Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-12-15
UNFOLDING And
Maintaining
Democracy

For over hundred years, up to the
time of the World war, nations in
other parts of the world were pattern
ing after our American democratic
government. After the World war,
conditions have not been so settled
and relationships have sprung up in
several countries They come under
various names such as fasciSm, naZi-
ism and communism.
An editorial that gives food for
thought and under the caption Reds
on the Campus" was contained in
the ST. Paul Dispatch the other day.
Said editorial brings out so clearly
that if we suppress all activities and
all voices we suppress the very thing
we are trying to save and build-our
American democracy. Open and
above-board speaking is not what
hurts, but the damage to democracy
is rather on the part of those who
work under cover, who sneak around
the corner, who undermine and do
things they fear to do out in the OPEN
Not so long ago Mr.. Ford, presi-
dent of the University of Minnesota,
said words to the effect that they
have speakers of all varieties at the
students forum and that if there was
too much suppression, those not per-
mitted to speak would &c getting far
more public attention than they may
be entitled to. Yes, they might even
become heroes and martyrs to some
people. He left the thought that a
variety of speaking is nothing to get
too excited about.
The st. Paul Dispatch editorial,
embracing thoughts along that line,
follows:
1.-The denunciation of the University
of Minnesota before the Dies COM
mittee is primarily based on the fact
that Earl Browder, the head of the
Communist party in this country
was allowed to address the students
forum on the campus.
IF DR.. Graebner, who made the
denunciation, was inferring that the
authorities of the university are SYM
pathetic to the propagation of Com
munism among the student body, he
is of course mistaken. There is the
usual fringe of extremist opinion or
the campus, but the university is
being run as an institution of higher
learning, and a good one, too.
1.-THE question posed by Dr. Graeb-
ner is one of university policy which
possibly, it might be discretion for
a state-supported institution to avoid
1t may be that democracies are not
obliged to extend the privileges OF
their liberties to those who, if they
had the power, would destroy those
liberties But we do so and the au-
thorities of the university perhaps
reflected that as long as the laws OF
this country allow Mr.. Browder to be
a candidate for President, it is not
their part to say that he is unfit
to address their students.
GAS a matter of fact the most dan
gerous preachers of Communism are
not those who openly wear the label
but those who do its dirty work under
false colors. 1t is easy to refute Mr.
Browder, but those who prepare the
way for Mr.. Browder by stirring ur
class warfare are not so easily got at
If any one has yet discovered how
to suppress such activities without
at the same time suppressing the
democracy this country is trying to
preserve, he has not come forward
The best counter-attack on Commun-
ism is not to drive it underground
through suppression, but to throw
light on those activities and show
them up for what they are; and then
allow the results of the finest democ-
racy and the best economy the world
knows, to speak for themselves"