Past Tense

Free Speech Fight, Monday 12 February 1912

100 years ago today the first issue of the Vancouver Sun hit the streets. Here’s their front page coverage of the Free Speech Fights that were still raging in the city that day.

ONE MAN INJURED WHEN POLICEMEN BREAK UP MEETING

***

Sunday Free Speech Fight Marked By Temperate Attitude of those Belligerents

***

Aquatic Orator Taken While Using Megaphone

***

James Hawthornthwaite Delivers Fiery Speech to Night Gathering at Theatre

***

Things to which the Socialists seem to object; being some gleanings from the various meetings held last night in Vancouver:

Capital.

Wage slaves.

Monarchs.

Democracies.

The bourgeois class (not defined, but apparently to be despised).

The law.

The flag.

The mayor.

Attorney General Bowser.

The church.

The press.

Life in general.

An almost bloodless clash between police and the advocates of Free Speech, one arrest, and fiery oratory from the stages of local theatres summarised the events covering attempted open-air meetings Sunday afternoon. From all appearances the fire that has characterised two previous attempts on the part of the socialists and Industrial Workers of the World to defy the police has waned, and the latter practically extended the palm of peace by applying temperate methods to disperse the crowd on the Powell street grounds.

While a crowd estimated at from 3000 to 8000 persons yesterday looked on a force of police, numbering 57 uniformed men and several detectives, dispersed a small gathering of free-speech advocates who had assembled on the Powell street grounds. F. Plomberg, an engineer residing at the Norfolk rooming house, was struck down and trampled on in the rush of the crowd to escape. Plomberg was the only one seriously injured. He was sent in the police ambulance to the General hospital where it was found his scalp was badly lacerated. No one was placed under arrest.

POWELL STREET BATTLE GROUND

For the past three Sundays the Powell street grounds have been the scene of conflicts between the police and advocates of street-speaking, who are made up principally of Socialists and members of the Industrial Workers of the World.

Anticipating another demonstration the crowd assembled as early as 1 o’clock and paced the streets so it was next to impossible for teams to pass. By the time the speaking began and the police arrived, the crowd had thinned, many leaving in the belief that nobody would speak. It was 4:15 before any free-speech advocate publicly expressed himself. He was a foreigner and was said to be speaking Russian. Within ten minutes after he mounted an elevation and began shouting at the top of his voice, the police, who were waiting, marched in single file onto the grounds. Inspectors McRae and McLennan entered the crowd and ordered the speaker to leave and the crowd to disperse. The Russian quietly walked away and the rest also dispersed without force on the part of the officers being necessary.

But while the crowd inside was dispersing, the surging crowds on the sidewalks began to hoot and groan. One of the sergeants in command of the police squad gave a sharp command to clear the sidewalks and the whole squad turned and charged, with drawn batons, the crowd on the sidewalk. The move was unexpected and many persons fell in their haste to avoid the rushing bluecoats who, although they pushed and shoved vigorously, did not use their clubs.

CLUBS COME INTO PLAY.

But they used their clubs in clearing the other sidewalks. The squad turned its attention to the west walk after scattering the crowd on the […] and after the police had swept it, one man was seen to lay still on the ground. Inspector McRae, assisted by a citizen, carried him until he regained consciousness. Plomberg said a sergeant and two policemen struck him. He said he was not a member of any organization and was merely a spectator. Lameness, however, prevented him hurrying away with the rest when the police rush started.

Inspector McRae discredits the statement that the man was badly hurt and claims he is an agitator who was warned previously.

In fancied security hundreds of persons occupied vantage points on neighboring verandas and the police next charged these. The persons aggregated there fell over one another in a mad scramble to escape.

While the men on foot were dispersing small crowds which persisted for several minutes in reassembling the mounted squad patrolled the square and kept it clear.

HAWTHORNTHWAIT IS BELLICOSE.

“The moment the majority of the people decide they don’t want the old rag,” said James A. Hawthornthwait, member from Nanaimo, referring to the Union Jack, in an address the night before to a socialist gathering at the Grand theatre, “they have a matter of fact right to tear it down and make a mop out of it.”

Mr. Hawthornthwait’s remarks were directed mostly at what formed the “capitalist class.”

Continuing he said “I read in the press the other day of a terrible insult to King George. In some place at a recent visit […] for himself and in leaving the king after an audience actually turned his back on His Royal Highness.

