Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-10
OPPOSING FREE SPEECH.

An esteemed middle county cotem-
porary that warmly supports President
Mckinley and his policy is also among
the opposers of free speech in Utah.
1t condemns the action of teacher in
an educational Institution who called
the attention OF his class to the Presi-
dents New York speech. and COM
mented upon It in manner to show
the students that the President had
changed his ground. With all respect
to the party fealty which our esteemed
cotemporary displays and with ad-
miration for the zeal and courage 1t
has shown in maintaining its political
convictions. the News" objects to this
curtailment of the discussion of public
questions.
In all the large colleges and univer-
political questions and theories, and the
policies of presidential and state adj
ministrations, are fully and freely dis
cussed before the classes by the profess
sors. 1t not infrequently happens that
members Of the faculty in the same in
stitutlon take opposite Views of politi-
cal questions. as witness President
Andrews OF Brown university, and his
subordinates, between whom there is
an ocean of difference on the silver
question, which difference, by the way,
was recently matter Of national dis
cussion. So far from being hurtful to
the students to have different and con-
fiicting political views laid before
them. 1t is held to be beneficial to them.
in that 1t stimulates original thought
and investigation on their part.
Would our contemporary like to see
graduated from the higher educational
institutions of this State generation
of young men and women. who, though
clothed with the franchise, have never
heard discussed in the class room the
science of civil government? Does
1t wish to see generation of
voters leave the schools OF this State
with the belief deeply rooted in their
minds that 1t is n moral offense for
them to listen to an exposition of politi-
cal theories that conflict with those
they incline to favor? In the opinion
of the News" every phase of the
science of human government, includ-
ing the burning and palpitatlng poll
teal questions of the day, ought to be
laid before the students in all the
schools OF the State, as well as before
all of its suffragists.
1t is the privilege OF the press to adj
vocate such political doctrines as 1t
believes to be right, and to argue
against those 1t believes to be wrong;
but 1t is n violation of first principles
for a newspaper to undertake to ex-
clude political discussion and instruc-
tion from an educational institution.
That is matter properly under the
control of the management of the in
stitution involved. There are too many
men and too many papers now in this
State who whine like a pup or howl
like a wolf just because somebody
says something about politics at vari-
ance with their views. This condition
is fixing upon our fair young common
wealth reputation for bigotry and in
tolerance that Will be Its bane II not
corrected; and the News" would like
to see graduated from our educational
institutions a race OF young men and
women whose political convictions
would be broad and deep enough to en-
dure criticism from any source.
Let the breezes of political discus
sion blow from whence they will. Let
every man and every woman who has
political views be granted the privilege
of expressing them to any audience
that will listen. Let such discussion
in the schools be controlled by their
officers, and in churches by their dis
clpline; but let the press and public
opinion Insist upon free speech. The
News" has heretofore expressed IT.
self In regard to change of the finan-
ciaI system established by the fathers
of the Republic; but 1T firmly believes
that a change in the money standard
is not fraught with half the danger
that is involved In such change in the
standard of American liberty as is in
sisted upon by the opponents OF free
speech.