In Massachusetts

Harry Canter lived in East Boston. He was a Radical. He was the Communist candidate for Secretary of State. When the Radicals held a political demonstration last November in front of the State House, within which was Governor Alvan Tufts Fuller, Harry Canter participated by marching around carrying a placard which said: "FULLER--MURDERER OF SACCO AND VANZETTI." Harry Canter was arrested. To the policemen he said: "Law isn't made for the workingman."

Did Harry Canter's placard literally accuse Governor Fuller of committing the crime of murder? Last week a Boston jury decided that it did, that Harry Canter had criminally libeled Mr. Fuller, now out of office. The court would hear no evidence whereby Canter sought to interpret or justify the words on his placard. Judge Robert F. Raymond gave this lecture: "This man is of the working class and works eight hours a day or less. I am of the leisure class and work 16 hours a day. . . . The sentence will not be as severe as it would be if a rich and prominent man were here as defendant."