The behavior of the police of Chicago's nineteenth ward is maddening.

The greater part of the residents of this ward are Italians, who are crowded together among its narrow and dusty streets.

Up to this time the ward has been controlled by the Democrats, whose leader is John Powers. They have always relied on the votes of the Italians, who have heretofore been sadly indifferent in political matters.

However, during the last few months the Italian Socialists, through their mouthpieces, Giuseppe Bertelli and Arturo Caroti, have carried on a lively campaign in this ward.

The Democrats, therefore, have been seized by the fear of seeing the innocent lambs which heretofore had so tamely allowed themselves to be fleeced transformed into thinking citizens.

Thus they have tried by every scheme which they have been able to devise to prevent the diffusion of the salutary Socialist propaganda.

As we know, on Saturday, July 18, Arturo Caroti was arrested. On July 20 he asked for a jury trial, which was continued once to July 29th and again to August 26.

On the other hand the police attempted to break up, but without success, a meeting held on Thursday, July 30, by the American Socialists at the corner of Congress and Halsted streets.

Arturo Caroti, however, although he had a regular permit to speak was threatened with arrest and not allowed to address the crowd at the corner of Ewing and Jefferson streets as scheduled for Saturday, August 10.

Consequently the Socialist Party of America has already launched an inquiry to find out by whom these despotic orders were issued.

This shameful and iniquitous activity will certainly be stopped before the end of this week, and the Socialists will then double their dissemination of propaganda.