McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1920-08-13

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 people because OF
our freedom of thought. speech and
action. OF course. we silence the man
who criminally advocates lswlessness,
and we do 1t for the same reason that
we arrest the man who spits on the
sidewalk. 1t is to conserve the public
welfare, the common good of the great
majority who do not believe in vio-
lence and disorder. What would hep
pen to our RED" agitators II they
were In Russia today instead of In the
United States, and ventured a single
disagreement with the bolshevlk pro.
gram, either 10 policy or methodist
This constitutional provision Is not q
muller on free speech, II is a gag.
What freedom can there be In q
country In which opinion Is shackledf
How can nation make progress ex-
cept by the conflict and friction of
opinion? In the United States, expe-
rience has taught us that the majority
is generally right, that the many can
be trusted. We have put into prac-
tic sfie idea that many heads are bet
ter than one. The bosheyik constitu-
ton launches the policy that wisdom
can only come from few minds--the
fewer, the better. This Is the method
they adopted to soclalize freedom of
thought, freedom of speech 1t Leans
a communism of ideas, but very linn
ited 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 fine fight to
take the letters from the minds CT
men. and no fight was ever made for
more essential liberty. When the
mind Of man Is not free, what freedom
can there be? The failing of the body,
serious as ii 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, a great
power in securing freedom. We see
the world through the eyes of the
newspapers; 1t Is our source of infOr-
nation; we depend upon it 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
searchlight of terrible publicity on the
ratholes and driven out the political
rats. The freedom of the press is in
dispensable to free government.
Lenine's Change o. Heart.
Lenine, before he came into power,
was the loudest voice in Russia, cry
ing for free speech. His pen had
been most bitter against interference
with the freedom Of the press. In his
pamphlet, Lessons of Revolution" he
wrote:
1.-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 celumnious.
1T may be argued that the prosecu-
tion of the bolsheviks Is by no means
a violation Of free speech, since only
certain persons on specific charges
are thus prosecuted. But such argu-
ments bear the earmarks of premedi-
tated untruth. For why should printing
offices be raided, newspapers sup
pressed, for the crimes of individuals,
even If these crimes are proven and
sustained by law? 1t 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 crime. On this high
moral ground he struck down freedom
of thought, freedom of speech. free
dom of opinion and freedom of the
press.
In the language of 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.
| Copyright, 1920. western Newspaper Union,