Freedom of Speech in War Times (Paperback, Annotated edition)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1919 edition. Excerpt: ... FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN WAR TIME. By Zechariah Chafee, Jr., Harvard Law School. Never in the history of our country, since the Alien and Sedition Laws of 1798, has the meaning of free speech been the subject of such controversy as to-day.1 Over 200 prosecutions and other judicial proceedings during the war, involving speeches, newspaper articles, pamphlets, and books, have been followed since the armistice by a widespread legislative consideration of bills punishing the advocacy of extreme radicalism. It is becoming increasingly important to 1 Bibliographical Note.--Important decisions under the Federal espionage act are printed in the various Federal and United States Supreme Court reports; the bulletins of the Department of Justice on the interpretation of war statutes (cited hereafter as Bull. Dept. Just.) contain many nisi prius rulings and charges not otherwise reported. The cases before July, 1918, have been collected by Walter Nelles in a pamphlet, Espionage Act Cases, with certain others on related points, published by the National Liberties Bureau, New York. This has some State cases and gives a careful analysis of the decisions. The bureau has also published War-Time Prosecutions and Mob Violence, involving the rights of free speech, free press, and pea-eful assemblage (from Apr. 1, 1917, to Mar. 1, 1919), containing an annotated list of prosecutions, convictions, exclusions from the mail, etc.; and "The Law of the Debs Case" (leaflet). Mr. Nelles has submitted to Attorney General Palmer "A memorandum concerning political prisoners within the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice in 1919" (MS. copy owned by the Harvard Law School Library). The enforcement of the espionage af-t and similar statutes is officially summarized in the...