The daily worker., 1924-11-13
LEGION and XII
KLuX H0OD[ Inns
ATTACK MEETING
United Front of Fascist
at Chester, Pa.
BY HARRY M. WINITSKY.
Especial to the Daily Workerl

Especial to the Daily Worksrl
CHESTER, Pa, Nov. 12.-l
arrived at Chester, Pa, at the
Library Hall at 8 p. m. and
found the hall jammed with
over 400 people.
l was Immediately informed
by the local comrades in charge
that the mayor of Chester had
tried to prevent the meeting.
He notified the committee that the
legion and the K X. K. had threat
ened to break up the meeting and he
could not prevent it. The committee
further informed me that when they
came to the hall at 1880 p. m. to open
1t they found it packed by the X. K.
K. and that only about 25 workers
had succeeded in getting into the hall.
The rest were kept out by these hood
lums.
Poor DeIuded Tools.
Comrade Yusim, from Philadelphia,
opened the meeting and introduced
Ukranian speaker who spoke for 10
minutes and then a Lithuanian
speaker also spoke for 10 minutes.
Then the chairman introduced me.
After l had spoken for about Is min
utes at given signal the entire gang
arose from their seats and began to
raise a commotion threatening to
lynch the speaker and break up the
meeting.
A crowd of these ruflans started
/ for the platform but a half dozen po-
lice barred their way. They then be-
gan to argue with the chief of police
whose name is Vance and demanded
that l be arrested and that the meet
ing be broken up. This the chief of
police refused to do. l again started
to speak but the gang raised so much
noise that it was absolutely impossi.
BILE to continue. Groups in the
crowd were yelling get a rope, let's
tar and feather these damned Bolshe-
viks and such other sweet remarks.
Workers Stand by Speaker.
During all this excitement about 25
workers remained in their seats.
appealed to them to support the
Workers Party and they responded
with collection of $13.S5. We sold
out all the literature and so copies
Of the DAILY WORKER.
When the chairman and the two
other speakers and tried to leave
the hall we found mob of about 800
to 400 waiting outside ready for ac-
ton. The chief of police tried to
break them up but they refused to
bulge. He then ordered his police to
make passage way for us and we
were surrounded by the police and es-
corted to the station, in the mean
time the crowd became larger and
larger and made a number of at
tempts to attack us, but we were sur
rounded by the chief of police, six de-
tectives and about a dozen uniformed
men.
Thirsty for Blood.
On the way to the station the chief
of police informed me that the cham
Der Of commerce, the American Le-
gion, the local business men the X.
K K. and other organizations and in
dividuals had threatened to tar and
feather the speakers if they were al
lowed to talk The mayor of Chester
and the police chief had tried to pre-
vail on us to give up the meeting but
we refused stating that we had the
right and that we would hold the
meeting. When we got to the sta
ton the crowd was still there and the
police chief and group Of detectives
we're compelled to go with us on the
train to Philadelphia in order to pre-
vent an attack on us by the hood
lums.
One hundred per cent Americanism
is now vindicated in Chester, Pa. and
the K X. X. and the American Legion
gangsters and thugs have succeeded
in proving their loyalty to Coolidge
the strikebreaker, and the Teapot
Dome officialdom. | informed the
chief of police that we would soon
hold another meeting there and he
warned us not to try it as the next
time the X. X. X. would attack him
and his police as we'll and take us
away from the police and that we
would then be at the mercy of the
crowd.