The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1940-03-09
"CTVIL LIBERTIES"
By Req. Kenneth dep. Hughes


We have an example of national i'm
port before us. In the South many
means are adopted to disfranchise the
colored American-the unconstitutional
poll tax, the equally unconstitutional
grandfather clause, the democratic pri-
maries, and what not. But disfran-
chisement does not stop with the col
ored man. The dispossessed whites
land in the same boat, so much so that
there are counties in the South where
Congressman are elected by less than
/ five per cent of the constituents. The
95 per cent are disinherited. From
such country comes Martin Dies, and
this man so elected by practlses basil
callv unAmerican is placed In the key
position of chairman of the committee
investigating unAmerican activities.
How can Satan cast out Satan! 1t is
no wonder that the Dies committee finds
what it wants to find and conveniently
and obediently turns its head the other
way when practices similar to those
which gave its chairman being are
Haunted before the eyes of the people.
The Christian Front is case in point
All else was investigated, but this seed
bed of Nazism here in the U. S. which
takes its cue from Hitler's Reich es-
capped the ubiquitous nose of Mr.. Dies.
Why? Because they are two of kind.
In his own county in Texas he was
elected by five per cent of the constitu
ents. The others are disfranchised. In
his own county there are fragrant in
capabilities in the distribution of public
funds for the education of colored and
white children. In his own county re-
Gently a young colored man was taken
out and fogged by hoodlum gang and
no one thought to invoke the Bill of
Rights which is intended to safeguard
the civil liberties of every last citizen
Of the U. S.
Not only that, but increasingly Of
late we see congressman from the re
dictionary Bourbon south heading I'M
pOrtant committees of Congress. Sou
therners head such committees as
Rules, Appropriation, Finance, posi-
tons which enable them to kill any
important legislative measure before it
even reaches the floor Of the House or
Senate. And these men legislate for
the whole country including Mass. If
then democratic rights are spurned in
the south by a process of disfranchise-
ment the pernicious seed sOwn there
terminates and grows into a ca1nivor
GUS plant which sooner or later spreads
its poison over the whole land eventu-
ally to Illustrate the dearly-bought
heritage Of the American people in
other sections of the country. We may
not escape the inevitable fact that
liberty is one and indivisible. What
affects one eventually affects all. Mob
law and lynch rule are not sectional
problems. The virus spreads engen-
dering disrespect for law and order all
over the land and so disregard for the
civil liberties of every last citizen of
these us. The friends of democracy
have one common cause against one
common enemy.
The late Huey Long, asked if he
thought Fascism could be established
here, replied, "Sure, only Wen call it
by some other name" 1t not only can
happen here, but it is happening here.
The Christian Front is the evidence of
how right Huey Long was. Fascism
dressed in religious uniform. But
what's in a name? A thorn by any
other name would prick as sharp!
What then is the remedy? We know
what is being attempted. How shall we
combat it? The enemies of democracy
are organized and know well the tech
nique of oppression. Their motto is,
divide and Rulew 1t is an easy mat
ter to keep the people subject and
docile when dealt with piecemeal, but
no power on Gods earth can stem the
rising tide of a united people deter
mined to stand fast in their liberties.
Those who think that they can fool all
the people all the time and indefinitely
Illustrate the assertion of those rights
which are implicit in real democracy,
are like so many Canutes standing on
the waters edge and bidding the tide
recede The facts of the present day
social and political world may belle it,
but [ believe that the achievement of
a full-fedged, thOrough-going, demo-
cratic, social order where every man
shall have equal opportunity to develop
whatever talent he may possess, where
none shall be surfeited while others
want, where all barriers of race and
class and color shall be swept away and
seen to be artificial and puerile, is an
inevitable and as memorable as the law
of gravitation. That is what we mean
by the Kingdom of God, and anything
short Of it is contrary to the funda-
mental law of the universe.
Some fruit of democracy-little we
confess-has come to fruition. Much
awaits to be done. We have gimpsed
the promised land afar off. The Philis-
tines bar the way. This is not the
time for facile optimism. Nothing ever
happens. Things never Just fall out.