Political agitation, by the passions it arouses or the convictions it engenders, may in fact stimulate men to the violation of law. Detestation of existing policies is easily transformed into forcible resistance of the authority which puts them in execution, and it would be folly to disregard the causal relation between tire two. Yet to assimilate agitation, legitimate as such, with direct incitement to violent resistance, is to disregard the tolerance of all methods of political agitation which in normal times is a safeguard of free government.

Learned Hand

Masses Pub Co. v. Patten

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Hand, Learned. US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Masses Pub. Co. v. Patten, 244 F. 535 (1917).