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To Our Press-Writers
There is never a lack of opportunities
for the American Press-Writers’ Association to get in their work
to good advantage. There never has been a time since government
of man by man began, that watchmen were not needed to see that the
ruling classes did not seek, stealthily or openly, to enlarge their
power over the governed, by securing new legislative enactments,
by new imperial decrees, by new judicial rulings, or by new interpretations
of older statutes, decrees, judicial rulings, etc., etc.
The recent assassination of a chief
ruler of the United States has been seized upon and apparently welcomed,
by the ruling classes in this country as a suitable occasion for
securing additional legislation in their interest. Ever since the
death of William Mckinley [sic] the organs of the party of which
he was a member, and also many leaders of opinion that do not belong
to that party, have been urging that new laws should be enacted
by our national legislature, abridging the freedom of speech and
of press and making it more clear than ever before that this government
is not one of equal rights but that the lives of rulers should be
safeguarded in ways that are not thought necessary for the safety
of the average citizen—or, more correctly speaking, of the
masses.
In obedience to this demand for new
legislation—legislation in line with the imperialistic, the archistic
tendencies of our national government, an “anti-anarchy bill” has
been reported to the so-called house of representatives at Washington.
A Chicago daily—“The Chronicle”—of
recent date has this to say in regard to the proposed monarchic
legislation:
The house committee on judiciary
has reported an anti-anarchy bill surprisingly sweeping in its
provisions. Even if the legislation is discreet, it will be
difficult to enforce and can hardly be expected to run the gauntlet
of the courts.
Judging the effect of the proposed
legislation by the history of a law somewhat similar in its object,
the so-called “Comstock” postal law, it will depend on the ignorance
and the prejudices of judge and jury as to whether the accused shall
be adjudged guilty and punished for exercising his citizen rights
or not.
* * *
The plain duty, then, of every man
and woman who would prevent the arbitrary use of power—power whose
use necessarily means —is to prevent
the enactmen [sic] of laws under which such abuses can be sheltered,
made respectable and honorable, that is, made !
The only way to prevent such legislative enactments is to create
a public conscience that will be felt and heeded by our national
law-makers. The way to create such public conscience is to “,
, ,”
as the old Abolitionists used to say and do.
For this purpose there is nothing
equal to the public press. Therefore, while we still have a modicum
of freedom of press, let us use that freedom to the utmost of our
ability, to prevent the loss of what freedom we still have.
Not only should our Press-Writers
use every opening to get in their protest against the proposed “anti-anarchy”
legislation, but every freedom-lover should do the same. Whether
we sympathize with the doctrines called “anarchistic” or not, our
legislators should be shown the dangers of such enactments. Anything
may be called anarchistic that opposes the party that happens to
be in power.
* * *
Another excellent way to prevent
the enactment of bills into laws, such as that spoken of in the
quotation from the “Chronicle,” is the writing of personal letters
to the members of congress by their constituents, and by the public
in general. If these office-loving congressmen should receive hundreds
or thousands of letters every week, protesting against the new un-American
legislation, they would soon come to the conclusion that their chances
of re-election would be endangered by a vote in favor of the bill
to suppress or limit the freedom of speech and of press.
* * *
To our Press-Writers, and to all
readers of this issue, who may think that back numbers of Lucifer
would be good educational documents to help build up a healthy public
sentiment on the question of suppression of speech and press, we
would say that we have many hundreds of surplus copies of the paper
issued since the assassination of McKinley, that we would be glad
to send to such readers and helpers as will send us the amount of
necessary postage thereon. Also, we have many thousands of surplus
copies of numbers issued previous to the date named, that would
be promptly sent on the same terms.
Please let us know at once how many
copies to send to each reader who cares to help in this work. Never
was there a time when prompt action was more necessary than at the
present moment.
Not a single day or hour should be
lost through apathy or procrastination.
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