Evening star., 1941-01-07
Youth Congress
is Denied Use
OF Auditorium
D. G. Leader Claims
Refusal Was Bosed
On Technically

Use Of the Departmental Audi
torium has been denied the Amer
lean Youth Congress which will con-
vene here next month, more than
500 persons were told at a mass
meeting sponsored by the Washing
ton Peace Mobilization at the Odd
Fellows Hall.
Miss Thelma Dale, president of the
Washington Negro Youth Federation
and member of the Board of Direc-
tors of the American Youth Con-
gress. declared that some techni-
cality" was employed to deny the
congress application to meet in the
auditorium.
During one of the sessions of
the Youth Congress last year in
the Departmental Auditorium a
localized" fight that threatened
to spread ensued when one of the
delegates attempted to introduce
resolution condemning the
Soviet invasion of Finland.
Guards were forced to remove
the delegate.
Later the young people booed
President Roosevelt on the White
House lawn as he admoniShed
them against "thoughtless" reso-
lutions and himself decried ths
Soviet attack upon her neighbor.
ing state)
Morris Watson Speaks.
At last nights session, which was
featured by general criticisms
against the Presidents afternoon
message to Congress. Morris Watson,
a vice president of the American
Newspaper Guild and leader in the
peace mobilization, said pointedly:
Il have no respect for certain
members who join unions under a
technicality, but do not enter into
the full union activities such as
picketing-who nevertheless bring
their knitting to occasional meetings
and vote with the reactionaries.'
(Just a week ago last night,
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt was
present at a meeting of the
Washington Newspaper Guild and
cast her vote for resolution
which mentioned "subversive"
Communism, Fascism and Nazi-
ISM
Asked later by a reporter II he
referred to Mrs. Roosevelt, Mr..
Watson laughed aid said, you
will have to use your own authority"
Roosevelts Sincerity Doubted.
Joining in with the sarcasm which
was hurled at President Roosevelt's S
message, Hudson Wells. chairman
of the mobilization, said that he
doubted Mr.. Roosevelt's sincerity"
and suspected him OF "ulterior
motives" in asking aid for Britain
and democracy.
In turn, he asked the President
to do something about the voteless
plight of Washington, the slums
here. and the rate of tuberculosis,
which he asserted was "just about
the highest in the country"
Also, he charged that Washington
radio stations had not allowed the
mobilization to buy time and asked
persons at the meeting to telephone
the stations asking that the pro-
grams of the organization be heard.
Peace Button Barred"
Mr.. Watson also charged that
Capitol guard in that building had
made him take peace" button off
of his lapel when he had attempted
to call on Senator Wheeler, Demo-
crat, of Montana.
An assertion that peoples move
ment is growing in England to over
throw the government and to win
the war against Hitler in their own
way was made by Herbert Biberman,
California playwright and producer.
A total of S20976 was collected at
the meeting to aid the mobilization
in its drive for no war credits, no
stake in Europes struggle for en-
pire." Included in the donation was
a IS bill from what was called the
War Department Peace Club.
Resolutions were passed demand
ing the permanent abolishment of
the Dies Committee, cessation of aid
to Great Britain and the protection
of American civil liberties. Copies
were to be sent to the President and
other Government leaders.