The Robesonian., 1918-03-04
WOULDN'T LET
BRYAN SPEAK

BRYAN SPEAK
He Was Refused a Hearing at Pro-
hibition Meeting in Toronto-Re-
turned Soldiers Caused the Dis
Toronto, Canada, Dispatch, Feb. %.
William J. Bryan was refused a
hearing when he appeared at Massey
Hall here tonight to address prohi-
bition meeting under the auspices of
the Dominion alliance. /,
Returned soldiers caused the distur
bance by shouting various epithets.
"What about the Lusitania ?" they
also demanded in chorus.
The first disturbance came before
Mr.. Bryan's entry, when the chair
man told the audience they were to
be honored by listening to the frater-
nal delegate of the Anti-Saloon league
of America, zone of the foremost citi-
zens Of our ally" When Mr.. Bryan
came in, pandemonium broke loose.
Most of the audience stood, waved
handkerchiefs and cheered him, but
the answering boots from the gallery
outlasted the cheers.
For five minutes Mr.. Bryan tried
vainly to make himself heard. The
interruption kept right on and the
interruptors sang "Rule Britannia"
and "God save the King
They inquired about the Lusitania
o~J eo~o~ UOx,or orI ssWo
Won't Go Home Until Morning." Men
stood up and shook their fists at Mr..
Bryan. Soldiers showed the service
button on their coats and shouted de-
fiance at those who pleaded for a
hearing for him.
Enthusiastic prohibitionists who
wished to hear Mr.. Bryan, hurled
across the hall counter calls of "Put
them out" and "Where's your fair
play" The chairman was heard to
say something about ejecting the in
terrupters. He was greeted with
cries "Who's going to do it,"
! John Robertson, of Montreal, made
an attempt to speak, but was told tc
s'get the khaki on"
| Then a man of the army medical
corps dressed in uniform was hcisted
onto the platform.
"Boys, they are fighting for free
dom at the front; they are also fight
ing for freedom Of thought. Why
should we interrupt the meeting?" He
appeale dto the gallery.
The appeal was in vain.
"God save the King" was suns
again and the soldiers in the gallery
shouted: "Take Bryan out and vel
walk out. Well let any man speak
but not a pro-German.
i After the band had played another
air, Mr.. Bryan made brief, but fu
tile attempt to make himself heart
the platform and talked to the re
porters, the noise never ceasing fo
an instant.
II am here by invitation" said MI
Bryan. 81 come as the representa-
tive Of 25,000,000 of the American peo
pie who have banded themselves to
!. gether in various organizations for tn
promotion of prohibition. l have spok
en- in one hall tonight before an au
dience that gave me not only respect
full but enthusiastic attention
. Il find that less than five per cen
: : probably more, nearly less than tw
: : per cent of this audience refuses t
= allow the rest of the audience to hea
= me speak. Ordinarily, those who il
: terrupt a meeting are put out becaus
!. they refuse an overwhelming maiorit
:, the right to hear. In this case I al
u not willing that force should be use
= to eject the men from the hall.
- would rather that the meeting shoul
a break up.
Q "My patriotism is satisfactory 1
. the president of the United States:
is satisfactory to the cabinet of tt
United States; it is satisfactory to tt
= congress of he United States, The1
l IS not one single person in the Unite
u States who can say that one drop
blood IN my veins is not loyal to m
:. Mr.. Bryan told the reporters tn,
his daughter was married to a Britis
engineer officer; that one of his gram
sons was British subject and tn;
another was in the navy departmel
: at Washington.
al Il say this" he added, 'sthat VI
- may know that do not have to ape
fy oglze to anyone"
te Mr.. Bryan announced his readine
n n to stay all night in the hall and t
o. and talk to the people. He said
y. would nave no coercion, however.
injured in our fighting to make wor
|. safe for democracy without anyone b
On ing injured to give mesa hearing"
X The former secretary of state spo
s. for quite while on the progress
o. prohibition to those who had crowd
&C. &C. down to the platform, but it is doui
be ful if many of them could hear hi
owing to the noise.
The meeting broke up when t
= audience Joined once more in sinpi,
- God Save the King"