Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-10-11
} THE CORVALLIS GAZETTE.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER II, 1901.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

we should have, and do have,
full liberty of speech. We may
employ all the arts of rhetoric,
all the subtleness of logic, we
may resort to ridicule and carri-
cature to convince men aad do no
violence to freedom of speech.
The moment we 60 beyond the
limit Of moral suasion, and our
speech becomes lncendi4ry, and
inAammatory, stirring up the
passions of men and melting them
to acts of violence, we abuse
freedom OF speech.
We have usually borne with
this abuse and have attempted
through moral suasion and the
force of right public sentiment to
restrain it, or at least to prevent
it from producing its legitimate
fruits-disorder, vio'ehce, riot
aud bloodshed. Too frequently,
however, we find moral suasion
insufficient and public sentiment
too indulgent to stay the current.
Unresttained by law, unchecked
by force of public sentiment, the
prejudices of men have been ap-
pealed to, the passions of the un.
thinking have been aroused and
force, violence follows and re-
straining force must be used to
quell the turbulence. An intel
ligent public sentiment which
sets its face like fiut against the
abuse of freedom of speech and
liberty of the press would prevent
many Of the disorders which,
from time to time, vex whole
communities.
A public sentiment which
would refuse to hear the diatribes
of the female Goldman, which
would refuse to read the yellow
journal would ultimately reduce
the mischiefs these work to a
minimum, and render them COM
paratively harmless.
In addition to such public Sen.
timent we need more frequent
displays of personal courage by
citizens who are atrociously ma
ligned and abused by speech OF
press. Our laws of SANDER and
libel furnish ample justification
and some measure of reparatior
to the citizen, and if more FIRE.
quently invoked would go a long
way toward restraining abuse o.
the press.
In Portland, a few years since
there was published vile,- filthy
sheet reeking with all the moral
corruption it could gather and at
tacking the reputation and assail,
ing the character of many of the
purest and best men and womer
in the city. It became abselu-
tely reckless.
A leading lawyer and promi-
nent citizen was grossly maligned.
He very proparly and promptly
invoked the law and gave the
yellow journal such a lesson in
ethics, as it never forgot, and
with such results, financially, as
the publisher has not yet ceased
to feel.
But there are those who can
not seek such vindication. The
President, for instance, virtually
is debarfed from appealing to the
law as a private citizen may.
He must look to public senti.
ment for protection from indecent
assault, and he soon finds that he
leans upon a very weak, uncer.
tain support. Public sentiment
must give Our public servants
greater protection. 1t must rep.
rebate all unseemly abuse and
vilifcation even though under
the guise of Legitimate crit.
cism."
When all this is done-and it
should be done-there yet re.
mains some classes or organiza-
tions which no moral suasion, ne
possible public sentiment can
reach. Chief of these is orga-
nized Anarchy.
The anarchist is without moral
fiber. His purposes are destruc-
tive of all meralities If they
were accomplished mankind
would become a mass of seeth-
ing putresceace, flthier, viler
than any presented by the most
degraded savages known.
Public sentiment can not reach
them for they defy, always have