Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-11-22
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

49, - oVNhV 1hhASdAAOh bhtb W Z may Yet ndfC IdiSCd
in the United States the issue of the 'tfree press The
basis of the issue is, of course, the much discussed code
Tor the American newspaper under the NRA. Many
newspaper publishers have been insisting that there be
placed In the code a clause safeguarding the right of the
editor to express his own free opinions without ~interfer-
ence by the government. Some of the administration
representatives helping to promulgate the code had re-
piled that such a clause is unnecessary because the free
dom of the press is guaranteed in the Constitution of the
United States.
To this has come the inevitable reply that since things
are now being done which seem to stretch some of the
provisions of the Constitution, and if the clause of a free
press is unnecessary, it is certainly not harmful, and that
it ought to be agreed to. The very fact that there is some
opposition to the insertion of a clause on the subject of
freedom of the press has in itself given rise to suspicion,
whether well founded or not, that there is a ''nigger in
the wood plle' somewhere and that some newspaper at a
date in the future might find itself deprived of its right
to operate If those in charge of the code did not like the
editorial policy of the paper. Licensing of radio stations,
it is pointed out, has not had a tendency to increase the
freedom and independence of the broadcasting companies.
One of those predicting freedom of the press, as an
issue III 1884 and 1896 was former Senator Watson of
Indiana, who declared recently in an interview in Chi
cago that the question would be whether or not the gov
eminent could attempt to impose wartime regulations
upon public discussion in time of peace.
"While the press has not been very friendly to me at
times" the former senator said, "n my judgment a
vigorous attempt on the part of the government to censor
editorial comment would lead straight to revolution
He said the depression has left the people Of America
in a daze and that they are willing to try almost any,
thing as an e%xpedient, but that they would not consent to
any attempt to abridge their right to speak out their sim
cere convictions.
cat no time in the history of this country, as I see it,
he said, "was an absolutely unfettered press so indispen-
sable as right now"
lie said the "talk about newspapers being 'disloyal'
and 'unpatriotic' at this time is all poppycock.'
He added there were times when he felt like curbing
one or two newspapers, but that he had the remedy of
the libel laws if he had cared to use them.
"When / hear people talking about 'unrestrained lie
ense of the press" he said, 1T know they are talking
through their hats. 1t is just as unlawful for a news
paper to utter a libel as it is for any citizen. We ought to
be done with the ~sophistry that criticism, based on reas-
oned judgment, is a libel or an unpatriotic thing.'
He said he believed Washington was making some
grieyous mistakes and that "they probably will make
some more"
And / propose he added, ''lke every other citizenl
u eay what / honestly think. And if I know anything at
III about the editors Of this country ' ' ' there will be
nanY " them laying in on the experimenters in Wash
nYoa pretty heavily before many moons.'
AnyAow, il can be said in passing, that those who
1eafeG there might be a dearth Of issues in the next cam
palgns car now cease their worrying. The campaigns of
~ and 1876 promise to have as many issues as would
ordinarily supply a half dozen campaigns.