The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-01-02
1t
Seems
to
Me
= By Haywood BrOun

ATEW YORK. Jan. FL know
IN only one man in America who
really believes in free speech, and it
has caused him a lot Of trouble and
anguish. OF course. many Of us say
that We believe in free speech. I've
always contended that I did myself,
but there is a catch to it. The
point comes where we say, oh. but
I didn't mean stuff like that"
Roger Baldwin has put the prin-
ciples of Voltaire into complete &C
ton. A little while ago he turned
down an invitation to be chairman
Of an anti-fascist meeting in New
York in order to go to Boston to de-
fend the Nazis' right Of free speech.
Immediately all the radicals were
after him. although Baldwin is
away off in the left wing himself.
Naturally, he hasn't the slightest be-
lief in Hitlerism. He just happens
to be a fanatic about free speech,
and when he says free speech he
means precisely that.
Commenting on his action, the
Communist paper. the Daily
Worker, said: ITO liberals the fight
against fascism is some kind Of de-
bate in certain kinds Of philosophers.
The whole question of free
speech can not be separated from
the realities of the class struggle.
The Communist party fights for free
speech and for democratic civil
rights for the working class, for all
the oppressed and exploited"
In other words, this radical party
believes that free speech belongs
only to a certain portion of the
community 1t doesn't want to hear
the other side.
Z NET John Strachey, the brilliant
l. young Englishman who wrote
The Coming Struggle for Power.
He impressed me unfavorably be-
cause he fell into the same indolent
kind of thinking. A newspaper
man who was present suggested
that as he was studying the Ameri-
can labor movement it might be a
good idea for him to see some of
the members Of the labor advisory
board in Washington.
oh" said young Strachey in
languid tone, Il think that would
be a little silly You mean that
A. F. of L. crowd? After all, my
stomach isn't as strong as it usec
to be-"
Now, I had no interest in young
Mr. Strachey's stomach, but 1 was
concerned with his capacity as
Journalist He is probably the most
brilliant exponent of the Com
munist theory in England. For that
matter. he towers over any OF its
advocates here in the matter of
clearly written presentation. But 1
put him down in my mind as bad
newspaper man and as one who
would not do the job to which he
had set himself completely.
1t is we'll within the right of Mr..
Strachey or any other theoriSt to
dislike the A. F. of L. as much as
he chooses. From the Communist
point of view this organization has
been a barrier against the progress
of radical thought and performance.
But in order to attack a man or
group of men you must understand
him or them as fully as possible.
Anybody engaged in cause
should devote himself to finding out
everything possible about the side
which he espouses and the argu-
ments of the foe whom he intends
to fight If a construction gang
were called upon to blast a huge
= rock in order to lay down a road it
would be the obvious thing for some
one of the party to look for the
cracks and assures in the boulder.
If you wanted to blow it up and
break it into little pieces you would
inevitably try to ascertain its Struc-
tural weakness.
HITLERISM can be hated best
Il Il by those who understand it
most completely. The publication
of his book in this country GER
tainly made no converts for the
Nazi cause. Obviously, what every
enemy OF Hitler wants is intorma-
ton. The outrageS committed
through the anti-semitism of the
German regime helped to build the
case against the dictator. 1t .sn't
enough to say when you are attack
ing anything, This is all wrong
Just take that on my sayso." Any
intelligent listener wants the de-
tail General principles are, after
all, made up of component parts.
The case against any sort of
fascist leadership lies. at least in
part, in the way in which it works
I agree that no man should COM
NIT himself endlessly to the process
of weighing and investigating and
making up his mind That is bar
rem business. If all the windows in
your brain are Wide open you will
get nothing but a draft But surely
before anybody commits himself
Fundamentally to a policy he ought
to know a lot about the objections
and the detectives.
I feel that one of the strongest
cases to be made against American
big business IS the presentation
possible to men who are familiar
With the DracticeS linton Sinclair