The San Francisco call., 1909-04-19
HE FOUR COUNTIES BORDERING ON SAN FRANCISCO BAY
ALAMEDA FORMING
LEAGUE OF JUSTICE
Branch of Modern Vigilante
Order Planned to Embrace
County

OAKLAND. April 1s.-At an enthusi-
astic meeting. attended by many promi-
nent OakIanders at the First Congre-
gationaI church this afternoon it was
decided to organize in the near future
a branch OF the League OF Justice, to
be known as the Alameda County
League of Justice.
Rev. George W. White. pastor Of the
First Methodist Episcopal church, pre-
sided and the speakers were Prof.
George II. Boke OF the University OF
California; Rev. Dr. c. N. Lathrop.
rector OF the Church OF the Advent.
San Francisco, and Rev. DIR. John B
Thomas. pastor OF the Howard street
Methodist Episcopal church OF San
Francisco.
At the outset OF his address Professor
Boke referred to the primitive justice
OF the vigilantes and asserted
while large communities can not take
the law into their own hands in the
same manner, they must Organize TO
see that justice Is properly admins
tered. He declared that this was the
chief aim of the League OF Justice
"CLoG TO JUSTICE"
THE great clog to justice in our
times" he said, lis the power OF the
moneyed classes and the corporations.
who have seized the machinery by
which justice should be operated and
have used it for the furtherance OF
their personal ends. Their action
makes justice, so called. merely con-
test between money and the moral
force of the people.
1T is incumbent upon all public
spirited citizens to see that this clog be
cast aside. and 1t Is for this purpose
that the League OF Justice is organized.
The league has in view the equitable
administration Of justice, and / predict
that the movement will ultimately
sweep the nation TO the betterment
and uplifting of mankind
DIR. LathrOp declared that morals and
religion are one and should be one with
politics.
1T is not hard TO have justice meted
ont 10 the little ehief.'' he said. but
the big ones are extremely hard 10
convict"
Dwelling upon the successful efforts
of the railroads and traction COM
panies, as well as other great corpora
tions. to evade the law, DIR. Lathrop
declared that the rottenness OF mu-
nicipal governments was responsible
for their escape
..REVOLUTTON OR OVERTHROW"
IF we do not get this element OF.
rottenness out of our governmental
system he added. the result will be
either a revalution or the overthrow
of our democratic form OF govern
ment."
He referred to the streetcar riots in
San Francisco as the initial movement
in protest against this rottenness,
characterizing it as war which had
/ resulted in the loss OF several lives
/ LAS evidence OF the means employed
/ by the moneyed classes and the cor
| porations 10 circumvent Justice" he
l declared I'VE need only refer to the
/ tampering with the Ruef jury. the at
tempted assassination OF Gallagher
and the attempted assassination OF
Heney-
Judging from the confession OF the
former secretary of Special Agent
Burns. unless William NJ. Abbott. chief
I counsel for the United Railroads, can
prove that the papers recently stolen
from the district attorneys Office and
found in AbbOtts safe came into his
hands through legitimate channels. or
at least without guilty knowledge on
I his part. he is simply a common thief
Unless Parick Calhoun can show that
those papers were secured by Abbott
/ Iegitimately or that he himself had no
I knowledge of how they were secured.
} he is not only a common thief but a
corrupter OF youth. and the wreck OF
Rex n. Hamlin's life lies at his door"
The frontier Canadian usually takes
G hOran " N n o.