The Commoner,
TOLiUKE 12, NUMBER 5j
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LIBERTY OP SPEECH
They have a "Citizens Protective League" In
Denver, one object of which is to protect the
city and individuals from gross libel. It is per
fectly proper that the press should have all the
liberty necessary for the discharge of its im
portant functions but in too many instances
liberty has meant license, and even the public is
entitled to protection from injustice. We have
recently had some notable examples of misrep
resentation by newspapers. One newspaper was
so explicit In publishing false charges that Theo
dore Roosevelt was a drunkard that Mr. Roose
velt brought libel suit against the editor and
while libel suits are not, as a rule, satisfactory
In their results, it Is well that Mr. Roosevelt
saw fit to run down this particular libel, and
the result will probably be, that we will hear
no more of this false accusation. A similar and
equally false accusation was made against
Speaker Clark. The story is told by a writer
in the Hartford Courant in this way:
Somebody clipped an editorial article from a
Chambersburg newspaper and mailed 1t to the
speaker of the house. It dealt with and con
demned a statement made by a normal-school
teacher named Barbour. The statement was
that Hon. Champ Clark had a lecture date at
Ann Arbor the seat of the University of Michi
gan but was so drunk when the time came
that the mortified local members of his Greek
letter fraternity "took him to their chapter
house so that he could 'sleep it off' and not make
a spectacle of himself. Mr. Clark wrote to the
Chambersburg editor, and his communication
was published in the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
He has lectured in Ann Arbor three times, he
says; the last time was a year or two ago. On
that occasion and on no other occasion he
was the guest of the local members of his fra
ternity. They met him at the depot and took
him to the chapter house. There he dined, read
wrote letters, took a nap, and ate his supper.
"That night," he continues, "I lectured before
an immense audience, and received a vast
amount of applause. I never had a finer recep
tion anywhere, and never lectured in better
form."
Now as to the Ylpsilantl normal-school
teacher's atory. Of that, In this letter to the
Chambersburg editor, Speaker Clark says:
"Barbour's statement is a malicious lie, made
out of whole cloth. I never took a drink at Ann
Arbor in my life. I was never to any extent
whatever under the influence of intoxicating
liquor at Ann Arbor in my life. I never did
drink much at any time. I have not tasted in
toxicating liquor in any shape, form or fashion
since the fifth day of July, 1904. I
have just written to Barbour notifying him that
he must retract his statement or suffer the con
sequences. Colonel Roosevelt felt under the
necessity of suing two editors for slander on
the same subject. I have been lied about until
my patience is threadbare."
A general discussion, on the point at issue,
Is now going on among the newspapers and the
better class of papers are denouncing the libel
practice in unmeasured terms. The Brooklyn
Citizen says:
Speaker Clark seems to bo abundantly justi
fied in taking legal action against tho western
professor, of prohibition proclivities, who
charged him with drunkenness. The charge was
made under what appear -to bo peculiarly exas
perating circumstances. The lecture being de
livered had no relation to politics in the1 ordi
nary sense, and called for no sort of attack upon
tho personal habits of any public man. The
libeller had to go out of bis way to utter the
baseless accusation of which Speaker Clark now
complains.
What ho said in substance was that Mr. Clark
had become so much under the influence of
liquor at Ann Arbor that he was unable to fill
an engagement to deliver an address. The re
ply to this Is complete. First of all, it is un
true as to Ann Arbor or any other place; and
second, it Ss manifestly false In every possible
aspect, since Mr. Clark, who never was given
to tho excessive use of liquor, has not used it
in any form for more than eight years. Under
these circumstances, it is not difficult to sympa
thize with Mr. Clark when he says that he has
been lied about until his patlonce has been worn
threadbare. Patience plainly ceases to be a vir
tue when it gives encouragement to men of
tho typo of the offender In this case to go about
the country defaming public men.
That Mr. Roosevelt has had a similar ex
perience, is well known. Ho, too, was held up
to criticism as given to excess In the flowing
bowl. From one end of the country to the
other, and for months before the nomination at
Chicago was made, this attempt to discredit Mr.
CHRISTMAS
While the Christmas bells are ringing out the
message of good win,
And the echoes fling the tidings over ov ry Tale
and hill; ...
While the Christmas star is shining with, a
radiance the same
As it had that wondrous morning when the
blessed Christ Child came;
When we raise our voices, singing songs of
earnest, loving praise u...
For the joys that lie about us, making bright
our earthly ways
Let us give a thought to others who in joy
have little part
'Till we've learned the blessed lesson keeping
Christmas in the heart.
Hark! Above the Christmas carols heaT the
children's plaintive cry; .
Hear the broken sobs of widows doomed by
pestilence to die
In the tenements so fetid; victims of inhuman
greed
Slaughtered to the god of Mammon they for
justice vainly plead.
See the pallid little faces, hear them vainly beg
for crumbs;
See the noisome hives of humans where no
Christmas ever comes.
You who have enough of blessings ne'er can
have a rightful part
In the real joys of Christmas till you've Christ
mas in the heart.
While the Christmas bells are ringing out their
messages so clear,
Go ye out among your fellows, spread the gospel
of good cheer.
From some heart bowed down in sorrow lift the
bitter load of woe;
In some home with gloom o'ershadowed spread
the cheerful Christmas glow;
To some child, some weeping widow, working
out a wretched lot
Take a share of Christmas blessing show them
God has not forgot.
Just, divide your Christmas blessings, give un-
'fortunates a part,
And you'll double joys of Christmas keeping
Christmas in the heart. W. M. M.
