The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-08-05
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES


Il published its latest annual report. The
annual volume of the A. G. L. u. is always inter-
esting, vivid and important and never more so
than in this one covering the year l934-35. 1t
presents the balance sheet of civil liberties for
the second year of the New Deal. AS to the
broad picture of gains and losses, it offers the
following comment:
THE record Of the year presented in the fol-
lowing pages shows that things are looking up
as regards labor injunctions and censorship of
plays and books. The considerable decrease in
lynchings is also to be noted. Things are
worse as regards mob violence by vigilantes in
strikes, the suppression of demonstrations of
the unemployed by local police, and attacks upon
teachers and student organizations with liberal
or radical connections"
Those areas of the country where civil rights
and social justice fare worse are described as
follows:
The areas of the country where civil rights
continue most constantly to be denied or I'M
changed, because the forces of repression still
control; they are California, pretty much as a
whole; western Pennsylvania in both coal and
steel towns, though with some slight improve
ment in the steel district; the whole rural COT
ton-groWlng South and among Southern Cities
particularly Birmingham and Atlanta; the East
ern shore of Maryland and the industrial towns
of New Jersey"
The American Legion seems to hold undis-
puted first place as the forerunner of American
Fascist organizations. In spite of all his ef-
forts, Hearst still remains only an also ran"
by comparison.
Describing local agencies of repression and
attacks upon minority movements, our CORE
spondents credited the American Legion with
taking the lead in this patriotic job. Local
ChamperS OF Commerce came second, but quite
a way behind; the D. A R. pulled up third;
with the Hearst press and the Elks making only
a fairly respectable showing"
oF T
l. Union, the slowly but surely tightening battle
between capital and labor is of overwhelming
significance in relation to the future of civil
liberties in this country The New Deal did not
in practice, protect the forgotten man." In
spite of the Presidents clear announcements
in favor of the right of collective bargaining the
attacks upon the rights of workers completely
swamped all other invasons of our liberties dur
ing the last year:
"Of all the many-sided aspects of civil liberty
the attack on workers rights not only took first
place during the year. as it does every year but
it far outdistanced any other aspect. Issues of
lynching, suppression of Negro rights censorship,
the gags on teaching freedom for left political
parties all stacked up as far less important
either in the number of attacks reported or in
their seriousness.
THE resistance of employers 10 trade union
organization, encouraged by the assumed rights
of collective bargaining laid down in the MIRA
and by the creation of the Ma tonal Labor Board,
resulted in crop of strikes unparalleled in the
violence which marked the efforts to break them.
The Administrations ATTEMPT to check this
employer offensive against labor were effective
only in minor strikes. In the larger strikes, or
where issues of collective bargaining affected
powerful interests the government either openly
aided the employers, as in the San Francisco
general strike and the discharge of a Newspaper
Guild member on a Hearst paper or so termi-
mated the strike by the appointment of boards
Of effect
victors
TIN these struggles scores of workers we're
Il killed and wounded on picket lines hun
dredS more attacked by gunner or vlgllantes
who made their appearance openly for the first
time in years, scores imprisoned. The partici-
patton of Communists or radicals of other
schools in many of the larger strikes enabled
the employers to pin on the strikers the Moscow
label even where the strike led, almost
all of them were, by bona flde A. F. OF L. unions
widespread establishment, particularly
among workers end middle class, over the New
Deals failure to improve their lot, gave rise to
two strong movementS-one, to organize middle
class unrest in programs for sharing the
wealth and social justice; the other, de-
termined campaign to outlaw the reds and thus
put down working -class revolt"
The present spasm of the American patriot
GERS. in their effort to impose various curbs on
American liberty, is as yet primarily in the
stage of propaganda and agitation. THE pa
triotic societies, even when united with the
Chamber of Commerce, the Hearst press, the
Elks and others, are capable of stirring up a
lot of trouble, but at present are incapable OF
overcoming except in rare instances, the re-
Sistance aroused against them" If We are to
prevent this malign agitation from passing over
into overt suppression, 1t Is incumbent upon the
friends of decency and true Americanism TO
organize prompt and potent counter agitation.