Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, MARCH 5. 1918. FREE SPEECH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1797, 5 March 1918, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, MARCH 5. 1918. FREE SPEECH.

ONE of the audience at the meeting of Protestants in the Town Hall last Friday, for the purpose of forming a local branch of the P.P.A., expressed disappointment that the meeting was so orderly. He informed us that he attended in anticipation of “seeing some fun,” AAT> sincerely hope that a Foxton audience will not do anything to sully its good reputation by acts of rowdyism at public meetings. As a democratic people we must safeguard the privilege of free speech. If persons who lake the public platform to champion any public cause go beyond bounds, the law provides the penalty. No section of the public has the fight to howl down, disturb, intimidate or assault public speakers. Such tactics defeat the object: sought to be attained, and crealq sympathy and active support on behalf of those so attacked. Take, for example, the attacks on the Rev. Howard Elliott in connection with the formation of the Protestant Political Association. Has militant opposition, and attempted personal violence done his cause good or ill? If the movement and its organiser had been left alone it is a hundred chances to one that 1 ho s Protestant Political Association would have fizzled out within a short time, but if anything happens to Elliott a hundred will till thq breach, and a sectarian Avar will be waged in this country Avhieh is not pleasant to contemplate. The tactics adopted by the extreme Labour Party in attempting to throttle free-J dom of speech by those opposed to thenp is doing irreparable harm to the cause of Labour. There must be an appeal to reason, and each side should be given a fair hearing Avhen placing their views before the public.