Evening star., 1938-05-08
Conference
Continued From First Page !

In his hands Mr.. Marcantonio car
ried sheaf Of typewritten statement
containing further explanation Of tn,
decision. Eager reporters almost tor,
them to pieces as the insufIicien,
number was passed out.
Scarcely had the statements beer
distributed when the door of the tin,
conference room opened and Repre-
sentative O'Connell pushed his wa,
out to say he was going to JERSEY
City. Close by his side was his comel,
wife, holding his arm. Immediatel,
Mr.. Marcantanio's excitement in.
creased
Jerry, you can't Co." he ordered
mot unless you knock me uncon.
scious here would I allow you to q
to Jersey City tonight"
Others of the conferees rallied t.
the cause and the Representative wa.
hustled back to the conference room
until he could calm down.
In a few minutes the reporters
were called in again. This time Rep.
resentative O'Connell offered his ow1
explanation.
strategic Retreat"
II want to assure the progressive.
minded people Of Jersey City that
our failure to appear there tonight wa.
a strategic retreat" he said. "Prepa.
rations will be made for a new often.
sive when the organization Of worker,
In Jersey City has progressed to 9
point of effectiveness.
"The arguments against our going
tonight apparently are good ones
Certainly there isn't any doub
about the vigilante and gangste,
violence which had been planned tt
greet us. Our appearance would have
been only the signal to club or shoo
down innocent citizens"
I'VE are brokenhearted at not beint
able to do what we considered our duty
tonight" Representative Bernard in.
terjected. But we came here at the
invitation Of the International Labor
Defense and they now say we must
not go.
1T is sometimes better to retreat
in order and perhaps we have not
acted unwisely. We will come back,
but I hope when we do the I. L. d. will
have things arranged 50 as not to
make fools of us. am disguised. Two
Representatives cannot do this job
alone; there must be organization in
Jersey City"
To Demand Roosevelt Action.
At this point Representative O'Con-
nell once more made plain he was not
pleased at the course of events and
declared vehemently that he would
go to Jersey City by myself without
organization or anything else"
The Congressman then went to a
nearby restaurant for supper before
leaving on an early morning train for
Washington.
While waiting for the meal Mr..
O'Connel said, Il want the people at
home to know that I'm going to
Jersey City in the next few weeks
to make the speech denied to me-"
Both men said they were "sore. dis
gusted and sick at heart" Mr. O'Con-
nell adding, "I'n come into Jersey
City by myself without any organi-
zation or anything else"
Mr.. Bernard said, This is another
triumph for Hague and Co. We're
going back to Washington where we
belong. We're going home. To hell
with this"
Mr.. O'Connell said he would demand
Of President Roosevelt the removal Of
Mayor Hague from the vice chairman
ship Of the Democratic Central Com
mittee. He said he also would ask the
Senate Civil Liberties Committee to
investigate the denial Of civil rights
in Jersey City"
Although the decision left Mayor
Hague's non-liberty loving subjects
to frolic by themselves across the
river, the congressional party had q
taste Of what riot might be when
they arrived at Pennsylvania station
at sos pm. More than hundred re-
porters and photographers swarmed
over the platform and into the train
as 1t pulled in and 1t was with dim
Guilty that the party made its way out
Of the station to a taxicab.
Reasons Are "Itemized."
Again, as they left the I. L D. head
quarters shortly before II O'Clock they
were barraged by newsreel and flash
light cameramen on the sidewalk until
police gently urged dismissal of the
whole affair.
Emphasizing that 1t was fear of
violence and not Of arrest which
prompted the I. L. D. decision, Mr.
Marcantonio's statement itemi8ed the
following reasons for their action:
81. Jersey police have ordered all
buildings and stores facing journal
Square to be locked at 6 pm. tonight
-. Jersey police have been ordered
out for duty in overseas caps.
g. Tin-hat brigades with machine
guns have been ordered out for duty.
-. Newspaper cameras were smashed
on Journal Square as early as 4 pm.
on Saturday afternoon.
IS. Jersey papers carried full-page
ads paid for by the vigilante Veterans
Committee for Law and Order.
IS. Director of Public Safety Daniel
Casey-in denying the permit for the
nj fting himself threatened violence.
J. Deputy Mayor John Malone
pa BED out word to the leaders Of the
12x ward clubs In Jersey City to have
en8ugh men ready to fill three buses
10 carry to journal Square to pre-
vebt the meeting. Other Hague forces