The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-28
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Coping With Radicalism To the Editor of The Age Herald:

10 the EultOr or The Herald.
 | The realization that the ghastly at- l tempt made in New York few days ago to level to the ground a great banking house was not an accident i has been slow to form in the minds of l our people. That it was not an acci- 1 dent but the only partly successful
 continuation of a plot matched in those warped and twisted minds to which l this country has given shelter and 1 protection is now realized The slums
 of our great cities furnish safe hiding l places for thosse whose aim is to over throw this great and successful gov 1 ernment in order to raise the ugly head 1 of Il soviet regime.
 l Our government agencies were able to cope. tc limited extent, with this 1 element during the war, but they have
 not been able to scotch the snake which
 crawls so freely in our midst. Our department of justice is often aware of these contemplated plots, it knows | of the activities of these radicalisss who are at the bottom of these plots. ! it knows who they are, but under our 1 present legislation it is powerless to 1 interfere antil some overt act has been committed. In other words, it can
 not lock the stable door until after the 1 horse has been stolen.
 l The tragedy which occurred but 1 few miles outside our city when Leon l Adler was murdered from ambush Is l only another instance of the result of l that insidious propaganda that 1t is permissible to use any degree of force i and violence in order that the ends of these malcontents may be gained. The shot which was fired at Adler was not directed by miner dissatisfied over lis working or living conditions, it was fred by one who holds that the union principle must be recognized at |, any cost It was not directed at the mant but at the principle which stoutly maintains the policy of the open shop Here are two tragedies which every true American is willing to lay down lis life to blot out. But we cannot pre- vent similar tragedies unless we, as citizens, demand legislation which will protect us against them. So long as we permit the leaders of these ,n- sidious doctrines to sit in our legisla- tive bodies, just so long will our hands be tied. We may train the child of today to know his duty in the future but of equal importance is our insist ance that our fellow citizens recog- nize and know their duty today. Means must be demanded whereby we can nip | in the bud these dastardly attempts to overthrow the very foundations of our social structure; means must be pro- vided so that we can say to the allen whose fever-infested mind conceives 1 these craven plots that he must either abide by our laws and accept our in l stitutions or depart instanter from our I shores. So long as this bolshevistic yeast is permitted to work at the bot ! tom of our civilization, to ferment 1 frenzy of murder and violence and form scum of .radicalism which will suf- :, locate and extinguish the principles for which our forefathers fought and died. just so long are we neglectful of the duty we owe ourselves and those who 1 will follow us.
 1 We need not fear this viper thas would put his fangs into our society. 1 though it comes to the very front door l of every Anifrican home, so long as men and women will stand for the principle that no flag but the red.
 white and blue shall wave over this
 land and that to preserve our freedom
 we must strike at the very roots of