tic
meeting.
ABOVE the shuttle Of departing feet M.
Pierce read letter from Francis de
Sales Ryan. vice president Of the Wash
ington Truth Society. in which Mr.. Ryan
gave the reasons of the Catholic Church
for opposing Socialism.
In a sarcastic. don't blame II on me-
tone, with frequent comment. the chair.
man read most of the letter. He had
said 1t was too late to read all Of the
missive. At the conclusion. the audience
laughed and sneered. and looked at the
Socialist orator for approval.
Battery Of Questions.
Mr.. Pierce then announced that q little
time was to be devoted to questions
Several would-be questioners arose aud
fired their heavy artillery. Mr.. Pierce
then stated that three questions would
be allowed
Mr.. Chairman Will the speaker kind.
ly tell us just what he means by So
cialism?"
Mr.. Chairman! VIII the speaker
please say why he is a Socialism"
to say that there is need for Socialism In
this great. free country?'
1t was explained that the speaker had
devoted most OF his time to anticipating
those particular questions, but, IL Mr..
White or Percy Skinner, his comrade,
wouldn't mind, Mr.. Skinner didn't He
told lucidly why he was a Socialist,
what was Socialism, and whether So
cialism was needed. There was an un-
dercurrent Of jeers. When he had fin
ished. everybody applauded.
Then Mr.. White arose in answer to
another volley OF questions. He told
more about Socialism. L. D. Young, a
visitor in Washington from Beatrice,
Nebr., obtained permission to make a
five-minute speech. He started in true
campaign orator style:
Il have lived in the great, grand. and
IS.
There is no poverty in my section of the
country. There are no starving chill
dren. There is no need for Socialism
Give me fifty young girls and will
guarantee to educate them. see that
they are dressed, and marry them in
good society," Give me fifty young men
ana / will do the same thing / speak,
ladies and gentlemen, Of the sovereign
States Of Nebraska and Kansas"
Reads Newspaper Accounts.
The questions waNed hotter. Mr..
Young's remarks had been followed by
sneering cries of what are you going
to do with the miIiions?''
Mr.. Pierce rose from the trenches and
charged at the enemy. using as a shield
the newspaper accounts, in which II had
been said that the former meeting al
most broke up in riot" Should the
busy young men in the rear Of the build
ing, SO busily copying names, be able to
repeat the accounts, he seemed to think
No; Heavens, no,
The meeting quieted somewhat. Mr.
Young, from his seat. viewed the gather
ing with an air of conscious superiority.
fire questions. But when it was an
nounced that 1t was 1880 o'clock. full
thirty minutes past the hour provided
in the constitution for a retirement to
the busy world of work and sleep. the
meeting was adjourned. although a dozen
leading speakers of Washington citizens
associations, invited to address the club,
had not yet been heard.