The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-11-02
COMMENT ON WORLD
EVENTS

War and democracy can not be
reconciled. There are of course,
qualifications that may be made to
such bald heel rocking statement.
If democracy is attacked, it must rise
in it's own defense. But even then,
no matter if the ultimate outcome of
the war spells victory for democracy,
democracy has still lost something of
vital Importance in the process of the
war. Democracy is so constituted
that it can not engage in war without
sustaining an injury, temporary or
permanent, to it's basic principles Of
freedom and liberty. Government of
the people, by the people and for the
people must go when wartime bureau
cratic and authoritarian control steps
in.
The democracy that may be revived
with the end of the war will carry the
scare of its forced retirement. Free
doms, rights and liberties do not
possess the qualities Of piped water.
They can not be turned on and off at
will They must live by continued ex-
tension and development or they must
die. In democracy there can be no
suspended motion. Either democracy
is or it is not. Either it is vital
force among men drawing it's strength
and purpose from the true and un-
compromising principles of freedom
and liberty or it is so much poppy
cock. There is no middle road for de-
mocracy. 1t must go up or down.
True to the principles that give it life
and meaning it must go up. Any
variation from those principles must
lead downward to a denial of all the
principles of it's being and result only
in destruction.
X X X
For us these undeniable conclusions
should be words of warning and pre-
paredness. We are not in the Euro
pean conflict but we are of it. This
in the sense that nothing of major
Importance can happen in one country
of this world without affecting all
other countries. Today we are of it;
tomorrow we may be in it. Then,
what of our democracy, what of our
=, freedom, what of our rights and
privileges, what of our democratic
procedures.
Already the nation is taking steps
of preparedness for war or any
eventuality. Steps of preparedness
for the preservation and extension of
our own democracy must include prep
aration against any infringement of
our democratic rights and procedures
no matter what the eventuality might
be.
The warning broadcast by Mrs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt might well be
put down for future reference and
immediate action:
"The important thing at this time
is to concentrate on understanding
what are the objectives of democracy
and working for them. There is the
great danger that in suppressing
alien-controlled groups we may also
be suppressing some of our own free
DOM"
Representative Jerry Voorhis of
California is more specific in his
warning:
ga wholesale campaign by indus
try to weed out people who may be
regarded as Reds would lead to in
Justice in nine cases out of ten. The
job of eliminating Communist, Nazi
or other secret agents in industry is
one that can only be handled properly
by the FBI."
The danger is clearly defined ano
immediate. The success of preserving
our rights and liberties will be spelled
in the terms and the strength of oul
insistence that no matter what nigh,
happen the principles of our democ
racy shall not be violated.
.s+.. ): ~: \ !. ..t++