The sun., 1919-06-22
Now to Punish tho Crime Against
the Government.

the Government.
In his address at Cornell University
on Friday Governor SMITH said OF
the Bolshevlst element in America
that they had "the choice between ed.
ucation and the nightstick" II they
would not learn the way Of America
they must be suppressed. The ultra
radicals Of the type that shouted for
revolution in Madison Square Gar
den on Friday night will not be edu-
cate3 to Americanisn. They have
had that opportunity; everybody here
has It Most Of them do not and viii
not speak. read or think in the lall-
guage Of this country. They move In
a little world Of their own, imagine
that that world Is America, and de-
eide to transform 1t into the chaotic
mess which their friends abroad made
Of Russia under the leadership of
TRorzKY and Lry1NS the German
hirelings.
AS for the nightstick cure suggested
by the Governor, we assume that he
used the locust rod as the symbol Of
the law rgidly administered. We
assume also, from the presence Of the
agents of the Department OF Justice
at the Garden meeting, that the law
win take its course and that the per-
sons who advocated tho overthrow of
the Government Of the United States
viii be brought to trial and punished.
1t does not matter that their attempts
are futile. even ridiculous. This Is
not Russia. When a majority Of the
American people want a change Of
government, no matter how radical,
even revolutionary, they can have 1t
by going to the polls and voting for Il.
So long as the franchise exists any
advocacy Of government overthrow by
force is a crime and should be- treated
accordingly.
1t happens that most Of the offences
Of melting the radicals to revolution
are not openly committed by the igno-
rant members Of the local Bolshevist
movement but by men and women Of
fnir education. Some are perverted
Americans with pacihst or a pro-
German slant. some exiles who found
1t safer 30 talk revolution here than
to fight for It in the particular regions
OF Europe whence they came. They
all boldly advocate "the downfall of
the. bourgeoisie state" and "dlcta-
torship of the proletariat." The ash
nfnity OF the appeal does not compen-
safe for the malevolence Of Il. The
fellows Of tho Eastman type know
quite we'll that the workingmen to
whom they refer as the proletariat
are getting the highest wages IN his
tory ana that the bourgeoiae-who
must be the salarfed Anlericans-are
having the hardest tussle Of MI with
the cost OF living. It would be less
comic to call for an uprising on the
part Of the bourgeoisie; but the sal
airy earners would only grin. and the
Eastman group does not like to be
laughed at. Therefore they use for
their own exaltahon the ignorance
and prejudice Of the creatures who
have no idea Of American life.
1t should be possible. upon convic-
ton, to deport most of the agitators
who are not American citizens. Put
ting them out and keeping them out
Is the best treatment. Nor Is it a
cruel punishment. Birds Of a feather
should flock together. and If the con-
fusion Of Russia is ideal-and the
Garden meeting evidently considered
1t so-let ship take these persons
away to the ideal life. A dirty man
cannot be happy among a hundred
clean ones. II he loves his condition
send him where there are plenty Of
other dirty men.
The persons who are foolish enough
to contend that tho constitutional
right Of free speech permits even ex-
hortation TO subvert the Government
must admit that free speech was
permitted to the limit at the Garden
on Friday night. Next in order. how
ever. comes the right OF the people to
hold an incendlary speaker to the
Let the Government
coldly and firmly proceed to punish
those who melted others to the crime
of attempting to overthrow the Gov
eminent by force