The Washington times., 1921-09-03

2 LHGy COthpni W
In political elasticity to the variety of
attitudes assumed on the subject Of
these political prisoners. l.i.
The latest ground Is a return In
full force to the Wilson position. It
IL found in Mr.. Daughertys pro-
nouncement that there Is no such AMI.
NAL. except In international law, as
q political prisoner. -at..
The statement as made Is not true,
for there are countries, France, for
example. where crimes are divided
into real crimes. political crimes, and
mixed crimes,
1t lie true. however. that the term
political prisoner" as used in this
country, 10 not a legal term. II is
that lowiy object. term which every
body uses and which everybody under.
stands.
Let me give an example: A certain
man. whom we will call. for example,
Morse. obtains money in ways forbid
den by the law. TO wit. by fraud. His
crime, according to the Attorney Gen
erals speech at Cincinnati, In not par
ticularly dangerous, because II has no
theory back Of It. Morse simply
needed the money.
The trouble with Debs, then. n not
that his crime Is worse than that OF
Morse, or than the German spies In
this country who have been pardoned.
or than the murderers and white slav-
ers who are pardoned, but that he had
q theory.
His theory was that It was permissi-
bio for him to believe all killing wrong
and to state his belief.
Floating Back
Heaven forbid that I should defend
such an ungodly theory! 1t is no
doubt wicked beyond my powers OF ex-
preston. But am Interested In logic.
am interested in the fact that.
after forty-seven different announce
ments that the case was about TO be
acted on, and forty-seven different rea-
sons for pcstponing action. the Admin
istrAtion should at. last float calmly
and safely back into the harbor OF
refuge that served the preceding Ad.
ministration from November, lols,
when these tnprisonments began to
be despotic. down to the fourth OF
OF course. the reasons are all what
the plain citizen, looking through his
unabridged dictionary for the right
expression, would describe as bunk.
The truth n that the long series OF
promises, postponements and new
pretexts Is brought about entirely by
the shifting breezes Of popular opinion,
as they are reported. accurately or
inaccurately, by the official weather
bureau. .,
II is not a question of law at all.
or law enforcement. The crime OF
having a mistaken opinion about GER
tain Bible texts has been punished.
1t has been punished more severely
than I'm any other country.
The actual nature of the question
was recognized by the President be-
fore he came into office and immedi-
ately after. In those days we were
told that action would be taken as
soon as in the press of new business
the cases could be reached.
Then came the talk OF picketing,
and the Administration induced the
abandonment Of that plan by another
estimate OF the short time that would
eIapse, provided only the picketinG
was given up. There were various
futile imaginary researches, all OF
which could not occupy ten hours OF
a rood lawyers time. -
The resolution declaring peace with
Germany was camped on for a good, )
long, rest as q delay. After that de-
lay was safely achieved the most re-
lance was put on the peace treaty
with Germany.
Still Another Shift.
That came, whereupon the date
was shifted ahead to the ratification.
No sooner has the new date been
promulgated than we find this sud-
den return 10 the preceding admin
istration's irrelevant talk about the
law. which is not in. question and
hasn't been. ..s .'va.. .a b.
1t is no more a question Of law
than II was when Lincoln set his
will against similar movements. 1t
II a question OF political wisdom,
We are approaching fall and winter
full Of Industrial hardships.
To many Of the men who NAV be
hesitating between patience ami re-
volt the spectacle of wavering cruelty
In a line Of cases which interests
them will have discouraging effect.
That spectacle does not help to con-
vince the disinherited that what we
are pleased to call justice is indeed