The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-11
|. W. VS. CHEER
SANGER'S SENTENCE
Noisy Court Scene Follows
Birth Limit Advocates
Effort to Be Martyr.
JUSTICE SCORES HIM

when william Sanger. architect and
decorator. was sentenced by Justices
McInerney. Herbert and Salmon OF Spe-
cial Sessions yesterday TO pay a fine OF
$3.50 or serve thirty days In prison for
circulating an alleged Indecent book en-
titled Family Limitation which was
written by Margaret Sanger his wife,
he declared
II will not pay the fine. I would
rather be In prison with my ideals and
| convictions intact than out OF It
stripped OF my self-respect and man
hood
A storm OF applause burst from a
hundred men and women well known in
I. w. w. and radical circles who
thronged the court room. Alexander
Berkman. the anarchist leader. stamped
and clapped his hands In company with
leonard Abbot. president OF the Free
Speech League. and Carlo Tresca. Eiiz-
abeth Guriey Flynn. the I. w. w. agi-
tator. was among the women who waved
fans and cheered defantly. Mrs. Amos
Pinchot watched the proceedings near
the bench.
Justice Mc1nerney, after pounding
vainly with his gavel. ordered the room
to be cleared. directing that any one
who resisted should he arrested. Tn
attendants charged on the crowd. but Il
was ten minutes before the court was
empty and the disturbance quelled.
No sympathizer thought to take ad-
vantage nf tho nnnOrtnnifv In arpnpn-
pany Sanger TO jail. In the corridor
outside the court a mass meeting was
held at which Leonard Abbot stated
that no appeal would be taken. but that
1000 had been raised TO circulate "a
million copies OF the forbidden PAM
phlet. with additional material on the
Sanger case. When District Attorney
Perkins was Informed OF this counter
stroke he said that all future OF
would he prosecuted In the same way as
Sanger.
The pamphlet, which dealt with birth
control. was obtained from Sanger on
December 10. 1914. at his studio. 10
East Fifteenth street, by Charles Ram-
berger. AN agent for Anthony Comstock.
Comstock testified hat when he ar
rested Sanger a month later he found
five copies OF the work in the studio
and that his investigation disclosed that
sanger had previously distributed the
book with injunctions not to reveal the
name OF the distributor. as that would
cause trouble for him.
Mrs. Sanger left the country after
having been Indicted by the Federal
Grand Jury for sending through the
mails a publication called "The Woman
Rebel which was suppressed amer
three issues. II was stated by Sanger
before his trial that she would return
from Europe shortly and stand trial.
Sanger undertook to defend himself
without an attorney. having dispensed
with the services of Gilbert r. Roe. the
lawyer who represented him in two un-
successful appeals for a Jury trial he
fore Judge Swami of General Sessions
and the Appellate Division Of the
Supreme Court.
In a nve page, typewritten state
ment. Vhich he attempted to present TO
the court Sanger ~contended that his
wlfe's ain in writing the pamphlet was
to disseminate certain vital Information
among the lahoring classes so that their
condition would be alleNiated by insur-
ing that fewer and better children
would be born and fewer children would
die Early in his remarks he made
this assertion
IL admit that | broke the law, and yet
| claim that in every real sense IL is
the law and not ! that Is on trial here
here to-day,
Sanger accused Anthony ComstoCk of
promising to have the court suspend
sentence on him provided he pleaded
guilty. Finally the Justice hut on all
further statements by saying
M hats all you've got | think you're
crazy"
After the justices convicted him
unanimously Justice McInerney de-
claTed
''In my opinion this book is not only
indecent but immoral You may think
that the law is on trial. but | feel hat
the book is contrary not only to the
laws Of the state but to those of God.
Any man or woman who is guilty of
circulating literature like this IL a
menace TO the community.
"Mauy people believe to-day that II IL
a crime To bear children. and you
evidently belong to that class. There
are communities where the birth
rate is AT a standstill IT some of the
women who go about advocating equal
suffrage would spend their time advo-
eating that Christian women should
bear children his town-and many
other communities-would he better on'.
That is my personal opinion"