Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-25
HEARINGS HOSTS
FEAR NO ATTACK
Threats of Tar and
Feathers Fail to Deter
Socialists
WILL BE NO WAR TALK
Police Chief Alleged to Have
Been Misquoted by NewS-
papermen
WILL BE NO WAR TALK

Threats Of citizens along the Main
Line to tar and feather Scott Nearing,
pacifist and Socialist leader now under
indictment in New York for seditious
uttersnces. IL he attempted to speak
at the home OF Mr.. and Mrs. Edmund
c. Evans. Of Mills Creek. near Ardmore,
tonight, will not deter the Evanses from
holding the meeting, provided Nearing
will accept the risk implied by the
threat.
This became known today when Mrs.
Evans told the EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER
that Chief OF Police Donaghy. of Lower
Merton, had been misquoted in saying
that he would prevent the meeting in
the interest Of peace in his district and
had called at her home and 'apologized''
for the newspaper stories carrying his
alleged assertions
Chief Donaghy could not be located
today all calls at his headquarters re-
ceiving the answer that the chief was
in Philadelphia and would not return
during the day.
Mr. Nearing will be at my home
tonight" said Mr.. Evans, and will
speak All this talk about his being
tarred and feathered is nonsense. If
there Is going to be any tarring and
featherlng II will not me in my home.
He isn't going to speak about the war
his speech will deal with socialism.
81 have been given permission by
the Department of Justice. by Captain
Donaghy and by Assistant District At
torney T. Henry Walnut to hold the
meeting, and Il. Henry Walnut has
promised to attend the meeting have
also received assurances that the meet
| ing will not be stopped by Captain
| Donaghy, who visited my home and
informed me that he had been mis-
quoted in statement attributed to him
which said that he would stop the
meeting. II will be private and we
don't care to have newspaper reporters
| attend
Frank j.. Garbarino, chief of the
/ Department of Justice, said today that
! he would not attend the meeting but
| that If it were held an agent of the
! department would be present in order
| to take necessary steps if the law were
| violated.
T. Henry Walnut, assistant United
1 States District Attorney, answered that
he would decided later in the day as TO
whether or not he would go to the
/ Evans home tonight for the meeting.
/ II d. M think I will be present." he
said. but l may change my mind late
in the day and 60"
! According to reports reaching here
this morning. Chief of Police Donaghy
announced that the meeting would not
be permitted. He is quoted as saying:
II have been told in no uncertain
terms by men Of the Main Line commu-
mites that IL Nearing Is permitted to
carry out his plan and speak, even to an
audience at the Evans house they will
tar and feather him. and take other
steps to stop him. And the men who
have sent this word TO me are no riff
raft. AS police measure I will pre-
vent the meeting. II cannot take place
f, in Mr.. Evans house or anywhere else.
Since he has attracted so much atten-
ton by his utterances 1t would be like
waving red flag before herd of
bulls"
The report continues that certain
group Of Main Line pacihsts and Pro-
I Germans have been plotting for weeks
to arrange meeting. preferably a
public one. at which Nearing would be
the speaker, 1t is said. They went to
one large fraternal organization a,
Ardmore, and applied to rent the hall.
and that officers of the organization
were glad to rent the hall until they
found out what the applicants wanted
il for.
The matter was brought to the atten-
ton Of citizens of that section by in
vitations being sent out to various peo'
pie living in the neighborhood to attend
the gathering tonight, Main Liners
heard about the proposed sotiailstic lee
ture and expressed their opinion tc
Lower Merion's chief of police. He wa,
understood to have already taken actor
against the meeting.