The Elk Mountain pilot., 1920-05-06
CONSERVATIVE ORNAN
DEGREES SUPPRESSION
Chicago Tribune Suggests Sending
Statue of Liberty Back to France

OnlcdgO, lil--Onuer tne Lltie VI
"Send the Statue of Liberty Back to
France" the Tribune of this city,
long known as one of the most re-
dictionary of American newspapers,
published surprising editorial in
its issue of April 26.
This editorial, which may we'll
mark the beginning of the reaction
against high-handed violence to pop
ular rights, ran in part as follows:
"a veteran, writing in, wants to
know why Americans should contrib
ute to a fund for a statue to be sent
to France. IF we are to give the
French statue, send them back the
statue of Liberty. We haven't had
any use for it since July L.
do we any longer need the statue
of Liberty? We are not free in any
sense that an intelligent white peo-
pie interpret freedom. 1t is not only
beer and booze which as outlaws re-
veal the limitations of Individual de-
cisiori and choice. The greatest up
roar is about that because the great
est number of people there find that
they can not nave what they want
"a free people hold tenaciously to
their bill of rights. Americans are
accustoming themselves to bureau
cratic invasions of individual rights.
If Cossaclks executed the orders we'd
know the scheme was czaristic. II a
plain looking individual in tweed
suit, such an individual as Mr. Burle-
son, does it, we think that somehow
it must be all right.
"If Burleson suppresses a paper for
exercising the right the Constitution
plainly declared inalienable, we think
it is all right. In the first place
Burleson does not look like despot
and we did not like what the paper
was saying, anyway.
"a paper offends against what the
postoffice says is law. 1t may not
be the law. The voice of bureaucrat
is the voice of an autocrat. If the
issue of April 20 is barred from the
mails the courts will say two years
later that it ought not to have been.
You can then take that edition to the
postoffice and see how much the sub
scribers will give you for it.
"a citizen makes remark which
we do not like or Is suspected of hav-
ing made remark or being about to
make a remark The department of
justice raids his Office. carries off his
papers and violates his rights in
property. The courts later will say
that the department of justice had no
right to that mans business docu-
ments. He can get what satisfaction
he can out of that.
Socialists are expelled from legis-
lative bodies. We don't like Social
lists. Therefore they have no right
to form political party. A man
leads strike. We put him in jail
We don't like strikes We have no
law against them, but we do not like
them. Therefore we Jail man who
starts one, if we can find that he can
be reached by war law intended to
prevent interference with the pro-
duction and transport Of war neces-
stiles.
1--WE indict coal strikers in time
of actual peace because they are sup
posed to be injuring a nation at war.
We put railroad strikers in Jail be-
cause they are supposed, in actual
peace, to be hindering the movements
Of troops.
Probably it would be an expIicable
thing if we did return the statue of
Liberty, stipulating that France shall
not nut IT nm on the Rhine bank"