New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-15
1t Appears With That of
the Defender of Emma
Goldman
League Aids Slackers
Weinberger Says Governor
Agreed by Letter to Serve
on the Board

Governor Whitman's name heads the
list of the board of advisers" of the
American Legal Defence League. 261
Broadway, free speech" organization
which is allied with the pacifsts. The
Governors name is printed on the
leagues letterhesds along with the
names OF Harry Weinberger, the execu-
tive secretary, who defended Emma
Goldman and Alexander Berkman. an
archists; Algernon Lee, Socialist, who
couldn't get a passport to attend the
stockholm peace conference, and Gil
pert r. Roe, counsel for 1.-THE Masses"
which was suppressed by the Postoffice
Department.
MI. Weinberger said yesterday that
the league specializes in "the defence
OF free speech cases" growing out of
ire agitation against CONSUMPTION and
the war. He asserted it was indie
pendent of the pacifst organizations,
although 1t handled cases presented by
the American Union Against Mlitarism,
~ Flith Avenue, an avowed peace prop
uganda society.
Whitman Accepted Membership
Does Governor Whitman know he is
member Of your board of advisers ?"
Mr.. Welnberger was asked.
he certainly does" he replied. "0ur
organization is composed both Of paci-
fists and militarists"
How did the Governor become an
adviser?"
HE wrote US letter agreeing to
become one"
Others named as advisers of the
league are Governor Sidney ]. Cats
OF FLORIDA; Johr d. Works, former Sen
ator from California; John F. Hylao,
Judge OF :he County Court, Brooklyn;
Leonard ID. Abbott, president Of the
free Speech League of America; Scott
Nearing, Frank Harris, editor of
"Pearson's Magazine; Ebert Hubbard
I'd, Lillian D. Valid and Professor H
w. L. Dana, of Columbia University.
The leagues letterhead announces
the object is to legally defend in the
courts constitutional liberties in any
part Of the United States" Mr.. Vein.
berger said the league had the services
OF lawyers in.twenty-fve cities. A cir
cular points out that the league pro-
tested to Secretary Baker against the
activities of soldiers at pacifst meet.
ings and obtained from Mr.. Baker
statement condemning the appearance
Of soldiers at those meetings.
Mr.. Weinberger is the author of n
pamphlet circulated by the American
Union Against Militarism. This PAM
phIet says, in Fart:
Free Speech a War Casualty"
Charging the pacifsts with want
Of patriotism and saying they ought
to be jailed or expelled from the coun-
try, breaking up their meetings by
force, or failing their speakers, will
not dispose of the question of pacifism
or militarism, democracy or autocracy,
nor will it instill respect for the flag
or our institutions or our system of
justice. Have We forgotten the story
of Lovejoy and Garrison and all the
Abolitionists before the Civil War, but
we allow the mobs, led by leading
citizens, all of whom probably signed
the loyalty pledge to American ideals,
to break up meetings, beat up the ora
tors and allow judges to Jail pacifist
speakers for blocking traffic?
"Men with the dust of dead laws and
dead theories in their eyes and mouths
and brains should not be permitted to
attempt to stamp out discussion and
to ,hackle the brave spirit of those
fighting for a living humanity. War
has been declared to further human
rights, and thinking men should do
what they can to prevent the war from
being made to serve militarism and
privilege.
"The freedom of the press should
not be throttled freedom of speech
must not be suppressed. Abuse of free
speech dies in day. but its denial
shackles the race.
"The first casualties Of war are free
speech. free press and the right to
peaceably assembled the people are
supine enough to, allow it."
George Foster Peabody, who was
identified with the pacifst movement
before America entered the war, yes
terday notified the Peoples Council, 2
West Thirteenth Street, that he was
not in sympathy with the council. At
ter referring to Americas entry into
the war, he said: 81 feel that after this
action the loyal obligation of those
who are absolutely opponents of war,
as | am, is to refrain from opposition
to the powers that be, and thus
strengthen their right to be heard as
citizens on subjects of immediate i'm
portance, such as taxation, freedom OF
the press and safeguards of the de-
mocracy we have enjoyed.
"Some items in your programme tend,
| think, TO make your new organization
in a way a vast Cave of Adullam, be-
"a -, aGoct orivao frea opnortnpitv