The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-02-01
Today
The Constitution.
For Workers, Not Roads.
German Indemnity.
Ireland Understands Il.
BY ARTHUR BRISBANl
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by ARTHUR BRISBANE-I
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The Supreme Court Of the
United States decides that Victor
Berger was illegally convicted and
reverses the decision against him.
The Supreme Court takes seri-
ously a section of the Constitution
that guarantees freedom of speech
and opinion. Many courts and
many juries dropped that part of
the Constitution for a while.
With news of Berger's decision
Il is announced that Debs is to
stay In prison, by the Presidents
decision, although the Attorney
Generals office advised his release.
That decision will probably be
overruled before long. Speech and
opinions are often foolish. Some
times they are harmful. and tenn
porary interference based on
straining the law little seems
wise. But when the need and
reason for ignoring the law are
past, illegal decisions should be
revoked. That will happen in
Debs' case. II he lives.
Railroads say workmens wages
must be cut. They must return
to the rate of wages prevailing
before the recent increases"
Nothing is said about returning
to the railroad freight rates and
passenger rates that prevailed be-
fore the recent increases. Moth
ing is said about controlling the
coal trust that has robbed the
public of over one billion a year,
and has robbed the railroads of
heaven knows how much, with the
connivance of railroad officials.
The corporation system is shown
In the street railway system at
Albany, capital of New York State,
where they increase railroad fares
so per cent and cut workmen's
wages 25 per cent in the same
twenty-four hours. 1t remains to
be seen whether that can be ex-
tended to the railroads of the
country. 1t depends on what
Northcliffe calls the "docility" OF
the American people.
All that read are discussing the
German indemnity, that would
take more than a billion every
year, in gold, and give it to the
Allies. 1t attracts the worlds at
tention.
Among all the nations, Ireland
is best able to understand what
Germany's situation will be for
the next half century.
What France and England will
do to Germany from now on, Irish
landlords, living and spending in
England, have done in Ireland for
long years past.
Irish tenants were in the hands
Of merciless rack-renting agents,
and every shilling they could get
out Of the half starved and impovF
erished Irish population was sent
over to be spent in England.
Until recent years, when Eng
lands land-buying system for Ire
land began; the load of the irish
people was infinitely heavier than
that now laid upon Germany by
the victorious Allies.
Long ago, wnen the United
States went into the war, 1t was
pointed out in this column that the
steel business of America must be
protected from foreign competi-
tion, after the war, or go to pieces.
All Europe, having specialized in
steel production, would swamp
our industry.
At this moment European steel
is urgently offered in this country
at cut rates. Our high freight
rates and the low ocean freights,
CARRYING steel three thousand
miles for less than it costs to
carry it a few hundred miles on
American railroads, complicate the
situation. If the United States is
to stay in the steel business, some
thing will have to be done. This
interests directly ONE millions OF
workers, tens of thousands OF
stockholders, and a gigantic in
dustry.
The Anti-Saloon League reports
great mortality among agents hired
to enforce prohibition. The death
rate is higher than that in the
world war.
This is not surprising, for
whiskey, as everybody knows, is
the most efficient of fighters. 1t
may comfort the prohibition
agents, however, to know that
among those that drink the
whiskey distributed today, the
death rate is SURELY higher even
than among prohibition agents.
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