Evening journal., 1908-06-17
Silence With Arguments.


Silence With Arguments.
'In such welter OF opinion as we
now see democratic manners require
first that we hear the other man, and
surely the COLLEGE classroom should
make one a polite and patient listener.
II man misuse free speech to incite
others to murder or arson, hold hiln
sternly accountable for such madness,
but do not silence him III advance be-
cause he is an extreme socialist, or
even an extreme individualist, for most
Of us are something of both. Public
| discussion must be subject TO public
regulation. but the exigencies of polic-
ing great cities should not be made the
excuse of silencing ninorities. Fol
example. a police commissioner Of very
moderate wisdom, and self-cohtrol ana
small civic experience should not be
empowered 10 throttle sree speech at
| will. If the socialist has a definite
plan to propose. and no has one al
most childishly definite In some aspects,
by all means let him learn, like the
rest of us, to speak in due season, bu-
If you would silence him permanently,
do il with arguments and not with the
( clubs of your police,
What we of the comfortable classes
scornfully call the demagogue never
hourished except when those to whom
he appealed had real grievances, and
agitators have been slot in one gener,
alton for advocating that which tho
next gladly enacted into law. -Four
Years of muzzling will not stamp out
human hydrophobia, will rather spread
It, and may silence many whom we ali
need TO hear. We have lavished our
national patrimony, lands. forests,
w-ters. minerals: our cities have pn-
riched ingrates with public service
franchises too frequently administered
in contemptuous disregard of comfort
and decency. When great thing vas
to be done we paid the huge price OF
the shrewd and capable undertalSers
without a murmur. We can no longer
be reckless of rational resources and
municipal franchises, for comparative
ly few are left to us 20 waste. In
earlier business panics the pinched
could resort to free natural opportuni-
ties. These resources which should
have been a sacred heritage for all
were our social safety valves, but oui
richest natural opportunitiesshave Ions
been in private hands, and we pas
mercilessly exacted monopoly pricc'
for the products Of that which we Sd
generously gave away
Continuing. the speaker said that wv
do not have to choose l,etween anarch.
ism and socialism. We are famiiiai
with the latter in the rostofiice, public
schools. village water works, and arr
likely to see further experiments. The
speaker did not share the enthusiasm
of the municipal socialists, and eN.
pected great vices to grow out Of suci
socialism. but a few more public ser.
vice scandals and we shall move rapid
" in that direction.
Abolish Special Privilege.
1.-THE question Of municipal socialism
is upon us. and it must be met not will
, the hvsteria of blind denunciation, bu
with sound arguments, or il win hi
, umph within a decade,' ne said.
"ro whichever side we tend, a modi
/, fed socialism. or an extension OF gu
present individualism, with large
; liberty or with less for TIE play OF In
! dividual powers. we are likely to b
+ more rather than less democratic. IN
( less. indeed our ignofent panic in tn
face of threatessd and needed socia
2 change drive us temporarily into som
, form Of centralized despotism. It
! our most distinctively democratic in