New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-06-27
The Open Forum
THAT SAFETY COMMISSION.
To the Editor of the Review:

To the Editor OF the Review:
| / have been very much surprised that
the people Of Minnesota have submitted
SO tamely to the unnecessary dictator
ship of the Public Safety Commission.
I have been looking for protests from
citizens in the press Of the Twin Cities,
but in all probability such protests, il
made, have been suppressed.
In moment of enthusiasm, occasioned
by the declaration Of war, our Legislature
created this Board of Dictators. There
was no public danger to cause such
enactments. Minnesota is not, was not,
and will not be surrounded by enemies
so as to occasion the enactment of this
extra-legal and unnecessary body.
First, of course, under the influence of
the Anti-Saloon League they attack
the liquor business. / have no brief
for this legalized and licensed industry.
| Yet if certain class of fanatics is able
to reach and influence this Czar-like
Commission what privilege Of American
citizens is safe? In the endeavor to
make Minnesota safe they are placing
upon our necks an autocracy which
would bring that Of Germany into in
i significance. Is this part of the plan
to make the world safe for democracy"
am not alone in so thinking, In the
realm of national affairs, Senator Lodge
evidently feels that he had helped to
kindle confagration he can never hope
to extinguish.
With four years of desperate war
on his hands, said the senator, II do
not recall that Mr. Lincoln asked for a
press censorship. + do not recall that
Mr.. Lincoln came TO Congress for alb
normal po@ers. lat least, have stumbled
on 40, traees of his coming to Con-
gress personally and t1sing to get un-
reasonable powers, and yet somehow or
other, he naEaged to cassry on four
years war and bring it to a.success."
The senator also called tine attentions
CT the administration leaders 10 the fact,
that it. is not the president who is being
intrusted with arbitrary powers; but men
who are to be- named by the President
and over whenns Congress will have no
control. Just. So with our Minnesota
Safety Commission, All the legall and
judicial machinery Of QUE state is at
hand and ready 70 cope with any emer-
,, gency. Yet this<extra4egal! and unneces-
sary body was created, and is now busy
ing itself with the private and personal
concerns Of citizens and abrogating
vested rights underT the law. What a
Spectacle for the law abiding. liberty
LOVING citizeAs of our STATED:
This Con1aaission is receiving and
aes9sig upon complaints of chicken
heaasted citizens afraid to do their own
! plain duty in prosecuting violations Of
| law in their own littlesa communities.
II tIsre is blirdpig operating in a.town
| or cissy, it is the plain dutysQf -. .
first and Of .the--saii crtfzen second TO
,.tals~ecb ggiizance OF the same, and act,
but these same people fly tosthe Safety
Commission with their. plants instead
sof facing, the situai9o inrtheifs own COM
innuniti4s and acting thereona. Then the
minnesota dictatorship arisessiis its might
fand- calls in the brewers always the
}scapego sand says: "You must not
sell to amy blind piggerss or we will call
session OF the Legislature, and put you
i llout,of business" Better call session
of; the, Legislatures 10, repeal the Public
Safety, Commissions law. and let the
/ ordinary and long: enacted laws of the
state. take their course I sumbit that:
this commission is extra-legal, unneces-
sary and subversike Of the rights of the:
people of Minnesota.
Everybody is condemning Germany
and denouncing, German methods, but
we seem bounG to have our American
conduct of the war patterned in. every
detail after Gsrman methods.
We seem while proclaiming the, bless
ings of DEMOCRACY to all the. world, to
have suddenly lost faith in. democracy
/ in our own. Instance, to hawe confessed
ourselves that democracy is only
possible in. peace and worthless in. war.
Let US return to sanity AND to Lincoln
method of procedure.
AMERICUS.
The Maakato Review quotes from the
New Testament: ''No, man can serve
two masters adding that me man car
4 be loyal to the United States and still
hold allegiance to the government which