"You are welcome to your opinion," he said, "but it isn’t mine. However, it doesn’t matter. The court has driven another nail in the coffin of the present social order." "But how did this decision get Merwin into the hands of the police? Did he go around to the courtrooms and tell the justices what he thought of them?" "No, indeed!" said Parks indignantly, "though I shouldn’t have blamed him if he had. He got up at our water-front meeting and, for the first time since I’ve known him, made a speech. It came hot from his tongue, too, telling the plain story of his case to his fellow-citizens. And what did the police do? Why, they arrested him for trying to incite a riot!" Parks paused as though waiting for my opinion on this exercise of police power. "Well," I admitted, "the plain story of the case of Merwin against Bolton might very well sound like an attempt to stir the mob to violence." "It makes my blood boil, Hampden," cried Parks. "It’s the stuff that revolutions are made of. The hirelings of Nob Hill know it, and that is why they trampled on the liberties of speech in the attempt to shut the mouth of the injured man." "Go on with your story. What happened after he was arrested?" "Why, I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly how it was. But when Merwin was dragged off the cart, one of the boys ran over to headquarters with the news. As soon as I heard what was being done, I hurried over here with such men as I could get together. We found a big crowd following the two policemen who were dragging Merwin between them, but the men didn’t know how to do anything but holler and ba-a. So I passed around the word that Merwin was to be taken out of the hands of the police. The crowd was ready to follow if any one would take the lead; so when I gave the signal the police were tumbled over in just one minute by the clock, we hustled our man to the wagon, and now I’ve had Merwin taken to a safe place." "My sympathies are with Merwin," I said, "but this rescue is a more serious matter than the arrest. It is resistance to the constituted authority of the law." "The constituted authority of the law!" said Parks contemptuously. "That’s not the last resistance that will be roused against its tyranny and injustice. The day is at hand, sir, when this constituted authority of the law, as you call it, will be overthrown and scattered as easily as it was overturned a few minutes ago in the persons of its petty tyrants. Then a new and better authority will rise, founded on the will of the people, responsive to the people’s needs, and protecting the people’s interests."