The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-04-17
Lawyer DRASTIC
DRASTIC Steps
In Quelling SeditiOn - Charles s.
Davidson Declares Public VIII
Rise to Suppress Spies and
Traitors.

MOTe NiSOTOuS dCllOH Ill lHc sup
preston of sedition in this country
das demanded yesterday by Charles
Stewart Dawson, speaking for the
American Defense Society, of which
he is trustee. Mr.. Dawson is a
prominent lawyer with officers at No.
60 Wall Street, lives at No. 81 West
Fifty-fourth Street and has been a
leader in the patriotic work of the
American Defense Society.
Mr.. Dawson sounded warning
that the public would rise and take
the authority into their own hands
in dealing with spies and traitors I'M
less the government gave the desired
relief.
There has been but slow progress
in the matter of interning alien enc
mics and alien sympathizers and Of
suppressing sedition", said DR.. Da-
vison. MANY feel that the progress
has been timidly SLOW The indirect
effects of reasonable practices result
in slowing up of preparedness in an
untold number of directions.
"In these matters we should take a
leaf from the Allies book and learn to
be efficient How long would they
suffer the Peoples Council to COM
tinue Its practices-all of which are
openly and deliberately aimed at di-
minishing the efficiency Of this coun-
try.
"There are two ways of aiding the
enemy. One is by diminishing the eff
fort made againsa him, the other by
encouraging him to greater resist
ance. When a meeting of pacifists
takes place in the United States the
German newspapers report it with re-
assurin & headlines, Peace Proja-
ganda Begins in America, Labor
Troubles in Michigan and Colorado
Are Assuming Serious Proportions
and Threaten the Production of War
Materials When these appeared as
headlines in the German press they
tended directly to injure the case Of
the United States by making the enc
my more resolute.
Last nights meeting in this city
CVarnegie Hail. where, in the pres
eRce al. an assemblage of two thous-
and persons, our ally Great Britain
was vigorously denounced and rcvoln-
ton in Ireland advocated, will be ex-
plotted throughout Germany. These
are but individual instances out of
thousands Of occurrences which are
permitted, and all of which makes
the result Of the struggle in which
the country is engaged the more
doubtful.
"The American people, more than
any other, are long suffering in rela-
ton to anything which can be called
freedom Of speech, and 1t is this trait
which is practiced upon. They have
been too leniently dealt with by the
government, and resentment by the
public is becoming apparent. Where
a government does not effectively sup
press treason nor put down sedition
the people will infallibly take the
matter into their own hands.
From various points during the
last two months word comes of mobs
having assembled and righted the
wrongs which neither the local nor
the federal authorities have dealt
with. Very soon wholly innocent per-
sons will be accused and subjected to
lynch law.
ut is impossible to say that John
Smith was killed in battle in France,
because of a speech made in New
York, but none the less the harvest of
sedition is reaDed on the battle field.
ut is now proposed to pass an
other act in Congress, and 1t may be
that another act of Congress is ne
cessary. The atmosphere may posi-
bly, be cleared by a statutory enact
ment making many doings, which are
not now specifically SO catalogued,
federal offenses. II the federal Of