Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1913-01-31
SHALL A KING REACH
HIS HAND ACROSS SEA
To Punish Political Offenders for
Telling the Truth About a King.
A STIGMA ON THE FLAG.
Giant Demonstration in Protest Against
Closing the Land of Liberty to
mylius, Alleged Libeller Of
George Of EBgland.

I
Cooper Institute. which has been
the scene of all sorts and descriptions
of popular assemblages, during the
period of its useful career, last night
rocked with enthusiastic applause
called forth by the defense Of Edward
F. Mylius, the Belgian newspaper
man, who is just beginning his sixth
week Of detention at Ellis Island.
where he is held pending the action
of the Federal courts.
The chief speaker among the seven
who held the boards during the even
ing was Mr.. e. H. James, chief not
only by the conservative way in which
he handled and reviewed the situa-
tion which finds the circulator of an
alleged libel on the King of Eng
land barred from the United States
while the writer of the questioned
article has free entry, but because
he was the author of the statement
for which Mylius served a Jail SEN
tence, and was attorney for the de-
fense during what Mr.. James called
the Star Chamber procee ding set in
Middle Ages environment of the pros
ecution by the Crown of Myths.
The posters furnished the keynote
of the proceedings the texts about
which all the remarks centered -
"Shall King reach his hand across
the sea to punish political offenders
for telling the truth about King?"
"Shall an Eoglish republican be turn
ed away from this Republic" "Help
us wipe out the stigma from our
flag and from the national honor" i.
e. of closing the door against a polit-
ical exile not at the behest OF the
American people, but of Britain's
King"
Simon G. Pollock, attorney for the
Society of Political Refugees, gave a
stirring address much approved of by
his hearers, while George Gordon
Batt,e, John S. Crosby, Theodore
Schroeder and Leonard d. Abbott,
were also most cordially received.
The meeting stretched over until
near midnight, but none seemed
weary of the theme of Liberty"
and of the safe refuge these states
of ours should be to the weary and
oppressed from other lands.
The audience was quite as we'll
worthy OF study as the proceedings
from the platform were worth lis en-
ing to; in the vast carper of faces
stretching from wall to wall, it could
be safely estimated that 80 per cent.
had known something of the theme of
escape from m onarchical influence or
looking to the Land of the Free, in
their own experience-that Ellis Is
land had been to them an open and
easy gate to life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness, and their hearts
were in full accord with the protest
against barring those gates on a fell
low-sufferer.
While enthusiastic in just the right
American way, applauded in just the
correct place for the platform senti-
ments W sre well tempered, yet there
was tense feeling in the atmos-
phere noticeable to the unbiased on
locker that gave promise of yet dor
mant but very real power, a power
which, if famed by the wrong hand,
might flare into a torch to terrify
y
women in the audience, tney, for the
most part being the volunteer collec.
tion takers-the expense of the de-
tention proceedings, at least that part
connected with the Federal court
have to be betrayed and Mylius, after
ten mouths in Jail, is penniless
The little baskets, as they made the
rounds, were pathetic for pennies
were so many, the audience did what
it could but the total from that
crowded hall counted up S28.75.
1t had been the plan of the organ
| izers in the movement to defend Cas-
tro equally with Mylius, bnt that poor
| gentleman was soon lost in the
shuttle, aud the game was all for My
Illus.
The audience was unanim ,us in ap.
proval of the protest now on its way
to President Taft against barring
from this country political refugee
the facts were clearly and ably sci
forth in the document, and great hope,
are entertained that it may be instru
mental ia reversing the action of Sec
retary Nagle.
Edward F. Mylius is a mild. clear
eyed little gentleman, with no griev
ance agsinst anyone. He has beer
the unwilling guest of the STEAMSHIP
line for more than five weeks in
room with twenty others, where bunk
ing is the correction for the sleepin,
arrangements, yet he complains 0