The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-04-06
NUMBER OF FORCE PREPARED
TO RESIST ATTACK
Estimated That Twenty-Five Thousand
Men Have Been Equipped to RepeI
Any Assaults or Uprisings That May
Occur in New York City; Billy Sum-
days Show; Protest Of People; Stock
Surroundings -a a
Especial to Free Press
From MONDAYS Daily,

New York, April 2.-Ready for any
outbreak that may follow Washing
ton war action. twenty-five thousand
men, armed, drilled and detailed to
|prearranged posts all over this town
are to-day waiting the word to turn
this town into an armed camp.
Though strict secrecy has been OBJ
served in arranging this defense
guard for weeks, it is now known
that the police force, the local mil
tia and thousands of members of
the new home guard organization
have cooperated to cover all possible
points of attact with what is Writ
ually an armed military force. With
their armOred autos, machine guns
and modern rifles posted for imme-
date service over every section of
Greater New York, the leaders of
this silent army now declare that
they can cope with any rebellious
force that may attempt to attack at
any point of this city
.-. Billy Sundays Show
Forecasting frost for Billy Sum-
day II he attempts to distract them
from the. stern issues Of this crucial
time, New Workers are now looking
with little interest toward the revival
next month, to stage which thou
sands Of dollars have been already
spent. While hysterical and curious
Icrowds will undoubtedly throng the
Sunday tabernacle, it is pointed out,
the big bulk Of the people here are
at present interested in national ra-
Their than personal salvation and en-
tirely absorbed in problems of war
fare to the exclusion of all senti-
mental schemes affecting their private
lives. In already announcing that he
will feature himself principally as a
recruiting agent, many ministers in
this town are seeing in Sunday more
of good Snowman than an evange-
list, and are beginning to become dis
affected from the whole revival move
ment ..........
People Do Prctast
Demanding the same right of court
appeal that every other American en-
joys, the commuters and consumers
of this town are today organizing
a popular protest against the present
final powers of the public service
commissions, that are claiming to be
a court of last resort in the vital
home concerns of lighting and rail-
way charges and service. Unless
the Wicks Martin bills, prescribing
the right of any complainant to ap-
peal to the higher courts a decision
by the powerful utilities commission
ers, are speedily made law at Albany
New Workers believe these bodies will
assume power over their lives great
er than that of any court, excepting
alone the supreme court of the Unit
ed States. Daily lighting, cooking
and carfare costs are considerable
items in household budgets, and the
people of this city do not propose to
leave their absolute determination in
the hands of a few official autocrats,
who are opposing this Legislative effort
to subject their DEGREES to court re-
view and give consumers the rights
that even every criminal enjoys.
g., The Stock Surroundings.
To offer a breath of fresh air, a
bit of clean recreation, medical help
and some teaching to the, horde Of
foreigners from twenty-seven nations
that is huddled up in the lower slums
of the Bowling Green section, a COM
munity house and grounds is just be-
ing placed on the edge of the Wall
Street district That more human
misery than almost anywhere else in
this metropolis can be found within a
stones throw of the money market
where millions of dollars are tossed
about by the magnates every day, is
proving a surprise to New Workers
who never knew their town entirely.
If the men who make money hard by
will contribute a few dollars apiece
to the succor of the tubercular and
poverty victims of this
most squalid quarter, the new settle
ment venture should succeed.
The Sawdust Show.
Defying the home defense interest
that had crowded out all thoughts of
peanuts, popcorn, clowns and circus
ring hereabouts, the big sawdust show
has just occupied Madison Square
Garden here and sent scouts, armed
with adjectives, to storm the copy
desk entertainments of Park Row.
BY playing up preparedness and Civ
ing the most sensational, satisfying
and stupendous exhibition ever af-
fected on earth, the circus crowd
hope to amuse the multitude of alb
stracted New Workers and get away
under canvas before a bombardment
begins. If war intervenes, however,
everyone is counting upon the press
agent colonel of these forces to take
command of retreat to new Hin
denberg headlines.