New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-18

audience. it developed into miniature
riot.
All kinds OF people, rich and poor. at
tend the Forums meetings, though they
are alike in their interest in the we'll
being OF the labor class. and in a belief
IN the right Of any man 10 stand up
and yell II he does not approve OF the
speakers remarks. Consequently. when
the man who has been doing his best
to deprive the Forum Of their audi
forum outraged their sensibilities by
calling the workingman names and
swearing at the audience itself the eff
feet was rather lik- waving a red flag
in the middle Of field of prize bulls.
Browne Praised Blood-Letting.
To quote the court stenographer. Mr.
Browne SAID, among OIEer Things: THE
European war IS good thing. Blood
letting is necessary. 1t would be bet
ter If there were more hungry stom-
achs." He improved on that cheerful
philosophy later by stating his belief
that the working people ought to labor
two or three times as long as they do.
The audience yelled. whistled and
shrieked, and the speaker swore. The
pitiless stenographer recorded every
thing that he said. including his de-
scription Of the audience as mob and
his final magnificent outburst, ITO hell
with the audiencel" At this point Mrs.
Wheelock, formerly Mrs. kid" Mccoy
and now the wife of retired book
maker, who had been most enthusiastic
in her approval of Mr.. Brownies state
ments, rushed TO the platform and
begged him not TO apologize, as an in
dignant citizen had demanded
BY the time George Creel had risen
10 speak, the meeting bore little sem
blance to the polite and harmonious
debate that Mr.. Beck had imagined.
Mrs. Wheelock, resuming her post by
the platform. continued pleasantly 70
call the speaker liar, and when Mr..
Creel ventured TO say that it did not
matter greatly whether Mr.. Maurer
did say ITO hell with the Stars and
Stripes at the last meeting, since the
reasons for any ones feeling that way
were more important, pandemonium
was let loose. One person began 70
sing america" another grasped the
flag and waved it aloft, and every one
shouted.
The astounding part of the proceed
ings. however, was that the audience
finally Quoted down, listened TO the
rest Of the remarks and left the hall
without assaulting each other or the
Forums arch-enemy.
Yesterday Mr.. Beck, at the Labor
Forums headquarters, was seriously
concerned lest the conflicting stories
that had been published should further
injure the Forums cause.
"Mr Brownies speech does not really
affect the Forum" he said. I've had
invited him TO speak because he felt
that. on the night when the Presidents
daughter was our guest, he had rot
been given sufficient opportunity TO
state his views. Naturally. we cannot
tell in advance what a man will say,
and while we realized that he would
oppose our desire TO continue 10 hold
our meetings in the high school no one
had any idea that he would be unwise
enough to utter the kind Of statements
that he did, and then to insult his hear
ers. | have never heard labor speaker
abuse an audience quite as badly
Would Drown Educators.
"The trouble with the Board of Edu-
cation" said Mr.. Browne yesterday
morning, sis that some of its members
are anarchists. If | had my way about
it. would take few OF them, tie
stone around their necks, and throw
them overheard at the Battery"
He admitted that he had sworn at
the meeting, but said that he had only
used a few "dsmns," and that he didn't
think much of that.
Members of the Board OF Education
were not particularly concerned about
the latest outbreak at the Labor Forum.
1t was believed that it would not seri-
ously affect the decision that they are
20 make in reference TO the Maurer
case. in denying the Forum the use OF
the Washington Irving auditorium for
f4r r1optfnC.