The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-01-31
OWENS OPPOSED.
IN s =
TO PEACE Time
SED|T|0N BILL
Oklahoma Senator Declares
There Is Law Enough to Reach
Advocates Of Revolution.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 22.-At
a. forum dinner given here last night
by the National Popular Government
league, Of which he is president. Unit
ed States Senator Robert L. Owen of
Oklahoma, speaking on the subject:
'Shall the Graham peace-time sedi-
ton, bill be. railroaded through con-
gress," said in part:
II am against the Graham peace
time sedition bill because it goes be-
yond all reasonable inhibitions, vio
lates the spirit of the federal con-
stitution, and places in the office of
the postmaster general, and other fed
eral officers, powers which ought to
be trusted to no bureau clerk. Such
arbitrary power would assuredly be
abused and liberty of speech be under
an ever dangerous menace.
II am further against law which,
had it been in force in 1860, would
have rendered it impossible for the
distinguished chief justice of the
United States supreme court to have.
held any office of trust under this
government. l. am unwilling to make
my country the Laughing stock Of the
world by putting in the criminal class
the faculty Of Harvard university for
pursuing their project of securing an
exhaustive collection Of the literature
and documents of the Russian revolu-
ton to place at the disposal OF his
torians and investigators.
II have too much faith in the COM
mon sense and patriotism of some
10, 100000 of American people to be-
lieve that either their opinions about
their government or their government
itself can be ''overthrown' by hand
full of extreme theorists whose doc
trines and practices are rejected even
by the vast majority of Socialists.
II am unwilling. under. the guise of
curbing this handful Of agitators, to
destroy the established liberties of the
American people to discuss their con-
stitution and laws, to criticize their
government and elected and appointed
servants with no fears of peniten-
tiaries, arrests, fines, and cruel and
unusual punishments hanging over
them. >.
NINETY per cent of the talk about
the danger of a. Bolshevik 'revolu-
ton in this country is nonsense. It is
high time to discount hysteria and
return to normal thinking. We have
serious tasks ahead Of us to perform.
Congress needs tie combined Judgment
of all classes Of our people. We can
not have social. intelligence without
free discussion. But free discussion
has, as result of the war, been par
TALLY suppressed: for two years. But
now, when peace: has come. for US to
attempt to .endanger free discussion
as the Graham bill does is folly and
worse than folly. To hang a threat
ening sword over the liberty of speech
Of every labor, farmer: and liberal or
ganization in this nation. no matter
how loyal and patriotic their conduct
has been, is not the way to promote
safety and good will.
"But ought we not to stop advocacy
of violence and revolution? OF course.
But, right there. our citizens, misled
by sensational headlines. need to be
reminded that the statute books Of the
several states, and Of the national gov
eminent are loaded with ample pro-
visions to meet and. deal promptly
with such advocacy at any time. If
any person doubts that let him read
the first eight sections of the federal
criminal code and the laws Of his own
state.
II believe that when members of
congress come to carefully examine
the Graham bill and to realize the
danger to. American liberty it con-
tains, they will promptly reject it.
Moreover, / believe the time has
come to liberate all mere political
prisoners, as all European nations
have DONE"