The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-04-30
By O'BOYLE

Should Americans be free to speak!
The Bill of Rights says so. AS far
as the federal power goes the young
and old of all shades of difference
are free by argument to maintain all
their opinions and beliefs.
But. suppose an American citizen
has opinions and convictions against
the poverty and Illustration so much
in evidence about him, is he free to
say the Capitalistic system has failed.
The Bill of Rights says he has that
right The hundred-percenters will
object, of course They will say that
freedom of speech-the Constitution
and Bill of Rights Notwithstanding
places our Democracy in danger;
information may reach those with
whom we are at war. Opposition to
the governments current schemes to
protect Democracy" Capitalism now
to most of u.s. may be fostered.
true. But who hopes to cure the ills
of our weakened real democracy by
remedy that kills the last pulsations
of it's life?
Senator Borah said in the United
States Senate, April 10, 1917, while
speaking on the Spy bill: "If speech
is not independent and untrammeled
if the mind is shackled or made i'm
potent through fear, it makes no diff
ference under what form of govern
ment you live you are subject not
citizen Republics are not in and
of themselves better than other forms
of governments except in so far as
they carry with them and guarantee |
to the citizen that liberty of thought |
and action for which they are estab
lished" Borah states that even in |
time of war the citizen should be
able to exercise freedom of express
sion. He would rather the armies of
the country be lost in battle than
that freedom be lost. He says of
freedom Of the press, "a free and in
dependent press, as historic incidents
show, may be of greater service than
any other single feature of a great
conflict"
If he is not correct, then we will
fight for democracy in no sense
democracy except in name. When
our fascistic American capital in
school and shop, in SNUG positions
of any branch of the federal relief
and emergency programs, dismiss citi-
zens because they express their
thoughts, the question arises Should
have the freedom of speech
spoken of in the Bill of Rights?" :.
If Americans have not that right
then clearly Americans have not much +
to fight for at this or any other time. }
Our real democracy is gone. :
Many of us feel that the little Amer '
can Hitlers scattered here and there t
N little pompous dignity by destroy c
ng freedom of speech are making pos d
,ible before war is yet upon us, r
war of corruption, greed, hysteria, v
diseased food, false re- g
ports, spying and littleness and crimes
If all descriptions c
The only remedy and safe guard t
against these is the citizens freedom n
# speech n
Can we appeal to the more enlight- 0
ned of all these oppressors-to such
Kings as the Chambers of Commerce
md say that when free speech is 0
one all national self criticism is des- n
royed the flow of good faith cor lie
upted. 81
Can we appeal to the domestic enc IL
ny and beg him not to crush our pa fl
riotism by smearing us with emo W
ional titles.
We, too, are Americans, we too, are e,
itizens. We really love our country "
nd our institutions so we'll that we tt