"I'm going to have four lawyers working on the case and I can promise action in the courts within the next two weeks," threatened Thomas A. Dorgan, Boston city legislative agent, last night in a reply to the Corporation's reaffirmation of the appointment of Bertrand Russell to the post of William James lecturer, beginning next fall.
Dorgan, the father of the Massachusetts Teachers' Oath bill and chief opponent of the Russell appointment, indicated that the suit will probably he filed in the equity courts. He has built up his case around the allegation that Russell's teachings will corrupt students' moral views.
Mental Leprosy
Commenting on the position taken by the Corporation in which freedom of speech was removed from among the issues involved, Dorgan stated, "I'm glad that they have found out that freedom of speech can be license as well. They can't do everything they want to do; they owe certain duties and obligations to the public.
"There is such a thing as mental leprosy as well as physical leprosy. As the physically afflicted are segregated from society to prevent their spreading the disease, so Bertrand Russell must be prevented from teaching at Harvard," Dorgan concluded.
He cites as his legal authority sections from the constitution of the state of Massachusetts and from the general laws of the state. Experts generally concede him a strong case as far as the moral phase of the controversy is concerned.
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