OCR Text |
Show ACTION TO CHECK RADICAL ELEMENT Steps of national dimensions to curb the activities of radical elements who use un-American methods in public speeches were taken by members of the American Legion at Buffalo, X. Y., recently as the outcome of a ciash between be-tween members of the LegUn and Proletarian party orators. As the climax of a series of un-American un-American speeches of radicals In Lafayette La-fayette square. Legion men on the eve of Flag day put to rout a Proletarian speaker, who, standing in the sbadow of a monument in memory of the nation's na-tion's dead defenders, wus hurling philippics against the nation, the flag and all "milk-fed patriots." The speaker, a Chicago man, took to his heels and sought refuge at the Proletarian Prole-tarian headquarters. He attempted to obtain a warrant against the Lt-glon-naire who pushed him from his soap box, but the judge refused to Issue one, stating that the man did Ids duty. The Legion men then made an insistent in-sistent demand to city officials that an end be brought to all public speeches, "such as are being vomited by Reds In Lafayette square, and such as would Incite a riot by any group of patriotic men exposed to the spleen." Both Mayor Schwab and Commissioner Commission-er Meahl agreed to revoke permits of all radical parties that have been allowed al-lowed to speak in public places, such as Lafayette square. In commenting upon the action of the Legionnaires of Buffalo In dispersing dispers-ing the radical meeting, Garland W., Powell, national director, American-Ism American-Ism commission of the American Legion, Le-gion, said : "The action taken by patriots pa-triots In Buffalo was not an offlciul act of the American Legion. However, How-ever, I am proud to state that no red-blooded red-blooded American will allow any man to slander those men who sacrificed their all in defense of their country." In this regard, the Americanism, commission of the Legion has taken steps to preclude" the unpatriotic activities ac-tivities of organizations advocating the repeal of all sedition and criminal syndicalist laws . throughout the United States. These people are also advocating "free speech," speech of the kind that allows the advocacy of the overthrow of our government by force of arms, which means the overthrow over-throw of the government which guarantees guar-antees free speech. Police Chief Zimmerman of Buffalo stated the case of "free speech" when, as a reaction to the Lafayette square affair, he said : "It is all very well to talk about free speech but when speakers overstep the bounds they have got to be muzzled, with an iron hand if necessary." |