The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-11
REPUBLICAN-AMER

When Herb Smith set hlmSelt
to telling southbury's United
Americans where they got on IN
assailing the Democratic philo-
sophy of the local Y. N. G. A.
he made q tasty Job Of 1t.
Many OF the examples of local
Y. M. G. A. tolerance which he
cited were already familiar to all
informed people Of this locality.
II was possible TO point out, for
instance, that o few years ago.
when the United States was agi-
tated by the issue Of religious In
tolerance, the local "Y," by nam
ing Catholic members to Its board
of directors, was making itself
representative Of all the Christian,
youth OF this city. What the
United Americans were doing at
the same time Mr. Smith fore
bears to say. But at least one OF
their prominent leaders was rum
ming around the countryside III
his night shirt spreading the un-
American doctrine Of religious
bigotry.
AS for a Y. M. 9. A. group lis
tening to local Communist
speaker, that's nothing to be In
the least ashamed OF but o furth-
err example OF the "Y's" full un-
Outstanding OF what American
democracy means. And Of course
II any Of the "Y's' forum groups
thought 1t would be at all infor-
NATIVE to listen to a United AM
erican spokesman, he, too, would
have the freedom Of the hall.
And one particular observation
by Mr.. Smith deserves to be past
ed In the hat Of all Americans
whether UNITED" or Just taking
their sacred birthright calmly and
quietly. Undesirable isms," said
Mr.. smith very succinctly and
ouotably, flourish under the OPP
position or persecution Of those
well-meaning but misguided folks
who try to suppress them IN the
name Of Americahism." Amen.
Editorial in Waterbury Republic
can. Dec. 9Th, 1899.
Addressing the United Ameri-
cans currently described as q
group OF Connecticut Yankees" at
the Southbury Community Hall,
on the second anniversary Of the
founding Of the society, Its found
er, George A. Holmes, called for
@ nationwide drive to rejuvenate
"the old Yankee spirit" n Ar
erica. The meeting thereafter
adopted a resolution, consistent
with the manner OF this invoca-
ton, calling for a fight to the
finish Oh Communism, Na2ism
and Fascism," and for a rededica-
ton OF the nation TO the custom
OF doing things "the good.old-
fashioned American way" Read
aloud that sounds inspiring; but
In consideration OF some reported
undertones Of the meeting, II may
nevertheless be noted with some
misgivings. Just what "old-fash-
Toned American way" OF doing
things, disinterested bystander
may wonder, did the speaker Of
the evening and his audience have
In mind? There have been several,
OF lively historic interest. There
was the way OF the New England
Town meeting, for example, which
was (and Isl good as well as old
fashioned. Then, on the contrary
there we're the ways OF the Know
Nothings, or Native Americans Of
the '50s--a society Of racial and
religious bigotS; and there were
the ways of the Vigilantes OF the
far West and Of the Night Riders
OF the South, In the 70s; and only
some IS years ago there were thu
ways OF the Ku Klux Khan, witt
Its infantile gibberish and ritual
and It's stupid. half = formed so
cial and religious prejudicies
odd fashioned" all these societie!
we're, and typically American,
too. In the sense that no other ma
ton ever precisely duplicated
them; but decidedly not good.
One hopes the United Ameri
cans, present and prospective, in
tend to observe the principles Q
the town meeting In their effort
to revive popular devotion to 9TH
old Yankee spirit" III his intro
ductory address, however, MI
Holmes asserted, by current re
port, that 1.-THE Bill Of Rights
for Americans, not for aliens.
Just as soon as community fall
into the way OF thinking tina
anybody with whom 1t Wolentl
disagrees ought to be gagged b
any available means, 1t has takcl
leave OF 1.-THE old Yankee spirit
and set itself on the way to tn
spirit of DIR. Paul Josef Goebbel
and Josef Stain.
The next step, after the radi
Gals have all been mobbed or
lynched, is to mob or lynch tn
moderate liberals, then the mod
crate conservatives, and so OF
thru the several stages of politi
cal degradation, until at las
tyrannical control has fallen Il
the Jacobins, the Bolsheviks, tn
Brownshirts. Our national faith i
that the "old fashioned American
way" In the popularity acceptes
idealistic sense, Is inherently su
perior. II It Is, 1t needs no MAG
thuggery or Bolshevik brualit!
for Its defense. Editorial In Wa
terbury-American. Nov. 2sth, 1885
Two years ago this month q tall
dark-haired man. young and hand
some made several calls OH South
bury and South Britain resident
IN an enreavor to understand thei