The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-11-09
ACORN MEMBERS
 VOICE PROTEST
 AGAINST STORY
Believe Farmer Has Been Unjust Towards Them In
 Its News Columns

The Acorn Athletic club, which is one of the most notorious of Bridge ports illegal drinking clubs. protests against a news item. declaring that some of the frequenters of the organi- zation tried to elect, Alderman Daniel E. Walker mayor, and prepared wreath of irnmorte1les for Mayor VIII son.
 They assert that these charges would be libel, if they were directed against an individual member of the club instead of against a body of in dividua1s.
 This was regarded in legal circles today as the first time, historically speaking, that body of men have re- garded themselves as 1fbeiled because of an assertion that they voted for one candidate for mayor, rather than for another. The Acorn Athletic club has a long and not always savory history, which eliminated a few days since when the Bridgeport Pastors assocla- ton filed q remonstrance with the county commissioners, naming the Acorn club among other pseudo3 fc- titious or pretended clubs. On Sunday, July Il, the so-called Acorn club was raided by a squad of local fand state policemen, headed by Dog and Liquor Agent John Brown. Those placed under arrest, charged with violating the liquor law were Archibald Cameron, +tsteward''; Henry Albus, bartender, and Charles Flynn, doorman.
 The charges were tried in city court and judgment was suspended in the cases of AIbus and Flynn. Cameron was. fined $50 and costs and a fine of $2o was meted out to Flynn, who was arraigned on the additional charge of keeping a gaming machine. After the case had been disposed of in city court the officers of the Acorn club filed an appeal, through their attorney, Judge Thomas c. Coughlin When arrested the accused were ball. ed under bond of $15O each. furnished by Walter Anderson, an agent for lager. The letter, complaining of the <ac- cusation that the club membership largely supported Alderman Walker, follows:
 We the officers of the Acorn Ath- Ietic club, an organization operating under a charter issued under the hand and seal of the Secretary of State, on April 6, 1897, and having vested in it corporate and club rights and privi- 1eges to hold and sell real estate. pro- vide adequate meeting place for the members thereof, foster all forms of athletic activities, and to promote so- cial intercourse among the members thereof and therein. enrolled on the
 
 | article appearing in the Bridgeport Evening Farmer, bearing date of No- vember 5, 1915, bearing caption of Drinking Clubs Days Numbered in Bridgeport on front page of said is sue, fifth column, the. offensive para graphs being as follows: But the election just over, many ~- freQuenters of the Oxford club, and most of the frequenters of the Acorn club, made strenuous effonts
  1 Walker
 'tThe story gained. currency that l the Acorn club was so sure of. the | election of Walker, some of it's l members contributed for the Apu1- 1 chase of a wreath of ir1mortel1es,
 to be sent to Mayor Wilson, whose
 political demise was expected. It bore the inscription: 1 :" tRequiescat in Pace.' /" 1 We wish to make the statement that the wording of said paragraphs in said article are offensive to members | of the organization, in which we serve as officers by elective choice. and cast Q stigma on the organization, which, to our minds, constituted a yelled libel and in which redress in a court of law cannot be obtained owing to the fact that the editor allowing the article to be[pu ubiished has saw to it that the personalities were not of an individual character but reflected on the body as 8 whole.
 We wish to state to man that the paragraphs in question are a tissue of lies from beginning to end,7 and made out of whole cloth.
 We have no jurisdiction over the in- dividual members at any time in rela- tion to their preference for any cleo toral candidate, and will not stand for the name of the organization act ing sponsor for any candidate, or set of candidates.
 In conclusion, we request a retrac- ton in full of the statements -pub- Hshed in your paper, bearing. issue Of November 5, and also make a request that you divulge the source of the in formation which led to the publication of the statements
 We wish to state that the para graphs deemed offensive are lies in the fullest sense of the word and, as such, insist upon full retraction and that such retraction being given the same prominence in your paper as that of the article which led to this retraction being demanded. Respectfully,
 JAMES M. WILLIAMS, President CHARLES w. HALL,
 Vice-President.
 THOMAS M. CONNERY, Secretary. ARCHIBALD A. CAMERON, Treasurer.
 JAMES A. BRENNAN, Matchmaker. JOHN FOLEY, LOUIS HILL
 RINGER, ERNEST F. PAN, CHAUNCEY J. TAYLOR, J. DREW,
 Board of Governors. 4 RE