State v. Aspelin

Citations

• 118 Wash. 331
• 203 P. 964
• 1922 Wash. LEXIS 1214

Syllabus

<p>Insurrection — Criminal Syndicalism — Evidence—Membership in I. W. W. The act of a member of the Industrial Workers of the World in inciting others to join the organization is in the nature of giving aid to such organization, within the prohibition of Laws 1919, p. 518, against criminal syndicalism.</p> <p>Same — Instructions — Sedition — Definition. In a prosecution for criminal syndicalism based on the act of defendant in inciting others to join the Industrial Workers of the World, it was prejudicial error for the court to charge the jury that “the term ‘sedition’ means to speak or to write against the character and constitution of the government or to seek to change it by any means except those prescribed by law;” in .view of the fact that the offense of sedition under the syndicalism statute does not include theoretical discussion.</p>