Evening star., 1922-02-05
BY THOMAS r.. MARSHALL,
Former Vice President OF the
United States,

I@ ITH our recovery from
AN/ the neurotic conditions
OF the war the first
amendment to the Con-
stitution Is automatically op-
Grating again. We are not both
ering any longer about fine dis
tinctions between liberty and
license. We are permitting men to
think, speak. write, print anything
that they please. 1t may be arrant
nonsense. If it appeals to us. we
accept IT: II not. we reject it as
more of that wIld-eyed stuff that
immature thinkers are constantly
palming Off on the American peo-
pie. We are not the least disturb
ed by 1t. We assume that ii 1t be
OF God 1t ought to be uttered. and
II 1t be Of the devil 1t will die Of
its own accord. This Is perhaps as
It should be.
No one has yet discovered how in
land where the people rule them
selves 1t is possible to determine
when q man is speaking the truth.
Nor has it been ascertained how to
exercise supervision over the writ
ten or spoken word, so as to as
sure expression of nothing but the
truth. With the fngrained tradi-
tions Of our race and country.
things will have to grow far worse
than they are before we will con-
sent to any limitation upon our
constitutional right Of free speech.
With this right goes also the
right Of men to speak collectively.
It Is clearly given to them to meet,
to define the purpose of their
meeting. to petition. to set forth
their aims, to declare their pur-
pose. to approve II they wish or to
assault If they prefer. 1t is no
ones business. SO long as they do
not try to force their opinions on
other men. II they seek to alter
and reform our system OF govern
ment by the legitimate use Of the
ballot. those of US who may be
opposed to their changes have no
TlRht TO tefrOT1Z6 tncm OF 10 at.
tempt to muszle them.
It may be that as an American
whose forebears were all in this
country in 1776 I have a prejudice
against the naturalized citizen be-
coming an agitator for a change
In our system of government, but
that view is beside the point. for
II the government does not believe
that 1t can, or should. revoke the
Rift2nnohin nf yrh0 advn,
Gates total change of govern
ment. then undoubtedly the man
has right to pursue the cause in
which he is interested. If I were
the controlling authority. however.
I should restore these men to their
in my opinion. belongs to the men
who revere it. not to those who
would destroy it. But until this is
established as the clear law of the
land, there is no legal reason why
those who are not content with our
system should not peaceably advo-
cate its change.
The terror Of the night is not so
much the fact that 1t IL infested
with dangers as it is that you
never know where danger may
Turk. When once you get men
into the open you can count noses
and begin to ascertain where each
standa Though utterly opposed to
everything that the new working
mans party says it stands for,
am. nevertheless, glad that It has
been formed. 1t pleased me to OBJ
serve that the police Of New York
in nowise interfered with what
1 regarded as it's hysteria. but
what it called it's deliberations. 1t
met openly. spoke freely and re-
solved sulphurously. The atmos-
phere sizzled in the wintertime
and millions of men and women