The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-07-11
As Others Seelh
TEMPEsTs AND TEAPoTs
miami Herald.)

/. IL a groa rc..cc 10 be aI,c 10 read in tic
public prints detailed accounts of socialist con-
ventons and discussions again. The restraints
imposed by the war upon the freedom of our
speech and of our press may be considered to be
be wearing off, greatly to the advantage of our
reputation free country And not the least of
the benefits of the loss of such restraints is the
fact that socialist action in convention in this
country may be observed it is not shrOuded
in mystery. Perhaps after WHILE if this keeps
up we may be able to view varying opinions in
the matter of government without running the
risk of being called bolshevistic
Publicity given to the recent socialist conven
tion in Detroit has had very pleasant effect 1t
has demonstrated that, in spite of the rumors of
the fear stricken, the socialist party in America
is not only rather feeble, but also extremely
agitated within itself by wide divergence of
opinion. We are likely to fear only what
not understand And having understood the So
ciast convention, anabled to-
there is little doubt but that fear of red ag
tation" should be considerably allayed.
For the socialist convention proves to have
been quite the mildest political convention held
by any party in this country for some time
Against the results of its meeting any gathering
of Democrats Republicans look like an explo
sion in boiler factory The socialists not
only mild, they are positively apologize
OF resolutions offered for voting, three were
rejected, and these because they seemed to smack
Of bolshevism. Notably the resolution in favor
of the dictatorship of the proletariat was utterly
squashed. And the most headstrong utterance
corded was that of socialist leader who said
that the spectacle of 10000 people talking about
the dictatorship of the proletariat was simply
silly.
The point Of all this is that freedom of discus
sion and freedom of speech through the public
press is what this country needs more than any
other one. During the restraints perhaps neces
sarily but certainly irksomely laid upon the
American people, meeting such as this in De-
trot would have been denounced as red agitation
and it is quite likely would have been raided by
the police. Much hard feeling would have been
engendered and more bitterness on each side ac-
cumulated. The methods of peace wiser
When men free to say what they like, their
utterances are not in such danger of being mis-
understood. Not does the lack of freedom in
iuence their speeches to violence. When liberty
comes common sense is more likely to lnger.
The socialist convention, assembled in orderly
fashion, married by no ncursion of police or ag-
taton of any sort, came off peasably a con
vention of shoe statesmen
And a twofod result has been made evident
The socialists themselves are a little beginning
to realize that theorists they have been rails
ing teapots in which the American people have
been trying to force tempests Under police ban
the result might have been an explosion Under
free speech it has merely been bitter and even
a more humorous understanding all the way
round. Uneonfned by a teapot the tempest
has been seen to be largely made up of hotNairE