COMMUNIST DISPLAY

Hokitika Guardian, 7 September 1929, Page 6

COMMUNIST DISPLAY

FAMOUS TRIAL RECALLED.

SAN FRANCISCO, August 7

Surprise was occasioned by the sudden appearance of a body of demonstrative Communists in the heart of the business district of San Francisco, California, the malcontents staging a boisterous serenade % near the precints of the Chinese Consulate. Ten of the ringleaders, including Miss Anita Whitney (62), a noted syndicalist of Western America, were arrested and placed in gaol after they had defied police orders to discontinue parading in front of the Chinese Conulate. The Communists carried proRussian and anti-imperialistic banners.

Besides Aliss Whitney, who was pardoned two years ago (by Governor Young of California, after her conviction on charges of criminal syndicalism, two other Communist women and seven men were taken into custody. All were charged with the felony of carrying (banners “as a symbol of opposition to organised government, a stimulus to anarchistic action, or as an aid to seditious propaganda.” In addition, the misdemeanour charge of disturbing the peace was placed against all but two of the men. Aliss Whitney, who is extremely wealthy, is the daughter of a former California Supreme Court Justice.

The arrests were made when the Communists insisted on marching up and down Montgomery Street in front of the \ Consulate, while a curious but good-natured crowd of 200 looked on. When they refused to disperse at the command of Captain 'Arthur Lavne, of the Central Police Station, he directed them to march to the Hall of Justice. This they did, holding their banners aloft and refusing to break ranks, while Layne’s posse hemmed them in and a crowd jostled them on all sieves. HEADERS PROTESTED. Both Aliss Whitney and Emil Gardos led the Communists’ protests against arrest, declaring they had broken no law and were parading merely to advertise a mass meeting to be held later as a demonstration against “imperialist war” and a defence of the Soviet Union “from imperialistic attacks.” The paraders' handed out printed notices announcing mass meeting, in which Was this sentence: “August 1, fhc fifteenth outbreak of the last the International Red Day, a day of mass strikes and mass demonstrations under the leadership of Communist parties against imperialist war.” The banners up and down in front of the Chinese Consulate all bore anti-imperialistic ..slogans. One printed all in was as follows: “Fight the Imperialistic War Danger.” Another, attacking the American Federation of Labour, was printed in red and black"'and read: “The A.F. of L. Helps U.S. Imperialism Subdue Nicaragua and Other American Colonies.”

Throughout the demonstration the Chinese Consulate remained utterly silent. The Communists picked the wrong time for their parade, the Con-sul-General, Air G. W. AnchingKunr and his staff being entertained at an official luncheon in an uptown hotel. GRANTED PARDON BEFORE.

Miss Whitney, an Oakland social worker', daughter of a famous family of Northern California, was arrested in 1919 at a Communist meeting and charged with violating the criminal syndicalism law, then a new statute. Her trial was bitterly fought, resulting in club circles of Oakland being arrayed against each other, one faction protesting her innocence and the other insisting on her punishment. Final 1 ” «hc. u-as sentenced to from on' 1 *•>> itir years.in San Quentin Penitentiary, but appeal after appeal k nl, her from going to prison. In the meantime her case had become nati 'U't - mous and powerful organisations in Eastern America took up the fight on her 'behalf. As the result of powerful influences brought to bear. Governor Young granted her a pardon oil June 20, 1927. Since then she appeared to have dropped her activities in the Communist party, although she ran for United States Senator on the Workers’ Communist ticket last year. t “WORKING, FOR WORLD PEACE.” i From the San Francisco city prison Miss Whitney, before her release on bail, issued a statement defending the parade as a v “protest against the workers of the world being dragged into another imperialistic war, such as the last war.” She continued: “We are appealing to all the working people in the United States and other countries to observe August 1 as ‘Anti-war Day.’ Our demonstration was held as a protest against tho imperialistic action of the great nations against the Soviet Union, a government of working people. Although tho meeting of August 1 is sponsored by the Communist party of the world, there are other international societies working for world peace, and wtq hope that they will attend our meeting. We will make an appeal to the mass of the working people to stand by their brother workers in Russia. ' We are not alone in our desire for world peace. 1 am doing all 1 can to foster the peace movement, as is Jane Addams, of Hull House, in Chicago, and other famous pacifists. We ai*oi supported by other great societies and 'by many labour unions in America and Europen”