The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-13

peace," said Miss Addams, lis when war breaks out. We cannot continue our work if we are prevented from communicating with one another, as this bill proposes"
 'SNo one would interfere if this pro- posed law were not wilfully violated" said MT. Webb.
 Then you should revise the bill and say so," Miss Addams replied.
 Would your society," asked one of the members, "carry on propagan- da among the soldiers?"
 "Oh, mo-" said Miss Addams, "but, as has been suggested here, soldiers are citizens and they are more or less open to the channels of infor- nation and discussion which infiu- ence the civil population. This clause is so loosely drawn that anything which indirectly created dissatisfac- tion among the soldiers would be sub- ject to punishment"
 \ "The committee appreciates that point,'' said MT. Webb, land I can say to you, Miss Addams, that we are de- termined to see that the final draft will be so framed that full civil dis cussion of the war and everything of that sort can be freely carried on"
 'Severe Penalties"
 "Militarists have more to fear from the bill than anybody else," said Chas. T. Hallinan of the American Union Against Militarism.
 ! Tt is not the pacifsts,'' he contin- ued, ''v0ho would worry about this bill. The Aero club ought to look into this. Under it's terms the Aero club might invite severe penalties by pointing it's nose into conditions of the aviation service. The neWspa-, pers which follow closely the prob lems of national defense will have to walk straight me if they, would avoid embarrassment
 Arthur ID. Holdor of the American Federation of Labor demanded that nothing be put through in great haste which would needlessly increase the bureaucratic powers of the govern ment.
 John Reed, a magazine writer, ask ed the committee to give du@ consid- eration to the fact that England has noh+anad her censorship. Even Socialists in Germany" he said, ''are permitted to criticise the government This would be impossible under the proposed bill"
 Plots matched In secret rather than public speeches, he said, are more to be feared by the government.
 Dr. John B. Leeds of Philadelph1a, pFcfessor of sociology, declared that civil authorities there had acted too quickly in preventing a meeting or ,I<SYs9 d<aV9 Rfxr nT1, gress of a state of var
 T want to p1ead,'' he said, flor preservation of the unity of the na~' ton with the retention of its cher ished institutions. Free speech is one of these and, it should be guarded. Suppose a person wanted to criticise the food supplied to the army. Under this bill he would be prevented from doing so. I want to protest against any law that win remove the right to say things that might be for the ad- vantage of the government"
 Dr. R. w. Hogue, an Episcopal min ister of Baltimore, protested against civil interference to break up meet ings to discuss peace; especially before the declaration of war. 'I want to urge you,' he said, .4that in these times of stress the great principles of tsae government are not lost sight of {"
 The American Union Against Aih- tax1sm said it has no objection to the general aim Of the bill The Union is- sued this statement yesterday
 We urge that the bd1i shall be amended 50 as to make it apply solely to the life 6f the war and to include a specanc declaration that it is not in- tendeh to interfere with the const1tu- tional rights of free speech, free press and free aSsenIblage- that it is aimed, in short, only against propaganda car lied on among the troops.
 'sTt is generally understood that the administration has agreed to insert in |the press censorship bin a definite taaaase safeguarding the freedom of the press. the expression of editorial opinion on the conduct of the war, and the national policies involved. We want to see similar language inserted in f17A e<sndosaazx 1os17 ss