The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-02-01
Free Speech
Editorial Written by Stu
dent Journalism School.
BY Evelyn Mcleod.

Where shall we draw the line? Just
where. between freedom of speech and
"intemperate and seditious utterances"
shall we put our chalk line, and to what |
extent will we let IL make n difference
whose OK is gored" whether the "sedi- |
tious and incorporate" speaker by an
|. w. W. or n United States senator?
Federal Judge Rose Of Baltimore set
tied the first part Of that question
about as satisfactorily as possible in a
tall; which accompanied his direction
to the jury in the trial of two prison.
ers before him on charge of conspiring /
to cause young men to evade or vio-
late the conscripton law.
Every man has perfect right to !
any opinion he may see fit to form
about any law that is proposed or about
any law that Is on the statute books |
Any man may do anything in itself |
lawful to secure the repeal of any law |
that Is on the statute books"
lie said that anybody may attack any |
law even the law for selcctivc draft, |
"and he Is not answerable for the wis
dom Of his arguments"
But there IL one limit so long as
the law is the law, 1t Is the duty Of !
every man to obey it and he may not
under color Of pretense of arguing |
against the wisdom Of the law or OF ad- |
vocatlng its repeal do anything with |
intent to procure it's violation"
Say what you please about the law,
do not impede it's operation" is the way
The Nation sums it up.
Robert NJ. La Toilette and the l. w. |
w. organizer, Frank Little of Butte,
said what they pleased. That far we
had no objection to raise. However,
what IT pleased them to say did i'm
pede or at least attempted to impede,
the operation of the law. There is
where we object.
The FL Paso Times reports Little to
have said IF the mines are taken
under federal control we will make II
so damned hot for the government
| that 1t will not be able to send any
troops to France"
Governor (of Arizona), I don't give
damn what your country Is fighting
for: ! am fighting for the solidarity of
labor" and. referring to the American
| soldiers he branded them Uncle Sans
| scabs in uniform.
Current Opinion states that the fol-
lowing extracts taken from an address
of La Toilette before a convention of
the Non Partisan league held In st.
Paul on September 20 seems to be
unimpea ched:
| 1T benooves nation to consider well
before 1t enters war of that sort how
much 1t has got at stake. II all 1t has
got at stake is the loans Of Morgan
makes to foreign governments and the
profits that the munition makers will
earn in shipping their products to for
eign countries, then l think it ought to
be weighed, not in Il common hay
scale. but In an apothecary's scale ;.
For my own part was not in favor
of beginning the war; didn't mean to
say we had not suffered grievances.
We had at the hands Of Germany seri-
Gus grievances. we had cause for COM
planning; they had interfered with the
right of American citizens to travel up
on the high seas on ships loaded with
munitions for Great Britain. We had
right. technical right, to ship mu-
nitions, and the American citizens had
q technical right to ride on these ves-
sells. l. didn't believe we should
have gone into this war for that poor
privilege.
But somebody will tell you that
American rights are involved. What
American rights? The right of some
lventuresome person to ride on IA mu-
nition- laden vessel in violation of an
American statute that no vessel which
carries explosives shall carry passen-
gers. Four days before the Lusitania
sailed President Wilson was warned in
person by Secretary of State Bryan
that the Lusitania had six million
rounds of ammunition ON board. be-
sides explosives and that the. passen-
gers who proposed to sail on that vessel
were sailing N violation of a statute OF
this country that no passengers shall
travel on "A railroad train or sail upon
a vessel which csrries dangerous ex-
plosives. And Mr.. Bryan appealed to
: President Wilson to stop passengers
| from sailing upon the Lusitania."
In replying to his critics. La Toilette
uwelt at length upon the right OF free
discussion. which he considers even
more necessary In time Of war than in
, time of peace.
But as Senator Kellogg. of Minne-
sofa, said in reply, refusing to admit
that the issue of free speech is Mt stake,
This is a question of erroneous state
ment of facts rather than Of free
speech"
/, ana the Iact Oh thS case Is that IL
soap box orator We're to voice the same
views he would be promptly arrested
7 or hung as was Frank Little of Butte.
No such remedy will be administered
the senator--it would not fit the case.
perhaps. but it is doubtful whether
mere censure or disgrace will prove
| potent enough medicine to cure a dis
: ease which seems to have become
chronic-that of talking against his
lcountry.