The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1921-04-29
The Police Lid ON
Radical Meetings
Civil Liberties Union Reports Meth
DDS Throughout The U. s.
SS Chiefs Answer Inquiry.

GO Oluc1S kAuSW0E INQUIRY.
The American Civil Liberties
Union, headquarters 1873 West 18th
St., makes public today the report
of survey of police activities against
radical labor speakers and meet
ings in American cities.
The report. based upon written
answers by police chiefs Of eighty
eight cities to a QUESTIONABLE deal
ing entirely with the police at
titude towards. radical meetings,
makes 1t evident that the right to
assembly accorded American citizens
since the war, and reveals numerous
instances where even this right is
denied by city ordinance or police
regulation. The right to hold street
meetings without police or other
interference, common throughout the
country before the war, is, accord
ing to the report, almost uniformly
a thing of the past In many cities,
citizens are denied the right to hold
meetings in halls without police
permit and in many cities radical
meetings of any kind, in or out of
halls, with or without permit, are
strictly forbidden. Out Of the eighty
eight answers received by the Civil
Liberties Union only eleven recog-
nized the unrestricted right to meet
upon the public streets.
Questions submitted to the police
chiefs and a summarization Of the
replies thereto follow:
i. Are radical meetings being held
in your city. either in public or
private places? = Answers reveal
that in only % out Of the SO cities
are such meetings now held.
2. Are permits required for street
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. show that per-
mits are required in "a out of the
SO cities, and that only II police de-
partments recognize the Unrestricted
right to meet upon the public
streets. The eleven cities where the
right Of free speech is recognized
are Boston, Detroit, Baltimore, Cal
weston, Tex. Springfield, Mass,
Harrisburg, Pa, Fort Wayne, Terre
Haute, Ind, Lincoln, Neb., Berkeley,
Cal, and Camden, N. j. other cities
not directly replying but where no
permits are required are New York
City and st. Louis.
8. Are permits required for meet
ings held upon private property?-
Answers from Sc cities said the
right to hire hall was Unrestricted
while answers from Fl cities stated
that meetings on private property
we're not allowed without a police
permit.
4. Is police protection extended to
radical meetings?-Answers from
"a cities said protection is given
and from Is that 1t is not.
5. Is a close watch kept on radical
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. from 81 cities
were in the Affirmative and in the
negative; in 26 cities stenographic
notes are frequently taken at such
meetings by the police, while in SO
cities no such rule is followed. It
is evident that in the majority Of
American cities police surveillance
at meetings does not go to this
length.
6. Are the police instructed to
interfere II they believe that danger
GUS speeches are being made? Are
the police instructed not to interfere
until some act in violation Of law
is committed? - These questions
contain an opposition in ideas but
"a out OF So police chiefs answered
yes" in both cases. OF the "a
chiefs who got the point Of both
questions, 16 replied they would
wait for some act in violation Of law
before interfering, while 10 said they
would interfere without waiting for
an act.
z. Would you protect radical meet
ings against interference by such
groups as chambers OF commerce
and posts Of the American Legion,
and what would the police attitude
be toward requests by these groups
that radical meetings be prevented?
-Answers from 30 police chiefs are
that they would protect the meet
ings ana disregard the protests, and
from 10 that they would prevent
meetings on such requests.
Tho conclusions of the American
Civil Liberties Union. contained in
the report. are % follows:
1st.-That the police oct asainst
radicals in response to what they
conceive to be their patriotic duty.
regardless Of the authority Of ordi-
nance or state laws. Where ordi-
nances ere lacking to cover their