The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1912-12-13

wanted In Kentucky TO answer an
Indictment for murder lie had found
a refuge in Indiana where the COVER.
nor refused TO permit his extradition.
The ridiculously flimsy character Of
the "libcl' charge may be understood
ON noting the fact that the federal
authorities would not allow the case
10 come to trial because the "libelled"
man would have had TO go from In
diana to Kansas to testify and run
the risk Of entering into jurisdiction
that would allow him to be delivered
TO the Kentucky authorities. But at
last a governor was elected in Ken
lucky who pardoned the fugitive.
left him free to go to Kansas and
then the case was called. At the
trial the witness was asked whether
he was then under Indictment OF
he truthfully answered no" The APP
peal's attorney then wanted to ask
him whether he had not been under
I lnulGJlueuI lOI uuIutl a. tho tiiiiS
when the offending article was pub
lished He was not permitted to do
so. Nothing more is needed to show
lust what kind of deal the defendant
got in that court He was convicted
and sentenced to a stiff fine and
/ long term of Imprisonment. But pub
/ lie indignation at the outrage forced
/ President Taft to issue a pardon, al
Though Warren had positively de-
clined to ask for one.
But the prosecutions did not stop.
/ The Appeal had information con-
corning serious misconduct on the
part of officials in the federal prison
at Leavenworth. A complaint about
! this was made privately to the proper
authorities in Washington, the charge
being of nature that few papers
would care to publish unnecessarily.
An investigation was ordered which
resulted in a whitewash. A guard
who had testified against the accused
official was dismissed Convicts
who had done the same were cruelty
punished. There was nothing left
for the Appeal to do but to call pub
lie attention to the matter. This was
done. A second investigation was
reluctantly ordered and this time
enough of the evidence was made
public to render a whitewash i'm
practicable. One official was found
guilty and dismissed.
1t would seem to most people that
the exposure of such scandal was
a public service. The federal court
officials, however, did not think so.
Wayland, Warren and others con-
nected with the Appeal were indicted
for publishing and mailing the facts
ing trial. The press dispatches say
that worry over this approaching
trial drove Wayland to suicide. This
may be, not that he dreaded the pos
sibility of an unjust conviction, but
because the great expense of fighting
such persecution was draining on his
resources and rendering it impossi-
BILE for him to make his fight for hui
mainly in the way he had planned.
He knew that even an acquittal
would not end the persecution. Pluto
cracy is merciless and he we'll under
stood that fact. He realized that ac'
uuital would only be the signal to
district attorneys to hunt some pre-
text for another charge. He knew
that existing economic conditions
had forced officials, who need their
salaries to live on, to take part in
this bounding process although they
know it to be wrong. He knew he was
unsafe as long as he would keep up
the fight against them. He would
not purchase safety by trucking to
the forces of injustice. In moment
of weakness, which possibly would
have passed away, feeling himself
unequal to the fight he escaped in the
only way that seemed open to him
with honor
Plutocracy has one more noble
fighter for justice as it's victim.
Let it rejoice!