Evening star., 1933-10-29
MARK Z CENTURIES
Of PRESS FREEDOM
Editors and Publishers Oh.
serve BicentenniaI of
Zenger's Report.
BY the Associated Press.

the 2OOtn anniversary OF JOnn feter
Zenger's report of Colonial Assembly
election, an event founding the principle
that newspapers may print the truth
without fear of suppression.
1t was in st. Pauls Church in East
Chester that the election was held.
Here, too, was Zenger's trial on charges
that his account was seditiouS libel to
Colonial authorities.
Zenger was acquitted His defense
was that he reported the truth. The
church still stands monument to free
dom of the press.
Several hundred editors and pub
fishers. and descendants of Colonial
families who settled this Hudson River
countryside. gathered on the church
green amldS tombstoneS several hun
dred years old, heard Col Robert R.
Mccormick of the Chicago Tribune
urge the press of America to follow In
Zenger's steps.
Contending for Freedom.
In negotiations looking toward a
permanent code for the newspaper in
oustry, Col. Mccormick said, the news
papers have been contending for the
preservation of the right of the freedom
OF the press as pro, ided in the consti-
tuition and upheld by the courts. The
administrator, 1 have understood, has
peen insisting upon its elimination"
Inc recovery program was cited by
Representative James M. Beck of Penn
sylvania. who said that in these times
the completely Of the constitutional
and economic questions are such that
there would seem to be a manifest duty
on the part of the American press to
express its opinion for the public en-
hghtenment upon those issues"
In this there can be no lack of
PATRIOTISM" said Beck, noted authority
on constitutional law, "and the serious
ness of the times would seem to insure
that such expressions will be with
malice toward none, with charity for
all and yet with f1rmness in the
right"
Beck said that If in the execution
OF the vast recovery program there
have at times been injudicious efforts to
discipline the press, or even, as was
gravely suggested, to go back to the
days of the star chamber by licensing
the press under a code, such has not
been the purpose or the spirit of the
President, who nobly stated the true
attitude Of free government to press
criticism in speech to newspaper
men"
Some Of the Presidents "over.zealous
subordinates could proftably ponder
his words" Beck declared. He sounded
a warning that if the press fails in its
criticism, then democracy itself will
fail and the event may prove to be that
our Government, while it may continue
in form, Will have perished in spirit" 4"
The Pennsylvania Representative said
champions of the right still exist in
the field of journalism, but the COM
mercial character Of the newspaper has
become so dominant that the freedom OF
expression is not what it once was"
Traces Journalists Fight.
Col. Mccormick traced extensively,
from the earliest days Of Journalism.
the fight for freedom of the press. He
touched on the recent incident In
Washington in which Hugh Johnson,
the recovery administrator. refused ac-
cess to certain news to reporter whose
writings, the editor said, "displeaseo
him"
This act" Mccormick added, would
not be important, for it is notorious
that Washington officials try to controi
and color news from Washington by
conveying and withholding official and
social favor. but for the position heio
by Mr.. Johnson"
Like Representative Beck, the Chi
cago newspaper man warned against
ary licensing provision in the N. R. A.
code.
Licensing is only one way to dom
mate utterance," Mccormick said. THE
economic attack is an equally effective
In negotiations looking toward a
permanent code for the newspaper In
dustry the newspapers havee been con-
tending for the preservation of the right
of the freedom Of the press as provided
in the constitution and upheld by the
courts
The administrator, I have under
stood. has been insisting on its ehmlna-
ton"
Referring to recent speech by Prof.
Lindsay Rogers, who has the newspaper
code in charge. Mccormick said:
Il note that he says that he does not
intend to limit the freedom of the press !:
that the decisions of the Supreme Court
will be accepted as final, and that the
men who have been championing the
order to pretend to a victory over an
adversary who does not exist.
THE first two Of these statements I
welcome with whole heart. The
third say politely and firmly is an
II will guarantee on the part of the
newspapers of America that If the
charter of their right to freely publish
In the interest Of the people Is fully
set forth in the newspaper code: they
viii ] hail the S sodiner s1n5l as as a a patEio.', @ 49,.
Of the gifted states ssee cor
poration. represented the descendants
OF early st. Paul parishioners at the
celebration and cited the historic sig
nifcance of the day in saying:
AS Americans living in a trying and
difficult time of readjustment we count
ourselves fortunate to have in the living
stones OF this church a constant and
potent reminder Of those vital and un-
assailable principles which have made
and will continue to make America g.
great and enduring Nation"
Decries CommerciaIism.
In decrying the Commercial infiu-
ences" on journalism, Representative
Beck declared undoubtedly newspaper
must be primarily business enterprise,
but if it has no higher conception of its
function in the state than to make
proflts. then indeed its usefulness can
be little. It is just as bad for a news
paper to be Influenced in the express
sion OF its opinion by its large adver-
tlSers as by an arbitrary Government"
New York Weekly Gazette-freedom of
expression necessitated the founding of
another paper.
He delegated himself to report the
assembly election in East Chester. The
Weekly Gazette was partial to the
crowns authorities. Zenger's story was
not printed. The printer quit, obtained
aid, founded news weekly, the journal,
and published his piece.
The Colonial Governor, William S.
Cosby, charged that Zenger's account
which concerned mainly the many ir-
regularitiee in the election to favor the
crown candidateS-waS seditious libel
and sued Zenger.
PLAN HALLOWEEN DANCE