New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-30

is loath to fight.
germs Of dissension than the real Ger
man article unless the government
learns in time to look with Suspicion
upon tho ensationa dehGnc.ations OF
. sef-advertising careerists.
Wrong Method With Pacifists
There were inflicted, secondly, upon
a long-suferiug public large numoer
of purely vexatIous processes ana
forensic chicanerirs. intended TO make
life burdensomc TO the soap boxer
and the peace agitator." Now. the
peace agitator, | submit, is one who
pleads for something that must sooner
or later come about. Neither this ma
ton nor any other can go on fighting
forever.
The "peace agitator" cannot De out
lawed in a democracy merely because
he pleads for peace. lie may be I'M
pressive and intelligent; or else he
may be an actual obstructionist, utterly
uninteligent but sufficiently impressive
in his manner of deliver 70 influence
vast multitudes.
A government in wa times -espe-
cially during the incipient stage Of its
armaments-mayc onceivably consider
an agitator Of the last mentioned type
a serious obstac. to the successful
prosecution of the war. II so, it may
intern him by administrative decree
for the duration of the war without
necessarily being deemed anti-liber-
tartan.
Had the government used stark hon.
est force in its treatment Of pa
cifists, the East Side in many instances
would have protested such measures
and fought them, but without the
slightest rancor. The very victims of
the government would have borne it no
malice.
What envenomed the blood of the
East Side masses, what makes them
look with jaundiced eye upon the gov
ernment's guardianship of freedom
abroad, are the petty, senseless, exas-
perating chicaReries practised at home
against the obnoxious "soapbox' and
"pacitst."
To arrest a man as a traitor and then,
in utter default of discriminating evil
dence, TO send him TO the island as an
INSTRUCTOR of the sidewalk is not an act
in defence of the realm--it is a silly
piece of petty persecution, an inn
nitely CALLING and infuriating exhibit
tior of judicial spite; much worse in
it's effects upon national unity Of pur-
pose than q hundred supplemented
street orations in favor of immediate
peace.
Bonds Refused as Bail
Or take another manifestation Of the
same spirit of petty judicial rancor: A
judge refusing TO accept Liberty bords
in lieu of cash bail offered TO effect the
liberation Of prisoner whose case Is
on appeal. Mind, there was not, nor
could there have been, the faintest sus-
picion Of the prisoner being in meditd-
tiOne fUgde, nor was it claimed by the
judge that ne was too dangerous an in
dividual to be turned at large. even
temporarily, pending appeal. The re-
fusal of Liberty bonds in lieu Of curren
cy was simply an exhibition of judicial
rancor which won, literally, thousands
OF friends and defenders for its victim,
turning them into antagonists Of gov
eminent that will stooD TO that sort Of
vexatous folly in its hour OF trial
Another instance: A judge condemns
''pacifiSt" of the grave and response
Die age of nineteen TO a heavy prison
sentence and an enormous tine-for Sc
ditious utterances, if remember aright.
There may be two opinions about the
necessity of such rigor, even in war
time-but let that pass. Let us assume
for arguments sake that the sentence
was one of salutary severity. But the
judge did not rest content with impos-
ing a draconic sentence. In passing
sentence he saw tt 70 address the prs-
oner in the "Ithou-t thee thou-traitor"
style of the EliZabethan and Jacobean
state trials-a gratuitous exhibition Of
temper which, OF course, made the lad
under sentence the hero of the hour
and the government represented by the
Judge and his likes on the bench an OBJ
ject OF popular suspicion.
~ Khaki Geign-Of-Terror'
There was, thirdly, an abridgement OF
the right OF free assembly, not by legal
ordinance or administrative decree, but
by sort of khaki-reign -of-terror a.
East Side meetings, lasting for three
successive weeks, until the municipal
authorities found heart Of grace to as
sert themselves against this abuse by
appealing TO the military commanders.
Meantime, all the mischief that
could be effected was done. The peo.
pie of the East Side began to wayer in
their profound and pathetic trust IN
the sincerity of American constitu-
tlonal pledges which heretofore char
acterized them. They a skei themselves.
in angry amazement: Are we 10 look
upon democratic Liberties as an ex-
port article. which cannot De SHIPPED
abroad without diminishing our owr
supply" They began 10 loathe the
war, not because II diminished their
material bread rations, but because /,
made lHroads upon their spiritual
bread without which they cannot live.
Jud"o-Americans do not hold the
country Of their choice in light esteem.
America, 70 them, is not mere tumble
of square miles, with flag flying over
it all.
America, to them, is the embodiment
or llbertaran ideal, and il they are
forced into the wrong belief by foolish
infections and unnecessary abridge-
ments Of popular liberties, that war
must needs lower this ideal, their love
for America will make them hate the
war.
Posters Are Unasthetic
Just q few words of comment upon
minor but highly characteristic item
OF East Side Encouragement before |
am done with the negative part of nv
letter. The East Side Is flooded with
recruiting posters incorporating the
war AS combination of permanent
dress parade and gloritied football
scrimmage. These pictorial utilities.
with their evident dlstrust in the
readiness of the American working peo-
pie to serve high national aims, are
posted in country where the SPLEEN