The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-02-16

York now has q town hall. where
any organization or society that
wants TO promote or suppress
something can 60 and tell the
world about it. DO you wish to
convert your fellow men to vegeta-
rianisfn; are you against compul-
sorry vaccination in the schools ;
Is your. hobby prison reform; q
cooperative economics, or better
pubic education! Then, the town
hall is at your disposal, wherein
to pour form your great Idea or
grievance.
OF course, there are q few
strings to it. You have to pay q
rentai of SIS to cover the cost of
light and heat, and il you must
have. ushers to seat your non-pay-
ing guests. the charge is $50. You
must also prove the merit and sim
cerity Of your cause to the renting
committee, and promise to conduct
your meeting in Z polite and or
Nderly way. especially when casting
aspersions on the United States
government. Aside from this re-
stricton, however, your speech can
be absolutely free. For it was to
encourage free speech that the
town hall was built. a
Unlike most other town halls,
so thickly scattered throughout the
provinces, this one II not a mun1c-
ipal institution. 1t belongs to the
League for Political Education, a
large New York organization con-
tanning over six thousand men,
bers, who believe that a nations
greatest safety valve is discussion.
open discussions are conducive
to mutual good will" says the
league, "as we'll as fair play. They
result in fewer misunderstanding
Of public opinion, because it has al
ways been true that discussion ra-
tionalizes everything it touches >"
The object of the town hall is
best described by one a the
leagues most prominent members,
Henry w. Taft.
What is Leeded in this age" &C.
cording to Mr.. Taft, lis some re-
|aiable basis for forming opinions
upon subjects which more or less
directly affect our well-being in
the community. Many of US have
plenty of education: some of us
perhaps have too~much. There are
lots Of things that we ought to
unlearn.
In a republic it inevitably hap.
pens that public attention is con-
stantly directed to matters con-
nected with problems Of govern
ment which include economics, in
dustrial, financial and purely polit-
ical questions. We wish to give
the opportunity for free discussion
of such matters as these particu-
larly. We would found a later
Faneuil hall. a modern Roman TO-
rum, a Cooper union, with an even
broader purpose. We would have
fairly presented both sides in such
controversial matters as free trade
and protection, without advocating
either; but we do insist upon free
trade in ideas.
Call for Free Speech.
I'VE believe in free speech. We
deplore repression. But we want
the truth. We respect the man
who honestly holds views we ldis-
approve. 1t is in the spirit of these
expressions that We open the town
hall.
IF our representative institu-
tons are to be perpetuated. we
must be vigilant in devising meth
DDS by which the individual citizen
may be kept informed as to the
duties of citizenship and be stimu-
lated in their performance. But
1t is not now possible to gather to-
gether all of the citizens Of a re-
public in one grand mass meeting.
We cannot in this age repeat the
assemblies Of the Greek states or
of the New England town. Some
substitute must be. supplied.
"And SO We are establishing a
town hall to keep alive the spirit
Of our ancestors and as a contribu-
ton which will better enable US to
meet the vital, If not epochal. cri-
|ses which modern world conditions
are bound to- produce.
"A single town hall can. hardly
fill the need Of this, great city. 1t
contains. however. the germ Of an
idea. and we hope it will be the
model for other similar institu-
tons not only throughout this city,
but also throughout the land"
Mr.. Taft was quite right when he
said that enc town hall is not
enough. Several would not even