The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-18
SUSPEND JUDGMENT.

For the first time in the history of your
experience you may not knock the United
States Government. If you don't like the
draft act, if you hope the Germans will win
the war, or, if you think you could improve
the situation by taking pot shot at some
one in authority at Washington, you may
entertain those opinions, but
To express them is treason, which, with
it's twin, blasphemy, are the ugliest words
in our language, symbols of the qualities
Of the sneak and the coward.
Apropos of this, the question may well
be asked, if criticism Weakens the govern
nlent does it not have the same effect, IN
degree, upon an individual? Parallel the
two cases for few sentences. 1t is entire
" clear that if everyone were allowed to
express freely adverse opinions of the gov
eminent. disloyalty would grow, disunlon
would follow, and anarchy in greater or
less degree would surely result.
What happens when you freely crlticlse
IN individual? Isn't it equally clear that
v2u undermine confidence in him, spread
affection with relation to him, and final
undermine his character?
IF course the element of reason and COM
Tl0n sense enter into all questions. If your
government were corrupt, and you knew it
were such, and that it were leading the
country to ruin, espionage act or no esp1on-
age act, you would be justified in your con-
demnation of it. You would be right and
the government would be wrong. But
where the government has the sanction Of
the vast ma jority of the people; where OBJ
-siously it is exerting its best and untiring
efforts for the welfare of the nation. where,
indeed the very life of the people is at stake
under that government, there is but one
course for YOU to follow, and that is as
clear as an open road.
And the same with an Individual If he
Is a shyster, or a hypocrlte-a hypocrite
most of all-go the limit in condemnation
of him. The result of criticism may bring
him to his senses before a worse fate befalls
him. At any rate he is an enemy to right
thinking and acting, and has lost the claim
to your support But
When man or woman is doing their
big or little best to get by in his world
struggling with his drawback and that, i'll
heath, poverty, unfitness-lack of the right
start, over which they had no contro1-in
the name of heaven, as you are loyal to the
government, be loyal to them, help them,
and don't pull them down by criticism.
Undoubtedly this is the greatest bane OF
Our lite-this practice of gossip. In the
language of Sir Oliver Lodge it is SO within
the limit of the meanest intelligence, that
the littlest man or woman can summon the
mentality to accomplish it.
A curious circumstance is this Let a
man join lodge, or secret order. and the
oah of that order. it's internal affairs. are as
safe in that mans keeping as gold in a
bank.
You see, the trick can be turned We
can refrain from discussion. But it seems
either our loyalty to the government, as in
the circumstance of this war, or to our oath
IN society, must produce the pressure tc
create the result.
Without special appeal to this quality
IN our nature, that golden measure called
free speech, seems to tarnish.
A wise mana very wise one-once said
whenever two courses present themselve:
to me, always take the harder. If w,
would only speak in condemnation of ou
friends when it is easier to be silent, or b,
silent when it is easier to speak, we woult