The New York herald., 1922-05-07
Tactics of the Reds.
Propaganda Here Intended to Have
an Effect in England.

To THE New YORK HERALD: 1t might
be well to call attention to a few dis
crepancies in the propaganda which Is
seeking the release of the so-called po-
litical prisoners and which arranged the
pilgrimage Of their wives and children
to Washington.
Much is made of the claim that this
is the only country which after the ar
mistice continued its persecution" OF
''those splendid souls who had the
courage to fight against the infamies
of war" and whose only crime was that
OF expressing their conscientious objec-
ton to personal participation in said
'fnfamies." 1t will be recalled that
during the Washington Conference on
Armament, men and women paraded up
and down. in front of the conference
hall. with placards depicting the ''shame
of America" in this matter and calling
upon the foreign delegates to advise
Uncle Sam to open wide the prison
doors
To some OF lis who were beginning to
think that our country was becoming
more heartless than say, England. it
was quite reassuring to find in the New
York Call of January 16, 1922. the fol-
lowing headline over a cablegram from
London: 'Debs's Release Used to Shame
British officials London Herald Calls
for General Christmas Amnesty for Per-
sons jailed for Opinions Under Elmer
gency Powers Act"' The Calls intro
duction to the cablegram explains
The release of Eugene Victor Debs and
several other politicais in the United states
is being used by the labor movement
there In an attempt to shame the British
Government into general amnesty of oil
politicals jailed since the end of the war.
Hsiling what they call the Christmas
spirit" that animated President Harding
in his communication of sentence of the
great Socialist, the labor forces ham
mering at their own Government to get
all the men and women In Jail for opin-
ions sake released.
The cablegram gives the London
Herald article from which have culled
a few paragraphs that rather spoil the
picture and suggest how easily we do
succumb to the willy Reds. The London
Herald says:
What President Harding has done II Is
up 70 Mr.. Lloyd George and Mr.. Shortt
to do.
When is the British Government going
TO release its political prisoners now suf-
fering in British jails?
During the past twelve months large
number of men and some women have
suffered in British jals for expressing
their opinions in public. Nothing that
the Government does will remove that
disgracefu page from British history.
And what OF Britain's prisoners? Is
Lloyd George happy. content ID celebrate
Christmas by a well advertised chldren's
party, or will he copy President Harding
and release the men and women now In
British prisons for fighting for freedom?
This little piece of propaganda sug-
gests one of an older brand. In fact It
is so old that ninety-nine persons out OF
a hundred have accepted 1t as a truism.
That is, when discussing free speech.
the radicals all point to the historic
Hyde Park in London where every man
and woman can say what he or she
pleases about anything or anybody at
any time." which is not true at all. Let
any speaker slanderously attack the
King or propose his assassination and
no will be yanked off the stand 60
quickly that he won't know whether he
is going or coming. Let him advocate
TO a crowd the overthrow of the Gov
ernment by force and again he will
come off the box. AS a matter Of fact
very little can be said in Hyde Park
that cannot be said in any park in this
country where public speaking Is per-
mtted. and there are plenty of such
parks RALPH M. EAsLEr.
NEW York, May 6.