The Washington herald., 1917-05-05
HOUSE PASSES spy BILL
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sires Of the administration In the Lower
Branch OF the Congress.
The Gard amendment provides m
fOlIOwsss
"DurinE any national emergency re-
sulting from n war I'm which the
United States II a party or from I'm
minence of such war the publication,
wtlfully and without proper authority,
OF any information relating to the ma
tional defense that In or may he use
full to the enemy II hereby prohibited
and the President Is hereby authorised
from time to time, by proclamation to
declare the character OF such Infor-
nation which is or may be useful to
the enemy, and in any prosecution
hereunder the jury trying the case
shall determine not only whether the
defendant OF defendants did wiIfuIIy
and without proper authority publish
the Information relating to the ma
tional defense as set out I'm the IndIct-
ment, hut also whether such informa-
ton was of such character as to be
useful to the enemy.
@ProvidedI That nothing in this
section shall be construed to limit any
discussion, comment OF criticism upon
any fact or any of the acts or policies
OF the government or fits representa-
lives or the pubIishIng of the same.
Whoever violates the foregoing. preyf-
sion shall, upon conviction thereof. be
$4,000 or by imprisonment for net
more than ten years or both"
Even this mild application of the
censorship was assailed as wholly ex-
Unconstitutional in the prerogatives
which II delegates to the President.
Also the leadeIs of the administration
fight were charged with having vio-
lated q gentlemen's agreement after
having arranged that the entire series
of anendatory motions should be con-
sidered and disposed of in advance OF
tative Graham. of Pennsylvania. to
strike the entire action from the bill
Not Satisfactory.
On the other hand, the mid Card
amendments censorship Is not satisfac-
tory to the executive leaders of the gov
eminent Upon his return to the White
House from his partially successful trip
to the Capitol. Postmaster General Burle-
son announced that every effort would
be made to insure the passage by the
Senate OF q more drastic censorship pro-
vision.
Among the amendments proposed to the
censorship provisions Of the original bill
yesterday was one from Representative
Kahn, Republican, OF California, which
found many friends on both sides Of the
chamber. It provides for the creation OF
a censorship board OF seven members, the
majority, four, to be active newspaper
men, and the remaining three to be a
representative Of the State Depa artment,
a naval captain, and a brigadier general
Of the army.
An episode in the course of the debate
over the Graham motion for elimination
brought the subject OF Postmaster Gen
eraT Burleson's presence At the House
into the discussion.
'I have Just received . message from
the President saying that he regards the
principle of section four as of manda-
tory importance to the successful con-
duct of the war" said Chairman Webb,
irnpressively.
"Who brought TT" demanded Rep
resentative Norton, of North Dakota
THE Postmaster General. who is always
shopping aroundT'
The interrosatory went unanswered.
Meyer London Quizzed.
In the course Of the debate on the fea.
ture Of the bill empowering the Post
office Department to exclude from the
mails literature Of an anarchical char.
acter or newspapers, periodicals., or other
periodicals., or other published matter
advocating the resort to violence against
constituted government or the industries
Of the nation, Representative Greene, OF
Vermont, engaged IN a colloQuy with
Representative Meyer London, OF New
York, the sole Socialist in Congress.
Greene read a circular sent out by one
OF the Red" associations. Paragraph
by paragraph he demanded of London
whether he advocated the principles
therein enunciated. London fenced grace
fully until the final paragraph of the
document, which advocated physical re-
sistance to the law for the advancement
Of the principles Of philosophical anar.
chy even to the extent of the destruc.
ton Of the era OF mo law"
NO. announced London, ct must say
that the statements go too far, ever
for my own radical beliefs"
II am glad there is a dennable limit,
announced Mr.. Green, well satisfied with
having disclosed the final boundaries OF
radicalism and finding that they did not
quite admit murder as a tenet of the
anarchistic faith.
Just before the final vote on the espion-
age bill was reached, Representative Ran
dali, of California, who classes himself
In the Congressional directory as PRO
hibitionist," offered an amendment in
suring complete nationwide prohibition
as a part OF the bill His amendment
was ruled out of order by Acting Speaker
Fitzgerald. and he appealed from the de-
cision OF the chair.
Randall demanded an AYE" and mo-
vote, and the House permitted itself to
go on record once more as opposing the
attaching OF prohibition riders to the ad-
ninistration's war bills. This time the
vote was 37 to "a
The bill. as passed, will be sent to
the Senate today. There the debate on
the measure is proceeding slowly, and at
present the sections of the Senate meas
ure dealing with the authorization of the