New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-05
Rights Under Democracy
Minority Has No Basic Privilege Save
to Become Majority

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In reply to Mr. Wtter Bynner, who
has returned from a distance:
% Mr.. Bynner has evidently been so far
away that he has forgotten the Lusitania
case, the Arabic case. the sinking OF the
Sussex and fifteen or twenty other acts and
deeds of the German Empire which we sought
to adjust by other means than war-unsuc-
cessfully, until the conviction forced
upon us that since Germany rejected all other
means we must accept war. When the only
answer to peaceable argument is a smash
on the nose you must eventually decide that
YOUR antagonist understands no other means
of adjusting disputes-and you must accept
this means Of argument or surrender your
rights.
90 There is not any fright kind of peace"
with a man-esting tiger except the Staying
or complete confinement of that tiger. Has
Germany kept to an agreement or a treaty
since the war began? Didn't she break a
treaty when she marched through Belgium?
She laughs at any pact which interferes with
her purposes any agreement she makes
for peace is utterly without value until she
is made powerless TO break it. The best
way to make her powerless TO break it is
to prosecute the war efficiently, and those
who talk and preach any other kind of peace
are thereby hating and interfering with tne
Job on hand.
CD There is no proof of any secret
diplomacy" between US and the Entente Al
lies except the natural secrets of military
movements and arrangements whose pos
session would be of infinite benefit TO the
Germans.
(4) Free speech" is not the right to say
anything you choose, sedtious or otherwise.
The law won't let you preach obscenity in
the marketplace, because it interferes with
the right Of others not to be offended by
grossness Similarly the law places limits
on expression which would lead to treason
and sedition. In time OF war these limits
are quite naturally narrower than in time
of peace Washington gagged free speech"
so did Lincoln, when it seemed dangerous 10
the safety of the land. If there are stupid
and idiotic mistakes made in the enforce
ment Of restrictions on "free specials
there always have been and will be-these do
rot prove either that we are Russianized Cin
the old sense) or that every man should
have the right TO say anything and every
thing he pleases.
90 Mr.. Bynner has evidently been away
so long that he is unfamiliar with our scheme
of government. He has evidently lost recol.
lection of the fact that this irresponsible
government" of ours is one We put in power
ourselves and one which, for all its enormous
power, cannot long go contrary TO the basic
public opinion.
The great trouble with Mr.. Bynner and
lot of other able and lkable people is that
they don't really know what democracy is.
Democracy isn't unlimited free speech or
unlimited right to do anything you please
it is an arrangement OF society by which
the majority of the people can formulate the
policy and conduct of the people. And the
minority hasn't any fundamental rights ex-
cept to make itself into majority. All the
liberties and privileges of which Mr.. Bynner
speaks happen to inhere to most democracies,
but if the majority chose TO abolish them
the act would not be incompatible with
democracy. If the vast majority OF people
in this country didn't generally approve
of the nations conduct in this war il
wouldn't have sent 100000 volunteers to war,
nor stood for the selectve draft calmly
as il did. BERTON BRALEY.
New York, Sept. 3, 1917.