The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-05-08
CENSORSHIP IS HIT
BY SPEAKER CLARK
ADMINISTRATION MEASURE is
REJECTED IN CONGRESS BY
A VERY DECISIVE VOTE.
NEITHER HOUSE WILLING
TO GAG FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Under the Promises of the Proposed
Measure Such Scandals as the EN-
balmed Beef Atrocity Would Be
Kept Hidden. Censorship Bill Is
Greatly Modified.
WASHINGTON, D. C.-Congres-
sional resistance to the despotic es-
pionage bill stiffened perceptibly yes
terday. 1t is clear that neither house
purposes to gag free speech at the
request of either Secretary Lansing
or Attorney General Gregory.
These developments show plainly
the determination of congress long
subservient to the slightest wish of
the administration to draw the line
at measure that would throttle
public speech and put the American
people where the people of Russia
were before they threw out the Gear
and autocrats who were behind him.
Speaker Clark supported from the
floor of the house to-day the Graham
amendment to strike from the es-
pionage bill censorship section, at
tackled as interfering with the free
dom of free speech and free press.
Il believe the press censorship
section is a flat violation of the con-
stitution," said Speaker Clark. The
speaker said he had been subjected
to much newspaper criticism during
his life, but the freedom of the press
was essential.
Il believe the words in the con-
stitutlon guaranteeing freedom of
speech and press are the most impor-
tant of all, bar none," he added.
Speaker Clark said that while the
bill provided the president should ex-
erclse the censorship, it was inevita-
BILE that some subordinate would
frame the regulations land harness
these people up" "The president
would not know anything amout it
until the last resort" said the speak
er.
The speaker said that Colonel
Roosevelt, in the Spanish-American
war, had circulated a round-robin
against embalmed beef.
sit was against every military reg
ulation under the sum-" he said, 'but
the round-robin did good and
brought to justice the men who were
furnishing embalmed beef to our SOL
diers."
He held that under its provisions
such scandals as the embalmed beef
atrOcity of 1898 could be kept hid
den from the public. In one of the
best speeches of the day he earnest
ly pleaded with his fellow members
to defeat the bill.
In the course of the argument it
was shown that utterances like those
of Northcliffe, and Harden, in Ger
many, which their governments had
no power to suppress, could be for
hidden in this country by any auto
cratic subordinate who chose to do
so, if the espionage bill is enacted
into law
The speaker paid tribute to news
papers and newspaper men, saying
they would keep condolences and not
publish information of value to the
enemy.
Censorship Greatly Modified.
The bill was passed by the house
Friday with a modified censorship
provision, after administration lead
ers had lost an insistent fight for
retention of the original section aim
ed at the publication of news of
value to the enemy. The fiscal vote
was 260 to 105.
Consideration of similar measure
continued in the senate during the
day, and there, too, the administra- !
ton suffered a defeat. An export |
embargo amendment, about which |
the fight in the senate has conferred, |
was modified so as to substitute for |
the general authority proposed in !
provision to empower the president |
to restrict exports in specific cases
when American goods are reaching |
the enemy.
In the house the entire administra- |
ton censorship section was rejected |
by vote of 220 to 1877, despite pleas |
of Representative Webb, chairman of !
the judiciary committee, that Presi- |
dent Wilson had sent him word that |
the authority sought was absolute
ly necessary" Later a new section, |
drawn by Representative Gard, of !
Ohio, was adopted, 100 to 1856. 1t |
would permit the president to prohi-
bit publication of news regarding the
national defense, but would provide |
specifically for a jury trial for often
ders and make conviction dependent !
upon proof that matter published |
was of character useful to an en-
envy.
SENATOR SMITHS AMENDMENT |