Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-23

was not originally addressed to news
| papers, but 1t was implied when the
| United States Constitution received its
first amendment. forbidding Congress
to limit the freedom of the press. Now
doughty Senator is advocating a
/! statute which Is held by its opponents
| to be in defiance of that part Of the
Constitution, since It would limit even
| truthful publications, and bar them
| from the privilege of equality in mail
rates with their competitors. If they are
owned by certain interests, viz, the In
ternational Paper Corporation.
"A government or political censorship
more sweeping than that Of Mussolini"
is the cry Of opposition.
The so-called International Paper
! Corporation is incorporated legally, and
is assumed to be within the law But
so are the great meat packers, yet the
packers have been forbidden to engage
in subsidiary enterprises, lest they be-
come a food monopoly in interstate
commerce. Shall we fear that the man.
| ufacturers Of news print may seek to
monopolize editorial influence, as the
| packers were suspected of cornering
| hogs and hominy, canned fruit and
I jelly? Packers have learned to utilize
all the hog but its squeal; maybe the
champions of q free press are going
them one better, and utilizing even the
editorial squeal, but 1t is proper to in
vestigate the note OF the squeal and
| identify It's source.
On top Of the original agitation in
the Senate concerning the invioious
course of the paper company to control
public sentiment by owning influential
newspapers, an incident occurs right in
the Senate, wherein some Senator, I'M
identified yet, is charged with acting
as reported of confidential news of
| Senate action. which is alleged to be a
basis for the guilty Senator's expulsion
If he Is discovered.
It is asserted, upon the authority of
one who has served time as president of
the National Editorial Association OF
America that any journalist who would
betray either the source or substance of
confidential information would be con-
victed of violating the most sacred
| Journalistic traditions and ethics. 1t is
| regrettable that the Senate has not
served a real apprenticeship in journal
/ ism and learned the sacredness OF con-
| fidences. The only course for the I'M
| trained Senate is to investigate" by
! committee. which will be like Grant be-
fore Vicksburg and take all Summer. "
This conviction, when and II any, cannot
|
| particular case, for 1t Is very evident
| that he did not receive the data conf
dentially but rather for the direct pur-
pose of publishing 1t. Yet it Is this
body which proposes to regulate invest
ment In the press, through Govern
ment censorship.
Rewriting to the packers, revenons 9
nos moutons; the proposal to establish q
Government discrimination against one
class of owners of newspapers by bar
mall rates opens the pen to all sorts Of
censorship. Being barred from eQua
mail rates so handicaps any periodical
that it puts 1t out Of business, although
that does not so seriously affect dailies
delivered locally.
In Italy, the Mussolini censorship
centers on the editorial and news: but
in the land Of the free, 1t goes beyond
the brains behind the pen," and 1t Is
proposed to censor the ownership of the
stock.
Yesterday, in the Senate, informa.
ton was given by Senator Walsh Of
Montana showing how the Inter-
| national Paper Co. was investing mil
lions Of dollars, buying, or seeking to
buy. control OF the great dailies of the
cradle OF liberty-Boston itself. When
a small boy sang in school, Sweet land
Of liberty" and the teacher asked him
what that meant. he explained tina,
liberty" was a kind of tea they served
at a Boston tea party.
Evidently the rising generation has
gotten quite a distance from the ideals
of the Pilgrims, and of the Original
"Injuns" of the tea party. and 1t is high
time for Congress to bring them back
to save America, by safeguarding
Boston tea"
| X \
The press generally does not take the
scare ofNthe Senate very seriously, hut
argues that what Is to be guarded