The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-03-27
FREEDOM OF SPEECH


tries 1t is the freedom of speech. The
right of every man to give full and
free expression to his religious, NOR
al and political convictions. We
would like to see as the foundation
stone on which all other rights are
founded the right to worship God ac-
cording to the dictates of ones own
conscience. We would have every
man protected in this right. We
would have thrown around him all
the necessary safeguards from intru-
sion and arrest. Liberty and license,
however, are two different things.
The liberty of speech does not carry
with it the right to scandalize anoth-
er or to scandalize his religion. 1t
does not mean that he shall have the
freedom of the streets to peddle out
abuse, and scandal, and falsehood
against his neighbor or against his
neighbor's mode of worship. To at
, tack abuse and scandaliZe ones
church is the same as to attack and
scandalize ones person.
The freedom of speech means the
right of giving full and free express
ion to ones religious and political con-
victions, because the same concerns
the whole commonwealth; but it does
not mean to give free bride to ones
private grievances to the hurt and
detriment of mis- neighbors, and of
the whole community.
| If one thing is more sacred than
ones person it seems to us it ought
to be ones church.
Around the churches should be
| thrown an armor so sacred and hal
lowed that it would instinctively pre-
serve them from vain and perverse
assaults; thehy should be protected
with the same measure of vigilance
and devotion as were the vestal vir-
gins in the performance of their obli-
gations-the same as the ark of the
covenant was protected from unhal-
lowde hands as the children Of Israel
made their weary march through the
wilderness.
| Feeling thus we transcribe to our
columns the following communication
| free of charge, which has appeared in
some of our exchanges as q paid ad-
vertisement:
Il regret very much to do or say
anything that would advertise the
street preacher who has lately arriv-
| ed in our city and is publicly vilifying
the Catholics, for know this is just
what he is seeking-by it he hopes to
| fill his pockets-but the action of the
Hon. Van Swearingen in permitting
this man to denounce most vilely the
religious beliefs of decent men and
women under the subterfuge of free
speech compels me to speak
ARMED with permit from our
mayor and protected by the city's po-
lice, said preacher denounces the
Catholic church and her institutions
think of it! An absolute stranger
allowed in our peaceful community
to insult decent men and women in
language so vile that it could not
bear repeating in print.
81 doubt If there is a man in our
city who does not number many Cath
olics among his friends, and as his
friends, does he even suspect them
of what this travelling preacher charg-
es? The mayor allows this man
loose bride in his attacks and places
Gordon of police to protect him, and
absolutely refuses to rescind the per-
mission he gave to this man to use
the public streets, even after the city
council condemned his attitude by an
almost unanimous vote, requesting
him to withdraw the said permission
"The mayor comes out in the public
press and states that the Catholics
can, if what this man says is untrue,
have recourse to any of the five courts
in the city, and there gain redress
and stop him by criminal prosecution.
This the mayor should know is i'm
possible in this case, as the courts of
our land have always held that no
criminal prosecution can be brought,
no matter how falsely scurrilous the
attack, unless an individual is per-
sonally mentioned in such an attack,
and he takes good care that none is
mentioned.
Judge Abbott has repeatedly re-
fused to issue warrant for his ar
rest for this specific reason.
"As a fourthe degree Knight of Co.
lumbus and a Catholics, / denounce
each and every statement made by
this man, both printed and verbal, as
false. The Knights of Columbus is an