Evening star., 1922-02-05
Defends Freedom of Speech;
Prefers It Shall Be in Open

were apprised that they were liv-
Ing under q despotism. The pre-
siding of1cer seemed typical of the
aims and purposes of the organi-
zation. He kept order with q
policeman's billy. which is emble-
which revealed the thought Of the
chairman that he was presiding
over crowd that would not show
respect for constituted authority
unless 1T saw in the hands of au-
thorfty some power to enforce its
ruling. ought to be the only an
swer that q man Of common sense
would need to the rawlings Of this
convention. Yet no one knows
what the effect Of that meeting
may be, what influence 1t may have
on not only the peace. quiet and
good order of our lives. but on the
very foundations of the republic.
1t should not be laughed at. 1t
should BIZ soberly and seriously
considered by all men who wish
our country well. -
I desire to give this new party
any boost that I can. I am dis
tinctly in favor of it. but on one
condition. namely. that it will not
stop its work with it's convention
in New York city, but will organ
fze in every state and congress
sional district in America and
place in the field candidates pledg-
ed, II elected, to carry out the pro-
gram announced by the convention.
I rejoice that these men have
come out Of the darkness into the
full light of American sentiment.
/ hope they will not be interfered
with or oppressed SO long as they
shall remember the emblem> of
their convention and keep within
the law. Let US have no force or
and frank discussion of their So
called principles. Let US get this
definitely in mind-that that gov
eminent will eventually endure
which is just to all of us and best
for the most Of US. If the old
order has failed in this essential
requirement the old order must go
down. If. however. the old order
furnishes us & surer guarantee OF,
the maintenance of this principle
than the new order can hope to
offer. then the new order must be
rejected without being tried.
Governments prove themselves
by the measure of content which
they afford their citizens. Parties
appeal to people not so much be-
cause Of the high-sounding Ian
guage of their leaders as because
Of the fruits of party principles
ripened IN the lives Of the people.
A party advocating a new sys-
tenn Of government must advance
something more than generalities.
We who believe in the old have
a right to ask Of proponents of
which you avow? Before we
take any stock in the new working
mans party We have q right to
know what kind Of workingmen
have formed 1t, what sort Of work
they do, how much work they
have done and when and where
they work. The convention should
have analysed for the public its
might reliably know whether the
founders of the party are black
smiths. locksmiths and copper
smiths or just jawsmiths And re-
cruits. in Justice to the rest of
us. should give information about
themselves, SO that we all may
know the individual lives of the
men who are proposing to topple
over the government.
If their record should disclose
that they are high grade working
men. honest, Industrious. sobe1 and
law-abiding. then the issue would
be Joined and 1t would become the
business of those Of US who MAIN
tain. that the old order shall not
pass from the face of this land
to convince a majority of the
voters of America that, notwith-
standing many irritations in our
social and economic life, it is far
better to bear the ills we have
Copyright, 1922, by Thomas R. Marshall.)
than to fly to others we know
not-of It'll Emma Goldman re-
appears,