New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1920-03-10
Big CHANGE MADE
IN LEGION POLICIES
PROGRESSIVE INSURGENT FOR
CEs AT WORK AND SHAKE
UP. FOLLOWS.
OFFICIAL ORGAN HAS NEW Ell
IrOR. INNER CIRCLE TO
BE ELIMINATED.

which is; row published at Washington,
J d. c., as :; service mems organ, in its
issue Of February q, carries some news
| about the Legion that has not found it's
| way into the daily papers.
| II seems that progressive insurge,1t
| forces are at work in the Legion and
lately won a great victory, which caused
Va big shakeup in Legion internal affairs.
First, the national Legion has been forced
by some Of its more progressive state
branches to abandon the ambiguous posi-
ton in regard to soldiers bonus taken by
the national convention at Minneapolis.
The Legion, instead CT passing the
buck to congress and not making q
fight for bonus, as was originally de-
cided, is now actively fighting for q
| bonus bill. -<.;..
Il shall enter upon no aCc~ratc and
| detailed discussion Of the constitution
| al limits OF free speech. It may be
desirable that a citizen, who is also 4
judge, should not allow his Tind to
crystalize on some CT the finer shades
Of that question.
! But I do now want to voice pro-
. test against the prevailing propagan-
ia OF fear and hystaria which has led
TO most of the present agitation cell
corning limiting the freedom of speech,
hitherto, on practical grounds, exer-
cised without much regard to constitu-
tional or even proper legal limitations.
We and OR English brethren have been
accustomed and probably wisely, on
grounds of expcdiency allow a free
dom Of speech plainly exceeding the con-
Institutional limit Now, most Of the
fear out Of which perhaps dangerous
limitations Of this precious right are
being advocated is, in my opinion, al
most >Groundless: Many, perhaps most,
Iof the .agitators for the suppression Of
the so-called red menace, are, OBJ
serve, the same individuals, Or class Of
forces, that in the years 1917 and 1918
were frightening the community to death
about pro-Gerlnan plots. want to say
lsomething about the pro-Gorman plots
and their danger to America.
L ought to know something about
! these plots. 1t was my duty to know
as much as any man in New England
| could know As United States Attor-
lncy from November, 1914, to October
IS, 1917, I was charged with large
responsibility as to protecting the com
| rnUnity from prC-Gernan plots In
October, 1917: went OF the Interstate
Con, :ncrcc Con- mission; and was, until
the artnisticc, IN intimate personal as
ISOLATION with the attorney general,
and with the men charged with respon-
sibi|ity as to discovering, preventing and
furnishing nro-German plots. What ! now
say is entirely On my own responsible
ty; bit say it aftec exchanging views
with many others who had analogous re-
sponsibilities during this war Eericd.
| If in fact the pr0-Gernan plots were no
adequate basis for public fear, and fer
, legislative and official activities against
+! the right Of individual and social liberty
| it is quite possible that the red menace
promoted in large part by the sane no
| toricty-seeking individuals and news
papers, ought not to frighten Us to death.
Now, assert as my best judgment,
Z &
grounded on the information that /
can get, that more than 50 per cent of
the advertised and reported pro-Ger-
man plots never existed | think it is
time that publicity was given to this
view. | doubt the red menace having
more basis in fact than the pro- German
peril. | assert the significant fact that
many Of the same persons and newspapers
that for two years were taking pro-
German plots are now pron,oting the
red terror.
let Us stop being scared at our own
shadow 1t is time for calnness, for
critical and dispassionate search for
truth, for facts. We are over-fed with |
alarming rumors and wild ilnaginings. |
One aspirant for high office issues a |
pamphlet, wildly inquiring whether
America is worth saving 1t is, and it |
is fairly safe; even if he is not elected
to the Office to which he aspires There !
will be no sun-strollcs i'll Massachusetts, |
this month. There will be no red
revolution this year
II cannot say there will not be some
bomb-thrower. A fraction Of one per
cent Of the pro-German plots actually |
existed. There are reds-probably there
are dangerous reds. But they are not
half as dangerous as the prating pseudo
patriots who, under the guise of Ameri-
canism, are preaching murder. shooting
at sunrise, and to whom our church,
parlors and other public forums have
hitherto been open.
president Hadley advocated some
years ago social ostracism as the punish
ment for anti-social money getting, !