The Washington times., 1918-05-04

appeared before Gladstone had
turned from a mild Tory into a
milder Liberal. Perhaps Brougham
and Macaulay might have brought
over into the nineteenth century the
sublime fighting tradition of the
British Wings of the eighteen and
seventeenth. But they ended as
mere lords, supermen Of the kind
Though not of the quality you
may find now in Illinois, controlling
politically through the "unifcation
and coordination" Of banks and
stockyards. In Illinois politics,
with the miasm from the East St.
Louis and Chicago stockyards hang
ing over the State, no British Wing
Of the Great Age which made human
liberty a hope, could breathe with
out choking-as the last of them
choked in the British islands,
breathing the miasm of nineteenth
century commercial Imperialism.
Nevertheless. for a few minutes in
the United States Senate yesterday
Senator Lawrence Y. Sherman Of
Illinois was a British Whig-speak-
ing as If he were definding Bunyan
against Bedford Jail, the bishops
against teh Tower, or De Foe
against the pillory.
"They shall hear me-" he said
when he was being treated with
obtrusive inattention by representa-
tives of the Tory recrudescence.
And he was not mistaken. Such
protests shall be heard as long as
the hope of liberty lasts. He was
in reach of great eioquence-which
is possible only in crisis-in times
Of the worlds greatest misfortune.
We have these misfortunes now.
There have as yet called forth in
the American Congress and in Eu-
ropean parliaments nothing that is
not shamed by its piffling made
quacy for the depth of the unspesk-
able tragedy, overwhelming voice
less multitudes Of unrepresented
human beings. For these, a Brit
ish Wing Of the Great Age would
have dared speak out his soul and
mind at the risk Of the block. And
for few minuteS, rising above the
piffling and utterly pusillanimous
politics with which he opened and
into which he relapsed, Senator
Sherman spoke as if he were one of
Of the eighteenth century immor-
tails.
With Senator Overman as the Ad-
ministration manager, the Senate had
before it the conference report on
the allen and seditiou act, from
which the Conference Committee had
stricken out the France amendment.
This amendment would make the
truth told with good motives and for
justifiable ends a sufficient safe
guard against the arbitrary power
the bill proposes for the control Of
American citizens, as well as of
"alien enemies"
In speaking against the omission
OF this amendment, Senator Sher-
man reviewed the theory Of ''lese
majesty" now prevailing in Prussia,
as 1t passed over from the Stuarts
into later British history until finally,
as a result Of the long struggle and
sacrifices Of the great champions OF
human liberty called "Whigs" "a
name discredited in Nineteenth CEN
tury America) the truth at last was
admitted as a defense against pun
ishment for criticising officials and
other magnates, great by birth or
position. Senator Norris also
opposed the report with ability, but
on a point OF less vital Importance.
The debate ended for the day with
an agreement that the report will be
voted on finally, not later than 4
o'clock this afternoon.
The House spent nearly the whole
dav on a conference report in which