AN AMERICAN LETTER

Evening Star, Issue 16529, 14 September 1917, Page 5

AN AMERICAN LETTER

CONVIOTION OF.NIHILIST LEADERS. At New York on July 9 Emma Goldman and .Alexander BeTkman, two notorious Anarchists, were, convicted of conspiring to deloat the United States elective draft or conscription law. When tho jury brought in their verdict of guilty, tho usual question was put to both prisoners, but tho woman alone addressed tho Court, pleadine for delay for a few days to enable them to lodge an appeal and arrange their affairs. Speaking in a loud, clear voice, from which, all trace of nervousness was absent, s3io told the Court that she and Berkman had been so busy during tho progress of tho trial that 'they had no *l m 6 te , think of anything else, and now they wished to arrange their private affairs. Inero was no fear, sho added, of them taking themselves beyond tho jurisdiction of tho Court,'because their baii was sufficiently heavy to anchor them (£1*3,000 apiece had been put up by their friends and sympathisers). Judge Mayer promptlv refused this Tequest, whereupon Goldman moved to set aside tho verdict, on the ground that it was contrary to the evidence. This was ruled out just as quickly. They were then asked as to their antecedents, and the woman replied, that her mother is still living.' Then, bracing herself up, slie thus addressed tho Court, exhibiting her old characteristics of determination and defiance-of'constituted authority: "Sentence ought not to be pronounced on us, for wo are not convicted of the charge laid against U3, but because we ere Anarchists. The very fact that our request has been refused proves that the Court is prejudiced because wo are Anarchists, and because we have been frank during the progress of our trial, standing by our opinions. We are poing to continue to stand by these opinions." Berkman's solo protest was that ha had never preached violence j but the prosecuting State attorney (Mr Content) reminded the Court that in 1892 prisoner had entered the office of Mr H. C. Frick in Pittsburg and shot him in cold blood. Judge Mayer then proceeded to pass sentence, and did so in these terms : The extraordinary ability of the two defendants, if used in Tight channels, would havo been of incalculable good. The magnetic power of Mis 3 Goldman might havo been af great service in bringing about reforms if properly directed, especially among some of the humblo people who come to, our shores in search of liberty. But progress can only be achieved throuch lawful mcAus. In this Republic, for which our fathers have fought and bled, and for which our sons and brothers' arc ready to fight and bleed now, there is no room for enemies of the Government who advocate its destruction or countenance violence, nor for those who express views that laws may be disobeyed if the individual so chooses. I impose sentence with regret, remembering that tho defendants have abilities that miirht have been of service to our- country had they been properly applied; but I impose sentence with pleasure, because in so doing the tepete of organised law and real liberty and true democracy are being vindicated. Judge Mayer then started to leave the bench. He was halfway towards his chamber when Miss Goldman shouted aboyo tho hubbub: "Your Honor!" The Judge paused, returned to tho bench, and listened, as Miss Goldman continued, in mocking tones: I want to thank the Court for the • marvellously fair and impartial trial and your generosity in refusing us a couple of days' time to arrange our affairs—a request that is granted criminals convicted of the most heinous offences. Thank you very much. The Judge simply bowed as he left the judgment &>at. The sentenc'tTimposed on both prisoners was -the maximum allowed by law—two years' imprisonment and a fine on each of 10,000 dollars (£2,000). Being Russians, both are liable to deportation after serving their sentences. Berkman was sent to the Federal prison at Atlanta, and Goldman to the Federal prison at Jefferson City (Mo.) to " do their time." DEATH OF CHICAGO'S MILLIONAIRE MERCHANT. The announcement of the death of Mr Henry Field, younger grandson of Marshall Field, the merchant-financier of 'Chicago, came with startling suddenness in the middle of July. He went to New York, to undergo an operation for abscess, and was thpught to be making satisfactory prqgres3, but tho _ end came with such rapidity _ that many of the members of the family were unable to reach his bedside. _ Ho passed away at the age of 21, and it wa3 only in February last that he was married to a Virginian bride in tho person of Miss Nancy Perkins, a niece of Mrs Charles Dana Gibson and Mrs Waldorf Astor. Now 'the bulk of the great Marshall Field estate, which was to have been divided between the two sons in the respective proportions of tlvreeflfbhs and two-fifths when the younger reached 50, passes to the elder, who°in 1914 married Miss Evelyn Marshall, of Now York, and was on his honeymoon when her mother died in England, where, it mil be recollected, she became the wife of Captain Baldwin Diummond, an officer L? *» e British Army. If rumor did not he, Mrs Drummond was credited with an ambition to. marry her two boys into the British aristocracy; but "the besUaid sohemes, * etc. When the Field estate was valued in 1914 it was assessed at 11 millions sterling; when it passes wholly into the hands of Marshall Field tho third oa " ®?? ected to be worth something like 80 millions, which will make him one of the richest men in America. In the earlv stages of tho war he enlisted in Franco as an ambulance driver; ho is now'serving.a« a sergeant in the 2nd Illinois Field Artillery "somewhere in France." OUT OF THE TOILS AT LAST. w l ** b * 9 remembered that Thomas Mott Osborne, one of the most noted penologists on the American Continent was in the early part of tho year driven from the wardenship of Sing-Sing Prison and trom the public service of New York btato by one of the vilest conspiracies ever hatched anywhere. One of the weapons used by his enemies was to set him indicted before a county crand iurv on charges of alleged perjury, as well as neglect of duty and immorality—charges ' that were proved in the main to'havo been ! formulated by a gang of disgruntled pri-1 sonars, aided and abetted by "rafters" I whose nefarious schemes had been exposed by Osborne The final chapter of this diabolical plot was turned over at \ T ew York the other day when tho district attorney of Westchester County, in which the prison, is situated, Tecommended the dismissal from the filo of the remaining charge on the ground that "theories of' pnson management should not be threshed out by criminal indictment," and this course was promptly acted on. Tho persecution of Osborne bogan at the closo ■ I i ollo 4! ra ff, u Pon a sensational enquiry of the Westchester Grand Jury and was tae outcome of a dispute as to methods of prison management with Superintendent of Prisons Riley, who was forced by public opinion to allow Osborne leave or absence to prepare his defence. Subsequently Riley was " fired " for trying to disrupt the management of SWSing when the .famous, prison was in charge of Warden Kirchwey, who is a follower of the Osborno school of reformers. As an illustration of the contemptible methods of his persecution, it was charged by them against Osborne that he permitted prisoners to oxerciso authority within the prison .walls, that he allowed other prisoners to visit the death-house, and J/hat he omitted to provide the prison with a sufficient staff. The first and last allegations of "immorality" had reference to the operations of the Mutual Welfare League, an organisation that put short-sentenco prisonera on their word of honor and shortened their punishment by the fidelity of their parole. The deathhouse charge was an echo of the notorious Becker case, Osborne having allowed a prisoner named Murphy, who had been a life-long friend of the convicted police lieutenant, to have a short conversation with Mm (under the usual restrictions) while he was awaiting execution. The chaages of " immorality" and neglect of duty wore dismissed by the jury, under direction of the presiding judge, without .calling on Osborne to Tebut them, jhus

