New-York tribune., 1921-09-19
Ledoux Selects
for
Auction Tonight
Says Woman Also Will Be
offered at Sale He
Plans for Ill O'clock on
Pu blic Library Steps
After the War Profteers
Will Give Out Doughnuts
This Morning; Ignores
Police i'm Arrangements

Despite the edict of COMMISSIONS.
of Police Enright forbidding 1t final
plans for the holding of an "auctio-
sale of unemployed slaves" on the
steps of the Public Library, at Fifth
Avenue and Forty-second Street, were
made yesterday by Urbain j. Ledoux,
New York's "Mr. Zero" and the head of
the "Church of the Unemployed"
Previously Ledoux planned to start
his "auctioning off of homeless, job
less and disheartened men and women
at midnight tonight, but he announced,
while on Sunday afternoon tour for
subjects in Bryant Park, that he had
set the time forward one hour.
eleven o'clock will be the best time,
for then the sleek, well-fed crowds
from the theaters will be thronging
the Streets" he said. "Those are the
people, the crowds containing the war
profiteers, whom I desire to impress
the most with the situation Of the un-
employed. want them to see for
themselves the plight that these men
parks and who are dependent upon
charity for food, are now in.
"Will the police interfere? do
not know. / have not received word
from them chat I must not hold this
auction Of the jobless; hence, / am
completing my plans. All Of those who
will be sold, with the exception Of one
woman, are ex-service mon. They
marched away to war amid the cheers
of thousands and with banners and
stands there ON the Public Library
steps paid for by the peoples money.
Certainly the police did not interfere
then. Have they any right to inter-
fere now in the establishment on those
same steps of means to get jobs for
these same men?"
Ledoux's activities Of the day will
begin in the morning in Cooper Square
where he will set up a parasol bearing
the inscription, "Lift Up Your Hearts"
There will also be truckload of dough-
nuts and buns, which he will distribute
free to all comers.
ledoux was emphatic in declaring
that he was not engaged in any enter
prise detrimental to the public peace.
II am, however, dangerous in one re-
spect," he said, ~ am dangerous to the
fat, sleek war protiteers who made mil
lions from the sutferings of these men
and who now fail to help them. l am
dangerous because I am awakening the
consciousness of the unemployed thou
sands and making them understand
that, no matter what has been their
suffering, they still are men and have
the rights of men, including the right
of job. In that respect l will admit
that l am dangerous"
Ledoux was interviewed while sitting
on bench in Bryant Square, sur
rounded by curious throng. 1t was
admitted by many of his hearers, how
ever, that they were holding jobs and
were drawn to the scene merely by a
desire to hear what was going on. OF
the half dozen unemployed men first
questioned by "Mr. Zorro" the first man
said that he was out Of work because
he was on a strike, and the second said
that he had been without job for only
two days.
The reporter requested Lcdoux to
ask the assemblage as to how many Of
its members were New York residents
and how many had drifted into town.
"That wouldn't be fair" he replied,
"as many here are just inquisitive by
standers."
Says Most Of Them Just "BIew In"
"I'll answer it," spoke up a police
man attached TO the park, who had
been standing by, listening. "About
nine out Of ten are foreigners: that is,
they're not New Workers. They just
blew in to New York"
Ledoux expressed the opinion that
the new employment Office Of the In