Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-04


was another thing to make us angry
Chairman Graham would have advised
the American Federation Of Labor men
from Washington and MIR. Mahany OF
the situation IL il had been possible to do
SO and thus saved them the wild-goose-
chase Journey here, but found he could
not reach them. Nor was it possible to get
out notices that there would be no meet
ing to the workers of the city, expected to
attend Therefore he, Senator Salisbury,
Senator Ashurst and several of the city
labor leaders, went to the Queen about an
hour before the hour set for the meeting
and acted as a sort of notification commit
| tee.
MEETING ON THE SIDEWALK.
The result was crowd at the corner OF
Fifth and Market streets, constantly IN
creasing in size and indignation. The
general tenor of remarks must have had
ITS sympathetic reflection upon the ears of
the two police commissioners in the shape
Of burning sensation of many, many heat
units. because the crowd was sore all over
| Men wanted TO know by what right free-
dom Of speech was thus shut off, and the
answer patty came from someone else
that there could be only one reason fear
that Senator Salisbury and Congressman
Polk would get too many labor votes on
Tuesday.
We'll" said another. that's a rotten
way to go about preventing him getting
them. Why, it only makes them for HIM.
| While things were being talked over, along
came a policeman, who, Of course, knew
what was going on and what was the
reason for the big crowd on the Queen
pavement
"Hcy." nc announced, when Inc arrived
| II, Il y,rfo
hIv. "vou fellows will have to open up
here and keep the pavement free There
| amt a-going to bc no meeting here to-
night and YOU might as well bsperse
| Come on. let the people by.
Now the crowd had parted for the
policeman and he had walked through IT
like the children Of Israel walked through
the Red Sea which fact, together with
his language, aroused still more ire IN
Senator Salisbury, although he was Just
about as full OF II rs he thought he could
be
Well officer, said he controlling his
anger and speaking with ICY calmncss
YOU don't seem 10 have had much trouble
getting through
The policemand did not know who had
spoken 10 him and didn't wait 10 find out
lie just kept on going and that was the
| last seen OF q bIut coat bHh btstao pu'toaaf
for considerable time.
SPEAKERS NoT TO BE DENIED.
The crowd still stayed, because II
wanted to hear what the speakers would
have to say about the situation when they
arrived which happened few minutes
later When they were told what
the police had done, they first
gasped in astonishment and then SAID
a a. i - hs.I a
| II had come to hear and 10 register ITS
| approval Of the Democratic candidates
and il wasn't going away cmpty-eared
1t demanded that the speakers say some
thing and they did
The impromptu little meeting lasted
about Is minutes lquIte long enough Tor
the police department to have bad a
squad Of patrolmcn on the spot with
patrol wagons, riot guns, clubs and all
sorts of safety devices against political
speaking But no such things arrived
until after il was all over and the speakers
had gone away and tho crowd dispersed
IN very orderly manner although
quite rs matter Of fact there was neither
disturbance nor disorder At any time.
When they finally hove in slght-four or
five men under a sergeant there was
nothing for them to do and they proceeded
10 do il in a very shccpish and lackadalsl-
cal manner The Job bad palpably been
one they had no relish tor.
WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT 1T.
The little meeting was utterly without
chairman Senator salisbury. at the
demand Of the crowd, told in very few
words what ne thought about the situation
he said he was ashamed TO think that
the city of which he was a citizen had
] u, ko tft- 10 Lr1rf ssf
his hearers put lis O. X. on the sentiments
with n cheer
MIR Nahany went further He said he
had travelled around some In ms career
and seen q lot of political doings, but this
was the first time where he had seen gag
law applied 20 shut of a meeting. The
answer to IL he declared could be only
one thing TO men who thought with their
heads-repudiation Of such practices at
the polls on Tuesday He came from a
great commonwealth, he said. but II
wasn't the habit there TO prevent mcn
from exercising the right Of free speech.
Mr.. Stirling said pretty much the same
thing with Just as much indignation as
AIr Aiahany and the the crowd insist ed
that Senator Ashurst tell what he thought
Of the matter The big broad-shouldered
compelling Wcsterner, looming like q
! lighthouse above tne Oe20S Oh UloSt
around him. answered by saying that ho
had not come to the meeting place to talk
but TO hold a conference with labor
leaders. but he had been amazed by the
methods pursued Sin some mysterious
manner. To prevent the meeting He
didn't charge the thing to the good peopel
Of Delaware he went on, because he had
seen too much of it To know that the
people themselves had nothing to do with
it. The act was the act OF "the powers
that be" as he and Senator Salisbury
knew from experience on the floor Of the
Senate, where the same powers had stiff
fened the Republicans into legislation
blocking resistance.
MORE OF THE SAME.
Afterward the labor men voiced their
opinions of the thing at greater length.
Said Mr. Mahany: IN othing but such
an action as this could show more clearly
how the party that once stood for human
| freedom has fallen from its high estate
1t has refused TO allow American citizens
10 tell why they advocate the reelection
of one Of the States most distinguished
citizens, Willard Salisbury, and ] don't
think a single word of further comment
is necessary ! think labor men will com
ment upon it themselves on Tuesday"
And this is what Henry Stirling said :
| \ L., :