Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-08-05
FREE SPEECH IN AMERlcA.

IN recent Issue OF Fellowship"
+ the editor. Rev. Benjamin Fay Hills,
now Stationed In Los Angeles, Cal,
has this to say:
Moses Harmon, seventy-fiyc years
OF age editor Of "Lucifer, the Light
Bearer" fortnlghtly paper Of Chi
cago, was, on March LIST, taken to
the Illinois State Prison to be incar-
cerated for n year. on the charge of
using the mails for immoral purpos-
4 es.
He is man Of pure life, bcnevo.
lent practice and rare conservation
to his ideals and principles His OH.
~ offcnse Is that he permits free
but chastc discussion of questions
pertaining to sex and marriage.
Some OF the articles would he APPROX
ed by every intelligent, pure.minded
I person. Some of them advocate theo.
#ries that would not be generally nc
cepted by people of conventional
morality. None of them contains any
sensual or prurlent words or express.
B sions, or even hints.
Arbitrary Judgment was pro.
anounced by an underling official of
the Post Office Department, who con.
fiscatsd whole editions of the paper,
and judge was found who sentenc.
ed this patriarchial reformer. When
4 the officer took him to the peniten-
tlnry, accompanied by his daughter
and friend the authorities could
scarcely believe he was II convict
y and asked the party what they want
ed at the prison.
This would all be ridiculous If It
We're not SO outrageous. 1t Is I'M
American, undemocratic, unprogres-
Hive, 'reactlonary, desperate and inhu-
man.
$40 send Moses Harmon to prison
for advocating theories he honestly
believes would add to the physical,
mental and moral development of tho
race, even II he were the only man
on earth who SO believed, and then
to allow the mails to be used for
carrying all sorts of open and subtle
appeals to sensuallty, as we'll as to
& carry the swindling pronunciamentos
s5of the kings OF greed and graft, Is
4 both absurd and infamous.
An appeal to the President for
pardon is being circulated. which we
will cheerfully sign, but the correc.
ton Of the evil must so farther than
that.
Release this old man quickly, and
then let the Presidents heavy hanl
remove all the officials In any way
responsible for this modern inquisi-
tion!
No privilege OF the modern man
sIS is so necessary as that of free speech
and free press"
M DR. Hills appeal should strike a
Il responsible chord in the heart OF ev.
cry man who Is opposed to the Rus.
II sification of America. Harmon should
- u ~ Z tStSooCu at ACne edTlleSL pOSSlDl
S moment and steps should at once be
" taken to place 1t beyond the power
cot departmental underlings to send
Is men to prison and to ruin legitl.
mate enterprises by dictum from
which there is no appeal There Il
2s 81 long step between real chastity and
81 the sprudery which demands that fe
male sparrows incase their limbs Ii
propet clothing, just as there is be
tween some OF the filth now being
Ii carried around the country through
ths mails and the scientific theorie;
SSs advanced by Noses Harmon, tho
81 doption of which would iniure nc
'ss one ssbut would result in the highe,
yelopment of the race. The post
office dep artment tsa top autocrati,
3 and tta bureaucratic. officials are to,
u (, afroT minded to make It an effec