| Harry Weinberger to Emma Goldman, July 12, 1919 |
| [New York] July 12th, 1919 My dear E.G.:- What your nephew suggests can be done, but it will not gain any results or be of any avail. I have the dates of your father correct, that is, first 89, second 94, but the 94 date is the one that counts, and minors, that is under twenty-one are only benefitted by it. I think, however, that we can rely on Kersner. I have spent a good part of three days this week, finishing up the law on that end, and though the thread is weak, it may hold. Of course, we have to take into consideration the prejudice that we will meet, though that itself may even be in our favor, as snapping the thread will appear like persecution and not like law. Your two letters of July 6th and June 28th received at the same time. I duly received Beansie's letter. He made his points very clear, and my answer is as above. I, of course, will work out the procedure and what we will do, and advise with you further, now that things are clear and definite. When you keep on knocking my handwriting, you forget the incident of the telegram when the telegrapher said my handwriting was very clear, which is more than I have ever heard anybody say about yours. I presume that some day the early part of next week, we will have a meeting on the idea of amnesty day. We certainly, will have to get going shortly, but of course, what is everybodys business is usually nobody's business, and the summer being on, everyone like to get a little vacation. You even say that F. should take a vacation. Where do you think for instance, the money is coming from for F. to take a vacation? Since you and our friend of the South are not here, every job in the world seems to come her way, while most of us slip in vacations and trips. However, I suppose she certainly ought to get a vacation in somehow by hook or crook, and I suppose I absolutely ought to be sure to get one in too, because things certainly will begin happening from about the middle of September right through the balance of the year. The Times this morning has a story from Coblins and Washington both, about the release of Bob; so I think his troubles are over, and he is probably on the way home. It is wonderful to find his father who is a judge, absolutely standing by him without fear and without apology. So, I guess all we judges and lawyers are not so bad. I didn't see anything about S.G. giving a list of Detroit radicals. You guys in jail certainly seem to know more than we 'uns outside, though I do have a kind of hazy idea that I saw something in the paper about it. The Mooney strike failed of any effect because the tactitions were poor and the officers who were to carry our orders were worse. Our friend K. refused to ask for a pardon on the ground of his having been given the limit of the law twice, but it seems that he is now in the hospital of the jail suffering from diabetes, and Baldwin sends me the papers back, saying, however, that K. is willing to ask for a pardon on the ground that it is necessary for his health to get outside. I have fixed the papers and sent them back to Baldwin, and hope perhaps to be able to put it through. I did not know about your birthday until after its happening. I sure would have been glad to send you greetings and a few flowers and my best wishes. Certainly, my best wishes go out to you and my congratulations. For having passed the half century mark, you can still look forward to the future with hope and humanity, and that you can look back at the past and say that your work has helped shape some of the ideals that in the future will bring forth fruit for the betterment of all. As far as the A. F. of L. is concerned, the leaders represent the rank and file to the extent that the machine controls the rank and file in that they are satisfied with it, but that it takes too much labor and too much thought to capture the machine, and in addition it can only be done by those who are burning up with a new message and a new purpose and a new ideal. In politics I have learned that lesson, that it is easier to flow with the tide, and that the path of those who want to wreck or capture the machine to dispose of the political bosses is as thorny as that which even Christ himself had to walk. I sure shall try to get a vacation. Pauline is back in town, but she expects to leave some time next week for Provincetown again to do work for Mary O'Brien. I have back in my mind that I like a few days slow trip with my Paige to Provincetown and stop a few days there and come back to New York. If I get started on that, I may convince F. to go along. S. G. will not do anything for amnesty, in my opinion. He has gone to Europe yesterday after emasculating the Pan-American Convention. I suppose by this time you read about the Irish meeting at Madison Square Garden and the things that happened there. It would have warmed your soul to see the suckling dove of policemen who [culled and pitted] the crowd and left enough in if a fire or panic would have happened, the loss would have been terrible. Every inch of space was taken and the Irish said what if the Bolshevik said what if the Bolshevik said would have landed them in jail for twenty years, and the crowd did what if a Bolshevik crowd did, would have brought down on their heads policemen's clubs and soldiers' and sailors' bayonets. Burke Cockran at last seems to have his eyes open, and he certainly let loose at the treaty of peace and the league of nations. Your idea is a good one in reference to the deportation, to have a reception committee, and I will take it up with T, A and Gurley. I have not received word from Anna Sloan, nor a postal card, and I don't know whether F. has. There is nothing further to say at this time except that the President's speech on peace is as nebulous as anything before he said, and the lack of information is attempted to be hidden by the proposition that he says, I will tell you more about it when you ask me personally. I am, Sincerely, P. S. I understand that L. R. asked G. about his having given out a list, but he denied ever having given our a list of radicals in Detroit or anywhere else or giving any statement to the press of any list; that he had absolutely nothing to do with giving of a list. TLU, CtY-B, Harry Weinberger Papers. Typed header on second page, "2. - E.G. July 12th, 1919", and on third page, "3.- July 12th, 1919. E.G." |
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