South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-01-18

duct OF our snob-egotsrn is blind as a bat TO our
faults, and quite blind to the rights OF others
when they run counter to our whrls. that discon-
tented pendulum, we say, has taken an awful swing
just recently, and is finding itself gone that
II II beginning to admit its need Of a guardian in
hndins way back.
Capitalism seems to have thought il had Amer-
eanism thoroughly bagged incident TO It's propa-
gand1c appropriation OF the government campaign
against the reds boshevism communism. etc. and
every manner OF so-caIIed 'radicalsm'' was 10 be
battered into insensbility the it showed
its head Men were be permitted to say their
souls their own, as the process of elhnina-
tion was proceeding. but is usually the case.
some fool pack Of fools. overdoes the thing ami
somebody else gets the job undong their snsrls.
Il just such an aggregation of low proved.
self-assumed. metallic Drained. lsnow-it-alls of
monetaryzed Amercanisn. who ovcrshot the mark
in the suspension Of the five socialist members from
the New York legislature Until lately the fight
against bolshevk radicalism has been sound and
wholesome but it has reached a foolish and dan
gerous extreme In processing to protect and pre-
serve Americanism. the New York legislature has
rushed incredible limit of un-Americanism.--
and this is not the only specimen have had; just
as shallow minded.
Leaders of opinion everywhere condemn this ac-
ton. The New York World which has unsparingy
criticised the socialist party, denounces this wild
stroke as:
THE most revolutionary blow ever dealt to
representative government in the United
The New York Bar association taking the same
view. declares that any such attempt:
'ro exclude from the legislature those who
have been duly elected 20 its membership mere
~ because Of their utilization with a political
party is a which. if successful must over
throw the rights of minoriues and the very
foundation of representative government
Secy of Interior Lane says
'sedton is a personal thing: men cannot
be penaized in democracy because of their
membership a party unless they sub
scribed directly TO lawless doctrines"
Sen. Harding, known conservative rcpubIi-
can remarks that:
Mere disbelief in socialist doctrines is not
good ground for excluding any assembyman
in any state when properly elected
to which might be added this from Charles Evans
Hughes:
Socialism has as much right to party exist
cnce in the United States any other political
ism. republican democratic As long as
cialists follow the due processes of law: cdu-
cation, agitation. legislation by way the
baOt-boX. and do not resort TO direct action
ism. they much within their rights as
anyone possibly be. republicans anil
democrats cannot meet their arguments and
Keep them down by appeal public intel
ligence then 1t is because our arguments
not sound theirs. The process Of meeting
the socialist argument at Albany has been
10y argument but by autocrauc suppression and
won't work in q free country.
ford to let Il work..
It is unthinkabe that the empire state Iegsla-
should persist in this course blind intoer-
1t has. clearly enough, such case against
.hc prescribed men as congress has against Victor
Berger. No personal act Of disoyalty has been
proved against them, and membership in the So
cialst party, Objectionable as that party has be
has never been branded as criminal. such
action this only discredits American liberty and
fans the flames OF bolshevism
When the United States government starts in
suppressing freedom it needs to have its road
clearly out. limitations of its processes
clearly defined This government when founded was
more dedicated to multi millionaires than it was
TO paupers and capitalism is significant
Of Americanism than is penury The country har-
bors. and for the present protects both. Arrestng
and deporting them from a country because
they adhere to political party. as has been done.
may be good or bad business according to the
tenets of the party The Communist or Communist
Labor party. against which much railing has
gone on. is plainly conspiracy against the United
states, but capitalism furnishing the socialist party
for the Communist partys sins. is different propo-
siion
The declaration Of principIes-the platform if
YOU please--of the Communist party, says ex-
pressly:
The communist party shall keep in the
foreground its consistent appeal proletariau
revolution, the overthrow of capitalism and the
establishment of dictatorship OF the pro-
letariat"
The American government naturally. does not
want 20 be overthrown. The American business sys-
tenn does not want to be oyerthrown. What is
important. the public does them over
tnrown, and most certainly the American people do
not want 20 live under a dictatorship of the pro-
letariat" like The Russians instead Of ruling them
selves according TO representative. democratic
methods