The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-09-07
THE HAFER CASE

| the spirit which eliminated IN the tor
turing and burning of Quakers in
| New England, is not altogether dead.
in the South. Vigiantes and White
Caps still administer tar and feathers
to men and women who dare to differ
from them in ethics, morals and relig-
ion. In response to that spirit our
legislators enact freak laws, our judi
ges interprete laws fanatically and our
ance, narrowmindedness and straight
lacedness are considered particularly
meriterious, render verdicts entirely
at variance with goth century ideals.
The latest instance of this remnant of
Christian barbarism is furnished by
the celebrated Haffer case.
On February 18th, 1916 the follow
ing letter was published in the Tacoma
Daily Tribune:--
editor of the Tribune.-This being
a month largely given over to the hero
worshippers, it devolves upon someone
to caution people not to use these his
torical characters as patterns upon
which to mold their lives and to take
the tales of the nobility of these so
called great men with the proverbial
grain of salt. The fact that George
Washington was an owner and exploit
ter of negro slaves and also of white
indentured slaves, should be enough to
discredit him with the wage slaves of
today who are exploited by the class
to which he belonged. That he was a
profane and blasphemous man and an
inveterate drinker is easily proven.
This should remove the halo from his
head as far as the majority Of the vot-
ers in this state, who registered pro-
test against drunkenness at the polls
in 1914, is concerned"
"This is not written in spirit of
SANDER or with the idea of antagoniz-
ing anyone except mindless hero-wor-
shippers, but with the idea of, perhaps,
getting few to draw aside the paint
ed curtain of the school histories and
gaze upon the actors in their true
light. Signed Paul R. Haffer."
Comrade Haffer is a Socialist 81
years old. On the day after the pub
LEGATION, the 10TH, warrant was
sworn out for his arrest. The case
came up in the court of justice Ora
ham the 22nd. The judge refused to
go into the merits of the case, stating
that "there are things no matter how
true, that ought not to be said" Stat
ing also that his court did not have
the power TO hand down sufficient
punishment for so heinous crime, he
bound comrade Haffer over to the
Superior Court. He was tried before
judge Card on April 10Th. The State
proved, what, Haffer had never denied
that he had written the letter. There
lit rested. Books cited as authority
for Haffer's letter, such as McMast-
er's History etc. were styled as pro-
auctions of the sewer and gutter by
the prosecution. Colonel Albert Joab,
who swore out the warrant, acted as
assistant prosecutor, and was permit
ed to harangue the jury for five hours
with an Grafton consisting mostly of
abuse of unprintable kind. Haffer was
ably defended, but never had a ghost
of a show. Haffer was Socialist and
the jury considered it their patriotic
duty to find him guilty. He was SEN
fenced to pay the cost of the court
and serve four months in the county
Jail. Appeal was taken to the State
Supreme Court and Haffer was releas-
ed on 100000 bond.
| The case has cost considerable mon
ey and is going to cost some more.
About $4,000 has so far been raised
by local comrades mostly. The case is
of more than local Importance however
1t is blow, not only to a free press,
but to a free and truthful expression
of history. The law under which Half
fer was prosecuted was enacted in
1909 and reads: "Section PAPA R & B
Code of Washington, Every malicious
publication by writing, printing, pic
ture, effigy, sign or otherwise than
by mere speech, which shall tend: 1st.
To expose any living person to hatred,
contempt, ridicule or obloquy, or to de-
prive him of the benefit of public con-
fidence or social intercourse or; End.
To expose the memory of of one de-
ceased to hatred, contempt, ridicule or
obloquy or; 3rd., To injure any person,
corporation or association of persons
in his or their business or occupation,
shall be libel. Every person who pub
fishes shall be guilty of a gross mis-
demeanor.
Former laws in the state on criminal
libel provided that publication about
the dead should tend to scandalize or
provoke the surviving relatives or
friends of the deceased in order to be
deemed libelous so it is evident that
the law was made with the intention
of preventing the writing of truthful
history.