New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-10-03


approved by congress will enable POST
master General Burleson to prevent any
publisher from publishing paper or
any other print which the administration
| in the person Of Burleson construes as
containing matter in violation Of the
Espionage Law.
/ Under the Espionage Law, Burleson
can exclude such periodical from the
mails, and can make use Of that ex-
lclusion to deprive it of second class
mailing privileges if it enjoys them.
But Burleson's power ended with the
limited States mails, so long as he was
limited to the Espionage Law. The
publisher could ship the paper by express,
sell it thru newsdealers, or organize his
own distributing agencies. A few
periodicals have survived the assaults
of Burleson by making use OF one or
more of these avenues of escape.
Now come the additional powers con-
ferred by the trading with the enemy
bill
! The bill makes it unlawful for a rail-
road company, to transport periodical
or print after Burleson's ipse dixit has
declared that it contains nonmailable
matter.
The bill goes further and makes it UNI
lawful for an individual to distribute
any periodical or other print after
Burleson's ipse dixit has decreed its nom
AVAILABILITY.
Foreign language publications are
strangled even more kaiserishly than
are the papers printed in English. The
bill makes it unlawful for any person or
persons to publish or circulate in any
foreign language, news items, editorials
or other printed matter respecting the
Government of the United States, CT
of nation engaged in the present war,
it's policies, international relations, the
state or conduct of the war, or any
matter relating thereto"
Foreign-language papers whose pub
fishers file with the postmaster at the
place Of publication, complete and
accurate translations Of such articles, are
exempted from the above prohibition.
Such publishers as are able to demon
strate to the Postmaster General that
they will publish nothing in opposition
to the policies of the administration are
exempted from the above drastic pro-
visions by means of licenses revocable
at the will of the Postmaster General.
The following paragraph is the one
that supplements Burleson's espionage
law power to exclude paper from the
mails with the authority to absolutely
destroy the papers existence without
either a hearing or the traditional trial
by jury or day in court.
It follows the paragraph imposing the
restrictions upon the foreign language
publications:
'.Any print, newspaper, or publication
in any foreign Language which does not
conform to the provisions of this section
is hereby declared to be non-mailable,
and it shall be unlawful for any person.
firms, corporation, or association, to
transport, carry, or otherwise publish
or distribute any matter which is made
non mailable by the provisions of the.
act relating to espionage, approved
June Is, 1917 :
The 'Act Relating to Espionage
clothes Postmaster General Burleson
with the autocratic and plenary power
to exclude paper from the mails be-
cause Of its containing matter alleged
to be non-mailable.
Now comes the trading with the enemy
act declaring any and every measure
unlawful which publisher may take to
preserve his property and retain a
portion of his constitutional right to
freedom of expression.
Violation of the act is punishable by
a fine of not more than $500 or a jail
sentence of not more than one year, or
both at the discretion of the court.
EDITORS BRAIN THRoBs.
He who is thoughtless concerning the