Evening star., 1939-04-18

dictator nations of Europe today. We
have no right to complain OF the
form Of government which these ma
tions may adopt. That is their busi-
ness, not ours. But when these gov
ernments use their power to blot out
the last vestige Of decent, fair treat
ment toward those within their
borders who are helpless and un-
protected, those governments forfeit
their right to recognition In any
quarter Of the globe.
4. The right Of independent opin-
Ion must be safeguarded to every
person In the community. The
opinion Of the most humble must be
as sacred as the opinion Of the most
powerful. In Thomas Jef1erson's
original draft of the Virginia Bill
for the Establishment of Religious
Freedom, we find these words, The
opinions Of men are not the object
Of civil government or under its
control" No one, certainly not I,
can improve on that language.
A Government Of Law.
S. A democratic government must
be government Of law. A civilized
democratic community demands
that all classes within it respect
its law. If respect for law is to he
maintained, the law must reflect the
communtty's sense Of justice and
not the demands Of any class or
group. If the law reflects the COM
munitys sense Of justice. no class
or group may defy or set itself
above or beyond the law without
bringing upon itself the just resent
ment OF the whole community. Men
must accommodate their demands
to the demands of others. There
must always be a large measure of
give and take in the adjustment of
human relations. A civilized de-
mocracy demands patience and self
restraint from all its citizens.
What word can we use to sum up
these requirements? I think the
answer to that question is simple.
The word is tolerance. Tolerance
is the very essence of democracy.
When and under what conditions
have democracies fallen? History
plainly shows that they have fallen
when the antithesis of tolerance
existed. Hatred, bigotry, indiffer-
ence. greed, selfishness and avarice,
those are the rocks upon which
democratic ships of state have
shattered.
Holding these views, do you won-
der that I consider that the portion
guaranteeing religious liberty is the
most important part of our Consti-
tuition? 1t symboli0es to me the very
basis of our democratic system. It
is the outpost which we must first
defend, II we are to protect our in
stitution, democracy. It has been
and it will be the first object of
attack. Should we ever fail to pro-
tect 1t, the flood waters of intoler-
ance would engulf US.
Religious liberty played a most
important part in our beginning.
The settlers at Plymouth came be-
cause Of their separation from the
Church of England. The Massa-
chusetts Puritans came for the same
reason. From them Roger Williams
sought for his band an additional
degree Of freedom and established
Providence. An even greater degree
Of religious liberty was sought and
achieved by the Connecticut offshoot
Of the Massachusetts, colony. The
third seeding group settled at New
Haven. In the meantime, Lord Bal
timore, a Roman Catholic nobleman,
settled Maryland, and there in l649
the first religious liberation act was
placed upon the statute books Of any
American colony.
Created Religious Liberty.
So we see the question of religious
freedom woven into the very warp
and woof of our Colonial period.
The framework of our Government,
most of the liberties we so much
cherish. we inherited from our Eng
lish and Anglo-Saxon forbears. Re-
ligious liberty is something Of our
own creation.
We need not look to Europe for
problems to solve. We have plenty
here at home. If we are to solve
them we must depend upon the
pathway lighted by the softened
light of tolerance to lead us to the
peace and happiness we deserve. We
must all follow that path If democ-
racy is to endure.
The duty of protecting and guard
ing that pathway lies before every
one who wills that democracy shall
endure.
Times Of stress and strife always
tend toward extremes In thought
and action. To those of us in public
Office is given the best opportunity
to perceive the extent to which such
extremes in thought are now tend
ing. It is 50 easy for one to believe
that those with whom he disagrees
should be suppressed; it is difficult
to comprehend the extent to whicn
that suppression may continue If
permitted to start. The first duty
Of every American believing in de-
mocracy is to make certain that the