The Glenwood post., 1909-01-23
B1L11NesaArE AND FREE SPEECH

Mud Singer willet, of New York, did
himself proud in his speech against the
President on Monday last Such
flood of billingsgate has never profaned
the high councils of the nation before.
One shudders' to reflect what appalling
consequences would follow like at
tack on the German Emperor or the
Russian Gar Such an outpourinp Of
the flood gates of abuse would not be
possible in England Nor in republic
an France would member of the Cham
ber of Deputies so far forget the dig
nifty of his seat, or of his president. 1t
remains for this country, the boasted
land of the free, to furnish study a
opprobious terms, demonstrative of TO
what length freedom may be extended.
There are many to whom the terms
Freedom" and Liberty are synony-
nous with license. Reared in a land
where the press is unmuzzled, where
religious beliefs are held sacred from
oppression, where women have obtained
their complete emancipation from the
bonds that still obtain in some sections
of the Old World, and where personal
and political equality is a thing un-
questioned-we are all too often prone
to err along the lines of least resist
ance. All too often are our great men
assailed with venomous tongue by those
utterly incompetent to judge. All too
often are those in high places insulted
by their subordinates; whose right to
question the motives and integrity IF
those above them, has not been clearly
shown.
Let us by all means have that liberty
for which our fathers pledged their all
Let us by all means uphold our here1-
| itary right to be free and untrammeled ;
sovereigns under the popular equality
| of men. But let us not descend to epi-
tibet and slander to prove it. Let Us
rather, by calm and judicial Judgment
| of those under the peoples arraign-
ment, remembering always the many
| things for good that such have accom-
plished, keep that memory still cnshril-
ed against what later errors may appear
| in high places
This latest outbreak against man
twice elected president of the greatest
nation on earth, man at once the
| people s choice and refuge against the
| growing menace of Socialism thinlv
veiled-smacks of cowardice and scoun-
| drelism. Cowardly, because directed
against a man who cannot use the
weapons of his assailant; scoundrely be
cause of the same fact, and further, be.
cause there is no foundation for such
a speech. Billingsgate Willet has moth.
ing to stand on; no single rock beneath
his feet. The record of Theodore Rouse,
welt admits of no such recapituation
First has he stood, in war and in peace
and while he has made the mistakes to
which all flesh is heir, his administra.
ton has, on the whole, been the most
brilliant of any modern President. The
presumption of Gas Bag Willet in pub
licly assailing such a man, having be
hind him absolutely no record, good
bad or Indifferent, is enough to make
one almost pine for the good old doc,
trine of "lese ma ieste.' -
Mr.. Roosevelt has been through re-
markable bombardment of late. All thu
oratorical wonders of both houses If
congress have seemed to consider hin
fair game. And we have yet to read
of one statement on which we can judi
cially arraign the president? NEXT!