Blue-grass blade., 1908-05-31
Iowa Reader Sends in a Correction of
Names on Data of Congress.
(By G.. B. LeBarron.)

(By c. b. LeBarron.)
There appeared in a recent number of the
Blue Grass Blade an article by Claiming
Severance entitled "Treachery in the Hep
burn Bill" which / think deserves special
notice. 1t is very carefully worded in one
respect, and in another, i think the author
was very careless or else was not posted
as to the subject in hand; in either case
was not acquainted with the man whom he
attacks so viciously as the supposed author
of the supposed bill. Mr.. William Peters
Hepburn, / am proud to say, is the honored
member of the lower house of Congress
from this, the eight Congressional district
of Iowa.
Mr.. Severance seems to think that Free
Speech means license, which, as far as |
have been able to discover, seems to be the
Interpretation placed on it by most Socialist
writer's. He speaks of Government as
though it were a pack of robbers and de-
spoilers to be gotten rid of, which we must
consider an insult to the whole people in
this country, as this is in fact a government
for and by the whole people, and if Mr..
Severance has not had a hand in this gov
eminent of late years, he must have been
chasing around after false gods or else
neglecting one of his most important duties.
He has a wrong impression of conditions
today, undoubtedly, as he says "As the in
equalities of wealth increase and million
aires and paupers multiply"-whch by the
although it is one of the pet phrases of the
Socialists-and then he continues, 'Restric-
tions are created to hold restless and dis
satisfied people in check, and free speech
and free press are now considered so
dangerous that the coils of statute laws are
invoked to insure restraint which the foes
of freedom DESIRE" Was there ever a
greater slur cast upon this nation?
1t is a fact that the conditions arising
have made it necessary to create restrictions
to hold the vicious and nihilistcy people
in check, and that is the intention of the
proposed legislation but Mr.. Hepburn has
not introduced a bill on that subject at all,
and that is what makes Mr.. Severance's
article seem so virulous and libelous.
But there has been a bill introduced in
Congress by Senator Penrose which is
known as the statute relating to obscene
and libelous matter being unavailable, which
simply proposes to give the Postmaster
General authority to exclude from the mails
any matter that has been declared unmail-
able under existing law and would not be
liable to affect publications that are not
obscene and libelous.
Now / will agree with Mr.. Severance that
If there is danger Of this new law being so
twisted and distorted that it could be made
the means whereby the whole Freethought
press of the country could be suppressed
that it needs the attention of every rational
thinker of the land. But as to Colonel Hep
burn being a party to any scheme to ami
hilate the FreethOught press, 1t is perfectly
for in one of his personal letters
to me, he gives expression to this lofty idea.
Il want to assure you that all of my efforts
shall be directed to so use any power that
may be given me in the interest of securing
wise legislation and good government"