New-York tribune., 1919-01-29
Beck to Speak
Tonight Under
Police Guard
Chairman Gets Threats of
Hearst Men to Break Up
Brooklyn Welcome Meet
S'Committee'' Sees Jonas
Headed by Men Elected
From Madison Square
and ''American'' Employe

Because of threats to disturb the
Brooklyn Victory Celebration Commit
tee mass meeting in the Academy of
Music, Brooklyn, tonight, if James NJ.
Beck speaks, Nathan S. Jonas, chair
man of the committee, yesterday asked
for police guard.
Thomas II. Murphy, Brooklyn Bor-
ough police inspector, promised Mr..
Jonas to have large number of police
men in uniform scattered through the
audience. In addition, Inspector Muir
ply said he would have a police reserve
cached nearby, from where it could
be called quickly if needed.
Mr.. Jonass appeal for adequate
police protection was made yesterday,
shortly after he had fatty and finally
refused to cancel Mr.. Beck's invitation
to speaF at to-night's meeting, which is
being held to raise funds to welcome
home Brooklyn soldiers and to plan +
permanent memorial for the Brooklyn
fighting men. Mr.. Jonas refused to re-
move Mr.. Beck's name from the speak
ors' list, even at the written request
Of the Brooklyn Borough President,
Edward Riegelmann.
Thinks 1t Inconsistent
at seems TO me-" wrote Mr.. Riegel-
mann, that our position is hardly
consistent in inviting to the Brooklyn
meeting a speaker who took such an
active part in furthering the purpose
of the Madison Square Garden meet
ing.
Mr.. Jonas, in a statement to the
press, said: First, that Mr.. Beck would
speak at the meeting as originally
planned; second that as long as he is
chairman of the committee no news
paper meaning the Hearst papers,, or
any body of men in or out of politics
would intmidate the committee, and
third, if John +. Sullivan and his asso-
iates. do not want to hear Mr. Beck
they need not come to the meeting.
1t was a statement by Sullivan, among
others, that prompted Mr.. Jonas to ask
for police protection. Mr. Sullivan an
nounced Monday that if Mr.. Beck were
would have 10000 persons there to de-
nounce him.
1t was at the Sullivan home, $50
Fifty ninth Street, Brooklyn, on Sun
day night that the opposition to Mr.
Beck took form. About scventy-five
persons. none of whom, Mr. Sullivan
asserted, were Hearst employees or city
employees passed resolution asking
Mr.. Riegelmann, as honorary chairman
Of the celebration committee, to prevent
Nr. Beck from speaking.
Criticiscs Hearst and Hylan
These persons objected to Mr.. Beck
because, in speech at the Citizens
Committee of Welcome mass meeting.
he questioned William Randolph Hearst's
Americansm and criticised Mayor Hy-
Ian for placing Hearst on the Mayors
Committee of Welcome. In the reso-
luton asking Rlegclmann to remove
Beck it was charged that Beck had been
asked to speak without consultation
with or authority fvom the members of
the celebration committee"
The Sullivan committee declined an
opportunity yesterday to state its op-
position to Mr. Jonas personally.
Mr.. Riegelmanns letter to Mr. Jonas
follows:
After waiting on you yesterday and
against Mr.. James NJ Beck addressing
the Brooklyn Victory Celebration Com
mittee meeting on Wednesday night,
which was presented to me yesterday
by delegation headed by Mr. John +
Sullivan, of $50 F'ifty-ninth Street, l
was in communication with Mr.. Sulli-
van and advised him that you would
be willing to receive the delegation and
their protest any time this morning.
MIR. Sullivan, however, advised me. that
he would not appear before you and
entered his protest to me as a public
official.
What Mr.. Beck Did
"Since the controversy arose over
Wednesday, night the newspapers
have carried stories that the protest
arose from the fact of Mr.. Becks con-
nection with the meeting at Madison
Square Garden on January II, at
which protest was made against the
action of the Mayor in mis- conduct of
the committee to welcome our soldiers
returning from service abroad, and
wounded soldiers were invited to leave
the meeting. 1t is exceedingly de-
plorable that such controversy ha.
arisen affecting the Brook yn commit
tee, because when this committee was
appointed efforts were made to have
it fully representative of all of Brook
lvn, and, as you know, with this pur
pose in rhind all Of the public officials
were invited to become members, re-
gardless of political Belief requests
were sent to political organizations OF
ali kinds to submit names, ana every
civic, social, fraternal and ecclesias-
tical organization was asked TO do
likewise.
ON view Of this purpose it seems to
me that in the conduct of this meeting
nothing should be done to give offence
20 any people of Brooklyn, because our
purpose in this project is bigger and
broader than any individual views we
cur soldiers.
"The Brooklyn Victory Celebration
Committee is the official Brooklyn
~ L.