Blue-grass blade., 1908-06-28

TO do so 1t is not strange that one thought
full senator as this Penrose bill wert to
vote, asked his colleagues to seriously con.
slider whether they wanted to establish
such censorship. Short sighted and
stupid were the men who voted this bill
into law, and as for The man who intro
duced it and whose name is read with the
amendment, he deserves and doubtless will
receive greater odum and reproach than
was ever showered on Benedict Arnold. /
hold him in utter contempt, and as I read
again that bill to amend section thirty
eight hundred and ninety three. I see a
flood of evils turned loose upon the peo-
pie of this country greater than those con-
tanned in the box of the mythical Pandora
Reactionary forces are at work in our
midst as never before, and on every hand
we see government and religious forces try
ing to hold the people in check and stay
the march of progress. Note the suppress
sion of freespeech in all our cities and give
attention to this straw that reveals the d.
rection of the wind. Socialists in Los
Angeles were denied a permit to speak on
the streets, their mission being to make
better conditions in this world. The par
sons wanted to talk about the next and
how to save souls, and permits were imme-
diately given for seven different locations
on the streets, and they are now talking
daily to men that they cannot catch inside
a church. In opposing the efforts of So
cialists to speak on the streets, the city
attorney claimed they were not intended
for public speaking. but for public travel.
yet his mouth opened not like that when
the black coats asked for that privilege
and got it. More and more the forces of
government and religion are drawing to-
gether, and the Catholics recently got a
European periodical barred from this
country because it was offensive to them,
though printed and circulated where the
pope holds sway.
There is growing and determined
effort on the part of the reactionaries in
society to curb free-speech; and this press
censorship Is an opening wedge for more
and greater restrictions. AS we have
plenty of law to prevent what Mr. LeBar-
ron calls license in free-speech, there exists
no need of mail restrictions, for dangerous
characters who make threats and advocate
destruction of life and property can be
sienced in other ways. No matter what a
mans ideas are, If they are the fruit of
reason and philosophy they should be al
lowed to circulate, and only when physi-
cal violence is advocated to sustain them
are they or he dangerous. Men who be-
lieve in right and justice, in freedom and
equal rights, are not afraid of ideas and
never were. Those who have tried in all
ages to hold the human mind in check,
have done so because their graft or power
was endangered by freethought and Free
speech, ana no other reason exists today
for muZzling the press and putting the
ban on mental growth and development.
The people have a natural and constitu.
tional right to advocate a socialistic gov
eminent, and If majority desires that
kind they have the right to establish it.
Let us not be afraid of our reasoning
faculties, nor think necessity requires a
man with a club, to stand over one who
does think, to insure public safety. Give
us freethought freespeech, free-press and
free mails, and watch the world move ON
as 1t never moved before.