The sun., 1919-04-19

Leo lot every place OIL business IN tne
country OF IS per annum. And II two
places OF business are run by any one
person, firm or corporation. then the
license Is to be $40 per annum per place
and for every place o. business added
tbs license Is to lie doubled so that II
five places are run the license will be
$500 and for ten Places s25. 600---or some
thing like that. AS Mr.. Gilman put 1t IN a
nutshell yestci day: Did our boys light
for O 6eEscracy that will enable few
people to control the distribution and
resul.te the prices of all commodities, or
did they rot? ,~
Audience Is Nameless.
No. Gilman conceded yesterday that
re lad a little dl Guilty in speaking to
re audience which faced him in the
Hote. Astor. 1t consisted entirely of en-
1rely empty chairs with the exception Of
three, which were occupied---one by a
man with a Inoustache. one by q man
without 2 moustache and one by a man
with a beard. The police did not get
their names.
The New York public is n flckle thing.
Literature by Mr.. Gilman to the effect
that a meeting of the Federation OF
Business Men and Women would meet
In the upstairs ballroom Of the Hotel
list Of prominent speakers who would
address the business men and women,
evoked in the first instance only an audi
ence Of one; the man with the beard.
The man with the mustaohe and the
man without n mustache wandered in
later in the afternoon, This. though upon
side table to the right of the ballroom
door there had been arrayed a half
dozen trays OF glasses and -four wicked
looking black bottles. To be sure. after
the meeting was In session and the doors
closed bell hop sampled one of the
bottles and found only water in It. But
this discovery did not destroy their
scenic effect. On the other side Of the
door was n table laden with programmes
and so artfully covered with n cloth that
the illusion OF business mems lunch
was perfect. And yet the public remained
away. t...
The man with the beard began to take
coplous notes as the orator of the day
opened up a memorable speech He stood
on rostrum or small stage rising two
feet from the floor; two palms in tubs
behind him, and between him and his
audience consisting of man with a
mustache, man without a mustache,
and a man with a beard), an oaken
desk OF early Italian Renaissance de-
sign and lectern-or reading stand. in
case you are Precinct Nucleus or cor
ner grocer and do not know what lee
tern means.
"Back 10 Democracy"
Our battle cry" he began, will be
Back to Democracy. or Down With
Bolshevism.' Let all the business men
and women OF America get together and
with our united strength take the control
or the distribution of commodities out of
the hands OF the Big Five Packers, who
now control $50 corporations that prac-
tically control every necessity Of life.
l will concede that this meeting. while
not coming fully up to my expectations
In the way OF Attendance
He expected" said the man without
a mustache to the man who had one,
that Alfred Mccain. the pure food
writer and thinker. would be here. That
would have made four of u.s."
"In the way OF attendance" repeated
the orator Of tho day, nevertheless
while conceding that, wish TO insist
within the hearing OF every person in
this room
He Is speaking In an unnecessarily
loud voice" said the man who had a
mustache TO the man who had left his
AT home, 'for an audience OF so few peo-
pie. Now IL were in his place
you would just as he is doing, -
said the man who had no mustache.
II assume you have heard the express
sion hire n hall Now you will under
stand it's full Significance. The expires
sion, as rule. is flung in a spirit of
contumely IN the faces OF persons who
are considered to be talking too loudly.
And now you see before you a man who
has hired a hall. Incidentally I am
glad that'he and not / is the hirer. But
do you get my point that he Us talking
loudly only because having accepted the
advice OF some friend that he hire a
hall he feels he must fill It? With some
thing at any rate
"In the hearing OF every person In
this place" repeated the orator, that
even. although the attendance falls
short OF certain expectations that I may
have entertained. am undaunted. This
meeting has been called to
II have been computing" said the
man with beard. moving up behind
the man who lacked a mustache, chow
much money is diverted from worthy
objects to the pockets of owners OF
halls In the course OF each year by per-
sons who are afflicted with the hall hir-
ing habit. Now II the persons who feel
they must hire halls would only pause
to consider
"It Is the man on the platform and
not you who has hired this one" the
mustacheless man reminded him. Have
you no sense Of courtesy at all. or even
Of simple justice7"
New York is like no other city
upon the face OF the globe. 1t is ex.