Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-12-25
Blows ut Press
Peril Freedom.
Warning Warns

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In an address before families of fighting 4
delivered in Freeport N. y. on December ), Roane
WoriRg, national commander % the American Legion
acarHed Americans to be the alert against the trend
to,Card bureaucratic government. RECOMMENDATION and
social reforms under the cloak of necessity. The
Detroit Times is reprinting the address in four install
mentS of Chich this is the last:
WE MUST be alert to every kind of development on
w the home front, in order that may appraise its
significance and guide ourselves against the continuous
encroachment of bureaucracy.
Take this injunction suit the ground of monopoly
that has been filed by the department Of justice against
the Associated Press. Possibly very few of you here
tonight have bothered read about this litigation Let
tell you here and that you had better watch this
suit 1t is loaded with dynamite that may explode sud-
denly to shatter of most precious rights-the
freedom of our press.
In the first place in ordinary times such suit
would be deporable it attacks also the right of
tract. There is absolutely justification for the filing
of this suit in time of 1t has relation the
effort.
1t has a deep significance
DUBLIC services subject to regulation by
government because they considered being
impressed with public interest Public utilities therefore,
required get franchises operate. Part of the ;.
perform efficient service and make that available
and all who desire it. Another part of the
sderation regulation and control by the government
There is the meat in the AP suit. This suit is the
entering wedge to have the gathering and dissemination
of news declared public service That may sound all
right to lot of people But here's the danger. If the
collection and dissemination Of is declared public
service, the government VIII then regulate
and control it.
If that happens the freedom Of our press is gone
God forbid that the good old Associated Press, and
United Press and International News Service become
consolidated American DNB
IF THE Nazis win this war, your will be dished
l out by the DNB But if you remain apathetic while
this freedom of thelpress is going
you will let American DNB crop up here right in your
midst
The success of our whole democratic form of self
government depends the extent to which citizens
from whom all the powers Of government should stem,
keep themselves informed They know about every
thing that is going They must know both sides of
controversial question The American press led by
gathering associations, has always done
magnificent job of keeping informed Of all the
that is fit TO print.
For my part, opposed to these attacks under =.
the guse of necessity, and any unnecessary
extension of government red tape, that takes our
executives and workers from their important jobs
production lines. With the crisis in manpower so
acute, why drag executives away from their desks in
order to appear testify in suits that be
filed and disposed of after the war; Why tie the hands
of production managers with yards of red tape?
THE things have outlined to you here examples
of home front responsibilities
My desire is to impress upon you that winning Of
this winning of the peace, and the perpeuaon Of
cherished way Of life demand only above
self from every citizen but also call for eternal vigilance
Those always have been and always will be the price Of
liberty
The American Legion is very proud of our fighting
men, AS demonstration of admiration and affection
for these fighting men, Legionnaires have acted
the amendment of 1919 congressional charter
to make honorably discharged veterans of this
eligible for membership. Since October 90 1912 when
the President signed the bill amending charter,
are two-war American Legion Already hundreds, nay
thousands of honorably discharged veterans of World
War II members of the American Legion.