has .ended,'after.great cost to the State and much mental anxiety to the persons primarily affected, a deliberate conspiracy, the author of which will go 'unpunished, to ruin tho reputation and do iticalculabio material damage to a man whose real offence was too much zeal on behalf of those unfortunates committed to his care and.his undying enmity to "grafters" of every degree v ' AN OBJECT LESSON TO NEW ZEALAND FARMERS. Aided and inspired by the Food Controller (Mr Herbert Hoover), the educational and co-operative organisations throughout the Union are endeavoring to teach the farmer how to eliminate the middleman, and so obtain a maximum of profit for himself from,, the sale of the products of his farm. According to a trustworthy trade publication—the 'Rural New Yorker'—'.'graduation classes" from the nniversities (Minnesota starting off) are demonstrating to the tiller of the soil in what direction he is being exploited by the profiteer. The students of'' the new political economy, under the -guidance of their professors, equip a stage, on which is shown, by tho medium of large placards, tho local elevator, the railway company, the Chamber of Commerce or tho Corn Exchange, the terminal elevator, the flour-mill, the wholesaler, and, lastly, the retailer. As the "demonstrator" proceeds with his argument his classmates come on to the stage in turn, and, dressed in the garb worn by their respective characters in the domain of production or transportation respectively, show what is actually done with the yield of the farm in the shape of 1001b sacks of grain, etc In short, it is driven into the cranium of the farmer that he is obliged to leave 21b of his wheat at_ the local olevator, next 61b with tho railway company for haulago (that being the averago rate for hauling 1001b over 200 milos of road), then ho parts with lib to the Chamber of Commerce or. the Corn Exchange for effecting a sals, 71b goes to the mill-owner for grinding the wheat into corn, 81b go to the wholesaler who sells the flour to the retailer, and the latter receives 111b for passing it on to the actual consumer. In the end the "farmer" leaves tho stage with 641b of wheat as the net result of his harvest operations for the year. The demonstration is certainly original, if not graphic and convincing, as to the farmer is "milked." The 'Outlook's' comment on the abovo is terse and forceful: "If similar demonstrations could be given throughout the countrv concerning tho trail by which other foodstuffs travel from the farmer to the. consumer, the general public might bo able to reach definite conclusions as to where the wasto in tho transporting and distributing of foodstuffs ocoura. If we are .to get any value at all from the great efforts we are now making to increase our food production, we must organise for tho elimination of middlemen and the saving of useful profits." Verb sap.