New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-04
Poplar Council
To Convene i'm
Brixton Prison
Five Additional Borough Of
ficials Arc Arrested for
Refusal to Levy Taxes
Making Total Seventeen
Crowd Shows Sympathy
Surrender to Sheriff Made
Social Function; Women
Are TO Be Seized Monday
From The rribunc's European Bureau

Copyright 1871, New FORK tribune Inc.
LONDON, Sept. 3.-The Mayor of the
Borough OF Poplar and sixteen mem
bers Of the Borough Council, who have
been arrested. within the. last three
in Brixton prison tomorrow at parade
time, when the prisoners are allowed
on the parade grounds, to discuss taxes
for the next quarter. In message
issued from the prison the Mayor said
the council would refuse to levy rates
until the government assumed the bur
den Of maintaining the unemployed.
The Mayor and Councillors are under
arrest for refusing to levy taxes on the
order of the London authorities and
the courts, contending that on account
Of the heavy taxes the borough was as
sessing for the care Of it's unemployed
it could levy no additional ones.
George Lansbury, editor Of "The
Daily Herald" the radical labor organ,
and his son Edgar, both prominent
members of the Poplar council, were
arrested to-day, together with three
other members, and lodged in Brixton
Jail. 1t was announced that the women
members of the council would be ar
rested on Monday.
Arrests Made a Ceremony
The entire proceeding to-day was
+;noed with a melodramatic atmos-
nhere. with Lansbury and the other
arrested councillors assuming the lead
inc roles and with the government au-
thorities in a rather embarrassing posi-
tion. All the amenities of social al
fair were observed. The elder Lansbury
hold a telephone conversation with the
Sheriff and AN hour convenient Tor
both of then, was fixed for the arrest
Lansbury invited a number OF has
friends to be present at the ceremony,
and when the Sheriff arrived ne found
the editor and his son entertaining a
number of friends. The Sheriif was
courteously received and willingly
consented to delay the arrest OF the
Lansburys until two other councillors
had arrived, so that all four could be
arrested together and go to jail IN one
party. ~.
Outside the Lansbury home IN the
mean time a great throng of the unem
ployed had gathered, and while waiting
for the conclusion of the ceremonies
passed the time in singing The Red
FLAG waving the socialistic emblem
and cheering for the Lansburys and
the other councillors. No hostility was
displayed toward the Sheriff when ne
arrived but quite a nunreer IN the
crowd gave him a hearty cheer, reallz-
ing that he was merely performing a
painful duty and was making the best
of the situation.
Go to Jail in Carriages
When the four councillors appeared
at the door to enter the carriages to
90 to prison there was tremendous
outburst of cheering and cries of en-
couragement. There was no attempt
to rescue them from their captors,
however, and a passage was cleared
through the streets for the carriages.
Although the councillors unquestion-
ably are guilty of an unconstitutional
act, they have the full sympathy of the
masses Of the East End of London and
incidentally, they are experts at ex-
plotting public opinion in their favor
There have been no outbreaks in Pop
lar, thus far, the gathering of crowds
over the arrest of the councillors
being the only untoward incident, but
in other districts the unemployed are
beginning to show an ugly temper.
The Mayor and the councillors were
visited in prison to-day by their wives
(some of them carrying babies in their
arms3 and other women members of
their families. They are being treated
ia jail as if they were poor law prison
ers, and have made no complaints.