New Britain herald., 1917-08-22
SEDITION CANNOT
 BE PUNISHED HERE
But American Defense Society Is
 Having Bill Drafted

New York, Aug. 22.-In response to the need for federal laws against sedition which amounts to less than treason. punishable by death, the American Defense society is having drafted an anti-sedition bill which will shortly be introduced in congress. In it's campaign against the propa- ganda of sedition the society has found itself confronted with the fact that there is at present no law in the United States punishing sedition, such a provision having been cut out of the espionage bill. The soapbox orator who now inveighs against our allies violates no law unless he incites to riot. It is the purpose of the society to have such disloyal action classed as a crime and to have punishmen ent prescribed by federal statute. This would put an end to the anti-British city by the Friends of Irish Freedom and others.
 The need for such law was em- phasized in letter which Police Commissioner Woods sent yesterday to Col. Roosevelt in reply to letter from Oyster Bay to police headquar-
  against seditious orators. The com missioner wrote the Colonel that the department was doing the best 1t could under, the present law, and said If disloyal,preaching is to be effec- lively prevented in this country federal statute should be enacted making criminal any sort of propa- ganda, printed or spoken, in favor of ho fo country in it's struggle for democracy and for the right of free nations to exist"
 Woods Letter to Roosevelt.
 Commissioner Woods in his letter to Col. Roosevelt said in part:
 The right to hold meetings in
 the street is. of course, clear.
 People may gather and speak
 their minds, and the police are
 bound to protect them in thir
 right so long as the gathering is
 conducted lawfully, not interfer-
 ing with the rights of others, not
 blocking the streets or sidewalks
 so as to prevent others from
 using them, and not melting to
 violence. The police will con-
 tinue to permit lawful street
 meetings.
 In war times however, some of
 these matters have to be looked
 over again to see what, under the
 changed conditions, constitutes incitment to violence and inter- ference with the rights of others.
 If treason is preached in our streets an immediate arrest will, of course, be made. atd we have the United States statute dealing with treason, which provides the punishment of death. But the United States authorities have advised us that under this statute
 the courts will hold only most
 serious cases, which would justi-
 fly the extreme penalty. So far
 no utterance of any street speak.
 CT that has been reported to me
 fails in this class, and there is no
 other Federal law that applies
 unless we can prove interference
 or attempt to interfere with the
 military or naval forces of the
 United States.
 If there is talk on the, street,
 therefore, which though clearly
 of a seditious nature cannot be
 classed as treasonj under the
 statute, we have to fall back on
 our local statutes that prohibit
 conduct seriously disturbing or
 endangering the public peace, or
 disorderly conduct leading to
 breach of the peace. Right here
 is a gap in the law. for these
 state laws provide no way to pro-
 ceed against seditious propagan-
 da in the streets unless the se- .ditfous person is also disorderly.
 If disloyal preaching is to be ef-
 fectively prevented in this coun-
 try 8 Federal statute should be
 enacted making criminal any sort
 of propaganda, printed or spoken,
 in favor of the enemy. or tend
 ing to weaken our country in its
 struggle for democracy and for the right of free nations to exist Although in ordinary times it might be wise for a policeman not to interfere with speaker in close cases, in war times the safety of the nation Is paramount, and in such cases the force have instructions to take summary ac- ton.
 Letter From Roosevelt. In announcing yesterday a campaigr l to bring home to the American people l the atrocities of the Germans in the conduct of the war, the American De fense society made public the fol 1 lowing letter from Colonel Roosevelt who is a member of the Advisor, | Council of the society, addressed tt Major William Tutherly, secretary O | the society:
 l My Dear MT. Tutherly F I wish to congratulate the American Defense society on their work which brought the l prohibition of marine insurance l by Germans firms and especially l do I wish to express my earnest sympathy with you in your pro-