River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1920-02-12

49, A~As 61AA<A0s tVA01OAtk DAN
problem and the attorney >u@srai IN
PRODUCED bill to fit the case. Rep
resentative James A. Frear of this
district indicates in his letter. which
We are publishing at this time that
shc Palmer bill was a dangerous bill,
rhat it provided for a death penalty.
In accordance with the views and
practice Of the most enlightened gov
ernments of this and all time the
death sentence is not too esvere for
the crime under consideration.
But the Palmer bill was defeated
and now the Davey bill is offered as a
mild substitute. 1t suggests no death
penalty. 1t is mild and temperate
and defines sedition. Any lawyer
should consider that at least a defini-
ton is quite Important. VIII our
Wisconsin delegation accept the Da-
vey bill, or will super-microscopic in
vestigation disclose something fatally
wrong about that also?
Mr.. Frear himself in his campaign
speeches of 1913 gave the explana-
ton of having received thousands Of
letters urging him to do nothing that
would get us into war with Ger
many. And the evidence was offer
ed by Mr.. Husting to prove that the
great overwhelming majority Oh sue.
letters were not written by represent
alive American citizens, bat by WI 7
ers directly inst;gated by the agents
of the German government.
The fact that congressman may
receive hundreds or even thousands OF
letters from his district urging GER
tain course may sometimes be decid-
edly misleading. Does not memory
serve us Alright? Wasn't it letters
from home that led a number of sena-
tors to vote for the Gore resolution,
much to the glee of the Kaiser and
Won Kissing and Won Hindenberg and
Won Bethman-Holweg ct al? And
didn't it afterwards prove true that
the German American Alliance had
written most of these letters? So,
these defiled senators weren't cater
ing to any honest sentiment IN their
bailiwicks after all.
r
AS for clergymen taking hand as
Mr.. Frear reminds us in his letter.
Well. there was a Congregational
minister no further away than down
in River Falls who preached soul-stif-
ring Pacifst sermons as this country
was blazing forth into war-not about
the rape of Belgium, but about the
impiety rather of going to the ASSIST
ance of Belgium. And finally tins
clergyman fell into disrepute. lie
not only lost his job at River Fails
but the head council of the church de-
o;ded that his views were unsafe and
barred him from holding a charge
anywhere in the state.
IF our representatives are fully ac-
o,,ainted with the "burn and XII ano
law songs and teachings of the |.
w. WIS of Inc west, the BolshevlkS Oh
ovarv industrial center, the machlna-
IONS of German spies and propagan-
ais+s in the east and in Wisconsin,
oil of whom advocate death for any
American official or ex service man
who stands in their way, why OF
course our representatives nave
right to be dissatisfied with the death
renaltv. They should be looking Tor
something stronger to deal out 70
these creatures who are seeking sun
- stab American soldier boys in the
hack are throwing monkey wrenches
into American industry and prosper
Nv and seek the wrecking of Amer
lean government.
x *
These are heroic days. Service men
,isked their lives for the country
Politicians should at least be Wiling
to risk political defeat for the gooo
ond safety of their country. And no
GOOD American should or will protest
AGAINST any penalty which may be
dooread for those who conspire 10
overthrow the government.
s.
The present situation is reminder
Of that in which the disgracefui vot-
mo for the McLemore and Gore reso-
lutions and other pro German meas
ures took place. The wisconsin oei
egation went wrong on those OCCASION