New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-06-25

wonder what our good friends.
the militant soap boxers. who shout
about freedom OF speech. would think
and say II 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
o progress as a people because OF
u freedom of thought. speech and
action. OF course. we silence the mar
who criminally advocates Ia wlessnesa.
and we do IL for the same reason that
we arrest the man who splits on the
sidewalk. Ii is TO conserve the public
welfare. the OmIno good Of the great
majority who do not believe 10 viO-
lence and disorder. What would hap
pen to our Red agitators Z they
were In Russia today instead OF In the
United States. and ventured a single
disagreement with the bo,shevik pro-
gram. either In policy ~ methodist
49, PIoN Is hot .
muller on free speech. it is a gag.
What freedom can there be in a
country In which opinion is shackled?
How can a nation make progress ex-
cept by the conflict and friction OF
opinion? In the United States, expe-
rience has taught us hat the majority
is generally right, that the many can
he trusted. We have 5ut into prac-
tice the idea that Mahy heads are bet
ter than one. The b~Olshevik constitu-
ton launches the policy that wisdom
can only cOIne from a few minds-the
fewer. The better. This is the method
they adopted to sOcialIze freedom Of
thought. freedom of speech 1t means
a communism of ideas, but a very lin
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 Ct
men, and no fight wal ever made for \
more essential liberty. When the
mind Of man Is not free. what freedom
can there be? The falling of the body,
serious as 1t Is. is only = small in
reference with mans liberty COM
pared with the Imprisonment Of his
mind.
ThIa nnncfAnA Inp
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 q 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 1t for the
facts upon which we base our opln-
ions. Notwithstanding the bitter par
tisan character of the prees, few pa
pers know party lines or party preju-
dice when the public interest Is men
aced. The press has threwn the
s%earchlight Of terrible publicity on the
ratholss and driven out the political
rats. The freedom Of the press is In
.dispensable to free government.
Lsnins's Change Of 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
or on the pretext OF
charges which are simply calumnlOus.
ut may be argued that the prosecu.
tlOn of the bolsheviks Is by no means
violation of free speech, since only |
persons on specific charges
are thus prosecuted. But such argu-
bear the earinarks OF premedi-
untruth. For why should printing
be raided. newspapers sup
pressed. for the crimes of individuals,
even II these crimes are proven and
by lawf 1t would be alto
different II the government de-
criminal the entire bOlshevik
party. its ideas and views. But every
one knows that the government Of
free Russia never could, End indeed
never attempted to do anything Of the
Lenlne coming into power. wrote
into the constitution a new crime. lie
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.
In the language Of a great radical,
The time will come when the silence
Of the people Of Russia will he more
powerful than the voices throttled by
he bolshevik gag today.
Copy rig hit. 1890. Western Newspspe UnionD
Message for Today.
BY far the greater part Of the suf-
ferlng and crime which exist at this