LESS POLITICS, MORE JUSTICE

The much discussed Mooney case is again before the public. Two days ago Mrs. Mooney, the prisoner's mother, addressed a large meeting in New York to protest against the continued imprisonment of her son for his alleged part in the bombing of the San Francisco Preparedness Parade of 1915. The perjury of the witnesses who testified against him has been admitted, and, as the Wickersham Commission said, his continued imprisonment is "shocking to one's sense of justice."

Ever since Mooney's conviction a continuous protest has been conducted by the Communists. They demand more than his freedom--for he has refused a parole--; what they want is an unconditional pardon. Mooney's release is now a demand of the class war, and his captivity is another objection to the capitalist system. It is this aspect of the question that bears an obvious analogy to the Sacco-Vanzetti case.

Mooney is undoubtedly justified in his demand for a pardon that would absolve him of blame for an act to which only perjured witnesses can testify. He and his sympathizers have, however, so stressed the political aspects of the situation that no governor dares grant this pardon. If Mooney really considers his freedom more important than a Socialist martyrdom he must accept a parole rather than continue his political campaign.