The age-herald., 1901-07-23
FREE SPEECH IN ENGLAND
 AND THE UNITED STATES
The Brtons Have Long Boased of Being Able to Speak and Write What They Please, But Recent Incident In- e dicates That Ihey Will Have to Fight fort
BY JOHN P. FOLEY.

z443 # BY JOHN
 One of tho vaunted rights of Englishmen for hundreds of years is that they possess in larger degree than. any other people the inestimable privilege of freely speak ing and writing their thoughts and opin- ions on any subject whatsoever, not in- volving, of course sedbtion or treason. According to recent issue of high-class London weekly newspaper, the man or collection of men that desire to exercise this right in these days will have to fight for 1t. This fact was forcibly illustrated recently when. a meeting of members of Parliament and others prominent in the various departments of life. was called for the purpose of discussing the policy of the government in the conduct of the war in South Africa. That was a perfectly legitimate object. The meeting was to be gathering of one of the two great polit- ical parties, and the views of it's leaders were generally known. Reasonable ut terances of inf1amatory addresses, no one anticipated. Expressions of sympathy for the Boers, which would encourage them to persist in protracting the war; were to be carefully avoided. All that 1t was proposed to do and to say was to de- fine the policy of the party which 1t has been adyocating during the past twelve months, that the Tory government should stop the reckless and wicked expenditure of men and money by offering to the gal lant Boers honorable and just terms of peace, together with measure of auton- omy for their country similar to that which has been conceded to Canada and Australia. Let us see what happened. No sooner had the announcement of the assembly been made than a chorus of denunciation broke out in the editorial columns of the lingo newspapers. It was pointed out that the promoters of the meeting, members of Parliament be it remembered, were traitors and scoundrels for daring to crfticise Joe Chamberlain and his Tory associates, who have shown their utter inability, with the greatest and best equipped army that England has ever had in the field. to conquer 5O0OO un- e-~%<-~<<<<%<%%%% corporations or individuals or railroad companies; nor shall such langs be sold to corporations or associations TOT less price than that iur which 1t is subject to sale to individuals; provided that noth- ing contained In this section shall prevent the Legislature from granting a right of way, not exceeding 100 feet in width as mere easement, to railroads across State lands and the Legislature shall never dis- pose of the land covered by said right of way except subject to such easement
 MT. Lowe of Jefferson moved 10 amend by inserting the words telegraph or tele- -l..s lT This was accepted by tn. convention.
 MT, Sanford of Pike moveo to amend by making the right of way 125 feet in- stead of 100 feet, Al sHe said that in cases of cuts and fills 100 feet was not enough
 MT. Sollie of Dale offered an amend ment to provide that reasonable comptn- sation should be paid for rigi,ts of way Afterwards he withdrew his amen1menti
 The Sanford amendment was then adopted and the section as amended was adopted. z-aN- Sfs .9
 .-..e, Not Release Debts.
 Sections 5s and 61 were adopted as fol- lows: ts,i ... @ 4e.s4 .ass
 Sec. 59, No obligation or liability of any person, association or corporation held or owned by this State or other municipality thereof shall ever be remitted released or postponed or In any way dimin- ished, by the Legislature; nor shall such liability or obligation be extinguished ex- cept by pyment thereof into the proper treasury; nor shall such liability or obli- gation be exchanged or transferred ex- cept upon payment of it's face value; pro- vided, that this section shall not prevent the Legislature from providing by gen eral law for the compromise of doubtful claims
 Sec 61. No State or county official shall at any time, during his term of office, ac- 6tFaRflU indtraRf1xy n nu fee, money, office,s appointment employ ment, reward or thing of value, or of per sonal advantage, or the promise thereof, to lobby for or against any measure pending before the Legislature or to give or withhold his influence to secure the passage or defeat of any such measure.
 Section 60 was stricken out, as a similar section as to removing county sites had already been adooted in the article on State and county boundaries
 lntermarriage of Races.
 Section e2 was read as follows:
 Sec 62. The Legislature shall never pass any law to authorize or legalize any mar riage of any white person and negro or descendant of negro, to the third generation. inclusive, though one ancestor of each generation be a white person.
 MT. Vaughan of Dallas moved to strike out all of the section after the second word negro in the section.
 Governor Oates said the section reported by the committee embodied the language employed in the penal code. He thought 1t ought to be the same It had been the law for a quarter of a century and he had never heard of a marriage in viola ton of the law. He moved to lay on the table the amendment This was lost by a vote of to 51 and the Vaughan amend ment adopted.
 Mir Long of Walker moved to amend by adding Chinese or Indian. This was tabled and the section was adopted.
 Section 63 was read as follows:
 Section 63. The Legislature shall provide by law for the regulation and reasonable restraint of trusts, monopolies and com binations of capital so as 70 prevent them from making by such artificial means, articles of necessity, trade or commerce scarce, or by increasing the cost thereof to the consumer. or by preventing reason- able competition in any calling, trade or ht1ainess