New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1919-07-16
Experiences OF Europe.

+ q
1T is the privilege Of America, pro-
tected by its vestige Of geographical
, seclusion, to profit by the experiences Of
Europe. s
Europe, too, has habits reactionary
ruling minorities, its industrial auto
Gratis, its financial oligarchies, its massive
ornaments, its hated CONSUMPTION, its
corrupt and futile politics, its suppress
sion Of dissent, its judicial frightfulness,
| its bursting budgets, its toilers broken
Of body and bitter Of soul. And Europe
has revolution. 81; U 7.
is this what Americans want? We
do not think 50. y IS
NFess believe that there IS intelligence
enough in this country, if it will but
come together, to catch control of the
current Of things and cooperate directly
with the inevitable forces Of human
growth. To reaction and revolution we
oppose reconstruction not as a watch
word and pretense, but as an organized
effort to find some new adjustment of
the changing powers that constitute
society.
Many Of us believe, that these re-
adjustments demand a new political
| alignment, that the old parties are de-
ftermined to withhold that which the.
American people are determined to have.
Day by Day men come to. see more.
clearly that these organizations have
lost that spirit to serve the people which
was embodied once in Jefferson and
another time in Lincoln; that the shed
has hardened and stifed the growth
within. With exceptions lost among the
instances, the politicians whom we have
elected have mis-represented our de-
sires and laughed at our hopes; they
have opposed with a cynical accord all
that we have set our carts on as vital. .8
to the renovation Of American life.
There are times, when by the vigor
Of a personality the old mechanisms are
driven to some efficacy and result; but
the mechanism soon overcomes the man,
pushes him aside and undoes his little
work. America cannot grow much more
in these old skins.
Rather must reconstruction derive.
its impetus and direction from the.
political organization Of the manual
and mental workers of the country.
The future belongs, not to the inheritors
and manipulators Of great wealth, but
to the men and women who live by their
work Of hand or brain and know by
hard experience the needs and aspira-
tions Of the common life.
1T is the purpose Of the Committee
OF Forty light to summon from all parts
Of the country the leaders Of its liberal
thought and of its forWard-lo looking ]
citizens to meet in conference. We hope
that out Of this assemblage Of the hither-S
to scattered forces Of Americanism will
come flexible statement Of principles
and methods that will permit effe cuive
cooperation with organized labor and
agricultural workers in the tasks Of social
reconstruc ton
So We send out this call. It is not
such an opportunity as comes with every
day. The world is fluent now, and re-
spends readily to every moulding 70 ce;
but let it find q form and it will CONCEAL
again into resistance and innmobility.
's All minds are awake to-day as seldom
before, all hearts are astir with hopes
and open to large purposes; but these
minds will shrivel once more into their
grooves, these hopes will lose their glow,
# we miss this chance to organize the /
liberal intelligence Of America into