The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-08-03
The Cherry Tree
Where We Hutchet Out
The Truth
. CONGRESS TO ADJOURN
9 AXES ARE POLISHED
Q NEED FOR STATESMEN
Q AND LESS POLITICIANS

" NEED FOh > "A EoMElN l
. AND LESS POLITICIANS
Congress is about to adjourn after
session of pickering and buck passing
that ought to give party leaders some
thing to think about.
Very little legislation got consider
alton on merit.
The big objective was political ad-
vantage-except when political ma
neuvering served to create economic
advantage.
One fact that seems not clearly un-
derstood is that we have in reality
had a three ring circus in this con-
gress-a three party show. Three par
ties? Yes. Republicans, New Dealers
and Anti New Deal Democrats.
1t is not unlike the period that gave
us Gold Democrats and Silver Demo-
Gratis.
The Anti New Deal Democrats seem
more akin to the Republicans than to
the New Deal Democrats.
Then there are minorities like Borah,
La Toilette, Norris and Hiram John
son.
And the presidential aspirants like
Vandenburg, Bridges and Taft.
AS weird collection of conflicts as
we've seen in many Congress.
X X X
The warning flag should be run to
the masthead and it should tell us that
unless there is a real coalition of
democratic forces with a small d.
we are face to face with gigantic
drive to swing us back into a murk
of reaction.
They are getting the bludgeons
ready, the pole axes polished up.
The conflicting greeds, philos-
ophes, ideas, nostrums, crack pots
and bureaucrats are SO numerous
that coalition of definite reaction
could-and may-win.
And so what?
This for one thing: The forces of
labor and progress cannot afford to be
drawn into these partisan conflicts.
They cannot afford to do anything ex-
cept measure all men, groups and pro-
posals by the hard and fast principles
of freedom and democracy.
We may be skating closer to the
horrors of dictatorship than we know.
X X 4
There has been always need for
more statesmen and fewer politicians.
That need jumps up to bite us right
now.
Meanwhile the propagandists of die
tatorship SOW their seeds and do their
dirty work.
And the red propagandists, pretend
ing to play with the New Deal and
often doing so, through various
"united fronts" false faces, make hay
while the politicians jockey for par
tisan advantage.
It's pretty sorry mess.
Washington, Lincoln, Wilson-what
would they think of it all?
And Europe stews on keg of dy-
namite-if there is such a thing as
stewing on dynamite.
Some think the blow-up will come
in two months-some think later--a
few hopefuls think not at all.
But the best bet is for war!
X X X
And our Congress almost issues an
invitation to let it come.
A plague on both Houses, for their
dilatory, political attitudes.
Pork to take home is more import
ant than international safety.
A few real statesmen howl up the
wind, unable to get anywhere against
the seething tide of politics and per-
sonal hates.
It's spectacle-a lovely mess of a
spectacle.
Reaction gets its chance out of such
situations.
Dictatorship gets it's chance out of
the flounderings of democracy.
Well, freedom isn't toy to play
around with. Democracy isn't a page
out of joke book.
Freedom unused may cease to ex-
list.
But the "hoorah boys" don't care a
hang. Bring on the pork!