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Show THE CITIZEN 6 THE BOMB THROWING PRESS the postmaster general of the United States shall be power to suppress newspapers is a question which a free people should not permit their representatives to decide without full discussion. Frank P. Glass, president of the American Newspaper Publishers Association, has asked the editors of the country to telegraph a brief statement of their views to Representative Philip Campbell, chairman of the rules committee of the House. Mr. Glass directs particular attention to Section 6 of the proposed bill. He declares that this section apparently confers on federal officials or postmasters general power to refuse mailing privileges to a newspaper without hearing and without notice, provided the official finds some letter, statement, argument or picture which, in his opinNo review by any ion, is objectionable and falls within the statute. court or magistrate is required. The statute which would confer this arbitrary power is aimed at those who advocate the overthrow of the government by violence. The object is desirable, but does the end justify the means? Can a free people safely entrust such a censorship to their postmasters general or other federal officials 'without permitting a review by a court or magistrate? Can they, indeed, permit such arbitrary use of in- be changed if it proves to be despotic. These are days when the presdividual discretion at all? ervation of law and order is our most important concern. We cannot There is no gainsaying the fact that a wave of hysteria for the afford to look indulgently on anarchists who assert the right to bear suppression of opinion is sweeping the country and quite naturally bombs and other arms for the destruction of the government or to that sentiment is strongly influencing our representatives in Congress, send their bombs and .explosives through the mails. Nor can we many of whom are ignorant of the growth of free institutions and afford to allow too much latitude to those journals that preach the use of violence and urge the people to discard the ballot for the bomb. neglect no opportunity to work out some spite against newspapers. Let every man speak his mind freely, said Roosevelt, but let The Russian Reds will be left to themselves and it is the ardent him realize that he is responsible for his words. That has been the theory of the relation between government hope of all of us that they will emulate the Kilkenny cats. and the press in all of the English speaking countries. It was estabBaker unqualifiedly approves the army reorganization bill drafted lished as a working principle after a long contest between the English government and a press struggling for freedom of speech. In by the Senate subcommittee. Must be something awfully wrong with our own country our constitution declared that the right of free that bill somewhere. speech must not be abridged. That right, generally speaking, was The allies have decided to let the Bolsheviki have all of Siberia. the right to print and publish without censorship, the only restraint being laws which held the press responsible in damages or the editors, Rotten country, anyway. publishers and owners personally responsible for libels. The law Tipperary is in revolt. Pleasant old song that Its a Long looked, noit to the suppression of opinion, but to punishment after the fact of printing and publishing. Way to Tipperary. In the light of this principle we can judge better of the law to Generals and colonels are acting as porters and carrying luggage which Mr. Glass takes exception. Clearly it establishes a censorship, for it gives the postmasters general and other federal officials the in Austria. Look out they lost their grip. right to suppress a newspaper or other journal whenever, in their In the spring a livelier Iris gathers on the burnished dove ; opinion, such newspaper or journal has advocated the overthrow of In the spring the Bolsheviks will give the Poles an awful shove. the government by violence our expressed opinions which would tend to that end. Why is it that these price drops are always somewhere else ? Admittedly it is the tendency of newspaper publishers to resist such a law, for they see to what suppression of that kind may lead. On the other hand, the impartial observer cannot fail to see that a Tigers Defeat Said to be Sign, says headline. Yes, sign he has a right to protect itself by all con- -, wasnt elected. government, in stitutional means. The best that can be hoped for the successor of Clemenceau is Whether the law is constitutional is a question which, no doubt, the committee has already considered. We will not have to search that he will serve his country as successfully as did the old Tiger. far to find precedents for it. The postmaster general is given the Some people think more of best cellars than best sellers. authority to deny the use of the mails to any one seeking to transmit Wana-makobscene literature pictures. Years ago Postmaster General and Kreutzer Sonata excluded from the mails Tolstoys Gasoline can be saved by keeping it away from automobiles. advanced from brought down upon himself an avalanche of criticism thinkers, but most decent people agreed with him after reading the Someone is apt to put a u in Signor Nittis name if he doesnt Slavic saints exploitation of the pornografic. watch out. . But even if the proposed law is constitutional it may be dangerous. A people who, in their constitution, provided that the right to The Salt Lake fog ought to swear off smoking. bear arms should not be taken away from them are not inclined to look with favor on a law which would take away from them a still They found that wood alcohol would. more powerful weapon. Manifestly there are two sides to the case. Manifestly Congress may make a misstep and take its stand on the Norman Ilopgood insists he is not as Red as he has been painted. side of tyranny, but Americans should remember this the law can WHETHER , self-defen- se, t . er |
