The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1917-10-03

The Courier-J0urnal has always
been stickler for free speech. It
believes in calling spade spade.
1t would circumscribe no mans
thought, nor abridge his liberty OF
utterance. But the line between
freedom and license is nowhere
more clearly drawn than 1t is in the
matter of public discussion in time
of war, when. the issue made. duty
proclaims--"our country right o.
wrong"
Mr.. Elihu Root has spoken clearest
touching the situation in this regard
The Courier-JouInal, which because
Of its habit of talking out in meeting
and telling the truth as it sees it is
SO often charged with the inflam-
mable, has never spoken, and could
not speak, in palmer terms than this
trained statesman and calm jurist,
whose wont is to consult the books
and measure his words.
On his return from Russia a pub
lie dinner was given Mr.. Root by the
Union League Club. In his speech
on that occasion he laid it down as q
rule that "the men who are speaking
and writing and printing arguments
against the war now, and against ev-
erything that is being done to carry
on the war, are rendering more eff
fective service to Germany than they
could render in the field" and clinch-
ed it with these memorable knock
out sentences:
There are men walking the streets
of this city tonight who ought to be
taken out at sunrise and shot. They
are doing work for Germany under
false pretenses and are lying about
it. If we are competent for our lib
erty we will find them out and get
them. Every one of US can help by
telling to the authorities all we know
and hear
1t is only a matter of time when
we will get these spies and traitors.
We can't be fooled or played with
too long. There are some newspa-
pers printed in this city the editors
of which deserve conviction and exc
cution for treason. Sooner or later
they may get it.
There is nothing hysteric-inflam-
mable-about this simple, direct and
true indictment. 1t strikes out from
the shoulder, so to say. 1t has, as it
were "the bark on it." Mr.. Root at
least means it. How about the De-
partment Of Justice.
Too many newspaper editors and
university professors, not to mention
literary and legal quibblers, go still
at large. They are the real culprits
rather than the soap-box orators,
whom they keep in countenance and
supply with fuel. To be sure many
of them are mere notoriety seekers.
One of these whose publication has
been denied the postal service should
long ago have been indicted for trea-
SON. Two others who write thus far
without check, or rebuke, upon the
letterheads Of honored Collegiate in
situations richly deserve the gallows,
being but echoes of that Pan-Ger-
manic propaganda which prepared
the way and precipitated the war.
A slight application of well-consid-
cred hemp in season were to cast an
anchor to windward against time,
which is coming. when. the blood Of
the people aroused to white heat by
events across the seas and the re-
turns of the killed and wounded from
the matter of their citizenship, but
seise of justice. will be lost. leaving
mobs to wreak reprisal upon the I'M
offending and unprotected among the
German-Americans.
At the very outset the Courier
Journal warned the German-Ameri-
cans of this danger. 1t urged them
not to invoke it by eQuivocation, in
the matter ftheir citizenship. but
to stand firmly by their oaths of al
legiance. All it said has been veri-
fed. The issue of Autocracy versus
Democracy plan to its vision. it did
not doubt after the Kaiser began the
policy of frightfulness, that war be-
tween the United States and the