Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-06
OWEN EXCHANGE
BILL CALLED
TYRANN|CAL
Forbes Denounces Measure That
Would Exclude Daily News
papers From Mails.
BY 8. c. FORBES.

! They rush through crazy bills TO ap-
pease passing whims and outburs.s.
! The excitement subsidies, the laws be-
come dead letter, and nobody trou-
bles any more about them.
The moral effect OF passing every
year thousands yes, thousands of
statutes and letting half OF them De
trampled upon with impunity is very
| bad II vitiates respect for law Il
| drags the functions OF government in
the mire.
with that by way Of INTRODUCED, N.
| let me bring TO public notice-and, /
| hope, indignant condemnation bill
under discussion at Washing on.
| which, in principle, as IN Ameri-
can, as tyrannical and as repugnant
| to our national spirit of freedom as
any proposal ever propounded by d
| Federal legislator
| refer to the So called owen bill,
dealing, ostensibly, only with stock
! exchanges, but involving the rudl-
| '''N-''''.J t'''' 80 "a 10 , N'N'f'sif'
/ The BILL among other things. would
| make ii a crime, punishable by i'm
| prisonment. for you to mail a news
paper containing the regular record II
stock exchange transactions such as
every daily paper carries!
only under extraordinary and
pressing circumstances should Ameri-
| can citizens permit even Government
| officials to tamper with their right TO
communicate with one another oy
mail.
Almost as soon let us encourage ar
bitrarily abolishing our birthright Of
! free speech.
Here is how the bill starts off aft
| er the preliminary be il enacted: :"
That no letter, package. circu-
| lar. pamphlet, postcard, newspaper
or other form of printed or writ
ten statement, or partly printed
| and partly written, and no quo
tation of any prices or any other
adVlces, report Information or
representation concerning trans
actions in securities sold or Of
fered for sale, or executed or to
be executed, or that are listed or
quoted on any stock exchange,
and no statement, account or
memorandum of purchase or sale
or other information, notice or
demand regarding any purchase
or sale upon or on any stock eX-
change of any security shall be-
delivered or deposited or carried
in the mail or at or through any
postotfice or branch thereof or by
exchange has been Incorporated
under the laws of the State or
Territory in which its BUSINESS Is
conducted, or unless the charter
( and bylaws of such exchange or
the law under which IL is organ
ICED shall contain regulations and
prohibitions satisfactory to the
Postmaster General safeguarding
the transactions Of such exchange.
the character of the securities
dealt in thereon, the nuineness
OF the quotations thereof, and all
other information concerning such
transactions that is to be carried
through the mails and by tele-
graph and telephone beyond the
limits of the State of the organi-
cation of said exchange
Were | addressing a purely finan
cial audience | would specify a scor,
of pertinent objections to the prov,
sions Of this revolutionary measu-.-
But il is not for financial reasons tina
| would urge very citizen to rebe
against il. il is for the one ample
-embraCin" reason that it seeks t,
obtain for Government otticials-no
popularity elected at that-SuCh DOW
ers over their liberty OF action tina
even the Car or the Sultan OF Fan
Zibar would hesitate to ask. Th
right of every citizen, tie right o
every human being, to use the mail =
too sacred to be tempered With say,
for the most urgent and eNceptiona
cause.
II is unthinkable that Congress vii
seriously entertain this owen bill. T,
me II is inCOmprehensi bic how a ma
of Senator Owens wisdom and broad
mindedness, man who keeps =
touch with the people and with tn,
Intelligent thought OF the nation
could have been prevailed upon to "a.
Their such a barbariC medieval child
Knowing the Senator. and knowni
something of his ideas of what u
what, ! can not even dimlV cunCeiV,
how he could have shut his eyes I,
the abhorrent the repulsive PROPOSE
TO lay hands 81 unnecessarily an,
caValierly upon So cherished an In
stitution as the mail service and a.
lied means of communication
II there should-uneNpcCtedly -ap
pear to be the slightest danger of n,
measure being Countenanced by Con
greSs, Ii viii become the duty q
everyone possessing knowledge Of IN,
matters with which It treats to speal
ont plainly and TO disseCt the BIZ
clause by clause.
lot OF claptrap may he INDUCED
iu by those brimful Of ignorance ~
the desirabilitv Of regulating stool
exchange" preventing stock iohhins
frauds bringing Wall street to ~
senses. etc. etc Those least hand,
capped by practical knowledge will
no doubt do the most prating
L is my business TO study sue
matters, and ! can assure those whC
choose 10 attach the slightest ere
deuCe TO my word that the owen Ill
IS as Objectionable piece Of law.
writing a : ever came under their 81
my notice.