New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-08

I continued Mr.. Williams, because thu
Senator has acted the part here OF {
self-alleg,d martyr, the part Of a mar
who has been denied free speech. No
body has denied the Senator free
speech. The fact that the Senator
spoke was sufficient to prove that that
was not true. The Senator from Ore
gon did not deny him free speech. lie
merely answered foolish speech. He
answered il with generosity and a
manliness and patriotism and an
outspokenness and generous warmth
that made every heart in this chamber
almost, beat responsive to what he
said. was never before as proud OF
the fact that the Senator from Oregon
was born and raised in the State OF
Mississippi.
Praise for Nelson
"Then the Senator little bit later
on proceeds to call the utteranccs OF
the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Mel
SOM gray haired old veteran, spread
eagle foolishness. This epitome Of
manhood and valorl To whom was he
using that language? A man who bore
the musket four years during the Civil
War and never got higher than cor
poral, and that at the very close OF it.
"Why, God bless him, the old Viking!
Minnesota has honored herself, Repub-
lcan as he is, every time she sent him
here! He is man, every inch of him!
He was when he was young and he is
now when he is old. He has been a
Nestor in his wisdom and an Achilles
in his courage, and it remained for the
junior Senator from Georgia TO speak
Of his 'spresd-eagle foolshncss.' Not
the spread eagle with a musket on his
shoulder for four years. That is the
sort OF spread eaglcism which we want
now. He did not go around and talk
about the Constitution when there was
no constitutional point involved. He
took his muskct and fought on the side
that he thought was right
~ do not doubt in the slightest de-
gree the word Of the Senator from
Georgia when he says that he has not
encouraged mean advised any re-
Sistance TO the draft law upon the stat
ute books. | do not doubt the Junior
Senator from Georgia is good enough
lawyer 20 have avoided that trap; but
when man who is a Senator in the
United States and has 4 reputation Of
being lawyer says that the draft law
is unconstitutional, poor, ignorant peo-
pie down in Georgia and elsewhere
draw their own differences.
Influences Ignorant People
They have been taught that an I'M
cons itutIonal law is no law and it is
the duty Of citizen 10 resist it. They
draw the inference that if il is un-
constitutional they have a right to re-
sist IT, Very many of them know no bet
ter. They cannot take the position that
they will wait until the Supreme Court
agrees with them. or rather agrees
with the Senator from Georgia. OF
course. there is no man who ever wen
to law school for six months who
believes. that a selective draft law is
unconstitutional, but they do not know
that
"Thesc men, therefore. hold meetings
and begin TO advise resistance to the
law until finally some poor ignorant
devil will be thrown into Jail. and per-
haps some one. if nc holds the conyic-
tions he does which he got by wrong
Inference from the Senator's position,
r1av suffer death. Who Will be recon
siblc for it the poor fellow who knew
no better and thought he was acting
with patriotism and defending free
speech or those who without intention
OF it unguardedly put the spirit into his
bosom that led him 70 the act? go
speeches like that do virtually encour-
age the resistance % lawnO advise
il, but encourage it,