The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-05-18
Is GOVERNMENT so PATERNALETlC AND
MQUISITORIAL THAT FREEDOM is A M0CKERY?
By w. F. WILEY. Editor Cincinnati Enquirer


ss@ts and organizations, powerfully
nARaced and sktilfully ofncsred, whose
mission In life 10 to legislste people In
TO morality and goodness! II matters
not. my frisuds, whence emsnates this
insidious movement. II IL enough 10
know that 1t really exists, that it IN
NOT ehimera or myth. Such let
tor Is an Insult to the Intelligence and
the integrity OF every publisher in
America. and there Is no redress for
the studied xfront.
Quoting fgom one who has made .
ssns study OF this insidious advance up
ca the freedom Of the press, let these
statements have place la your minds:
The nkht for censorship VI thu columns
81 the newspapers Will not stop With at
eseks ON liquor Advertisements, or. indeed.
Win attempts TO control adyer Ciss menLs.
Several states now prohibit the manu-
fAeture or sale OF cigarettes, and it 10
insVitahis that legislation against nsws-
papers carrying cigarette Advertisements
In such states win be urged.
After the advertising department Of
every Newspaper and magazine hss been
subjected ~ censorship. now can she nsns
eeinmns remain fee? What Of horse
racing reports; stock market quotstions;
Sunday baseball infornstton--ihdses, way
not suppression Of sunday papers. aud VI
Monday papers printed In whole or In
part on the sabbath!
But what Of editorial liberty? II II be
dseTsed that the use OF liquor ana "
cigarettes is hlrtful alike TO the individ ual
and to society. is 1t not an act Of hostil-
ity 10 the state and TO the church for
an editor to praise an old wine OF u
refer indulgenGy To the ''mskiA=" "
cigarette W to oppose Ia any way the
cause of prohibition?
How long will 1t be, wonder. before
American people are Jared into resli4~-
ton that soon they must look for dicts-
| ton IS TO what they may eat or drink.
as to what lines OF business they may
engage in. and az 10 how a newspaper
may be edited and what forms Of ad-
Vsrtisins 1t may carry into the diffsrsat
| Htstss?
| And. gentlemen OF the Associated
Ohio Dailies, we are to blame. We
have created the F'ranksnsteins that
are now turning 10 rend us limb from
limb. Drunk with power. riding .
wave of fanaticism In sea OF pAter-
nalism, the creatures OF our own MAX
Ing seek our destruction. The Vaunted
power OK the press IL nc more. The
locks OF sampson have been shorn BY
ths Deiilahs, miscalled statesmen, and
the press groYels before otncialdOn
grateful for look, y kind word or q
less imp0rtunate kick than usual.
lnteierancs Of otsicIsidom.
Two years ago, before this body.
painted picture OF the growth o.
governmental officiousnsas which was
more prophetic than | knew. Your
attention WAS directed at Nlat time "a
the Increasing insolence and intolsr,
ancs OF officiSldona and the prediction
was made that, unless checked and re
pressed with q stern hand, 1t would
rise up to strike down its creators. II
is In no spirit OF arrogance or beast
fulness that these facts are recalled.
but in spirit OF sorrow and humilig-
tion. Our sins Of omission and c0n.
mission are enAulfi US. Instead OF
rising like valiant nshting men. true
10 conscience. to hoaor. to the spirit VI
freedom and progress OF civilization,
to strike down our shackles, We sit
like hoary d0tardS wrapped in the
saekcloth and ashes OF lament and re-
pine How long. o Lord! How long
shall this endured
Where are the forward looking mes
OF today? Certsinly not la the halls Of
legislation. State Legislatures fren,
the Atlantic to the Pacific are feeble
counterfeits merely OF = doddsrinE
congress Here in Ohio why can we
not have constructive legislation on
the subject Of taxation. The answer
is painfully simple: because No lack
constructive statesmen in the general
assembly. leo great q percentage oi
the membership can not lift its ears
from the ground to take = good
square, honest lock upon the neess
stiles Of sections and taxing divisions
remote from the bailiwieks TO which
they look for continued lease on of
cial life.
Dartmouth professor is sponsor
for story that sptly portrsys the sit
uation in which we and ourselves.
householder was dismaysd one night
by the sudden extinEuiahmsHt Of the else-
rric lights in his house. In little whi!s
IL became apparent that thu darkness
would probably continue Through the nigh
unless tie break could be located and cor
rectsd. Unable at that hour TO sscurs
the services OF an expert electrician ths
householder hit upon the happy scheme 81
detaenins the batteries from his doOrbell,
and connecting them with his electric
feed wires. But No light resulted. Next
day the experts cams to remedy the
trouble. and seeing the haPless eNpedisni
OF the owner remarked:
Don't you know that II takes sou times
more power to produce light than 1t taxes
to produce noise?'
There is the whole situation in q
nutshell We are troubled with low
voltage statesmen, the tiny dry cells
Of whose brains are Just powerful
enough to make unceasing racket
while great dynamic minds that misht
food the world with legislative light
and wisdom are disconnected from the
machinery of government
Two years later 1t this annual gath
eriiAx, | yentured TO scold and to sd
wise Again / crave your indulgence
70 eSpostulste, TO plead with you Il