Evening star., 1927-09-22
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

One Of the prominent officials of the
Government ayers that the persistent
agitation of Communists in connection
with the Sacco-Vanzetti sentence is
not. primarily, led by aliens, but by
American Communists and other ma.
tive radicals. Many Americans are
dema nding drastic deportation of all
aliens on the ground that they have
been tolerated subject to good be-
havior, but their radicals have now
become a menace to the peace and
order Of the United States.
The greater per cent Of Italians who
come to America become law,abiding
citizens. 1t Is not, therefore, their
Italian blood, but the anarchistic
spirit Of the guilty few, which be-
comes Americas menace.
"
Our Constitution forbids Congress
from enacting any legislation restrict
ing speech or the press, though it
does not make any guaranty of sedi-
tious or libelous license of speech.
The subject is left to the States.
Massachusetts provides:
Article XVI. The liberty of the
press is essential to the security of
freedom in a State; it ought, there
fore. to be restrained in this Common
wealth.
article XIX. The people have a
right. in an orderly and peaceable
manner to assemble and consult upon
the common good; to give instructions
to their representatives and to request
Of the legislative body, by way Of
addresses, petitions and remonstrances.
| redress of the wrongs done them or the
grievances they suffer"
That being the guaranty Of the
State Of Massachusetts, the question
arises as to the legality Of the police
in forbidding public meetings, not
only in the recent Sacco-Vanzetti
agitations, but in previous instances
in that Commonwealth,
About a year ago the mayor OF
Boston forbade the holding of radical
| meetings in any licensed hall. In de-
fance of that order, a group of radi-
| calls assembled in the Old South Meet
ing House. Two of the speakers were
arrested, one of them being a Har-
ward professor. The meeting was
broken up, not because Of free speech,
but because the whole incident was
tending to disturb the peace.
II have always thought" said Dis
trict Judge jeremiah I. Mahoney, as
he imposed sentence on the offenders,
that we had a reasonable amount of
| liberty in this country. / find that
we have much more here than they
| have abroad"
There Is no other country which is
| so lenient as our own or which so
| freely tolerates disturbing agitation.
| There Is no other country where free
dom of speech is so broadly permitted
under the law and custom.
The Irish Free State, the most mod
ern of republics. says nothing about
| free speech or free press in its con-
| stitution.
The constitution of Jugoslavia IAN
other postwar natiom provides in
Article XIII: "The press shall be
free, except that publications can be
seized if they defame the sovereign
| or members of his family, or heads OF
| foreign states, or direct appeals to
change the constitution by force
The Polish Republic provides, In
Article CIV: Every citizen (aliens
are not citizens) has the right to eX-
| press his ideas and opinions freely,
| provided that in doing so he does not
violate the law" Free speech is thus
| limited by law, and the legal lim1ta-
| t1onS are left until after the oHehSe IL
| committed thus differing from our
Constitution, which prohibits any lex
| post facto law"
An article headed 1.-THE Reign of the
| Bludgeon," by Gaetano Salvimini,
published in the Survey of New York,
outlines the various steps taken under
| Mussolinis government by official sig
nature of the King:
"Italy--that is, the italian Foreign
| Ofice-has always viewed with jeal-
Gus eyes the loss of man-and-money
power, represented by the annual eX-
| patriatiof of some 100000 Italian
souls, and one of the constant princi-
pies Of Italian propaganda abroad has
been to retain the loyalty Of the sons
of Italy by any possible means.
Fascist propaganda has modified these
| tactics. Recognizing the growth of
| American sentiment among Italo-
| Americans, 1t favors 'Americaniza-
| ton Of the immigrant, on the theory
that as participant in the political
life of the new country he will be bet
ter able to defend the interests and
ideals Of his real country utalyl. In