The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-03-25
JOHNSTON TALKS
TO JOHNSTON AT
ENGINEERS HALL
Empty Seats Greet "B.
& or Bill
Continued from Page y.


Cleveland's lonely socialiScs was nerv-
ously walking up and down an isle.
He probably had not yet heard that
he had been disconnected from the
c. P. P. A. outfit by his national Of
flee. The next thing that came to
notice was a rush into the street by
one of the audience, who there pur-
chased two copies of the Workers
Monthly, returned; gave one to a
friend, and both then hid their noses
in them. We mention these things be-
cause time was passing, an audience
was not coming and this seemed all
that was occurring.
Then, going on nine p. M, Albert
Coyle, chairman of the meeting, told
the few present that the audience was
small, but select. If an absence of
workers makes an audience select,
then that one was, one hundred per
cent. He introduced Peter Witt, the
nationally known humorist of the Gu
yahoga valley. Witt scolded Coyle for
calling a political meeting at this
time of year. The argument was that
the reason the audience was small was
because the meeting was being held
upon the wrong day of the wrong
week in the wrong month.
Peter is Lone-Minded
Peter spoke long time. He ex-
posed the city council of which he is
member. He told the eighty staunch
and true present, that the council was
owned by the New York Central rail-
road and the Union Trust company.
He is surely right. But couple of
minutes later he entered into long
defense of the city charter and the
Cleveland proportional system of re-
presentation. This peoples" charter
must be preserved, he said. And yet,
it was upon the basis Of this charter
and it's proportional system of election
of councilmen that 20 New York Cen
trail councilmen out of a total OF %
were elected at the last municipal
election.
He closed with sigh for cleanliness
in government. Then Coyle arose to
introduce "B. & o." Johnston. At this
point another noteworthy occurance
took place. Peter Witt, in full view of
the audience, stuck his nose into a.
red-covered Workers Monthly, and
read for some time, oblivious to his
surroundings. Workers Party liter
ature seems to interest and bother
these gentry some.
Hard Time Starting
tombstone was introduced as one
who believes in things that are right,
just and decent; one who brought
many groups together into tremend-
Gus political movement. Nothing was
said as to who drove these groups
apart again.
'B. & o." Johnston had very hard
time getting started. His speech was
like the suffering of a Ford with
two spark plugs fouled. He looked
every bit the defeated politician and
the first half of his speech was1 filled
with references to the probability that
many there may be who were disap-
pointed and discouraged because of
the small vote LaFollette got. This
did not cheer the Goldfish aristocrats
that composed the audience one whit.
Righteous William
Finally he said that he thought the
people did not want a labor party, a
class party. The republican and de-
mocratic parties were class parties
and that was proof enough that all
class parties were no good. In Eng
land there were classes, but here
there were so many justice loving
people who had to be counted in on
any progressive movement. He adj
mitted that there was a big job ahead
| to set the world right side up but
said there was no need of a revolu-
ton except in an orderly way. Our
form of government gave us all means
to get back our government, to place
it into the hands of the righteous, he
counselled.
Praying For Help
Then came the peroration. All thru
the meeting Johnston had been speak
ing much of the time with his eyes
closed and his arms outstretched. Was
he at one time salvation army las
sic? During his peroration he indulg-
ed in this mannerisin more than ever
and talked much about the Almighty,
the creator and this world that he
gave to all the people. Johnston must
have two dozen stock perorations. The
one he ended his speech with was a
hash of all of them. Fact is. he never
found himself during all his speech,
never really got started, which means
that he is as broken as is his c. p.
p. A.
Did you ever spit in the ocean
Well, that's the Johnston meeting in
Cleveland. He's another Of the coterie
of labor leaders who prefer the con-
| a.