Evening star., 1928-11-17

spirators, but the incident Is still re-
lnembered in Minnesota journalism.
Il X X
Yet how clumsy was that conspiracy
when compared with the legal act
against the Saturday Press! No con-
Spiracy at ADJUST prosecuting at
torney and his friend. the court, and
the sanctity of the State Supreme Court
upholding the State legislative act,
while ignoring the State constitution
and the Federal Constitution.
The Federal Constitution prohibits
all States from depriving any person
of life, liberty or property without due
process of law" Due process Of law
requires a trial on specific charges.
chance for evidence in defense, an i'm
partial Jury and a court that holds
the even hand of justice. If any Judge
can decree corfiscstion of the offending
press, then there Is no publication in
America that may not be suppressed In
a day Just as is done in Italy and has
been done under every tyrant of his
tory.
To enjoin a publication, to paddock
a newspaper. cannot be Of temporary
damage-it is ruin. 1t utterly destroys
good will" Besides. the act Of ar
bitrary tyranny once demonstrated pos
sible would warn all the press of Anneri-
ca that 1t is no longer free. without
free press there Is no assurance OF
free people.
Some one has said that If there we're
choice between country without a
government but with free press or .
country with a government but with
no freedom of the press. the one with
the free press would be safest and the
freest.
The New York Herald Tribune, COM
menting on the Minneapolis case. re-
marks, ITO deprive a newspaper Of life
by such a procedure challenges the
guaranty of the fourteenth amendment
Of the Constitution of the United states,
1t would SEEM"
The Chicago Tribune has employed
counsel to appeal the case to the United
States Supreme Court. upon the uncon-
stltutlonaltty Of the Minnesota statute.
passed under the almost bolshevistic
influences which have developed in that
North Star State in recent years.
y Y y *
In the same year that Minnesota
adopted the press-phobia law. there was
an editor in Georgia with the same in
dependent spirit as that manifested
by the editor of the Minneapolis Sat-
urday Press. His name was Julian
Harris--perhaps he belonged to the
"Brer Rabbit" tribe He published the .
Columbus (Ga) Enquirer-Sun. and he
wrote his own editorials. The award
Of the Pulitzer Prize for "meritorious
and disinterested public service" was
given Mr.. Harris In 1926, because he
had had the courage to hold his pen
unshackled throughout his brave and
energetic fight against the Ku Klux
Klan, against the enactment of a law
barring the teaching of evolution,
against dishonest and incompetent pub
justice to the negro" Behold Georgia,
Behold Minnesota!
A magazine writer, Francis Paul.
commenting on the Harris record, re-
marked: IF there were more editors
like Julian Harris in Georgia and In
the Nation at large. the Journalistic
profession would be more worthy one.
And if for each such there we're ex-
citable opponents like the editor nf the
Enquirer-Sun's local rival and chief as
sailant, there would be some relief
to the dead level of editorial space
filling"
Liberty of the press" or free speech
never covers license to indeceney, nor
libel nor treason. It does not justif-
college professors in teaching disloys
ty against our present constitutions
nor does It give teacheT
rights to use public school buildings 1:
their position as leaders and developers
of immature pupils, in any course less
than patriotic love of country and the
of our institutions. I.
does not protect traitors. though certain
overtolerant school boards seem to
think 1t does.
The Saturday Evening Post some
months ago, in an editorial on LsAr~S
Of the press said
People who favor unbounded freh
dom of speech and those who are think
ing chiefly Of the danger Of destructive
both overlook the fact that
lhese matters are pretty we'll governed
oy definite law. Usually 1t is better TO
let the pink say his speech without
protest and then hold him responsible
Tor what he says under the law as 1t
Exists We know II Is criminal 70 ad-
rocate the destruction Of existing Gov
:rnment by force. and II person so
advocate he should not play CRY baby
oy asking the same Government TO
protect him
tccryright. 1928. By Paul Y. Collias.l