When we reach the newspaper press, the opportunity for debate is so considerable that discontentcannot grow to the point where under normal conditions there is any disposition to regulate the press. Butwhen newspapers abuse their power by injuring people who have no means of replying, a disposition toregulate the press appears.When we arrive at Congress we find that, because the membership of theHouse is so large, full debate is impracticable. So there are restrictive rules. On the other hand, in theSenate, where the conditions of full debate exist, there is almost absolute freedom of speech.
This shows us that the preservation and development of freedom of opinion are not only a matter ofadhering to abstract legal rights,but also,and very urgently,a matter of organizing and arrangingsufficient debate. Once we have a firm hold on the central principle, there are many practical conclusionsto be drawn. We then realize that the defense of freedom of opinion consists primarily in perfecting theopportunity for an adequate give-and-take of opinion; it consists also in regulating the freedom of thoserevolutionists who cannot

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