The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-12
Held to Violate Fundamental
Constitutional Right of Free.
dom of Press
AMENDMENT ADOPTED
CURTA!LlNG ITS SCOPE
Vote Will Be Taken in Senate
Today on Amendment to
Eliminate Objectionable Fea-
tuHe From Espionage Bill

| Washington. May 11.-Bitter at
lacks upon the censorship provisions
iof the espionage bill were made In
the senate today by Senators John
son, of California. and Borah, Of
! Idaho.
agreed to limit the discussion to ten
, minute speeches on the bill itself and
flve minutes discussion on amend
ments.
/ The senate will then proceed to
vote, item by item, upon the measure
1t will be passed within the legisla-
tive day of May L. Today's amend
ments drew the teeth OF the measure
most effectually.
The senate adopted an amend ent
offered by Senator Thomas. of Colo
RADIO. further curtailing the power of
the president Tomorrow the senate
Will vote on Senator Johnson's amend
ment. which completely eliminates
the censorship provisions.
The mischief which We seek TO
remedy here by amendment and
modification can only be reached by
the elimination OF the censorship sec
ton altogether" declared Senator
Johnson in opening his speech today.
! Il wish to say At the outset that
/ do not speak for the metropolitan
press Of the nation. / am not con-
cerned in the attitude of the news
papers They are sufficiently power
tfui, rich and influential to take ,.are
of themselves / have no doubt that
no matter how We may legtsiate here
ION this matter they will go forward
as they SEQ At and in full accord
with their traditions. II is for the
sacred American right, for the man
TO express himself as he sees Mt. that
II plead I am talking for the right
| OF free speech, the right that be-
longs TO every man in this land.
/ In this crisis the right Of free
speech and free press are OF greater
/ importance. than at any time in the
HISTORY >sfsz, sass 1a&sss, sss&Afesy
Congress Loses Its Initiative.
| 1T isa fact admitted that the
Legislative branch OF this government
has forgotten it's initiative and has
abrogated It's functions II this be
true. much. much more teneerly and
carefully should we guard the right
of a free press to print the truth.
! I'm follow the president and pledge
to him every resource of wealth as
well AS blood. but we should not fol-
low any one into autocracy, no mat
ter whence comes the request"
Is Reading from President wilson 8
:
New York editor. in which the presi-
cent pledged that he would not per-
! NIT the censorship to he applied to
his acts and policies, Senator Johnson
said that he considered the presidents
oppression both patriotic and I'M
selfish
But" he continued. 'hy this letter
he has written the death knell of this
very law BY this letter he wrote
that it should not be passed by con-
! cress'
4 Not Constitutional.
| Senator Borah attacked the censor
ship provision on constitutional lines
He expressed the opinion that the in
hibitions proposed in the measure
against the freedom OF the press were
in point of fact Numerically opposed
to the constitutional rights OF the in
dividual and of the people at large.
! 'Lamcntable and complete failure
has marked every other attempt to
enforce a censorship in the United
States" he said. ut was tried by a
law passed in the course of the war
OF 1872. and it was a failure then.
! Again in the course OF the American
Civil war censorship was attempted.
Again it was a failure colossal and
I egregious.
THE British and the French CEN
sorships have constituted the most
ridiculous and biendering exhibitions
provided in the whole course OF the
war.
Brilliant and agile as are the gen
tlemen who conduct the news gather
ing of the national capital he said.
| 1.-The information which does the
harm, the information regarding troop
and ship movements, will be in tho
hand of the enemy forty-eight hours
before they ever get chance TO print
it for the spies don't wait for the
newspapers to print the information
| they are here to gain"