New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-25
Drafted Thought
Let Citizens Of Democracy Struggle
for Safety as Freemen

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: At time of pressing need for unity
this nation is divided. Step by step with
physical organization for war goes mental
and spiritual DISCRIMINATION that threatens
the indispensable solidarity of our citizen
ship.
Two camps are forming. In the one are
those who maintain that in days like these 1t
ia necessary that free speech should be wars
first casualty. War, they say, is in itself
denial of tolerance. 1t is in the nature OF
war TO demand Of those who wage it a sacrl-
flee not only of property and even life itself,
but also of those rights Of free thinking and
free expression that we have been taught TO
believe were inalienable among citizens OF
democracy Fight the devil with fre"-win
the war and then look to the rights Of man.
Among those who thus justify the means by
the end are, strangely enough, the very men
who control the destinies of the bulk Of our
press. AS consequence, their doctrines
have become orthodox through circulation.
In the other camp are those who stubbornly
maintain that freedom of thought. speech and
press is essential at all times They condemn
draft of unwilling thought, holding that
tolerance alone can unite the spiritual forces
of the nation. For positive substantiation
they turn to the most glorious pages in the
history of the spirit Of man.
Their witnesses are summoned not alone
from the ranks of those whom hating world
called "freethinkers"; not alone from the
dying Voltaire exclaiming, "The ambition Of
domineerng over the world Is one Of the
strongest passions" or from the despised
Spinoza or Hume, "the bold dscoverer Of pop
ular error; not alone from Charles Blount
defying his king. or Matthew Tindall or
Hobbies or Condorcet or our own Thomas
Paine, not alone from the ranks Of these
sturdy fighters for freedom are the testi-
monies Of the past arrayed They come also
IN heartsning profusion from those to whom
all civilization Acknowledges its gratitude.
Modern Liberalism
Milton laundering against the suppression
Of free press In the noble passages Of his
"Areopsgtica," John Calvin lashing out from
exile at the usurpation Of authority. the
flames Of the French Revolution leaping again
in Shelley's immortal "Prometheus," Locke's
courageous defence Of tolerance, Burns at his
Z
few Of the men that have guided the upward
course of our hard-won modern liberalism.
I Their high and protestant spirit is Ameri-
cas- proudest heritage. Come overseas. it ami
mated the leaders Of American dealism. 1t
was jefferson who said, wherever there Is
a free press the government cannot long be
unjust; Lowell who freely criticised the
conduct Of our government at war; Lincoln
who wrote, Let the people know the truth
and the people are safe; oliver Wendell
Holmes who declared 1.-THE truth Is no in
valid, and you need not mind how roughly you
handle her.; Wendell Phillips who exclaimed,
IF there Is anything that cannot stand dis
cussion let it crack; Woodrow Wilson who
said, "The only thing that ever set any man
free, the only thing that ever set any nation
free, is the truth"
Here then, is a cause that is blood Of our
Saxon, protestant, American blood. Never has
its justice been altered by circumstance nor
clouded by events. II is neither above nor
below the battle II Is Of the battle. II calls
across the ages to every liberal in America.
Despite the blood and tears Of the heroes
OF yesterday il must be defended again to-
day. II ever there was time for lovers Of
liberty TO close ranks against the attacks of
spiritual and temporal autocracies, that time
has come.
The present city election presents funda-
mentally this problem. Hylan can surely by
no stretch OF the imagination measure up to
the task that confronts an enlightened off,
cial, and neither can Bennett Mitchell has
declared himself in Full accord with what the
national Administration is doing, and must
be regarded, therefore, as its spokesman, as
the champion Of that whitening wave of re-
action which if unhindered will compel our
nation 20 do over again the work Of century
Hillquit is the only candidate for your suf-
frage who has the vision to interpret the
meaning of our progress and the will to fos-
ter and advance it. You owe it to the idealism
that you have ever stood for to support and
help elect him.
EUGENE SCHOEN.
New York. Oct %, 1917.