The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-03-13
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

ON my way back from the West I spent two
~ pleasant evenings with the grand old man
of American dissent, Clarence S. DarroW who on
April 70 next will celebrate his 18th birthday.
He had just returned from an extensive lecture
trip in the Southwest, and all Of his old interests
still claim his active attention.
found him as skeptical of President RoOse-
welt and the New Deal as he was when he sub
mitted his memorable report on the monopolistic
tendencies of the NRA last May. More than
ever he Is inclined to regard President Roosevelt
as a barrier to progress in the United States
CLOSING over his essential reaction with progress
sive rhetoric and making it palatable by his I'M
falling smile.
But it would be great mistake to regard Mr.
Oarrow as an unthinking critic of the President
lie hailed Mr.. Roosevelt's initial announcements
in 1883 with enthusiasm, and crticiseS him today
only because he believes that the President has
definitely walked out on the forgotten man."
Some hold that Mr.. Darrow opposes the NRA
because of an old-fashioned extreme individual
ism, but this is certainly far wide of the truth
Mr.. Darrow has become convinced that we shall
never attain social justice without a thorough
going planned economy. But it must be one
which is planned in the interests of the masses
and not in the interests of big business.
A lifelong protagonist of the use of sense
Aand science in treating criminals, MIR. OAR
row is vastly lnCeflSeQ the current philosophy
and methods of the Department of Justice in
advocating the shooting down of criminals and
trying them afterWard. He regards this as
nothing short of a reversion to lynch law-now
made respectable, and eXultngly applied to
whites as well as blacks
He thinks this is a very bad precedent to set
up, since the conception of who constitutes a
public enemy" is necessarily a very flexible one.
1t would be easy to start shooting down Reds
and then, later, conservatives on the basis Of
this philosophy.
Mr.. Darrow also believes that the current
hysteria about the crime menace is greatly over
worked. He contends that the depredations of
the ordinary criminals are relatively unimpor-
tant when compared to the organized and legal
lied looting of the country by the predatory
moguls of finance capitalism. And he is especial
ly concerned lest the Sayagery which is now in
evidence shall undermine his lifes work in
bringing about a more rational approach to the
whole crime problem.
Mr. Darrows crusade for sanity in the
crime problem has in late years been somewhat
obscured by his efforts to discredit the drys and
end the dominion of prohibition. I asked him
how he viewed the trends in American control
Of the liquor problem since repeal.
LIE expressed himself as deeply concerned
Il with respect to the absurd extremes to
which the vets have gone where they now have
had free hand. He pointed to the fact which
could confirm from my own travels, namely,
that in all too many states the bars are almost
completely down in the sale of not only beer
and wine, but even the stronger spirits.
In many cities, whisky and other strong drink
may be freely purchased by an adult, not only
in recognized liquor stores, but also in drug
stores, cigar stores and other emporia. And it is
not too difficult even for minor to get some
obliging adult to go in and buy him pint of
raw whisky for Is cents.
Mr.. DarroW is worried lest such absurdties.
quite comparable to the antics of the bone dry
fanatics 10 years ago, may produce a revusion
of feeling and throw us back into another orgy
of dry fanaticiSm. In his opinion the sensible
procedure would be relative freedom in dispens-
ing beer and light wines, coupled with rigorous
supervision of the, sale of spirits in restricted
stores and to responsible adults only. In short,
he is as his friends Away knew protagonist
of civilized drinking rather than of unrestricted
guzzling.
I found Mr.. Darrow least concerned of all
about the future of orthodox religion. He feels
that the battle has been along this front.
All that is needed is the passage of time SO that
the relatively indifferent younger generation may
come into its own. But he warns us that We
must be vigilant lest religious fanaticiSm be
enlisted in the meantime in the cause of pro-
miscuous and diversified drives against civiza-
ton and liberalism in other fields.
Friends of liberal America can but regret Mr.
Darrow'S advancing years. There is quite liter
ally no one else who can wholly ill his shoes.