Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05
FAVORS STfFENING' !.
4 |SED|T|oIN| BILL
Senate Approves Conference
: Report Providing $4,000
! Fine and Jail Term.
SHARP DEBATE PROVOKED


ssditien bill. an amendment. Of the
espionage act, which woald puniah by
imprisonment for not more than TWEEN
ty-ysars or by fine of not more than
$4,000. or BOTH those who utter or
write seditious sentiments Or tncite
cpntailmept Of war produation or OPP
pose the liberty loans -, -
The vote was As to 20 in favor Of
the conference report and was reached
only after a day in which the measure
was denounced as tyrannical and
threatening the freedom OF speech ana
Of the press in the Emitted States;
port item were OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Colt, Fail, Jones of Washington. Lem
root, McCumber, Mclean. Nelson, Ppm
dexter. Sterling and ,, Warren ;,s.,. Tws
Hardwick of Georgia and Reed Of
Missouri.
Language That Provoked Debate.
The language Of the bill which
caused. great part: Of the debate
makes liable to punishment any per
son. who shall ,millfuily print. write or
publish any disloyal, profane, scurri-
Ious or abusive language about the
form of government. the Constitution.
the military or naval forces, the nag
OF Inc tRe q United states." etc: Senator'S
coritended that II this language was
adopted persons who criticised any OF
this oficers of the government, NO mat
ter how much the criticism might Do
deserved; would be liable to jail SEN
tences OF twenty years:
Another provision which incensed many
Of the senators is: that which would give
to the Postmaster General the power 70
son or concern which violates the pro-
visions of the sedition act They con.
tended; that the Postmaster General
would have the right under this TO
have opened and read all private malh7
and that by his decision alone q man
or q concern might be put. AndeE the
ban; newspapers might have their cir
culatioH held upJ 80
Senator Brandeges Beads a Letter.
During the debate on the conference
tosh occasion to read to the Senate
letter he had received signed Irving
washburn and written upon . lstter
head. Of the office OF an assistant at
sogH IN 9srk Win Mr. ths
burn asked Senator Rrandegee If he had
been correctly quoted in the newspapers
when he Was reported to have said. IN
Iegly to guestiop BY Senator Pasian
lum. the sculptor. was qualified to in
vestigats the aircraft program. the
President appointed. him to- do. SO and
therefore ] SUPPOSE he is not" Mr..
pose was not to- test Senator Brandegee
but tt" test the accuracy Of the paper
printing The statement.
'HThe little tw6.spot cannot test me'''
the kind of thing that is to prevail
let's dissolve the government and set
up asozardom." = So: =
~Ish't this just the beginning OF q
under .he bin we are about to pass"
suggested Senator sherman. - 20 4
~ evis ee5osaxs rcftso $50 lad
s:1 Takes Rap at mt. creel.. Il
-ok. yea" replied Senator sraadegee:
Of = firing squad in a few months I
raG sa Know Gesasss saa
deEeea stood sponsor for every word
heTsaid top the floor Of the Senate, and
II s s ssam Sy SotSs T.
know snapped Senator Brandegee. '1se
ha. voted 70 confirm 2 large number
THIS bill, the espionage act and the
''Homan spy" bill recently passed COM
pleted the cycle OF legislation urged by
the Department Of Justice as necessary
to- cl6the the government With power to
deal with sedftion and dfsieyalty and pre-
the departments inability to secure CON-
vicdohs OF persons making .disloyal ut
tef4nees. Senator Lodge Of Massachu-
sets called attention to- the fact that
he recently read In the press of a man
who enlisted and deserted from the u. 8.
Army twice In succession, and when final-
" arrested waS found to have plans OF
government buildings In his spossemicn.
Despite the. fact. senator Lodge said, the
o %s, ssd intesSs wa. SPY ne was only
That's what brings Iynchings." he
concluded.
Senator King Of Utah.. replied he was
tnquirirz into the case and IL the facts
warranted he intended introducing q
resolution asking for an Investigation.
The Utah senator defended the At
torneyS General In the enforcement Of
thsespioaase ,a*s and dSshss 1a Avs but but
done as well as they might have.
Pro-German Clipping, II Read.
Senator Sherman Of Illinois. Exhibited
q clipping: which he said was taken
from the st. Louis Post-Dispatch of
April IS. last in which was printed an
berg. president of the Missouri state
branch of the German American Al
1iance. in which he predicted Germany
would break through the allied lines.
would oyerrun Italy and would win the
war within six months.
That ought to have been excluded
from, the mails. the Illinois senator de-
clared. but Postmaster General Burle-
What is the politics OF that papsr7'
asked Senator Lodge 800
Independent with democratic pro-
elivities." was the reply.
That isn't the kind of sedition they
are. after" answered Senator Lodge.
Calls Article Damaging.
II am. sstonished. that paper would
permit an article OF that kind to ap.
pear" Senator Sherman declared, re-.
1erffng to the Post Dispatch, 81 can't
think OF = more damaging article than
Senator King said II ."any American
newspaper man published articles like
that he ought to be put in the peni-
Tertiary and punished under the pro-
He called attention to the fact that
there are many newspapers in the eoun-
try, and II would be diAicuit for the
Postmaster General to read all Of them.
= ~ q. b..
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