New-York tribune., 1919-01-27
Socialists Urged
TOCetOWnHalls
And Newspaper
Quit Trading With Enemy
Advises Scott Nearing; ;
Police Action Criticised
at a Series of Meetings

series of meetings protesting the
action of the Police Department in
closing various meeting places of
greater New York to Socialists took
place yesterday afternoon in all parts
of the city
The principal meeting was at the
feopie's House, owned by the Socialist
party, and was addressed by Dr.. Scott
Nearing, Socialist lecturer and under
indictment for violation of the espion
age act
Nearing said he was tired of peti
tioning the authorities to permit the
Socialists to hold meetings and was of
the opinion that the only method by
which the Socialist party, as we'll as
other labor organizations, could solve
the problem that confronted them was
to control their own meeting halls.
The Socialist party" he declared,
must set to work to establish its own
machinery Of communicat ton and or
ganlzation. We have got to have o,r
own schools, halls and our own news
papers. We can't afford to go on trad
ing with the enemy.
Diplomacy Called OFF
I've come to the opinion" he CON
el1teo' not to have any diplomatic
reIatlohs with the other side. If we
wano halls' we've got to own them; if
port them" s'' ~ sup
Nearing went on to saw that in COW
eral parts of the country labor aireadv
owned its own halls and schools. at
Is 'he only way" he declared, that
we can educate the American neonle
from capitalism into socialism
ne kev. G. Frazier, who is pastor of
one OF the negro churches Of Harlan
demanded the withdrawal of Allied
troops from Russia. He said if Amer
ica we're really democratic the lynch
.iL's INA, taxes place almost daily in
'''J D; Sou1h "ouId never be permitted.
nlscusslng bolshevism, he said it
vas vas q peculiar thing that politicians
like Senator Ovcrman of North Cnna .,oo
INA were desirous of curbinp tbo
growth OF that philosophy in Russia
Wnich was thousands Of miles awo,,
while IN the South. which is m,,ch
nearer home, anarchy in the form Of
lyhching was not halted
Release of Obiectors Demanded
Evan Thomas, the brother of the Row
norman thomas, and recently released
pY inc war Department from Fort
Leavcnworth, where he was held os
a conscientious objector. related 90
ichgth the prosecutions which he said
1he CONSCIENTIOUS objectors had under
gone He said the recent release Of
rne no DIRECTORS by the War Depart
ne"t was an admission that the pol
ICY which had been used in treatinc
with these men had been feilures
ne demanded the Immediate release If
tious objectors. ''e'e'-
MEYER London, Socialist member of
congress from this city spoke at For
ward Hall, IT'S East Broadway Uo
urged that the party call a three -dav
strike to arouse public opinjon against
.hls condition. He also attacked the
american labor movement because Of
l,s hostllty to Socialist principles and
charged that foMes were at work to
SUR up SOCIALISTS to armed resistance
so that members of the partv mioht
be slaughtered. '''s Nv
We should organize as nrotost
against the closing of these halls
three- day strike" said Mr.. London.
Our Doys died in the trenches and
we're told that they were fighting for
democracy, and now they are CLOSING
up the halls against Socialists
mere are provocateurs who want
US to take violent methods. so that
there may be an excuse to drown us
IN blood But we will not desert neacc-
fui evolutionary methods, We can
drive every hall owner out of business
II he closes his hall to us. Now is the
time to organize powerful protest
against this movement"