Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-25

The police of the Fourth and Race streets
| station were charged today by Francis X.
Taylor, an attorney with having used rough
tactics when they arrested men and women
in front Of the Arch Street Theatre last
night after a proposed peace meeting called
by the Peoples Council had been called off
by the police The theatre doors remained
closed. Mr.. Taylor's charges were made to
Magistrate Dietz, before whom the prisoners
were arragned this morning at the Fourth
and Race streets station
at IL a piece of rank injustice for the
police to stand by and permit men in the
uniform Of the United States Government
to charge rough house into crowd of
men. women and girls and strike out right
and left" said Mr.. Taylor. II don't see
any of the sailors in here now. The SOL
diers in this city have already killed eight
people for little or no cause. How long
Is this thing going to continue?
II was not present at the Arch street
Theatre last night" continued Mr.. Taylor.
II was at a peace meeting held by the
Quakers. How is it, by the way, that
Quakers are not bothered when they want
to hold peace meetings while poorer folk
who cannot hire n pretentous meeting place
are ridden over by the police and soldiers?
II is such movements as these that are the
very backbone Of democracy"
Alexander Macleod lSi2 Passyunk ave-
nue., was the first to be arragned.
Macleod, who is a cripple, testified that he
had been roughly handled by the police.
O'Drain. who made the arrest. said that
Macleod had grabbed pole and refused
TO move. Macleod was charged with
blocking the highway by distributing lit
erature setting forth the aims of the Peo-
pies Council. Minnie Rubenstein. $40
Cross street said that when she bid
into the patrol wagon, she was put in with
him to continue her farewell indefinitely.
She was charged with a breach of the
peace Both were held under s40O bail to
keep the peace by Magistrate Dietz.
Samuel Wex, $3.50 .Girard avenue. twenty
two years old. didn't seem to be much in
terested in making Arch street or any other
place safe for democracy. He is not
member of the organization, he said, and
merely protested against the rough actions
Of the police. His bail was fixed at s400.
MAGISTRATE ISSUES WARNING
Aaron Trashmow. $40 Snyder avenue,
was charged with standing on the steps OF
the Arch Street Theatre. He was also held
under $500 bail to keep the peace.
III this country is invaded" warned Mag.
istrate Dietz, you propagandists will have
to seek some other job"
we had no intention of defying the
police and holding our meeting" said Mr..
Taylor. I'VE had sent out some notices.
and the refusal of the police to let us hold
the meeting came too late for us to tell
our members not to come. All we wanted
to do was to let some one get up and tell
the crowd to go home. The police refused
for quite a while to even let us do that, ]
am told"
I'VE had quite an amusing experience
with police interference at our last meet |
ing" said DR.. Helen Murphy, 1903 Spruce |
street. II asked the police department |
for a permit to hold our meeting. The po- |
lice officials said that they would not give |
us the permit unless we satisfied the United |
States authorities that there was no sedi- |
ton in our ranks. District Attorney Kane |
got direct ruling from the Attorney Cen
eral of the United States in which he said |
that we could hold our meeting. A police |
sergeant attempted as usual to stop us. |
but T. Henry Walnut, assistant district |
attorney, happened to be at our gathering, |
he tod the police official to attend To
other affairs and leave our meeting to him, |
The sergeant disappeared and we proceeded.
CONVENTION IN MINNEAPOLIS
The Mayor of Minneapolis. where we
are 10 mold our convention next month has
put the matter of our convention before
the authorities at Washington. They have |
stated that we will be allowed to meet
In fact every other city allows us to hold
our meetings. But the local police don't |
seem to see fit to give us a permit. We
want to obey the laws scrupulously in ever,;
instance and we expect the police to do
me same thing, They don't appear to be
doing It in this city,
u was told not to allow the meeting last
night said Police Lieutenant William Mac.
BRIDE, or the Fourth District, ~ sent SER
geant kinsler over and he found 1000 neonio
blocking the street. The arrests were made
for good reasons" 0e
Don't think for moment that the polica
nave US cowed' said Doctor Murphy, 1--WE
are very careful to find out from Wasbinso
ton Just what we can do and what 10 ne,
permittea. AS self.constituted mentors NJ
our activities the police of this district ora
ra.her amusing They don't seem to have
a clear idea what they are doing" e
peace meeting will be held in c,,,s,s
tomorrow. :" Safnuen