The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-05-04
(By DANTE BARTON.)

anu well informed enough 10 make
this a democratic war?
The newspaper press throughout
the nation has aroused to the danger
that threatens a free press and free
speech by censorship provisions in the
Espionage Tor Spy Bill now before
Congress. The general metropolitan
newspapers are joining with the labor
press and the country press and with
writer's and groups of liberals in
pointing out the disasters, military
and economic, that lie ahead if CEN
sorship (of the strict sort being press
ed by the Army War College) pre-
vents information and discussion and
critism of military plans and national
policies and the subsidiary industrial
and financial adjustments. For that
is what the bill does.
The widespread protest against it
is an encouraging sign that the forces
which wish to line up, with the Pres
ident as their leader, to make "the
world safe for democracy" are gain
ing Roadway.
If these protests prevail it will look
better for democratic war than it
looked before the actual step into
war was taken. But if the protest
fails, the ideals of liberty and demo-
cracy will get the stiffest jolt they
have yet had in America and the task
of making this democratic war will
be all the harder.
The New York Times (Which is
certainly clear, in its own conscience,
of radicalism) speaks as vigorously
as labor men in opposition to the CEN
sorship. The Times says the bill as
pending at this writing "would take
away the right of the people to know
what the government is doing and how
it is doing it, and it would deprive the
public of the invaluable aid of enlight-
ened publice opinion and of the guild
ance of the public's not less enlight-
ened criticism"
Arthur E. Holder, legislative agent
of the American Federation of Labor,
declared:
"You tell the working men that
they've got to keep their mouths shut
and a nice fighting bunch you'll have.
If there is any grating going on, if
there are certain things wrong in our
factories and plants, we want the right
to say so, because we believe it will
be in the interest of our country. Why
the things | am saying here would
cause my arrest if this bill became a
law and l should say them out side
this room. l repeat, if we know that
things are not done on the square, il
we know that grafters are taking adj
vantage of the patriotic sentiment OF
the people and squeezing war profits
| want to assure you now we will make
our protest whatever be the outcome.
This special issue of censorship is
especially vital. No one is asking thai
the movements of army and navy be
uncensored in the news. That sort Of
censorship prevails now. But if Am
orleans are forbidden ("verboten') tt
discuss and criticise, and are forbidden
information on everything that some
military man might think would
"cause disaffection," then the United
States itself is not "safe for demo
cracy."
Many people believe that "demo
cratic war" is contradiction in terms
But, with freedom of speech and Of
the press, the American people have
their opportunity to prove that this
nation can organize for war demo
cratically, and can organize war demo.
cratically. They can prove that the
war can be prosecuted democratically
and that the outcome of it can be the
advancement of democracy.
This proof will not be given (it
happily it is given at alD without a
sharp contest. The advocates of war
for ends other than unselfish demo-
cracy and unselfish patriotism were
the earliest in the fields of discus
sion and publicity. But now that
war is the accomplished fact, there
can be and will be lining up of all
the forces to oppose selfishness and
Imperialism and exploitation for prof
it.
The President himself has giver
the key to the war as it involves re-
lations with European Countries
friends and enemies alike. 'Tht
world must be safe for democracy,
he said in a phrase that will live
Will the taxes for the cost of the
war be democratic in their assess
ment?
Will personal liberty be safeguardet
at home?