The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-02-21
LIBERALITY OF SPEECH IN AMERICA
IBy Member of Glass ID.

Few people in this country stop to think OF the
great liberty of speech which is accorded to
American citizens.
During the year 1866. there occurred some
trouble between this country and Italy. and
King Humbert protested to Grover Cleveland.
our president of the course of certain illustrated
papers in caricaturng his majesty; in fact. some
of them represented his royal highness as grind
ing a hand organ. while monkey went through
the crowd taking up collection.
Mr. Cleveland in his reply informed his
majesty that the said naughty papers had fire.
quently represented the President of the United
States in sundry ridiculous ways. but as the laws
of the land gave him no censorship over them
they were at liberty to publish anything they
chose. And such is really the case; the boot
black on the street has full liberty to critcise
anyone from Policeman O'Leary, to Secretary
of State Gresham. The wild and rabid anarch-
ist has full protection from the government
which he would destroy.
A single copy OF dozens of our newspapers. if
issued in almost any European country would be
sufficient cause to send every one connected
with their publication to prison, or possibly into
exile Think of the Emperor of Germany
raising war talk upon the socialists for refusing
to thank him for saying. My army is ready to
shoot you down. Again. the President of
France reSigning his office because few deputies
persisted in voting their own way. | wonder
what they would think were they to hear Gov.
Waites lecture on the fat man in Washington. -
or the speech of Foraker of Ohio, on the rebel
brgadiers. or the opinion of Tillman of South
Carolina of his political opponents. Altgelt on
state rights PenOyer's Thanksgiving prOcla-
nation and his advice to Cleveland. or John }.
Ingals speeches against every body they would
certainly think that the English language as
spoken in America was rich in adiectves.
Our laws while not by any means perfect. are
based on common sense and justice. and if ras
Gals are elected to office. it is the fault of the
voters, the vast majority of whom are labOrng
men, and consequently responsible for every
officer elected The freedom of the press is al
assurance of liberty. We have seen the press
take up the cudgels for poor wandering girl
against one of the most eminent statesmen and
orators of the day. While no criminal law had
been violated, the universal law of public opinion
of morality had been outraged, and public
opinion, through the medium of free and indi-
pendent press, has buried this hoary libertne
so deep that his eloquent voice will never again
resurrect him. The evil of personal wrong done
by free speech, or the freedom of the press is so
slight, and the good accomplished so great, that
there is but little sympathy for the victim.
In the early part of the present century the
Federaist party, headed by the most brilliant
men of the time, adopted in their platform of
principles the alien and sedition laws these
laws were framed to throttle free speech, but
the common people rose in their might and
buried that party so completely, that no aristO-
cratic statesmen were left in office; the party
died by trying to kill free speech.