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" ” C3 . €) : =S= tceted, ao majority of the same aldorman who had been stampedoed at tho City Council mesting, reversed thomselves in favor of permitting o City Hall reception for Mr. Robeson on Friday, the day he had been sch- eduled to appear at the Shrine Mosques The forces of repression went to work Thursday night ond Priday morning, Violence against Robeson and the Negre people was throatened, Our wovering Mayor, lacking courage to enforce civil rights as he is aworn to do, wont DBDack on his promise to this committee. Could it be that the Mayor agroed with the sontiments of those who expressed ine tention of violence? Be that as it may, inatead of enforcing the low ogainst those who throctonod violence, ho road the so-callod Riot Act against those who woro being threatcned with unlcwful attcck. A moct-" ne wm M4 te Hell an nnewhars alan wera Aonnsa,. Despite threats of violonco, insults and slaondcr, Paul Robeson came to Poorio,g Tho peoplo were denied a place to moct him and hear ‘him singe Ho was refused timo on radio station WMBD, the only Peoria rodio outlet in the evenings Hundreds of people who hoped he might appear at the City Hall, wore gathcrod there on Friday night. They were given o full exhibition of tho polico resorves, called out vy Mayor Trisbel = not to uphold the law, but to make sure thet the lawe ful rights of free spaech and frco assomblage would not be oxereised. In the living room of Ajay Mcrtin, a Catorplilar worker now secre ving as o union official, a fow poople wera fortunate enough to mect Mr. Robeson, Thero he sang a couplo of the songs which hove dolighte ed great audiences in a11 the froc parts of the world. There he was interviewed by the presse Paul Rebeson own words are the best doseription of whct he found in Peorfa: "I've been cll over the world" he said, "cand the only times I have soon hysteria roach these heights was in Spain undor Froneco and in Germany under Hitler «= this is a sure sign thet Fascism is around the corner in our Country", He promisod to roturn saying "I personally will return again, and there will be others too. This most flagrant violation of civil rights will not go unchalloengod," THIS BLOT MUST BE WIPZD FROM THE RECORD OF PEORIA. We ask c11 fair-minded citizens to get in touch by vhone, letter or personal visit = with thelr alderman and the Mayor, demanding that the resolution adoptod by the City Council on April 15th be rescinded as unconstitutional ond contrary to Amorican democracye Wo urge oll organization of the people - unions, vetcransa posts, civic groups, etce, to pass resulutions both to the City Council and to press and radio condeming their actions which provoked the atmose- phere of terror ogaoinst Mre Robeson cnd the Negro people. We suggest that vetorans and other citizens remind American Loge ion Post that whon their membors lond themselves to campaigns of violence against civil rights, they endanger the very libertics in our country for which they fought obroad, oye oO ,