large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_19_belloc_64kb_13
large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_19_belloc_64kb
English
7264
We take such things for granted nowadays. WE TAKE SUCH THINGS FOR GRANTED NOWADAYS
 us hope already a partly innocuous joke. With this increasing and cumulative effect of truth-telling, even when that truth is marred or distorted by enthusiasm, all the disabilities under which it has suffered will coincidently weaken. The strongest force of all against people's hearing the truth--the arbitrary power still used by the political lawyers to suppress Free writing--will, I think, weaken. The Courts, after all, depend largely upon the mass of opinion. Twenty years ago, for instance, an accusation of bribery brought against some professional politician would have been thought a monstrosity, and, however true, would nearly always have given the political lawyers, his colleagues, occasion for violent repression. To-day the thing has become so much a commonplace that all appeals to the old illusion would fall flat. The presiding lawyer could not put on an air of shocked incredulity at hearing that such-and-such a Minister had been mixed up in such-and-such a financial scandal. HAT TIME BE A JOKE AND LET US HOPE ALREADY A PARTLY INNOXIOUS JOKE WITH THIS INCREASING AND CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF TRUTH TELLING EVEN WHEN THAT TRUTH IS MARRED OR DISORDERED BY ENTHUSIASM ALL THE DISABILITIES UNDER WHICH IT IS SUFFERED WILL COINCIDENTLY WEAKEN THE STRONGEST FORCE OF ALL AGAINST PEOPLE'S HEARING THE TRUTH THE ARBITRARY POWER STILL USED BY POLITICAL LAWYERS TO SUPPRESS FREE WRITING WILL I THINK WEAKEN THE COURTS AFTER ALL DEPEND LARGELY UPON THE MASS OF OPINION TWENTY YEARS AGO FOR INSTANCE AN ACCUSATION OF BRIBERY BROUGHT AGAINST SOME PROFESSIONAL POLITICIAN WOULD HAVE BEEN THOUGHT A MONSTROSITY AND HOWEVER TRUE WOULD NEARLY ALWAYS HAVE GIVEN THE POLITICAL LAWYERS HIS COLLEAGUES OCCASION FOR VIOLENT REPRESSION TO DAY THE THING HAS BECOME SO MUCH A COMMONPLACE THAT ALL APPEALS TO THE OLD ILLUSION WOULD FALL FLAT THE PRESIDING LAWYER COULD NOT PUT ON AN AIR OF SHOCKED INCREDULITY AT HEARING THAT SUCH AND SUCH A MINISTER HAD BEEN MIXED UP IN SUCH AND SUCH A FINANCIAL SCANDAL
large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_19_belloc_64kb
file
download/librilight/large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_19_belloc_64kb.flac