"Freedom's Voice"

“The Sons and Daughters of Reform were gathered to celebrate the ratification of the Eighty-third Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which established Federal censorship of everything.

“Books, moving pictures, plays, newspapers, magazines, public speeches—every possible means of disseminating ideas or information in future were to be submitted to the censors before release. Violators of the new law were denied the right of trial by jury.

“Halls everywhere were equipped with radio receiving instruments so that the jubilant crusaders for the right might hear the words of their leaders and prophets being broadcasted from Washington as chief feature of the simultaneous celebration of their latest triumph."

The celebration was interrupted by pirate broadcast from “Station X, the unknown quantity,” “broadcasting from a point deep in the Canadian woods.”

Goal: “That ribald laughter and deep-throated guffawing may not perish from the United States”

Means: Broadcasting readings from Boccaccio’s “Decameron”, “selected tales from Rablais” “Barroom Favorites of Ante-Prohibition Days.”

“Our programs occasionally will feature songs sung by quartettes whose members will have been plied with liquor.”

Announcing that Station X would begin broadcasting in a few minutes,
“the nation-wide meetings adjourned forthwith.” [to go hear Station X & Decameron]

[James K. McGuinness, “Freedom’s Voice,” Life, January 31, 1924, p.25.]