The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-05-18
THE SALTER CASE

On the 9th of May the trial of Com
rade Salter against the Morning Trb-
une and John T. Pewters was com
mcnced before Ralph c. Bell, judge of
the Superior Court of this county.
This suit was brought under the di-
rection of Local No. | of Everett, in
order to get justice and vindcation
because of the malicious statements
made against the Socialists during the
last municipal election. .
In this suit we have proved once
more, that if we want justice we must
go before the workers and not before
the courts as they are now consti-
tuted,
We are not going to criticse the
rulings of Judge Bell, but we are go
ing to tell you what he did and let the
reader Judge as to whether or not
Comrade Salter and his comrades had
a fair trial.
In its issue of May 10Th the Morn
ing Tribune publishes sample of
what was done at this trial. as fol-
lows; "Mr. Kellogg, who had been de-
batting with Socialists number of
years, told of different sentiments he
had heard expressed on various occa-
sons."
In substance Mr.. Kellogg, over OBJ
lection of Mr.. Salter's attorney, tes-
titled that one day he was on Occi-
dental Avenue in Seattle, where man
was haranguing a crowd. Another
man told Mr.. Kellogg the soap box
orator was Il Socialist, and that the
soap box orator said that our flag was
capitalistc rag. When Mr.. Kel-
logg was asked if he knew the soap
box orator to be Socialist, he said
he did not know, but supposed he was.
Judge Bell also permitted witnesses
to tell of all the rumors heard about
Socialism on the streets, whether thew
were Socialists or not. These wit
nesses all said they heard Mr.. Salter
and the Socialists did certain things.
When these witnesses were asked if
they knew anything about the facts,
they said no, that all they knew was
what they chad heard"
Mr.. Salter introduced in evidence
our constitution and bylaws and call
ed especial attention to Section 6.
which provides that if any of our
members oppose political action or
advocates crime, sabotage or other
methods of violence as a weapon of
the working class, that the member
shall be expelled from the party. He
also introduced in evidence our plat
forms.
| Judge Bell permitted witnesses to
testify that they had heard we did not
believe in that, or words to that eff
feet, and allowed the Republican and
Bull-Moose politicians to say what
they thought about Socialism and
what they had heard some other fell
low say about Socialism, and these
witnesses did not even need to tell
from whom they had heard these ru-
mors.
Then to wind up, the Judge in
structed the jury that if the Morn
ing Tribune and Pewters thought they
believed what they had written and
published that Salter had no case. and
unless Salter could show malice on
the part of the writer's; and of course
the defendants testified they had no
malice at all, but just wanted to let
the public know what they had
heard" In other words the judge
instructed Comrade Salter out of
court, and the jury had to bring in a
verdict for the defendants. There
was nothing else they could have
done.
This is an actual summary of what
took place at that trial. We heard the
evidence and the whole performance
and know whereof we speak. We must
confess that, in all our experiences,
we have learnt something new in court
procedure.
You, dear reader, can judge of the
sample of justice melted out in this
case.
VI course, no Socialists or Social
ISL sympathizers, We're permitted to
sit on the jury.
A WITNESS.