Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1917-07-13
VAIN PROTEST.

While it is possible to stretch the
constitution of the United States in
order to cover q multitude OF sins,
1t will be quite useless TO invoke It
to protect traitors and alien enemies
in time of war. The constitution
does not guarantee life, liberty and
pursuit OF happiness to the man or
woman who violates the law by In
citing rebellion in speeches ON the
street corners or through the med
ium of the Socialistic press. The
people OF this country stand for a
great deal OF wild talk in time OF
peace and many rabid articles get
through the mails. But such things
are not to be tolerated in war time,
when soap box orators are sup
pressed and the use OF the mails for
hidden the radical socialistic papers.
These people are bent upon mischief
at all times, but when they preach
resistance to laws enacted by CON
gress while the country is engaged
in fighting for humanity, forbear-
ance ceases to be a virtue and the
offenders are not entitled to any
confederation whatsoever.
We note that one paper has been
suppressed and that there has been
some interference with the publica-
tion Of others, greatly to the annoy
ance of Clarence barrow and Sey-
mour Stedman OF Chicago and Nor
ris HillQuit OF New York, who pro-
pose to appeal to President Wilson
in case they fail to get satisfaction
out OF Postmaster General Burleson.
And then we have the threat of court
action. II there Is any clause In the
constitution or law upon the statute
books granting amnesty TO those who
indulge In reasonable utterances,
either by voice or pen, we should
like TO know where they are to be
found. Certainly such offenses are
not covered by declarations regard
ing free speech and free press. So
We very much doubt Il the commit
tee appointed by the executive com
mittee OF the Socialist party viii OBJ
tain the relief sought In any federal
court In the land.
On the other hand It is quite prob
able that many OF the men and WON
en- who are advocating armed re-
sistance to the draft will not only be
tried, but imprisoned. for their vio-
lation Of the law OF the United
States and in this action the courts
will have the backing of q vast ma
jority OF the people of the country.
AS the draft law 10 TO be put into
operation in the course of the next
few days IL II probable that the lid
will be clamped down on the mis-
chief makers all over the country,
whether they be radical Socialists
anarchists, I. w. w. agitators or pro.
Germans. The danger point has been
reached.
SO far as the suppression Of news
papers IN war time is concerned we
recall the fact that during the civil
war Abraham Lincoln stopped the
publication of both the Chicago
Times and the New York World, two
OF the most yenomous copperhead
papers in the north. II IL only fair
to say, however. that the late Joseph
Pulitzer, who made the World the
great newspaper It Is today, was
fighting In the ranks OF the union
army. There never was any ques-
tion regarding the right of Presi-
dent Lincoln TO take the most drastic
action, or II there were any objec-
tons 10 using the fun power OF his
office to preserve enc union the OBJ
tectors did not make any progress IN
the courts. If by any untoward
chance the enemies OF the govern
ment OF the United states are obi