Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-28
FREE SPEECH AND PRESS
AIM Of BORAH'S MEASURE
Idaho Senator Introduces biIi 10
Protect Civil Rights OF Pri-
vate Citizens.

washineton. Fcb. IS Senator Borah,
Repuhllcan of Idaho. saturday intro
duccd "A bill proposing fines. imprlson-
,,e,,t nna removal from office of any
lrsdsral official found guilty of unlaw-
t,u,, t,,aspassing on the rights of FREQ
sneeeh. free press and assemblage
granted by the Constitution.
In drafting the bill. II is said Senator
Rorah had the advice and assistance OF
LAWYERS some Of them formerly con-
neoted with the Department Of Justice.
The measure will be supported II Was
announced. by the National Popular
Government League. the organization
which recently attacked Attorney Gen-
eral Palmer for Department of Justice
raids last year State and municipal
officers as we'll as Federal officers would
como within its terms
Introducing the measure Senator
Borah said:
The civil rights OF the private citizen
have Of late often been challenged and
many times wholly denied. This con-
ditiou has been on the increase for the
last quarter OF century. More and
more there has been a disregard of the
great guarantees Of the Federal Con-
stitution So far as the rights Of the
private citizens are concerned The
facts In support OF this judgment are
at hand and overwhelming. Men i'll
authority. officers and their agents.
have made arrests without warrants.
broken into private dwellings, without
authority, and practiced brutality to-
ward citizens guilty OF no ofTCnse. The
private citizen under such conditions is
rracticaily without recourse This
practice seems 10 be greatly on tho In
crease I4awlessuess III public Office
and IN public places fattcns BY what IL
feeds upon.
Il do not think we get anywhere,
however. by merely CritiCizng par
ticular individuals or by denouncing for
a dav "a particular public officer. In
fact when such practices have become
ingraiucd in our system. no particular
ofHCer is Indlv lviduaIly responsible. The
situation deserves general considcra-
ton and permanent treatment have.
therefore introduced TINS lin. which is
designed 10 protect The private citizen
I'M his constitutional rleht particularly
against the arhitrlly .nc aw'css acts
OF public officers Ii ~rel- t. me that
IL fairly gets at the situation ana would
help EreaUy L. r,H.cdy thl- growing
,, ia any event. il will serve as q
IS. asulr aruuid Winch los~!a.y 3 bet
1T. measure nay lt coustrHJtcd.
Thle Il H. one whose AMY il is to
+. ,.ol, ssruIusous ct tho obliEations OF
me Constitution or more regardful OF
,hr constitutional rights Of the citizen
man the otHccr entrusted Tor n brief
season with great autl4urity I.awlcss-
n.ss aurcrg hose whose duty i IS to
,rf,r... a-.a ul,Hold ta law breeds law
t,ssrr-~ ard not oaly that il bcEcts
d..trt.st +. any disaffcCtion for the
Government itself among tho people
.en,raIly 4 high ana sincere regard
for law a profound respect for our
Constitution must begin with those who
ar entrusted with the execution of the
lhU Obedience to the law is the primal
piuar upon which free institutions rest.
Whom This sY!rit az obedience Is broken
down. law Itself becomes IL . sense a
nockeTy