The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-11-02
SELF-PRESERYATI0N
THE FIRST LAW

III AOAC Va AAo III 0tNCANA&Co 49,
Senator Harding commended himself
more strongly to the good n of the
American people than in his remarks
1t Omaha on the subject of a proposed
general amnesty to political prison.
ers." Said Senator Harding, II have
been asked many tines during this
canpa IN whether / would grant gem
eral amnesty, as it is called, to poll
teal prisoners. My answer, I trust,
is clear. I would not"
On this as on other subjects, Hard
ing went straight to the point and was
~unevasive. He made no bid for the /.
WV. vote. He held out no hope to
the anarchist. He gave no slightest
encouragement to the s~editionist. He
Is for the enforcement of law-law
founded upon justice and perpetuation
of orderly government.
Mr.. Hardings statement is not a
declaration that he favors punishment
Of all who may be imprisoned on a
charge of crime against the govern
ment. He specifically said: IF there
are political prisoners who are being
punished unjustly, -. shall want to
take immediate action to restore jus
tice to such men and women, precisel.
as | will wish to give freedom to an.
man or who has been u%njustly
accused of ordinary crime"
Political prisoners and general
amnesty" are terms which the en-
emies of American government have
been using to mislead the people un-
familiar with the facts. There is no
such thing as a political prisoner
under the laws of the United States
and the jurisdiction of our courts.
Clever propagandists have used the
term in such a n as to convey
the impression that there are such
prisoners in the same n that men
and women were made political pris-
oners in Russia. Probably not many
people were deceived. 1t is true that
under the present administration OF
the department of justice, it has been
charged that men have been arrested
on inadequate evidence and held in
definitely instead of being accorded
that speedy trial which they are guar
anteed by our federal constitution. Ii
there are any such prisoners, they are
held in violation of law, and will be
given relief under Senator Hardings
pledge to take immediate action to
restore justice" as in any other case.
Self-preservation is the first law
of nature. 1t is also the first law OF
ants TTp1occ tho 0oyarnmant
be preserved, no personal or property
right can be safe from the aggression
of combined greed and brute power.
There is not now, nor has there
ever been my disposition to hinder
any man who proposes a change in
our government in the name pre-
scribed-by amendment of the Con-
stitution. But there is, and will con-
tinue to be, a demand for the punish
ment of men who try to overthrow
the government by forcible resistance
to it's laws or by violence of any kind.
Probably the most thorough, compre-
hensive and specific measure de-
signed to meet that demand is the
Poindexter sedition bill. still pending
in the senate. That bill makes it a
felony to advocate, aid or abet forci-
BILE resistance to, or forcible destruc-
ton of constituted government in gen.
era1, or of the government of the
United States, it's laws, authority,
agents or officials, or the governments
of the states, municipalities or other
constituted authorities within the
United States. The measure provides
further specifications for the punish
ment of advocacy of the use of force
in defiance of law. With that meas
ure on the statute books, no attorney
general will ever plead inadequacy of
law as an excuse for failure to ap-
prehend and convict seditionists. and
yet under that measure no man could
be convicted unless he were an
enemy of government and of law and
order.
With Harding in the White House
and a working Republican majority in
both houses of congress, justice will
be assured to all, but there will be
no mercy for the man who commits
the greatest crime of all-that of en-
~deavoring to overthrow the govern
ment itself.
--60--