New Britain herald., 1918-01-05
ANTI-DRAFT DRIVE
 AG|TATORS FOUND
Police Say Sick and Death Bed Fund Was Responsill
DISTRIBUTED LITERAf
Records Show Who Was. Guilty
 Spring Propaganda Aimed Ag1
 CcnscriJotion -- Officer of SoeN Abuses Police Chief and Herald.

Abuses ICuCe NnIcf ana HeTakO3EH
 Directly to the doo~< of the Work1fk mems Sick and Death Benefit fund3
 has been placed the blame for tn9a
 distribution of the aEti-conscription
 matter which flooded this city during the early spring months, and on whnka| tracks the police spent consideraSfoa time without being able to run doWrys the guilty parties. TErs fact was! l clearly shown to the authorities after 1 a careful DerIsal C1 the papers and records of the society seized yester- ] day in a r,aid on the German and 1 English branches it is. said. Through the raid. the police and federal au- l thorities secured the names of every member ot the organization in this city, together with much information i that may be of material assistance in l breaking up this band in various l cities in the United States The rec 1 ords show that at least 200 Germans l were members of the Teutonic bran Ii 1 and about SO in the John Brown l Branch,'' as the English speaking or I der was known.
 1 In going over the application blanks l of the Workmen's Sick and Death 1 Benefit fund, the federal authorities l discovered a change relative to the l clause concerning the joining of the army, navy or police departm ments, which reads that any member not ] forced into military duty, and enlist l ing voluntarily, will not receive any 1 benefits in case of sickness or death, the rule explaining that no provisions l are made to cover this infraction of 1 the rules and bylaws
 Secretary Abuses Police.
 1 Some of the members, on learning l the serious position of the organiza- l tion, were quick to seek shelter by 1 disavowing having clear knowledge of l the inserted rule concerning service
 in the. United States Army or Navy Others have been more defiant how l ever, insisting that the society was l contposed of loyal AYnerfean7 citizens l whose aims and objects are being I'misrepresented by the press and police
 authorities. Probably the most con 1 spicuous among this number is F. " l SchWer financial secretary of the "John Brown Branch Schwer paid 1 a visit to the police station yesterday fafternoon and in no mild voice he eX- l pressed his contempt for the poll e 1 and others who have been instru-
 mental in practically breaking up the | organization. Waxing warm in his l talk, SchWer attacked Chief Rawlings ] in violent terms for permitting the I police to raid the rooms of the so- 1 ciety and confiscate its books and rec 1 ords. Schwer insisted that the society | was 9 good American organization, l but when Chief Rawlings assured him 1 that tho status of the so-called good I Am n1erican society was now in the t%hands of the United States govern fnent, and the Department of Justice 3 was bchind the New Britain police de- I partment in it's action, Schwer as- < ssumed an altogether different view, isnot, however, until he assured the :, head of the police department that he was going to secure "a big New York lawyer to protect the inter-
 ests of the Workmen's Sick and Death 1 Benefit Fund.
 1 After completing his abusive re- 1 marks at the police. Schwer turned his attention to the New Britain Herald for it's part in showing up the so-
 ciety in it's true nature.