The sun., 1917-06-01
Singing Defeat Admins
tered to Plan of the Ad-
ministratiOn.
AIDED BY 81 DEMOCRATS
Decisive Action Taken in Face
Of Earnest Urgings From
White House,


Overwhelmingly against the inclusion of
any form of censorship provision in the
espionage bill. In the alignment against
the Administrations plan for restriction
of the publication by the American press
OF all war news save such as might be
designated as permissible of publication
by Presidential proclamation stood the
almost solid plialanx of the Republican
party in the House. Only eleven Repub-
licans voted against the motion to recon-
NIT the bill to the House and Senate
conferees. with instructions to strike
out all OF Title I, section 4. the censor
ship provision.
Thirty-seven Democrats voted to de-
feat the wishes Of the President and his
advisers. They did this in the face of
earnest urgings from the White House
and In defiance Of the pleadings OF Post
master-General Burleson. who for more
than fortnight has been making al
most daily pllgrimages to the Capitol
TO impress Democrats with the need for
standing by the President. The vote
stood 1Si to 1t4.
End to Fight seen.
The debate to-day occupied little
more than two hours. 1t was not marked
by anything unusual or striking in the
arguments set forth either by the sup
porters or the opponents of censorship.
The speeches OF Representatives Webb.
chairman OF the Judiciary Committee,
and Garrett. Tennessee. were practically
the only serious arguments offered in
favor Of the censorship provision. Rep
resentative Graham OF Pennsylvania de-
livered the principal attack. and he was
ably supported by Representatives Mci
Cormick of Illinois. Republican, and
Gordon and Gard Of Ohio, Democrats
To-day's action by the House is re-
garded as effectually terminating the
Administrators fight for the institu-
ton OF press censorship. The con-
ferees now have under consideration \
measure containing no provision for any
form OF press censorship. The Senate's
action has been taken. and In order to
bring censorship once more under con-
sideration a new bill devoted to it alone
must be introduced. The Administration
! is not expected again to venture the
chance of defeat on this issue
webb Opens Debate.
The debate was opened by Represen-
tative Webb, who said THE decent
newspapers have exercised self-im-
| posed censorship more drastic than that
which this measure seeks to apply The
powers sought by the President in this
| Instance should be granted to him, for
We are entering upon time when the
men who are going to fight the fight OF
! their country and of the preservation OF
world democracy in the fields and
trenches Of Europe need every protection
! from the indsorimination of their move
| ments which We as nation can extend
| to them.
"The censorship provisions as framed
have eliminated every phase Of censor
ship as applying to every sort OF military
news except the actual movements Of
! troops and ships and the disposition Of
our military and naval forces They are
, less drastic even than the so-called Gard
amendment which the House has once
accepted"
! Mr.. Webb urged Republicans who felt
that the censorship provisions of the
measure were not too drastic or too
stringent. and who believed in the gem
eral principle Of press restriction along
moderate and equitable lines to disre-
gard the action OF the Republican eau
Gus
Repre- resentatives Mckenzie Illinois .
Osborne. California. Campbell. Kansas /:
Focht. Pennsylvania. and Hersey. Maine.
all Republicans. followed Mr.. Webb with
a drumfire of one minute speeches
against the censorship section.
! Called Unsenerous.
! ITO enact such piece OF legislation
as this" asserted Mr. Osborne. .'is a con-
spicuously ungenerous return for the low :
atty which the whole American press ha q
displayed ever since the outbreak OF this
war;"
The burden OF all the speeches in on
position to censorship was the assertion
that earlier sections of the espionage
bill. coupled with existing statutes COW
ering the committing OF any treasonable
act, furnished ample provision for the
punishment of any newspaper owner or
editor guilty OF serious offence against
the safety of the American nation in
this war emergency.
Representative Gard of Ohio followed
The allotment Of time to this prominent
Democrat by the Republican leader, Mr..
Mann, caused a sensation In the House.
1t was Mr.. Gard who framed the House
amendment when the bill was passed
originally. But Mr.. Gard took the ground
! to-day that the phraseology OF the pro-
posed section prohibited the publica ton
I OF all war news except upon the specific
and express permission Of the President
through proclamation. and for that rea
son he opposed It.
Representative Mccormack. Illinois, in
defending the press from tho suspicious
which the suggested censorship alta ched
to It, urged that wholesome publicity
for matters OF the internal economy OF
| the army and navy was absolutely essen
! liai 10 the good of both services.
Chairman Webb concluded the debate
for the bill and then moved the previous
| question, which was the motion of Rep
resentative Mann to reoommit the bill to
the conferees with instructions TO strike
out the newspaper censorship section.
| The roll call disclosed 143 Republi-
cans. 81 Democrats. l Progressive Pro-
! tectionist, l Socialist, I Prohibitionist
and Progressive voting against the
censorship section. The vote TO stand
by the Administration consisted of 133
Democrats and II Republicans The
net majority against censorship was 40,
which by no means measured the avail
able opposition, for the entire Tammany
group in the House was prepared to vote
| against censorship II necessary. The
Tammany members refused to vote on
the first roll call, but on the recount,
when defeat Of censorship had been as
sured, lined up behind the Administra-
Iaa a.