South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-09-14

the foreigner to detract attention from the un-
Americanism of those Anerieansl
These newcomers to America which We pre-
tend to want to Anericanize are not fools. The
only trouble with them is that too much like the
movie fan they take what they see for granted
never stopping to concern themselves with
the methods of producing the screen. They
Judge America by the Americans that they
come in contact with; their laws by the way
they are executed; our freedom by the lack of
it; our equality by the distinctions that We our
selves recognize and affect
1t does little or no good to preach American
ism to them-in the ideal-and then practice
PruSSianism on them-in the reaI,-as an
Americanizing process. And say what you viii,
practically all the sentiment Of the world todsy
revolves around one or the other of those
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or PtssS;Snisrn,-
both In the ideal and the practical.
The human disposition centers esther upon
the making of right, might" which is Amer
icanism, or the making Of might, night" winch
is Prussianism.
When United States senate majority, sim
ply because it has the might, undertakes to
block the progress of the world to satisfy per-
sonal hate regardless Of merits, hoping to gain
partisan advantage by means of such exercise
Of its power, that ma jority merely proves its
n-mindedness, and Is practicng Prus-
sianism as truly as the junlxers of Potsdam ever
die, placing the force of might above right.
Perhaps the next most significant maneuveIs
of the Prussianesque In recent times has been
the propaganda of the electric light and gas in
terests that humbugged the farmers into de
manding the repeal Of the daylight saving Law,
making various dire threats to provoke public
fear anent matters of production; again disre-
gardng the merits Of the issue and whip-lash-
ing congress into submission by the force of
might.
Similarly the railroad made their threat
to tie up transportation, and have set up their
little soviet, insisting the passage of the
Plumb tripartite control of the railrosds-same
business men, manufacturers, retail mer-
chants, bankers, and numerous other organized
cEques have million times undertaken to sup
press discussion by the press, and even in the
pulpit, of questionable right side Of which
might adversely affect their particular inter
ests.
The withholding of advertising to suppress
criticism, the bestowing Of it to induce sup
port; likewise with matters of credit-well it
sisnism and the philosophy of might let the
right or wrong of the thing be hanged.
Why has America not had compulsory ar
bitration law for the settlement Of labor dis
putes; why has she not had one for years?
Merely because capital has preferred to de-
pend upon the state militia and the power of in
junction, and labor upon the inconveniencing
influence and violent powers of the strike;
L Al
the merits, to be decided on the basis of the
right and the wrong.
A million such examples might be given We
went to war to prove the supremacy of right
over might, but almost before the last gun had
sounded there arose In America Prussianesque
force that wanted the order forthwith reversed
today doing all In its power withhold the
American principle from world adoption.
VI
INDEED, yes, it is well that we should have
a Constitutional Sunday" that we should
study the American constitution; that should
have an Americanization program, and thst
having Constitutional Sunday we should
do something to Christianze-and so doing
Americanize-that program.
And so doing, we need to begin by preach
ing the gospel Of right IN preference to might
the right or wrong Of thing TO be arrived at by
way of reason, intelligence, moral awakening
rather than by the application of superior
force.
Superior force employed merely because OF
its might is the most cowardly; most oontemp-
tible thing in the world. To stand by the right.
particularly when the odds of might against
it, is the thing that calls for courage; courage
both physical and moral
Now, our sole law Is the untrampled will Of
the masses, lawfully expressed at the ballot
box Whatever corrupts the channels that fit