The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-21

congress of the United States is
! now struggling with the question
Of further reform legislation. This
time it is, on the face Of it. design
ed to hit at horse racing, but as q
matter of fact probably would pre-
vent newspapers from printing
sporting news of any kind and give
one government agency fairly
strong hold on the press of the
country
Professional reform agencies are
actively behind the measure, try
| ing TO defend it from the attacks
which have come from every side.
The bill now is before a sub-com-
mittee of the senate Judiciary COM
mittee
There has been expressed be-
fore the committee not only fear
of the immediate effect of the leg
islation, il 1t becomes a law, but
apprehension because of the gen.
eral tendency of such legislation.
/ There has been freely expressed to
the committee holding the hearings
the opinion that the measure is
| merely d symptom of the trend of
legislation toward regulating every
thing in the country, paralyzing
one business after another by put
ting them into governmental
straight jackets.
Senator Stanley of Kentucky, one
of the strongest opponents of the
bill, has this to say about the meas
ure:
When you have placed a censor
ship upon the freedom of speech
and the press, you have not merely
invaded one constitutional right !:
you have irnperiled them all. De-
stroy the freedom of the press, and
your hands are unshackled to de-
stroy the freedom of conscience,
immunity from arrest, or any 9TH
er outrage or act Of tyranny
against which the people are not
protected by constitutional guar
antees."
This, the senator thinks, is the
worst phase of the Legislative
itch" affecting the country.
It has been pointed out to the
committee that passage OF the bill.
unless the president vetoes it,
| would impose restrictions on the
American press far more severe
than those imposed on the papers
of autocratic Europe at it's worst.
ar.Reaching Effects,
The bill would provide that any
one guilty of sending information
through the mails upon which bet
ting odds could be based, or of
sending the actual odds. could be
sent to the penitentiary for a per
s,.d rzFf ia E~G
tation OF this would work out so
that a school girl writing to her
parents that she had bet 10 cents
on a basketball game could be i'm
prisoned Senator Stanley pointed
out this fact to the committee. and
added: at may be said that the
judges would not impose such Sc
we're penalties. but one might be
found occasionally who had as lit
tie sense as the senate of the Unit
ed States"
Opponents of the alleged Cen
sorship bill" have pointed out re-
peatedly that the legislature of any
state where racing is permitted
could have all the tracks in the
state closed within 10 minutes after
| legislature convened, if it was so
desired
Newspaper publishers and the
American Newspaper Publishers
association have been very active
in opposition to- the measure 1t
has been pointed out by s. E
Thomson. one of the officers Of
this organization. that probably not
more than 10 per cent of the pa
pers included in the membership of
the association print racing tips of
any kind. ard not more than 20 per
cent print racing entries and the
results with betting odds.
Under this law as it is drawn"
Mr.. Thomson pointed out, under
an autocratic administration of the
postoffice department, we could no
longer safely print the fact that
notorious embezzler had won $780,
600 at Latonia, that large sums
were being wagered on a prize