New Legal Booklet Well Named
SPEAKING on “Defending and Legally Establishing the Good News” at the Theocracy’s Increase Assembly in New York city, July 31, 1950, counsel for the Watchtower Society strongly emphasized preparedness for the world-wide persecution certain to come before Armageddon. He said: “I warn you to be ever ready for battle. . . . Hate will rise to a fever pitch against us.” He then released the new legal booklet Defending and Legally Establishing the Good News.
Just five weeks later the value of this new instrument, timely provided by Jehovah through his organization, was demonstrated in connection with the circuit assembly held at Decatur, Alabama, September 8-10. Disturbed by the activities of Communist agitators, city officials denied to Jehovah’s witnesses the right to preach either publicly upon the streets or from door to door. To justify this denial a local ordinance was cited which forbade the selling or distribution of literature without a permit from the mayor.
After many of such ministers had been accosted by the police and warned to discontinue their preaching, representatives of Jehovah’s witnesses called on the mayor and the chief of police. The mayor said the work must stop. The chief stated, “I’m going to make arrests even if I have to call in all the officers to do so, including those off duty and asleep.” Attempts to explain the validity of the preaching work and cite arguments from Defending and Legally Establishing the Good News availed nothing. Repeated efforts to locate the city attorney were unsuccessful.
During Saturday afternoon the police arrested four of Jehovah’s witnesses; two were preaching at the doors, one on the sidewalk was distributing invitations to the public meeting next afternoon, and the fourth was merely walking along the street toward his territory. Charges were filed against all at headquarters and they were released on bond for hearing Monday morning. Late Saturday night, with the police threatening further arrests, the district servant deemed it necessary to make a report and seek counsel and instructions from the Society’s Legal Office at Brooklyn. He was informed that he should follow closely the counsel in the legal booklet, and instruct the brothers to continue witnessing as usual. On Sunday the threatened arrests did not materialize.
Early Monday morning the defendants appeared for trial. The judge quickly informed them that the city attorney had requested an adjournment until four o’clock in the afternoon. Upon their return at that time they received the good news from the city attorney that he was ordering the charges dismissed. They were discharged and all their property was returned to them except one booklet, Defending and Legally Establishing the Good News. When asked for this the city attorney requested permission to keep it so that he might study it further, saying that he had a telephone conversation early Sunday morning with ‘your New York counsel’ who had persuaded him to read the law which it contained. He had obtained a copy from one of the brothers arrested and studied it, which convinced him that the law was invalid and that the charges should be dropped. Speaking highly of the counsel contained therein he concluded, “This would always be able to keep you out of further trouble of this nature. If I could have received it Saturday afternoon perhaps all the trouble could have been averted.”