"Oh, you may speak before Mr. Verriman," said Cord. "He knows the
situation--knows your brother--knows my children--knows about you.
In fact, we were just speaking about your paper when you came
in. However, I must tell you that Mr. Verriman doesn't approve of
_Liberty_. At least, I believe I understood you right, Eddie." And Mr.
Cord, having thus assured himself a few minutes to regain his poise,
leaned back comfortably in his chair.
"What's wrong with the paper, Mr. Verriman?" said Ben, pleasantly.
Eddie did not love the adventure of mental combat, but he was no
coward. "It seems to me," he said, "that it preaches such radical
changes in our government that it is seditious. To be frank, Mr.
Moreton, I think the government ought to suppress it."
"But we don't break the law. The government can't suppress us."
"Then the laws ought to be changed so that it can."
"That's all we advocate, Mr. Verriman, the changing of the law. It
isn't any more seditious for me to say it than for you to, is it?"
Of course in Eddie's opinion it was--much, much more seditious. Only
somehow it was a difficult point to make clear, if a person was so
wrongheaded he couldn't see it for himself. The point was that he,
Eddie, was right in wanting the laws changed and Moreton was wrong.
Anyone, it seemed to Eddie, would agree to that, unless he happened
to agree with Moreton beforehand, and those were just the people who
ought to be deported, imprisoned, or even perhaps in rare instances,
as examples, strung up to lamp-posts.
Pages:
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49