Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-07-22
Land From Pacific Reserve Fleet
and "Clean Up
Seattle. g#
SMASH IN THE WINDOWS,
Joined by Town Crowd They
Wreck Place After
Place.

bands of the cruisers Colorado ana
California, started last night to
clean up the town" as they ex-
pressed it, by attacking Socialist
and Industrial Workers Of the World
headquarters.
A second party of men from the
Pacific reserve fleet attacked the big
Industrial Workers headquarters on
Washington street, in the southern
part of the city. The contents OF
the building were dragged into the
street and bonfire made of them.
A provost guard of fifty men from
the feet was hurried ashore in cut
tiers to arrest all the men ashore.
About a dozen, men-of-warsmen,
all young, were in the first wrecking
party to get under way. They were
aided by several members of the
Washington naval militia and by a
hundred young civilians, who made
most of the noise. Waving United
States flags the storming party
swooped down on the cart newsstand
of Willard Price, a socialist orator.
at the intersection of Fourth avenue
and Westlake boulevard, the busiest
night corner of the city. The cart
was broken to splinters in moment
and the big stock of socialist papers
and magazines torn, tossed into the
street and jumped upon.
The mob then rushed to a store
room occupied until recently by the
Industrial Workers of the World at
Fifth avenue, near Stewart street.
The wreckers found the place de-
serted, the tenants having moved.
They then proceeded to the socialist
headquarters on Fifth a-senue, near
Stewart street, smashed in the plate
glass front and nailed American
flags on the front of the building.
The policemen smiled complacent-
ly upon the wreckers. The sailors
tore the signs from the front of the
building and broke them to pieces
and then started to drag the furni-
ture and books into the street, but
the policemen stopped them.
There were demands that the In
dustrial Workers be hunted down
and young civilian in a white suit
tried to induce the party to go to
the headquarters Of the moderate So
cialists in an old church on Olive
street near Seventh. Another self
appointed leader led the party to-
ward the old Unitarian church on
Seventh avenue near Union street,
which had just been vacated by the
moderates.
AS the naval men were crossing
Pike street at Sixth street they were
overhauled by an automobile full Of
policemen, headed by big captain,
who told the sailors that if they did
not disperse he would arrest every
one Of them. The policemen, by,
maneuvering, separated the men in
uniform and scattered them. No
handling of them was necessary.
The men shouted to the police:
Your mayor won't do anything
to protect the flag. so we are saving
your city"
A young civilian who had been
.endeavoring to incite the sailors
kept shouting to them to Ego and
get Mayor Cottrill." No arrests
were made
The mob reformed in the north
part Of the city after it had been
dispersed. and went back to the So
cialist headquarters on Fifth av-I
enue. near Virginia street, and sack
ed the place, destroying the furni-
ture aad large quantity of social
list literature.
Secretary Of the Navy Daniels was
dining on the cruiser West Virginia
the guest of Admiral Reynolds, at
the time the rioting began.
During the administration OIL
Mayor COtterell street speakers have
been given full license to speak as
long and as loudly as they chose, |
provided they did not block traffi C
o. display the red flag. The Indus !
trial Workers OF the World have
held meetings every night at three
public squares. The meetings gen.
orally have been orderly.
Mayor Cotterill has been assailed
In the newspapers and otherwise for
public speaking by the
Industrial Workers, but he has in