Personal Liberty League Is Growing.: Leaders Expect to Gather Opponents of General Fanaticism Into a Huge Body., Daily Racing Form, 1908-06-24

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PERSONAL LIBERTY LEAGUE IS GROWING Leaders Expect to Gather Opponents of General Fanaticism Into a Huge Body New York June 23 As one result of the passage of the AgnewHart antibetting bills at Albany racing men already have launched a movement looking toward favorable legislation which may not be confined to the state of New York The Personal Liberty League has been formally organ ¬ ized with 000 enrolled members as a starter It is strictly nonpartisan and its membership will not be restricted exclusively to race track men Opponents of prohibition advocates of Sunday base hall games and theatrical shows lovers of scientific glove contests between pugilists of note business men and all other citizens who do not wisli to l e ruled by the reform element which is well organ ¬ ized all over the country will be united under one head Then banded together In powerful array the Personal Lil erty League will have enough voters enrolled so its promoters Insist to command the respect and attention of legislators and political leaders E II Smith of 95 Kingston avenue Brooklyn is the temporary secretary of the Personal Liberty League and all applications for buttons indicative of membership should be sent to him No other person has been authorized to accept either signatures or contributions Secretary Smith sends out tills outline of the league leagueThe The Personal Liberty League has been organized to provide i means of concentrating the influence of all those who sympathize with the movement against abortive legislation which infringes upon personal Independence It has found its reason for being In the tendency for reform perhaps honest lu its Inception but tyrannical and morally confiscatory In its development which has resulted in Instances of class legislation that are unjust and deprlvative to a degree of personal rights which a century of democracy has led us to regard as inalienable The league Js nonpartisan The candidates whom it supports will be those who irrespective of party stand for a legislative spirit of personal freedom justly accruing to our rights as citizens of the United States StatesThe The league is not entering the lists as a univer ¬ sal opponent of reform It proposes however to take its stand unequivocally and with all the power that its membership can influence against legisla ¬ tion which unjustly curtails the personal liberty of the members of this community It believes that it lies within the province of eacli mans individual judgment to decide whether or not he shall enjoy a day in the open air and incidentally place wagers on uny contest of skill or endurance It believes that there is a spirit of despotic injustice in any legislative enactment which says to the citizens of New York You shall not chance your money in tliis or that innocent amusement just as there would be in one ordering the expenditure of each manu income in certain specified ways And It is with the idea of combating such exorbitant and unfair legislative demands that the Personal Liberty League lias been organized Its purpose Is to reform reform to remedy inasmuch as it may the hysterical radicalism which is stampeding the judgment of our legislators legislatorsThousands Thousands of men who labor dally In the stores offices and shops find their only recreation in their weekends at baseball racing rowing or other forms of sport Every kind of outdoor amusement has its particular appeal for them On their exercise in the open air are dependent their health and happi ¬ ness It Is therefore to be the endeavor of the league to advance the outdoor pastimes of the people to the highest possible plane and to protect these pastimes against any infringement which will lessen their value as healthful avocations for the working classes Only by an organization of this kind can this be accomplished Only by unity and constant insistence upon personal liberty In our sport can an organized effort be directed against those whom narrowness and bigotry have converted into real enemies of our workingmen workingmenButtons Buttons are now ready for distribution They are of silver displaying the Statue of Liberty with the words Personal Liberty League enamelled in white letters on a blue background All voters who believe in the leagues standards are requested to forward their names and addresses for euroll


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908062401/drf1908062401_1_7
Local Identifier: drf1908062401_1_7
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800