Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-09-25
oel-socialism Il christianity applied

l l.
Socialist party is the only party in tin
political arena that is worthy of
thinking mans respect" This classi
fication of men would naturally pre-
clude the editor of The Telegram.
Modern men and women of action
of science, of letters and wome1
whose opinions can by no means be
despised-accept and defend Social
ism, and labor and have labored tol
the fulfillment of it's program.
Alfred Rusesll Wallace, Lester F
Ward, George Bernard Shaw, Charlotte
Perkins Gilman, Edwin Markham
Walt Whitman. Oliver iSchreiner
Charles Edward Russell, Bishop SpaId.
ing of the Episcopal church, and a host
Of churchmen not less prominent
these are Socialists or were Socialists
in their life time Indeed if you
could cut from the American maya
zines the Socialist writer's. you would
take from the pages of current perio-
ideals theb ulk of what is Worthiest in
! fiction and in scientific and political
discussion.
My respectful reference to worthy
provisions of the United States con
stitution the editor brands as positive
deceit" Why? Does the effort of the
party to which belong to modify the
I law of the land concerning the indus
trial property of the nation, constitute
violation of the constitution? Then
is every attempt to change municipal,
state or national policies in matters
touching our common life in contra
vention of the law?
West Virginia, says the editor, has
always been under the constitution
Yet John Brown, a national committee
man of the Socialist party, is first in
suited by coal company gunner, and
is later fired upon from the Empire
building in open day upon the streets
of Clarksburg. A bullet hole in sign
at No. 345 Main street, bears testi-
mony to this outlaWry.
Mr.. Johnston is blackjacked in broad
daylight on depot platform. | am
jailed by police officers who are re
puted to have criminal records. reput-
ed to be used because of the hold
which their criminal records give their
Police of Monongah makes himself
my judge, jury and executioner. He
attempts to fine me without hearing.
He then attempts to remit the fine
which he himself has imposed. In the
Mayors court at Monongah am
fined twenty dollars and costs for try
ing to hold a political meeting with
out the mayors permission. My at
torney applied in open court for a per
nit to hold Socialist meeting in. the
streets of Monongah and his request
was promptly denied. They do no
campaigning in Monongah, the honor
able mayor says.
The coal companies in the vicinity
of Fairmont forbade their men to at
tend the Labor Day celebration upon
pain of discharge. The Virginia Coal
and Coke Company discharged two
men for attending my meeting at King
mont spoke at the courthouse in
Fairmont on the evening of Labor day,
and the city council of that free city
was called into special session the day
following to pass an ordinance pro
hibiting free speech in the town. An
offender against the new law may get
six months or pay fine of sixty dol
lars, in the discretion Of the court!
Does the editor of The Telegram
know what the constitution is? Or
does he spit with equal alacrity upon
past history and current truth at the
crack of his masters whip? Probably
he is in agreement with the pacific
sentiment of General Sherman Bell,
expressed some time, ago during Colo
RADIO labor troubles, ''To hell with
habeas' corpus-weIl give 'em post
mortems!" 4
Free assembly, free speech and the
right to petition are guaranteed to the
citizens of the United States by the
first amendment to the constitution.
When a constitutional amendment has
been adopted the people have spoken
unequivocally. for our constitution is
probably the least flexible instrument
of it's kind in existence. Out of al
most twenty-five hundred attempts to
amend our fundamental law, fewer
than twenty-five have carried. So
there was no doubt and there is nc
this provision: Congress shall make
no law respecting an establishment of
religion :. or abridging the free
dom of speech or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to as
semble =. And again the Fifth
Amendment provides that mo person
snail De deprived OIL llle, llD6rIy
or property without due process Of
law"
Are the constitutional provisions
above cited wise ones? Should every
lover of freedom stubbornly defend
them? Will The Telegram please ex-
plain how public measures may. be
understood except by public discussion
of them? What rights are secured to
Is. when the rights of free speech, free
assembly and free publication have
}assed?
We recognize that in speaking of
rights, of justice and of truth we are
using terms which are foreign to the
code and the comprehension of the
editor of The Telegram; but all fair
minded persons will grant that, while
the minority should not rule, the min
GRITTY is often right-that all currently
accepted opinions were once held only
by the minority. Therefore the minor
ity must be defended in its opportun-
ity to win if it can, by fair discussion,
the majority to its side.
1t is conceivable that the spirit of
the constitution should be preserved
cr1 EoS and