Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-06
Draft Protesters
Hunt New Place
For Meeting
Seek to UntongIe
SnorIs After Fight
On Capitol Hill

More than 400 anti-conscription
lobbyists sought today to iron out
legal matters attending their DEM
onstrations and distribution Of
handbills and to find a meeting
place for tonight, following a wild
two hours last night as a riot squad
of police dispersed them from the
Capitol Grounds, where they at
tempted to hold peace rally.
A conference was scheduled for
this afternoon between Henry
Schweinhaut, head of the civil lib
critics division, Justice Department,
and Assistant Corporation Counsel
Ralph j. Quinter, jr., and group
of the anti-conscription delegates
to determine whether charges
against five persons arrested for dis
tributlng handbills Wednesday will
be pressed.
The five appeared in Police Court
this morning and Judge John P.
Mcmahon continued their case until
10 m. tomorrow to await outcome
of this afternoons conference. Rep
resentative Sumner, Republican, OF
Illinois, entered the court with a
group of some 10 anti-draft dele
gates, many of whom belong to
the American Peace Mobilization.
Represents One Defendant.
Representative Sumner explained
she was merely present On behalf
of one defendant, who comes from
Illinois.
Nanny Crest. Is, of Greenbelt,
Md, forfeited SO collateral after
he had been arrested by Capitol
police and charged with disorderly
conduct last night. Yesterday he
was fined s25 on another disorderly
conduct charge.
Shortly before noon today, group
of about 40 assembled informally
on the Capitol grounds, but dis
persed when requested by police
and went into the building to call
on members of Congress.
Leaders of the anti-conscription-
lists said the group probably would
meet in some hall tonight, after re-
fusal of permission by Speaker
Bankhead to assemble on the Cap
itol grounds.
A proposed a1l-night vigil at the
Capitol, designed to save" the coun-
try from the CONSUMPTION bill, opened
with prayers and hymns at 10 pm,
but adjourned with a hasty benedic-
ton shortly after midnight, follow
ing bitter clash between demon
strators and police squadrons.
Amid angry shouts and some hsti-
cuffs, the throng was forced by po-
lice from the Capitol to the Supreme
Court Building and on to the City
Post Office, where leaders reached
a decision to call it a day and try
again tonight.
Riot Call Is Broadcast.
A riot call was broadcast during
the height of the disturbance and
scores of District police drove to the
scene in all available central area
police vehicles They arrived, sirens
screaming and nightsticks waving,
as the demonstrators retreated to
the Supreme Court Building.
A strenuous tussle had taken
place at the Capitol, where several
leaders were arrested and held tenn
porarily when demonstrators re-
sisted eviction from the grounds.
The eviction order was issued by
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Chesley
w Jurney, who told the demonstra-
tors that under law of July l. 1882,
the visitors were subject to year
in the penitentiary and $500 fine" for
demonstrating on the Capitol
grounds.
A man identifying himself as Jack
Fucker, Washington business agent
for the United Shoe Workers Union,
was granted permission to attempt
to disperse the demonstrators peace
fully. Under his urging, they moved
back to the Supreme Court grounds.
Gained by Song.
There Pvt. Larry Gates of the
Capitol police force Gained the
throng considerably by shouting:
Come on, folks. Let's sing
little"
He began singing America and
the dem ons traitors Immediately
joined in.
Owen A. Knox, a slim. bespec-
tacled young man who led the OPEN
ing proceedings, was among those
arrested and released He identi-
fed himself as pastor of Bethlehem
Methodist Church, Detroit. and
chairman of the National Fedora
ton for Constitutional Liberty.
Others Are Detained.
Others who said they were tenn
porarily detained without formal
charges included Charles I. Stew
art, bearded chairman of the New
York Committee for Inalienable
Rights; Miss Anne Pennypacker of
Philadelphia and Oliver Haskell, on
the national staff of the American
Peace Mobilization.
When a Gordon of Capitol police
had removed the gathering from
the grounds, and the crowd moved
over to the steps of the Supreme
Court Building, they were under
constant heckling by a number of
Marines, most of whom said they
were attached to the base at Guam
tico, Va.
Ousting of the demonstrators was
continued on order of Capt. P. H.
Crook, in charge of Supreme Court
Building policing. About 1000
demonstrators and spectators were
herded between lines of uniformed
men north on First street, west on
D street and then north on North
Capitol street.
Burke Revokes Order.
Police instructed leaders to stop
on property of the City Post Once
while attemntino To get raerrniss iora