Evening journal., 1921-05-26
No CENSORSHIP
NOW ON PRESS
p Publications Preaching
Revolution to be Barred
From Mails
EASTMAN'S PAPER
AGAIN RESTORED


sorship OF the press is in no sense
the province OF the Postonice De-
partment.
At all events. he has let it be
known that this is to be the fixed
policy Of the department under this
Administration. At the same time
he reversed the policy Of his prede-
cessor in barring certain publica-
tions OF radical character from sec
ond-class mailing privileges. The
publications in question had been
admitted by Mr.. Burleson to third
class, by which they were compelled
TO pay about four times as much
postage.
In this connection Mr.. Hays an
nounced that the department had
granted a three-year-old application.
filed when this country was at war.
by The Liberator. a New York
monthly magazine. which succeeded
The Masses, for admission to the
mails as second-class matter.
He said further that the depart
ment will refund TO that publication
more than $1,000, representing the
difference between what II would
have paid for the second-class privi-
lege and the larger sum which it
actually paid in third-class postage.
Mr.. Hays characterized as inde-
fensible and inexplicable the policy
Of the last Administration in refus-
ing a publication admission TO sec
ond-class mails and yet accepting it
for mailing at third-class rates.
Publications, the Postmaster-Ge
eral insists. are either mailable or
they are not. II they are entitled to
the mailing privileges at all they are
entitled to be admitted in the class
in which they naturally fall. If they
are violators Of the law they should
be wholly suppressed, their publish
ers prosecuted in the courts and ad-
mission to the mails denied them alb
solutely. They should not be merely
penalized by what amounts to a fine
imposed by the Postofice Depart
ment, Mr.. Hays contends.
Mr. Hays promises vigorous en-
forcement Of the maii-exclusion stat
utes, such, for example. as those
applying to palpable frauds. but he
also pledges -scrupulous observance
Of the laws safeguarding the free
dom Of the press.
He stated that the records Of the
department showed that each issue
of The Liberator since it's founding
had been scrutinized by department
officials and each had been held to be
mailable and on that basis accepted
as third-class rates. All this was
while the application for second
class privileges was pending.
In outlining the policy Of the de-
partment on this subject, Mr.. Hays
said, in part;
THE fourth requirement Of Section
IA Of the Classification act is that to
enutle matter TO the q second class
mailing privilege 1T must be origin
ated and published for the dissemin-
alton Of information Of a public
character or devoted to literature,
the sciences, arts or some special
industry 1t has been suggested
that it was the intent Of Congress in
the passage of this provision that
the privilege Of second-class rates
shouid only go to publications dis
seminating information Of a public
benefit.
If this is true, then the RESPONSE
bility is lodged somewhere to deter
mine what is and what is not infor-
nation Of public benefit. There is
vast difference between what is
information Of a public character
and what is information Of public
benefit. Much Of the news in any
daily paper might be barred If pub
lie benefit were essential. II is easy
to decide what is and what is not in
formation Of public character. The
arbitrary power TO decide what is
and what is not a public benefit was
never intended TO be lodged in the
Postmaster-Gene It shall not be
assumed.
The war is over. We must return
10 the ordered freedom. Our method
Of safeguarding the public welfare
while at the same time maintaining
freedom Of the press, has been found
through a long period Of stable civil
liberty better for the public welfare
and personal security Of citizens
than to establish a bureaucratic CEN
sorship which in its nature become
matter Of individual opinion, preju-
dice or caprice.
There is a certain cost in free
institutions in which the freedom OF
the press shares. but we IN thi,
country have preferred to pay such
costs from time to time rather thar
to seek protection through the his
torical discredited devises Of bureau.
cratic governments.
EITHER these publications should
be entirely suppressed and their pub
fishers prosecuted or they should b,
given equal mailing rights in com.
mon with other publications Of tn,
country.
''The mail exclusion statutes will
be vigorously enforced by the Post
Office Department, but in so doin,
we will carry out the purposes o.
such non-mailability law. This pur
pose is to bar the prohibited matter
entirely from the mails. and no
simply exclude it from the particular
class OF mail which carries a lowe
rate Of postage. and then admit 4
10 that class which requires a higher
rate, for the same laws govern tn,
mailing of matter in each case.
There shall be no hesitancy II
suppressing any publications tha
fall Within fHa