The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-31
I wonder what our 1ood friends

about freedom of speech, would Chtnk
and say If In these days Of unrest the
congress Of the United States and the
president should make such a pro-
nouncement. America, radical and
conservative, would rise In protest
against any such law. We live, grow
and progress as a people because Of
our freedom Of thought. speech and
action. OF course, we silence the man
who criminally advocates lswlessness,
and we do IL fer the same reason that
we arrest the man who splits on the
sidewalk. 1t is to conserve the public
majority who do not believe In viO-
lence and disorder. What would hap
pen to our Red" agitators If they
were In Russia today instead Of In the
United States, and ventured a single
disagreement with the bolshevik pro
gram. either In policy ~ methodist
This constitutional provision Is not q
mufner on free speech, II Is a gag.
What freedom can there be In a
country in which opinion ia shackled?
How can a nation make progress ex-
cept by the conflict and friction of
opinon2 In the United States, expe-
rience has taught US that the majority
ts generally right. that the many can
be trusted. We have put into prac-
tice the idea that many heads are bet
ter than one. The bolshevik constitu-
ton launches the policy that wisdom
can only come from a few minds-the
$hn Ru
they adopted to socialize freedom of
thought, freedom of speech 1t means
a communism of ideas, but a very linn
tied communism. In fact limited to
the "Holy Seventeen" and the oracle
dictator. The people are outside the
circumference Of this communism. In
their zone communism commands
obedience and silence. The human
race has fought many q fine fight to
take the letters from the minds Of
men, and NO fight was ever made for a
more essential liberty. When the
mind Of man is not free, what freedom
can there be? The falling OF the body,
serious AZ 1t is, is only small In
reference with mans liberty COM
pared with the imprisonment Of his
mind.
This constitutional clamp muzzles
the press. Notwithstanding all the
criticism which may be justly made
against the press, the fact remains
that the newspapers Of the world have
been great force for good, q great
power In securing freedom. We see
the world through the eyes Of the
newspapers; It 10 our source OF infor-
nation; We depend upon 1t for the
facts upon which we base our opin-
ions. Notwithstanding the bitter par
tisan character Of the press, few pa
pers know party lines or party preju-
dice when the public interest is men
aced. The press has thrown the
seaTehlight Of terrible publicity on the
ratAoles and driven out the political
rats. The freedom Of the press is In
disDsnsable to free government.
Lenine's Change Of Heart.
Lenlne, before he came into power
was the loudest voice In Russia, cry
ing fer free speech. His pen had
been most bitter against interference
with the freedom of the press. In his
pamphlet, Lessons Of Revolution" he
wrote:
'The printing establishments Of the
labor press are raided. The bolsheviks
are arrested, not infrequently without
accusation, or on the pretext OF
charges which are simply calumnious.
'Tt may be argued that the prosecu-
ton Of the bolsheviks Is by no means
q violation Of free speech, since only
certain persons on specific charges
are thus prosecuted. But such argu-
msnts bear the earmarks Of premedi-
tated untruth. For why should printing
Offices be raided, newspapers sup
pressed, for the crimes Of individuals,
even Ii these crimes are proven and
sustained by law? It would be alto
gether different If the government de-
clared criminal the entire bolshevik
party, its ideas and views. But every
| one knows that the government OF
free Russia never could, and indeed
never attempted to do anything Of the
kind"
Lenine coming into power, wrote
into the constitution a new crime. He
declared all opposition to the bolshe-
vik program a crime. On this high
moral ground he struck down freedom
OF thought, freedom OF speech, free
dom Of opinion and freedom Of the
press.
I'm the language Of a great radical,
the time will come when the silence
| of the people of Russia will be more
powerful than the voices throttled by
the bolshevik gag today.
(Cepyright 1890 Western Newspaper UniOn)
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