The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-09-22
SoAPBox oRAT0RY IS BETTER
THAN DENIAL OF FREE SPEECH
(From New York American.)

(From New York American.)
Judge Mcintyre of the New York
court of general sessions suggested
to the grand jury on day last week
that it indict some of the speakers
addressing street crowds in Manhat-
tan. The magi/erate told the grand
jury that he himself had heard speak
ers allude CONTEMPORARY to the
president and congress-; had heard
them "abuse successful business
men," and 'characterize corporations
carrying On a. legitimate business as
malefactors."
Such utterances, according to Judge
Mcintyre, make the speakers liable
to indictment and punishment by i'm
prisonment.
Now, we hold no brief for street
orators. They are usually men with
one-track minds, and apt to be in
temperate in speech and not very
convincing in argument. Many times
their utterances are rank nonsense
and offensive to patriotism.
But we affirm that all the unpa
triotic and nonsensical utterances of
the soapbox orators who ever spoke
Ill 4No" l. YIN SII0SIS "OuAu 11Ol NC OI1C~
tenth so mischievous as the adoption
by American courts of justice of this
undemocratic and unconstitutional
doctrine expounded to grand jury
by Judge Mcintyre.
One may dispute the propriety of
speaking contemptuously Of the presi-
dent and of congress. but whenever
the right of any American to speak
as he pleases about the president or
the congress or any public servant is
denied. or made punishable Of
Tense, that moment the Constitution
becomes scrap Of paper, the nation
ceases to be a democracy and no
mans liberties are safe.
We are amazed to hear the Ian
guage of some of the Judges today.
In better and manlier days Of the re-
public they would have been
promptly removed from the bench
for daring to proclaim in American
ears the abominable doctrine Of lese
| majestic, the still more abominable
| doctrine that free speech is a crime
when the speakers utterances do not
please public officials. We call Judge
| McIntyre's attention to the undeni-
| dUl0 4dNL lIdl Ouly q 10" oAAOA AAOAIAAo
| ago the president and the congress
were daily denounced, ridiculed and
reviled, not by street speakers, but
by editors Of powerful newspapers,
ex-presidents Of the United States,
rich bankers, senators and repre-
sentatives in congress and members
of the judiciary.
There never was more bitter and
scurrilous abuse heaped upon any
heads than that which the war pro-
meters heaped upon President Will
son as long as he kept the nation out
! Of the war in Europe; and never was
the majority In congress more foully
abused than by these very men who
| now clamor for the imprisonment OF
anybody who dares I'd criticize the
policies of the government, or to have
an opinion at variance with official
opinion.
We have indeed fallen upon evil
times if American judges are to up
hold the servile doctrine of lese
maiestet the abominable doctrine thai
the expression of opinion can be a
crime, the despotic doctrine that pri'
Ivate opinion must keep silence In the
presence of official opinion.
A Judge who deliberately holds thai
a citizen has committed crime if he
has spoken contemptuously Of the
president or the congress or has con-
demned the conduct of rich men, OF
has stigmatized corporations as male
factors-such a Judge neither know:
the law nor administers the law prop
erly. and he is, besides, untrue to hi:
oath to maintain the constitution ant
his solemn obligation to uphold and
defend the liberties Of the land.
We have become disguised with thu
frequency with which we read Of me1
being committed to Join on the charg,
! that they have spoken disrespect
fully" of the president or the govern
ment. 1, y $S4a4S a5f INK 2{ .I...f :.
E There is no such offense> known; to
! laws. There can be no such offenst
known to our law Gle the consti