Evening star., 1935-03-24
DENIAL OF FREE SPEECH
SEEN If ORDER CHANGES
America Must Resort to Suppression if
Necessary to Prevent Destruction
of Ri ghts, Observer Says.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.


politics in the familiar terms
~ of Republican versus Demo-
crat, of who will get the
Republican presidential nomination
next year, of whether Huey Long will
have a third party, of whether Gen.
Hugh johnson will next year 90 back
TO his native Oklahoma and try to
displace the venerable (and admir-
able) Senator Thomas Gore.
All that is, under present conditions
In America, mere chit-chat. the polit-
ical gossip characteristic of the calm
America of the past. What Is really
fundamental in American politics
today is a tug -of-war between two
groups of forces and of men, one group
pulling us toward a new conception
OF society and government. the other
trying to hold America to our old
time mooring of democracy.
In that struggle a test Is about to
take place. Yet hardly one person in
ten recognizes this test as what IL is.
Indeed, hardly one in ten realizes the
elemental character of the struggle
that is on. If democracy is to be pre-
served in America. one of our great
having the patience and the particu-
lar kind of ability necessary to make
the new kind of issue clear to the
people.
On Free Speech.
The immediate issue. the immediate
test in the larger struggle, can be put
in the form of paradox: In order to
save free speech. there comes time
when it is necessary to deny free
speech.
A citizen of Great Britain, Mr..
Evelyn John Strachey. apparently a
believer in Communism. now lectur-
ing in the United States, has been
arrested and is threatened with de-
portation. The charge is that upon
his application for permission to enter
the United States he made false an
swers-presumably the answer that
contained falsiflcations. if one did,
failed to reveal Mr.. Strachey's views
about organized society. This Strachey
incident is one of many recent ones,
all rejecting concern upon the part
Of officials and of the people about the
propagation of sentiments which aim
at destruction of the existing order OF
society in the United States and sub
stitution of another.
Mr.. Strachey is defended, and the
action of the Government is violently
condemned, by those who believe,
many of them passionately, in free
dom of speech as an essential, perma-
nent and never -to-be-interrupted rule
OF life and government in the United
States. But let us look below the sur
face.
Experiments in Government.
There are in the world three con-
spicuous new experiments in govern
ment and society: Communism in
Russia, Fascism in Italy, Nazi in Ger
many. To think of the three as sepa-
rate is a mistake. The three are
varying manifestations of one funda-
mental conception. The central fact
to keep our eyes on is that there Is
one new conception of government
and society in the world, manifestlng
itself in three differing forms in three
great countries.
This new conception is frankly a
challenge to democracy. 1t is a sub
stitute for democracy and it under
takes to destroy democracy. So long
as the new conception lasts, democ-
racy in America is endangered. Our
democracy is endangered not merely
through direct propaganda coming
from exponents of the new conception
in Europe. Democracy is endangered
also by temptation on the part OF
- iTN,i& &of HI
new.
Without naming all the character
istics Of the new conception of gov
ernment, one outstanding and basic
feature of it is necessary for America
to consider right now. The new con-
ception Of government absolutely ex-
cludes freedom of speech. In Russia
freedom of speech is rigidly sup
pressed; freedom of speech accom-
panied by purpose of changing the
government was recently suppressed
in Russia by mass executions directed
by the government. In Germany
there is no pretense Of freedom of
speech; recently leaders of minority,
dissatisfied with the government,
were subjected to purge" which
included wholesale executions di-
rected by the Nazi government. In
Italy likewise there is no pretense of
freedom OF speech; one of MuSsolini's
methods of suppression a few years
ago consisted of subjecting the free
speaker to forced consumption Of
large quantities of castor oil.
Here, then, is the picture: A new
conception of society which denies
freedom of speech is attempting to
get a foothold in America. The
American system not only permits
but exalts freedom of speech. What
now must America do? We are in
danger Of succlunbing to a concep-
tion of government which denies free
dom OF speech-and our own wor-
SHIPPED freedom of speech handicaps
us for defense against the New Deal.
To state it in slightly different words,
freedom Of speech in America is in
danger of being lost through attacks
on the American system of society
from advocates of a new system
which, once it gets its foothold, will
not permit freedom of speech at all.
The Way Out.
What then is the answer? About
that there can be no possible doubt.
a We cannot permit the freedom Of
speech, which we prize, to prevent us
from safeguarding this very principle.
We cannot allow our belief of free
dom of speech to prevent us from re-
sisting introduction of form of So
ciety which, If it wins in America,
will destroy freedom of speech Gas
we'll as the independence Of the courts
and many of our other priced institu-
tions).
The situation prevents opportunity
for abstruse argument by those who
deal In dialectic refnementS. But as
q practical matter there need be no
4 hesitation. We cannot permit de-
struction of our freedom of speech
by invasion from another conception
which does not permit freedom of
speech. If we are to save our own
freedom of speech we must, in this
4 time Of conflict. deny freedom of
Sneech to those who wish to destroy