Chapter XXIV: Appendix: III

TEXT AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT OF 1918

Title I, § 3, as amended, reads as follows (Act of May 16, 1918, c. 75, § 1, _U. S. Comp. Stat._, 1918, § 10212_c_). The italicized words punish language for remote tendencies: _Cf._ the Sedition Act of 1798.

“Whoever, _when the United States is at war_, shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States, or to promote the success of its enemies, or shall willfully make or convey false reports or false statements, or say or do anything except by way of bona fide and _not disloyal_ advice to an investor or investors, with intent to obstruct the sale by the United States of bonds or other securities of the United States or the making of loans by or to the United States, and whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully cause, or attempt to cause, or incite or attempt to incite, insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or shall willfully obstruct or attempt to obstruct the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, and whoever, when the United States is at war, shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any _disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag of the United States, or the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States, or any language intended to bring the form of government of the United States, or the Constitution of the United States, or the military or naval forces of the United States, or the flag of the United States, or the uniform of the Army or Navy of the United States into contempt, scorn, contumely, or disrepute_, or shall willfully utter, print, write, or publish any language intended to incite, provoke, or encourage resistance to the United States, or to promote the cause of its enemies, or shall willfully display the flag of any foreign enemy, or shall willfully by utterance, writing, printing, publication, or language spoken, urge, incite, or advocate any curtailment of production in this country of any thing or things, product or products, necessary or essential to the prosecution of the war in which the United States may be engaged, with intent by such curtailment to cripple or hinder the United States in the prosecution of the war, and whoever shall willfully advocate, teach, defend, or _suggest_ the doing of any of the acts or things in this section enumerated, and whoever shall _by word or act support or favor the cause of any country with which the United States is at war or by word or act oppose the cause of the United States therein_, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than twenty years, or both: Provided, That any employee or official of the United States Government who commits any _disloyal_ act or utters any _unpatriotic or disloyal language_, or who, in an _abusive and violent manner criticizes the Army or Navy or the flag of the United States_ shall be at once dismissed from the service. Any such employee shall be dismissed by the head of the department in which the employee may be engaged, and any such official shall be dismissed by the authority having power to appoint a successor to the dismissed official.”

The conspiracy, harboring, and search-warrant sections of the Act of 1917 apply to the section just quoted; and also the mail provisions, which were amended on May 16, 1918, by the addition of a section authorizing the Postmaster General, “upon evidence satisfactory to him that any person or concern is using the mails” in violation of the Espionage Act, to have all mail of every kind addressed to that person or concern returned to the sender. (Act, May 16, 1918, c. 75, §2; _U. S. Comp. Stat._, 1918, § 10401 d. See Carroll, in 17 _Mich. L. Rev._ 689.)

Cases involving the new crimes created by the Espionage Act of 1918, reported in the _Bulletins of the Department of Justice on the Interpretation of War Statutes_, the _Federal Reporter_, and the _U. S. Reports_, through 1919, are as follows:

(1) Obstruction of war loans. United States _v._ Bold, _Bull._ 183 (Ore., Wolverton, J.); United States _v._ Brackett, _Bull._ 170 (E. D. Mo., Munger, J.); Kumpula _v._ United States, 261 Fed. 49 (C. C. A. 9th, 1919, per Hunt, J.); Hall _v._ United States, 256 Fed. 748, _Bull._ 189 (C. C. A. 4th, 1919, per Pritchard, J.).

(2) Disloyal, etc. language about form of government of United States. Abrams _v._ United States, 40 Sup. Ct. Rep. 17 (1919) (Clarke, J.; Holmes, J., dissenting.)

(3) Language intended to defame form of government. Abrams _v._ United States, _supra_.

(4) Disloyal, etc. language about military or naval forces. United States _v._ Buessel, _Bull._ 131 (Conn., 1918, Howe, J.); United States _v._ Curran, _Bull._ 140 (S. D. N. Y., 1918, L. Hand, J.); United States _v._ Martin, _Bull._ 157 (E. D. Tenn., 1918, Sanford, J.; criticism of President’s military policy is within this clause since he is commander-in-chief of army and navy); United States _v._ Equi, _Bull._ 172 (Ore., 1918, Bean, J.); Partan _v._ United States, 261 Fed. 515 (C. C. A. 9th, 1919, per Hunt, J.).

(5) Language intended to defame the military or naval forces. United States _v._ Equi, _supra_; United States _v._ Vevig, _Bull._ 162 (Alaska, 1918, Bunnell, J.); Partan _v._ United States, _supra_.

(6) Disloyal, etc. language about flag. United States _v._ Buessel, _supra_.

(7) Language intended to defame the flag. United States _v._ Equi, _supra_.

(8) Language intended to incite, etc. resistance to United States or promote cause of enemies. United States _v._ Zademack, _Bull._ 143 (N. D. Oh., 1918, Westenhaver, J.); United States _v._ Debs, _Bull._ 155 (N. D. Oh., 1918, Westenhaver, J.); United States _v._ Martin, _supra_; United States _v._ Weist, _Bull._ 169 (E. D. Mo., 1918, Munger, J.); United States _v._ Equi, _supra_; United States _v._ Carlson, _Bull._ 185 (W. D. Wash., 1918, Neterer, J.); United States _v._ Albers, _Bull._ 191 (Ore., 1919, Wolverton, J.); United States _v._ Dodge, _Bull._ 202 (W. D. N. Y., 1919, Hazel, J.); 258 Fed. 300 (C. C. A. 2d, 1919, Rogers, J.); certiorari denied, 250 U. S. 660, 40 Sup. Ct. Rep. 10 (1919); Abrams _v._ United States, _supra_; Kumpula _v._ United States, _supra_.

(9) Language urging curtailment of production of war materials. United States _v._ Carlson, _supra_; Abrams _v._ United States, _supra_.

(10) Favor cause of enemies or oppose that of United States. United States _v._ Buessel, _supra_; United States _v._ Zademack, _supra_; United States _v._ Schoberg, _Bull._ 149 (E. D. Ky., 1918, Cochran, J.); United States _v._ Bunyard, _Bull._ 168 (E. D. Mo., 1918, Munger, J.); United States _v._ Weist, _supra_; United States _v._ Bold, _supra_; United States _v._ Albers, _supra_; United States _v._ Dodge, _supra_; Schulze _v._ United States, 259 Fed. 189 (C. C. A. 9th, 1919, per Gilbert, J.); United States _v._ Brackett, _supra_; Kumpula _v._ United States, _supra_.

See also recent cases in Appendix II: Ault, Listman, Lockhart, Rust, Seattle etc. Co., Strong, Mamaux, Wimmer.