The League of Friends of New Germany, now organizing a cell at College Point, met in a roisterous session in the rear room of a saloon at Eighteenth street and Fourth avenue until an early hour yesterday morning, completing plans for a well-knit group, scheduled to begin operation the next month. About one hundred persons and a half dozen “ushers” in storm troop uniform attended.
Principal speaker at the session was W. L. McLaughlin, who described “Yiddish outrages” against German Americans and called upon the attendance to draw into the Nazi organization the large German American element of College Point. McLaughlin issued a mighty appeal by declaring himself of only twenty-five per cent German blood (the rest, apparently, being Irish) and crying:
“By God, if I’m willing to work sixteen hours a day without salary, you Germans should be willing at least to join up in the movement.”
McLaughlin is the editor of the English language supplement of that highly profitable enterprise the Deutsche Zeitung, weekly organ of the Friends of New Germany.
HOCH, HOCH MCLAUGHLIN
The German – Irish – American drew thunders of applause by frequent references to the “dogs,” “swine” and “rats” leading the anti-Nazi movement in this country, and left his audience in a high pitch of excitement after a rollicking denunciation of Nazi foes, the type of speech for which McLaughlin is notorious.
He declared that the McCormack Committee in Washington failed to prove anything damaging against the Friends of New Germany, and the applause that greeted his vindication of the Nazi group indicated that his hearers either did not read the papers or had little confidence in reports therein.
He was followed by the suave, serious Severin Winterscheidt, who makes his living promoting Nazi enterprises, such as the Friends, the United German Societies, and the German American Conference, of each of which he happens to be secretary.
McLaughlin announced that a cell of the Friends of New Germany had been formed in Washington, on the day Congressional hearings on Nazi adventures ended.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
