New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-14
The Fight for Free Speech

The Administration plans LOT mu%-
cling the press Of the country went wrong
again ON Saturday. when the Senate
struck The so-called censorship section out
Of the espionage bill. It had no proper
place in that bill. The vice Of the censor
shin provision in all its forms has been
that il has tried TO stigmatize as an act
of espionage the mere publication oil news
or the mere expression of opinion. Pub
fishing information in an American news
uaper as the best means of conveying that
information TO the military authorities IN
Berlin would argue hopeless stupidity on
the part Of a would-bc spy. Since there
has been for two years past rigid Al
lied censorship On letters. newspapers and
cable message going into Germany, and
since our government now controls the
wireless stations and all the other in
strumentalities of communication between
this country and Germany, 1t is hard to
imagine how the mere publication of news
or the mere expression Of opinion in Amer
lean newspapers could be turned to any
appreciable military advantage by the
German government
The real purpose Of the censorship
scheme has been to suppress news or com
ment which might be annoying TO Ad-
ministration officials. The original cen
sorship section sent to Congress by Attor-
ley General Gregory sought to subject to
Imprisonment without trial any one col
lecting, recording, publishing. commun-
eating or attempting TO elicit information
relating TO the public defence which might
be useful to the enemy, the sole judge Of
the usefulness TO the enemy Of such in
formation being the official who felt ag-
grieved at its publication or even by at
tempts to elicit it. This draft, if adopted,
would have completely abolished the free
dom Of the press, as guaranteed by the
Constitution. 1t would have made the
press a servile instrument Of the Admin
istration's will, with no other function
than that Of helping to conceal blunders
committed by those charged with the con
QUOT Of the war; Every editor and news
paper writer would have had to choose
between going to jail or becoming the
tool of Federal administrators whose re-
tention of Office depended on the sup
preston Of honest criticism and on skill
full press agent pufery.
Even in the first days of furry which
followed the declaration of war Congress
baked at the crudity Of the Attorney
Generals proposal It has now under
gone modification after modification. The
provision stricken out of the Senate bill
On Saturday materially limited the scope
Of the governments censorship. But it
still left it within the governments power
TO control and suppress criticism. No
censorship provision has yet been drawn
which does not 90 this. We doubt if any
can be drawn which will not erect die
tatorship over the press. 1t is therefore
Of the utmost Importance that no press
censorship Of any sort should be author
lied by Congress- II would be a mon
strous piece Of folly TO forego the correc
tive of free public discussion while the
war lasts simply because there may be
an infnitesimal leakage 10 Germany or
military information published in Ameri-
can newspapers.
The Senate must vote again on the muz-
zle proviso, and there is a chance that
even if the vote duplicates the victory for
common sense won on Saturday the con-
ference committee on the espionage bill
may yield TO Administration pressure and
frame new gag. Yet every division in
Congress has shown stronger sentiment
against putting an extinguisher on free
speech. Free speech was never more
needed than il is to-day. To sacrifice it
would merely be TO intrench incompetency
in Office in crisis in which the nation
cannot afford 70 condone or tolerate in
competency.