“I want to say to you that the very moment the majority decides to turn its back on King George they have the constitutional right to do so and oppose him.”

Referring to the present troubles he said that a few days ago, men who were out of work and had heard the old tune “Rule Britannia” had organized a little parade. “But the little teapot merchants,” he said, “were afraid it would get into the papers and people would think the city was not all that was claimed and it would hurt. So they stopped the parades and clubbed the participants.

“When someone said to President Taft what to do about the unemployed he said “God knows.” But Mayor Findlay is greater than Taft and he said, “I know.” Then he got the police after you.

“Whereever the blood-stained banner of the capitalists flies you will find want and hunger, no matter whether it is the Stars and Stripes, the Union Jack or the Tri-Color. They are all flags of the capitalists.

“You have heard a lot about the Magna Charta. It gave to the people the right of free assemblage and free speech. Those rights are constitutional and cannot be abrogated. Free speech here has been suppressed, the action of the authorities is illegal and the victims should bring an action for thousands, yes, hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Mayor Findlay has not brains enough to give him a headache. I had a meeting with him over there day before yesterday and there were Bowser and McBride, Parker Williams and some others. He told us what you had done over here. Told how you had insulted the flag, or something of the sort. I told him that if he would go into the legislative hall when I spoke he would hear more reason than was heard there.

The speaker said a meeting has been arranged for 1 o’clock today between Mayor Findlay and a committee from the labor unions. The committee will put it right to the mayor to grant or deny the right to free speech. The committee, he said, will ask not only for the right of free assemblage and free speech but also for dismissal of all cases now pending and release of those under sentence in connection with the demonstrations.

“I’d serve twelve months in Findlay’s bullpen before I’d submit,” he closed.

When the meeting was concluded a voice from the back of the hall asked:

“Is it true that Attorney-General Bowser has sent a declaration to Mayor Findlay telling him to suppress all public meetings for the next four months?”

“Comrade,” Hawthornthwait answered, “you are both asking a question and giving me some information. I had heard nothing of it.”

Mayor Findlay was asked by The Sun later in the evening if he had heard anything of such a declaration or order, on the part of the attorney-general, and stated that he knew nothing of it.

ONE ARREST AT STANLEY PARK

Frank W. Hudson, prominent member of the Industrial Workers of the World, was arrested yesterday afternoon at 3:30 o’clock in the Second Narrows while delivering from a boat an oration to a large crowd congregated on the shore. He was taken into custody by the Vancouver police patrol boat. The largest megaphone which has ever been seen in Vancouver and which Hudson was using, was also taken to the police station. This megaphone was, with buoy attached, anchored out in the Narrows some time Saturday night.

When the police patrol boat, under Captain Anderson, hove in sight, the megaphone was sunk and when Hudson was arrested he was speaking to the crowd, using his hands in lieu of it. It took four of the police officers to carry the megaphone to the station from the foot of Gore avenue. It is at least ten feet in height and at the larger end, about four feet in diameter.

The patrol boat took Hudson to the station and while it was away the megaphone was again brought to the surface, only to be sunk again when the return of the patrol boat became known. An officer, however, had noticed the approximate spot it was sunk, and it was finally located after half an hour’s search.

The crowd on shore made no demonstration of any description when Hudson was being placed under arrest. Hudson was arrested some time ago on a similar charge, but it was subsequently withdrawn.

SPEAKING AT EMPRESS THEATRE.

Though the doors of the Empress theatre were opened at seven o’clock last night, or just an hour before the advertised time of the meeting, the big crowd waiting outside soon filled it up and the doors had to be closed again. The disappointed ones, however, moved on to the Avenue. In the large audience there were many women who showed their sympathy by applauding constantly.

The chair was occupied by Mr. W. Pritchard, senior, and Mr. Thos. Mitchell and Mr. J. Harrington were the speakers.

In poetic language Thos. Mitchell compared the labouring man to a bird shot down by the true aim of a marksman. “It is no better than the hard-working labourer who is brought down by the capitalists,” he said. “It is time for you to have your freedom,” he said, “and you cannot have it unless every one of you works for the cause that means so much to the man of toil.” He advised his hearers to elect and look to the best man to guide them.

In the course of the evening a collection was taken up, amounting to $74.30 and a great amount of socialist literature was also sold.

Source: Vancouver Sun