The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1904-01-27


Papers Thereon.
JOHN Turner. an English labor or
ganizer and social reformer, while ad.
dressing Il meeting in New York city
Oct %, was arrested 10y federal officers
upon warrant issued by Secretary Of
Commerce Cortelyou and taken imme-
dlately 10 Ellis island. The next morn
ling he was taken before Il board OF
inquiry and tried without counsel or
witnesses i'll secret session The
board reported that Turner was an
anarchist and had been here less
than three years, and Secretary Cor
telyou ordered that he be deportAl 10
England
Turner's ease has been taken up by
number of liberty loving citizens OF
New York. who have organized the
Free Speech league An appeal vii.
he taken Ia the supreme court OF the
United States by the league, Clarence
:. barrow being chosen as chief coun-
sci 10 present the matter. On the even
ing of Dec. 3 Il mass meeting was held
IN Cooper Union 10 protest against the
construction of certain provisions of
the immigration laws under which
Turner was marked for deportation.
Among the announced vice presidents
of the meeting some of whom, how
ever, We're not present were Felix
Adler, Henry George Charles b.
Spahr. Carl SchuW Ernest Crosby.
Rev. Leighton Williams aud Rev
Thomas G. Hall. Discussing this meet
ing. the New York Daily News Of Dee.
., under the caption Have We For
gotten made the following comments:
"There is something wrong with the
American people r. Americans of The
older stock. They are no longer quick
TO perceive and keen 10 resent inva-
sons of the rights Tor which their fore
fathers sought
one OF the speakers III the Cooper
Union meeting ON Thursday night said
lie feared that Americans have forgot
ten what liberty means. He called at
tention To the significant absence from
the meeting of the clergy. leading mer-
chants, judges tie MAYOR. the patriotic
SONS and daughters of This. thai and
tother the representatives Of that ele=
mcnt Of society which calls itself bet
ter and claims Il monopoly of virtue
and patriotism and he charged them
all with being recreant 10 The faith Of
their fathers
oIhc Indictment WAS severe, but ii
was true bill. Except II few earnest
men ana women ON the PLATFORM there
WAS hardly a sprinllling of old fash
Toned Americans in the hall As one
of the morning papers sud, with half
q succr the audience was recruited
mainly from The lower east side. Per.
hapS that is why most of them deemed
il safe 10 report ihe meeting falsely
and TO assert in stupid headlines that
il WAS Il demonstration in defense, TT
vOr and support OF anarchists and
anarchy
Ii MS such meeting as might
have been held i'll New York more 'hnn
Il century ago 10 protest against The
alien and sedtion laws. or in Boston
before that 10 denounce the tyranny
OF an English king II was called in
defense Of the fundamental rights of
the American citizen. the rights of free
thought, free speech and public Trial
by judge and jury under the forms and
safeguards Of the common law
1t was meeting called To protest
against and demand the repeal OF II
law So invasive of those American
rights as 10 wiring from the indignant
John De Witt Warner this startling
challenge 10 authority; We will re
sist To the death our government, or
any other government thai attempts
TO penalize free thought and free
speech by enforcing such law ms this.
"Thc meeting was not attended by
the people who 20 to the opera and The
horse show nor even 10y those who
make up the audiences at municipal
reform soirees and political pink teas.
1t was reported inndcquately by most
papers. stupidity by several. falsely and
by one and timidly by the
biggest braggalt of the lol II was SO
treated by the press because the Amer
lean press has reason 10 know that the
American people have chloroformed
their national conscience and do not
care rap for the idens 10 which their
forefathers pledged their lives, their
fortunes and their sacred honor
"The audience was recruited mainly
from the lower east side and in that
fact may be found hope for the future
of the republic II was an earnest,
alert, intelligent audience, Of much
quicker keener intelligence than could
have been found that night in any 9th
er place of public gathering in all New
York II knew what ideas such names
as Guizot, Reclus, Thoreau, Emerson
and Spencer stand for and quickly APP
preciated the slightest illusions TO
them.
ITO the man or woman of Europe
who comes To America as to the home
of freedom the land of equal oppor-
1unity, the word liberty is full Of
vital meaning, and the Declaration OF
independence is not an obsolete farra-
20 of fine phrases 1t is the victim OF
oppressive government who knows best
what John Hay meant when he wrote,
long ago il is true Forever In thine