The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-05-05
SENATE PASSES
SPY BILL, 1926
Drastic Overman Amendments
Are Adopted After Two
Weeks Fight.
DENUNCIATION Is STRONG
johnson Says Such Measures
Make People Distrustful
and Lower Morale.
DENUNCIATION Is STRONG
Special pespaseA to TIE Sun.

WARRINGTON. May 4.-The Senate by
q vote Of A3 to IS adopted to-day the
conference report on tho Overman
amendments to the existing espionage
law. The bill now goes to the President
for his approval.
To-day's action concluded q fight COW
ering a period Of almost two weeks. 1t
revolved on the conference committees
omission from the bill of the France
amendment upholding the right Of Gov
ernment critics to speak the truth from
good motives and for Just!hable ends and
developed later into an assault upon the
King amendment granting the power OF
virtual censorship Of the domestic mails
to Postmaster-Gener Burleson. Under
the King amendment the Postmaster
General may merely upon suspicion that
an individual Is disloyal withhold all
mail addressed to him and return 1t to
the senders.
To-days action was a complete vic
tory for the supporters Of the Admins
tration. Under the terms Of the amend
ment to the espionage law penalty OF
twenty years imprisonment and fine
| of $4,000 Is hxed for the uttering or
| publishing Of seditious or disioyal
words Authority Is conveyed to the
! Postmaster-G General over the mailing OF
publications so supreme and unbreak-
able. 1t was asserted by the opponents
| Of the bill. that there Ia practically re-
posed In Mr.. Burleson an absolute dc
| tatorship over the press of the nation.
This suggestion Is measurably an ex-
aggeration. 1t Is urged by the bilTs
| more ardent opponents that such tire.
Can See No Danger in Bill.
| At the same time its supporters. and
| numbered among them were not few
Senators Of decidedly liberal tendencies
| in other matters, insist that II is only
/ in the complete exercise OF authority
based upon extreme prejudice and mar
rowness could the Postmaster-General
| 80 transmute the spirit OF the proposed
statute as to lay himself open to the
charge OF tyrannical abuse Of power.
II Is sufficient to say that with any
other conceivable incumbent In the
Postma aster-Generars ONCE than Mr..
Burleson, whose distrust Of newspapers
generally Is matter Of established
habit, the reasons advanced by the bills
opponents as so cogent for its defeat
could not have been held weighty at all.
The following Senators voted against
adoption Of the conference report to-
day: Borah (Idaho). Brandegee Conn
Calder IN. ". Curtis (kan.). Dilling'
ham (vt), France (Md). Gallinger (N
HI. Gronna N. Do. Hale (Me); Hard.
ing (Ohio). Hardwick (Ga.). johnson
(Cal), Kenyon DAD. Knox Pa)
Lodge (Mass.), McNary (Ore). New
, lind. }. Norris (Neb.). Page (Vt). Reed
(Mo.), Sherman tIll.). Smoot (Utah)
Sutherland wv. Val. Wadsworth On
W. Watson (Ind.) and Weeks (Mass)
All are Republicans except Reed and
Hardwick.
Critics. Votes Cause Surprise.
Senators Chamberlain (OreD ant
Hitchcock (Neb.). Democrats and lead
, ing critics Of the Administration. sur
. prised the Senate by voting for the re
} port. .,, a.,
floor to-day. He said It was unneces
, eAry and asserted that the difficulty II
, the treatment of spies. seditionists ant
. d.sloyaIists to-day lies not In an lnsuf
/, nciency of legislation, but the inefh
. cheney Of the Department OF Justice.
, In his argument opposing the France
Amendment, Senator Overman submitted
> a memorandum from the War Depart
ment asserting that thousands OF copie
, NJ \ sermon Of the Rev. John Hayne
, Holmes Of New York had been droppe'
! vithin the British lines by German nier
. IN an sndeavor to weaken the morale o
; the British troops and to incite them y
revolt. The object OF Senator Overma
, WA to show that American hteratui
~ being used In German propasand
work and shouid bs stopped In tn'
/