The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-12-16

free press. On these rests the foun-
dations of the Republic"
Lincoln was a statesman and a
man of sense.
Take England as an example. No
nation ever had a closer call in the
late war than England had. For years
it looked like Germany would win
and that meant that there would be
no more England. Yet the English
newspapers were permitted to go
their limit in criticising the govern
ment and the administration of the
war; and Lord Northcliffe openly at
tackled Kitchener. And the few cases
they had were punished by short
term of Imprisonment, while in Amer
lea, we gave then twenty years.
After the war was over every coun-
try in Europe pardoned it's political
prisoners. But in America many of
they still swelter in Jail. Germany,
England, France, Italy-each has
turned loose her political prisoners.
The war in those countries was
very bitter, but in none of them were
such heavy penalties imposed as in
America.
In Germany, Rosa Luxembourg and
Karl Liebknecht were convicted and
given four months; while in America
Eugene V. Debs, one of our greatest
thinkers, was handed ten years.
Look at the suppressions that have
been gonig on as to free speech. Pro-
gressive speakers. those who believe
that war is wrong; those that think
that the laboring man should be given
square deal, have been imprisoned
all over the country.
Those prosecutions are generally
perpetuated under some hypocritical
guise. 1t is usually the guise of "pa-
triotism." If the predatory interests
want to send a man to the peniten-
tiary they raise great howl about
him being cred" or "Bolshevik" and
they put him behind the bars.
Patriotism" By what divine right
do these people get authority to de-
clare who is patriotic and who is not
patriotic "On what meat has this
our Caesar fed that he has grown so
great?"
Patriotism" Everybody is unpa-
triotic unless he cut his cloth accord
ing to their pattern. If one believes
in long hours, poor pay, and wretched
conditions for the toilers, he may be
considered patriotic" But if he be-
lieves that the laboring man should
have a just and square deal, he be-
comes dangerous agitator-a men,
ace to the country.
In order to "cinch" these danger
Gus" the most fundamental rules of
law. the most revered and sacred
constitutional provisions are over
ridden. We know that men who Of
fend the masters" have been thrown
into prisons and kept there for in
definite periods without a hearing
and without charge being filed
against them.
/ The most precious possession of
humanity is liberty; and by a
strange irony it seems that people
will submit to restrictions on their
liberty without a whimper of pro-
test.
From the days when the feudal
barons battled with the kings for
their rights; and from the time when
the free cities fought for their lib
critics; and from the succeeding peri
DDS when people themselves fought,
bled and died for liberty, the story
of human rights and freedom has
been a trail of blood.
Before the war we had, or we
thought we had, obtained a reason
able degree of liberty of speech and
press; but it appears that these
have been seriously curtailed. In
deed one is almost justified in saying
that they have been lost-at least
for the time being.
When the war was raging the peo-
pie voluntarily surrendered some lib
critics. A nation at war is like an
army; it must have driver and
know that he has the reins. We
know that. We told President Will
son to go ahead and run the war,
and we would stand behind him. We
did stand behind him withall our
might. We poured out our treasure
and we sacrificed the precious lives
of our sons. And we permitted the
authorities to exercise a power never
dreamed of in pre-war days.
But when the war was over what
happened Instead of being fol-
lowed by an effort to reinstate
things in their normal condition, a
frenzy of persecution ensued. Over
NINETEEN HUNDRED PERSECU-
TIONS followed. 1t was hysteria
that can be compared with nothing
so much as the "witch-hunting" of
three hundred years ago.
1t went even farther than that. In
New York several men We're fairly
elected to the legislature. But, 10
and behold. they were unseated be-
cause of alleged disloyalty. And the
matchmaking reached it's climax
when one over-heated patriot openly
accused Charles E. Hughes of being
unpatriotic. because Hughes thought
the Socialists should be seated.
Newspapers everywhere were sup
pressed; the hand of violence was
also raised Raid after raid was
made. Property was destroyed. Lit
erature was burned; books sup
pressed; editors and writers Jailed.
To appeal to the law or to the con-
stitution evoked a smile-a smile of
half pity, half contempt.
The one dominant idea in the
minds of the fanatics was violence.
Force! Use force and use plenty of
it! That's the way to cure our ills.
Oh. what a fallacyl All history
points it's condemning finger at the
brutal and foolish idea that prob
lens can be solved by using force.
! say all history, from the earliest