The Denver Jewish news. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-1925, 1920-03-03
AMERICA is HIGH-MINDED EVEN
WHEN SHE Is BIASED.
Some differences from the Trial at Al
..bany Of the Five Ousted Socialist
Assemblymen, from the American
and the Jewish StandpOints.
BY LEO WOLFSON.
downright by- /, ]. Z. b

Interesting from both the American
so.called investigation OF the charges
against the five "ousted" Socialist as
senblymen at Albany.
From the American standpoint, in
common with many citizens of the
country, / consider the expulsion of
these assemblymen one of the greatest
wrongs which have ever been commit
ted against America itself. The worst
enemy of our democracy, and of its
fundamental principles. could not have
struck it a greater blow than that
which it has suffered mt the hands of
Speaker Sweet of the Assembly In
our entire existence as free re-
public. no more harmful political act
has ever been perpetrated than the one
of the Albany politicians.
From the Jewish standpoint, the So
cialist trial interested me to an ex-
ceptional degree. l compared the trial
at Albany with other trials in Euro.
pean countries-and what n difference
there was between them. Here four of
the defendants were Jews. The prin-
cipal lawyer for the defense was
Jew, and two of the other four lawyers
for the defense We're also Jews. AT the
trial there was introduced into the rec
ord Red" book written in Yiddish.
Many of the most important witnesses
for the state were Jews. There will
probably be number of Jewish wit
ncsses for the defense. Often att the
trial the word "Jewish" was used.
In general. there was an atmosphere
about the trial. relating TO something
Jewish, and concerning Jews.
The most important papers in the
at length about it-yet 1t may he said
that not a word was uttered against
The Jews, nor was the occasion used
to the disadvantage of the Jews.
nm not surprised at this. Here 1t
could not have been otherwise.
merely wish TO draw attention to the
fact and I consider it very import
ant fact and well worth noting. Just
Imagine such trial in France. or
Germany or any other European coun-
iry-even England What would have
happened there? What n gold mine"
1t would have furnished for the anti
Semites and their papers? How they
would have used the incident to ugi-
rip.s
how the London Morning Post" for
instance. would he yelping: how the
Paris "Libre Parole" and the IN
transigeant" would he laundering about
must only recall the Dreyfus trial. the
Zola, Bells and HilZner cases. and the
stir they caused, and. the attendant ac-
tivities of the anti-Semites and their
press, in order to realize the differ
cnce between here" and there" 1t
is worth while deliberating over the
here" and the "there," and drawing
the resultant: conclusions. ''Here"-in
spite of the fact that there are some
Icw-hnters-public opinion will not
Tolerate any open race prOSocdtlonS
Most important of all. the government
Of the United States. and of the
states individually. is absolutely
against any manifestation of race
hatred. Under no circumstances would
the governments tolerate any activity
which would lead to an open struggle
between one race and another. Anti
Semitism cannot exist where the gov
crnment does not want il to exist. In
Europe, for the most part. the opposite
is true. There" anti-Semitism ex-
lists because the governments them
selves are more or less antiSemitic.
and because anti-Semitism is used
with governmental approval, as fac
tor in political life. If the govern
ments really desired to overcome anti
Scmitsm. and not make use of it
themselves. or allow it to be used
then 1t would assuredly disappear and
| we would be rid of ib once for all
With NIL its grave faults the Albany
trial has n lesson well worth learn
ing.