Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-26
The Home OF Free Speech
BY Frederic J. Haskin

New York, August % II you have
a message for mankind and the unkind
editors won't let you print 1t; II you
have invented new ism and want to
tell the world about it; ifyou feel call
ed upon to conduct propaganda for
anarchy, universal peace or the aboli.
ton of high collars; II, in word, your
greatest joy is to hear yourself talk
and make others hear you, come to
New York. This is your earthly para.
dise-the home OF free speech. YOU
can set up step ladder on street
corner and talk as long as you want
to about anything you please. The pc.
lice will not interfere with you; they
will protect you. And out Of the end
less mob that tramps past your perch
you can get sympathetic listeners for
your creed IL any there be on earth.
There is a general impression about
the police, often shared by the police.
men themselves, that it Is their duty
to dispense any gathering which shows
the slightest sign OF becoming noisy
or excited. In good many cities
such Is the police practice. Not so IN
New York. The policemen here are
told that free speech Is an inalienable,
constitutional right, that 1t is to be
protected, and to be regulated only 30
far as necessary for Its preservation.
The police commissioner and the chief
inspector have both treated these sub.
jects at length In the police bulletin.
They take the advanced ground that a
speaker on the streets has right to
lambast the existing order Of things
just as vehemently as he wants to, and
to advocate any other order he chooses
just as enthusiastically as he likes,
provided only he does not recommend
anything more dangerous than words
and votes as means of making the
change. ~
- II it is your honest and sincere opin-
ion that all millionaires should be
made to divide their money among the
people, and that the working day
should be limited to three hours with
two hours for lunch, you have a per-
feet right to recommend these things,
to show UP the milliOnaires as heart
less land pirates, and to weep for the
toiling masses You can found ma
tional party, adopt your propaganda as
a platform, and vote 1t into effect. But
you can not recommend throwing
bricks at the millionaires or closing
the shops by main force a.
Unless you are religious speaker,
you do not need permit. You merely
tell the police where you want to hold
your meeting and If the place Ia not
convenient, they will assign you an.
other II you wish, they will assign you
several corners. ~, ,r
Religious speakers must have per-
NIT When asked why this distinction
was made, the deputy commissioner. IN
charge of street speakers admitted he
did not know. He suggested asking the
alderman who passed the law. But he
admitted that it was a good thing to
have some means Of keeping track Of
the religious orators. In a town where
about every religion on earth Is repre-
scented, perfectly well meaning ser
mon delivered at the wrong corner
may result, in a lot of broken glass and
tain Italian Protestant who went to
the Italian quarter in Brooklyn and be.
gan telling the why and how Of this
conversion to his faith. There were
some people around that did not enjoy
the recital, and the preacher had to
leave suddenly and return no more.
There is no discrimination in the
granting of these permits to hold reli
gious meetings. You are not allowed
to take up a collection and you must
have three references. That is about
all that is required. II you make
trouble in one place, you will be NOV
ed to another. but you will not be sup
pressed unless it appears that your
only object is to make trouble.
One of the most persistent street
speakers in New York Is Theodore Mel
son, a West Indian, who addresses the
crowds in Madison Square almost
every day. He talks with real elo-
quence and keeps his large crowds in
terested. Heis religious speaker and
his religion consists In the lambasting
excoriating and denouncing OF all 9TH
er religions. Every once in while
the police get long petition from tho
Jews, or the Hindoos or the Holy Rol-
lers or the Greek Orthodox people,
asking that Nelson be prohibited and
restrained from standing h on soap
box and calling them Names 4 Then
Deputy Commissioner Pearson has
Nelson up on the carpet and urges
him to be bit more restrained In his
remarks. But inasmuch as Nelson
seems to be perfectly sincere In his
belief that all religion is piffle, he is
not suppressed.