Evening star., 1937-12-13
Rebellion in Connecticut
Southbury Citizens Pass Ordinance to Keep German.
American Bund Camp From
Borders.

United States; 1t is established by
the party line, and that party line
is laid down in Moscow I once went
to the trouble Of mapping out in
considerable detail just what that
party line has been, over a period
of years. and who the personnel
charged to carry it out have been.
Most Of the original personnel have
been eliminted by prison or death,
and the policy has been strictly
geared to the exigencies of the for
eign situation of Soviet Russia, from
year to year. At the moment, the
party line is the defense of de-
mocracy against Fascism, and yes
terday an election was held in Mos
cow to prove" Russia's democracy
under the new constitution.
Elections of the same kind were
held by carpet t-baggers in the South
in 1870. They are simon-pure hokum.
The Communist party believes now,
as always, that So-called western
democracy is merely cloak for
capitalism, which they are out to
destroy, along with the democratic
state, and they were a thousand
times more sincere from 1918 to 1882,
when they made that perfectly plain,
and admitted that they were a con-
spiratorial organization out to over
throw the capitalist democratic order
by violence.
They are now out to overthrow it
by seepage. They get their members
into every labor organization under
false pretenses. They camouflage
themselves under relief groups for
Spain, and organizations against war
and Fascism. They deny their own
Communism, because the lie doesn't
mean any more to Communist than
1t does to a NaI. 1t is perfectly
justifiable, if it serves the cause
And If they don't wreck the labor
unions of this country, and espe-
cially the c. I. o. it will be wonder
Protected by Law.
The problem of democracy Is how
to defend itself against this kind of
thing, without thereby becoming just
like the thing it is fighting. If this
country were like Germany or Rus
sia, the problem would be simple
After Baron Won Neurath's recent
speech, we would have deported every
unnaturalized German from fthe
United States, and We would long
ago have deported every unnatural
lied Russian. And We would suppress
these organizations by force and put
their officers into prison. II you don't
believe it just try starting on German
or Russian or Italian soil a League
for the Defense of American Democ-
racy.
But the very basis of American de-
mocracy is the Bill of Rights and
freedom Of speech, assembiage, and
propaganda, in times of peace.
1t is fundamental American tenet
that the people have the right to
change the form of government un-
der which they live, and that indi-
viduals and organizations have the
right to agitate for such a change, If
they believe that the form they have
Is no longer compatible with their
happiness and welfare. One doesn't
have to quote radicals in support OF
this. 1t was made brilliantly clear by
no other than Alexander Hamilton.
Conspiracy of Foreigners.
But that right does not, it seems
to me. include gracious hospitality
for agitators who take their orders
from foreign powers. and attempt,
under these foreign orders, to inf1u-
ence our domestic and foreign policy.
Or does it? The chief aim of Com
munist agitation in this country at
present is not to improve the status
of American workers, but to see to it
that in case of world war this coun-
try is lined up on the side of Russia.
The chief aim of Nazi agitation, car
ried on trough its own nationals or
blood-brothers, is to see that We re-
main rigidly isolationist-or Join
possible coming war on the side of
Germany.
The democratic world has abso-
lutely no technique for handling this
kind of thing. We are asked to ad-
NIT that the belief in democracy in
cludes hospitality for our would-be
murderers, who do not even bother
any longer to deny that their STRAIT
egy is planned for them abroad. Well,
does it?
+ confess that I do not know the
~ nkl4~lAs<klAWk