New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-03
New York Bolsheviki FIaunt
Red Flag and Drink as Emblem
Anarchists Extreme Socialists and Paclss Gather Here
to Celebrate Control of Russia by the Proetarat;
Speakers Criticise Allies War Aims

A poster depicting drink and the red
flag of anarchy as the apparent emblem
of the Bolsheviki was a prominent
feature at a gathering of the followers
Of Lenine and Trotzky in New York yes
terday afternoon.
Calling themselves the Bolsheviki Of
this city, 800 anarchists, extreme So
cialists and so-called pacifists met at the
Park View Palace, 10th Street and
Fifth Avenue, TO express their bubbling
ioy over the first instance "of the con
troll of a great nation by the prole-
tariat."
The key TO the atmosphere Of the
affair was given by the poster which
hung on the platform. 1t pictured a
Russian workingman in a wine cellar.
In one hand he had bottle OF drink
and in the other red flag, with the
legend, Long live the Bolsheviki."
Around him were scores of bottles and
the motto, Life is short and drink is
plentiful"
Although four anarchists VINO spoke
and differed radically among themselves
tried to introduce a serious note into
the convocation of the city's free and
untrammelled citizens by criticising the
Allies war aims, the spirit OF the cele-
bration was gay.
Dancing Follows Speeches
Dancing followed addresses By Leon
ard ID. Abbott, who acted as chairman;
Uypolite Havel, editor of THE Social
War" an anarchist organ; Charles
Soanenschein, leader of the League OF
Conscientious Directors, and Harry
Kelly, of the Ferrer Association, the
anarchist group for whose financial
benefit the celebration was held.
long-hared youth, with a bottle OF rum
in his hand, tried TO reenact the theme
Of the poster by running among the
dancing couples and yelling for the
revolution and the free life.
Representatives of the police and the
Federal Department of Justice were in
terested observers. Sonnenschein's an
nouncement that the Bolsheviki groups
of this country purposed to go in for
politics gave a certain amount OF i'm
portance to his talk. Edward Dujardin
said that 5000 radicals were interested
in "the Bolsheviki of greater New
York"
The manager Of the Park View Palace
threw the managers of the affair
against grim realities of the situation
by asking them whether they had ar
ranged TO collect a war tax.
They replied that they had not
thought of the matter. The manager
said that the meeting could not be held
unless the war tax was collected, as
the admission charged was 80 cents.
But the Bolsheviki demurred, saying
they could not pay war tax since they
opposed the war.
Then the manager asked whether the
Bolsheviki intended giving any of their
proceeds 10 war charity, thus making
the meeting exempt from tax. To this
they rejoined: "Why, we're for the
Bolsheviki Of Russia. Wen give part
of the receipts to Russian prisoners of
war"
Share TO War Charity Is Pledged
Jacob II. Schwar.z. of 20 East l06th
Street, and Jack Isaacson. of l24 East
lO3d Street, spokesman of the society
signed an affidavit to the effect that
they would contribute to war charity.
1t was said later that 10 per cent of the
800 profit would go TO Russia and the
other 90 per cent 10 the ferrer As
ISOLATION
Hypolite Havel. who talks with
German accent, though he SAYS ho Vas
born in Chicago. was the most un-