Roosevelt in the estimation of his sober-minded
countrymen was kept up, sometimes insidiously
and at others In the openest manner, as if it
were the least dangerous of crimes to blacken
the character of a president or possible president
of the United States.
The only victims or sufferers from this sort
of defamation have not been Roosevelt or Clark.
It is notorious that many of the best -men In the
public life of the country have been similarly
assailed, and by essentially the same-kind of
people, people who make abstinence from liquor
the one supreme test of morality, and who de
cline to regard veracity as of much importance.
It will be a decided service to good politics, as
well as good morals, if either Mr. Clark or Mr.
Roosevelt, or both, resolve to bring about the
punishment of some few of their more con
spicuous vilifiers.
In reply to Speaker Clark's demand Mr. Bar
bour wrote the speaker an apology and with
drew his false words.
Joseph W. Bailey, ex-Senator Nelson W Aid
rich, Oscar W. Underwood, Frank A. Hunee
and prominent New York bankers. It was a
particularly happy thought on the part of Mr
Ryan to call in Mr. Munsey, referred to in publi
city channels as one of the 'angels.' "
Surely Editor Perkins can not have over
looked the statement authorized by Mr. Under
wood's friends to the effect that this dinner was
"purely social" and of no political significance.
VALUE OF THE CHAUTAUQUA
Mr. Bryan said recently, as an introduction
to one of his lectures: "I have for seventeen
.years been using the Chautauqua platform as
a means of reaching the public and I ac
knowledge an increasing appreciation of the
opportunity which it affords for presenting
a message. I did not think it presump
tious to aspire to go from the Chautauqua
platform to the White House and, had 1 been
elected, I would not have considered it a
stepping down to return from the White HouEe
to the Chautauqua platform. In a land like
ours, where public opinion rules, it is surely an
honorable ambition to sedk to aid in the mold
ing of an opinion that will compel such govern
mental action as is proper and restrain such
governmental practices as are improper. In
some respects, a Chautauqua audience is superior
to a political audience. In a political audience
one's auditors are broadly speaking, divided into
three groups. In the first group are political
friends who come with a predisposition to accept
what is said; in the second group are political
opponents who are predisposed to reject what is
said; in the third group are those who come
from curiosity and who retire when their
curiosity is satisfied. A Chautauqua audience is
composed of those who come because they want
to hear and who listen that they may hear.
They remember anything that is worth remem
bering and they multiply any good seed that
may be sown. I am glad that more and more
of our public men are giving time to the Chau
tauqua platform. It gives the people a chance
to learn from public men their views on im
portant public questions without campaign
coloring; it gives public men a chance to come
in touch with the people and to feel the public
pulse; and last, but not least, it affords a
legitimate means of adding to one's income
a means not to be underestimated at this time
when predatory interests seek to allure public
men from duty by secret employment."
POOR OLD WALL STREET!
Call-loan Interest touching 20 per cent has
brought forth the familiar cry that the treas
ury should help out poor old Wall street 'by
dumping surplus money Into the mart
Really, the case is pitiful! Country banks
havo recalled for business use much of the
money they commonly keep In Wall street; and
now, with war rumors and peace assurances
following each other at shprt Intervals, and
perfectly lovely gambling weather, thore Is a
shortage of chips. "Underspeculation" Is com
plained of, which sounds an impossibility.
There are two measures that might help. One
is to reduce taxation so that tho treasury will
not collect so many unneeded millions; this we
hope to see done soon. The other is to make
usury illegal south as well as north of Trinity's
afternoon shadow and thus abolish privilege.
Neither would make Wall street wholly happy.
For tho present, if Secretary MacVeagh does
"come to the relief" of stock-gambling he will
find the trail well worn by obsequious predeces-sors.-r-New
York World.
AN ENGLISH EARL AND AN AMERICAN'
REPORTER
A New York dispatch to the Los Angles
Tribune says: The earl of Leven and Melville
sail for home on the Carmania to enjoy the
Yuletide.
Reporters observed that his trousers bagged
at tho knees.
"Your grace," began the first reporter of the
group, and blushed. He could not help glancing
at the knees.
"I say," cried the earl, "do you know you
have marvelous assurance, You don't even
know me. You have not been presented." ( t
"My lord," interposed- another reporter, "its
customary for us to introduce ourselves when
we discover a distinguished personage."
"Bally rot!" declared his lordship. "I know
your sort. Why, in England the press men,
don't you know, would not dare to do sucti
a thing." ..
"But we're not in England, my dear sir,
was suggested.
"Very wdll; I know it. You Americans are
unique. I've read about you. You know wnai
to say better than I can tell you. Go aneaa,
print it. You know everything." . . .
"Have you seen any of our girls that migm
have caught your fancy?"
The earl took on an aeroplane flight.
'Well, fancy!" he exclaimed. "What cnee-
n o nnooHnnl TTw tJCktnt nllRlird !
"How is your lordship's health?" queried la
reporter who hasn't been on the Jod iont. "
had appendicitis or something when you caroa
over here, didn't you?" . n. T
"It's nobody's business what I had. un.
sayyou are unique. Awfully un,ue'nJJt
American newspaper reporters. Fancy, u
you want to know when I had the measit.
Gad! But you are unique!"
what
PURELY SOCIAL
Tho Sioux City (la.) Journal, a republican
paper, .says: "A recent dinner by Thomas F.
Ryan was. organized as a company for mutual
protection. Among- the guests were Senator
TOO EARLY?
conference
The 'republican governors held a col
and decided that it was too eany u .u"""larty
the effort to re-organize tho republican par
and put it in lighting trim
late?
Too early or
M
