COOLIDGE AND THE PRESS

President Coolidge, on the first day of the new year, made public an appeal to the press for united support of the government's foreign policy, particularly in Central and South America. As stated in the New York Times his position is the following:

"The President holds that the criticism directed against the Administration, suggesting a departure from the present policy is injuring the standing of the United States in Latin-America because of the possibility that our attitude may be misunderstood by some articles in the American press. Some of these articles, the President holds, create the impression that American sentiment is divided. This is not the case, he feels. Foreign governments, in his opinion, are frequently misled into supposing that the American people are not behind the Administration's policy... the President feels that it is important that the attitude of the press should make it plain that it supports the government when it is doing what it can to protect American interests at home and abroad. . . . ."

This is an amazing confession of faith for the President of a free and democratic republic to make particularly in times of peace. Mr. Coolidge definitely condemns public opposition to and criticism of American foreign policy. With amusing inconsistency he purports to base his appeal in part on the conviction that American sentiment is united in support of the government's policy although the reason for his appeal is the opposition to this policy in a large part of the press. Clearly the real purpose is to gag an opposition which is becoming increasingly embarrassing in the pursuit of the highly questionable action toward Nicaragua and Mexico.

The spirit of the President's statement is inspired by that same fallary which led to the Sedilen Acts of 1798 and 1918. He speaks of the opposition as an American as if the United States were founded on the medieval principle of the divine right of Kings, of the inalienable sovereignty of the government, whereas it is founded on the principle of the sovereignty of the people and of representative government. In order that the people may properly exercise this sovereignty, the fullest discussion of public men and measures must hot only be permitted but encouraged. The government is given a mandate to carry out the will of the people of the United States and this is the only conceivable method by which it can be Coordinated whether it is fulfilling function. President Coolidge needs to brash up on his high school civies.