Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-28
FREE SPEECH AND
~DISLOYALTY.

THERE is a growing demand for
1 the release Of war prisoners
who were not guilty of overt acts
against the government, but were
guilty of talk that instigated the
blowing up of industrial plants,
sabotage, draft evasion and other
crimes against the government.
Most of these men are fanatics.
They profess no repentance and
no regret for their acts, and even
assert that they would do it again
if like opportunity ros We think
that Eugene v. Debs typifies that
class of people as we'll as any per
son can, and he was pardoned by
President Harding while proclaim
ing the fact that he had no regret
for his acts and had made no prom
Uses for the future. 1t is a fact.
however, that so far as we have
seen he has not repeated his OF
lenses since his release. Perhaps
he is waiting for a more propitious
time in order to repeat them
However, having pardoned Mr..
Debs for his offenses, we hardly
see why all others who are guilty
Of like offenses, committed in the
name Of free speech, should not al
so be pardoned. We are told that
the president is considering this,
but would like to know that he
would be supported by public
opinion. We doubt if he had the
support Of public opinion when he
pardoned Mr.. Debs, but that hav-
ing been done we see no strong
objection to carrying that decision
to it's logical conclusion and re-
leasing all prisoners who are
charged with merely making dis
Ioyal speeches during the war. In
a recer,t issue of Public Opinion
the editor takes up this question
and gives us a view of the situa-
ton on this question and comment
from the religious press on the
subject. 1t says:
Talkative Americans a hardly
be rated as dangerous as German
spies, yet seventy-six "conversa-
tionalists" are still in Jail, while
the German spies have long ago
been released and sent back home.
Also. it is generally noted, the
United States is the only one OF
the nations engaged in the world
war which has not declared a gen.
eral amnesty for its political war
prisoners. Wherefore some reli-
gious and secular editors complain
of what they term the manifest IN
Justice of this hesitancy on the
part of the government, and de-
mard the immediate release OF those
now immured for talking too
much" Keeping these people IN
prison this long, says the New
York Evening Post, has long been
q mixture of cruelty and folly IN
naralleled in American history"
The act under which they were
convicted was a wartime act which
SUSPENDED some Of the ordinary
rights of an American citizen I'M
der the constitution, notes the
Christian Century (undenomina-
tionaD wet every one of them has
been legally cleared of all the pre-
~posterous charges made against
them by wartime hysteria." 1t is
observed that the question OF re
lease is complicated by the tact
that the prisoners will not aolure
their opinions, nor leave the or
y~anization in which they have sui
fered 50 much" but, in view OF the
release of the German spies, the
deduction seems to the Christian
Century to be that 1t is a smaller
e.fense to blow up a bridge IN war
ti,1.c than TO make a speech eS-
pressing unpopular opinions" The
president, we are told, is minded
TO turn the prisoners loose, and
will doubtless do so IF supported
adequately by intelligent public
opinion
Without criticising in any wa,
President Harding's stand on ths
question. the Christian Science
Monitor remarks: ut is true tina
the men in question hold radica
social and industrial views, but tina
is not sufficient ground tor theii
continued imprisonment. 1t some
of them have a bad record, ASIDE
from their political offenses, thu
charges against them should, IN al
fairness, be brought out into tn.
open that they may be further con
victed or released according to thu
findings" The world, warns th'