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Show oo EXCUSE OFFERED FOR CHICAGO MAYOR I CHICAGO, Sept. 21. The city's legal leg-al department in an opinion published last night justified Mayor Thompson, in permitting the meeting here recently recent-ly of tho Peoples' Council of America for Democracy and Terms of Peace after Governor Lowden had forbidden the organization to hold meetings in the state. The opinion was approved by Samuel Sam-uel A. Ettelson, corporation counsel, and was rendered, it was stated, at the request of Mayor Thompson. Its es senco was that the mayor would act Illegally In prohibiting any public meeting on tho assumption that it was going to be an illegal one. The constitution consti-tution of the United States was quoted at length to insure members of the council right Qf free speech and concluded con-cluded a "court and much less an executive ex-ecutive officer like the mayor, has no right to prevent in advance a meeting of citizens on the ground that it is anticipated they may not assemble In a peaceable manner.'' |