Evening star., 1941-01-17

the Pittsburgh area, with special
meals for the inmates.
This seems to indicate, funda-
mentally and unanswerably. the diff
ference between Hitlerism ard
Americanism. Here we have ro
concentration camps, no proscri,2ed
classes or races, no persecution Of
political opponents and no party
line to exclude from basic citizen
ship any important group. Those
of our citizens who have broken the
rules of our society and have been
sentenced to terms of penal servi-
tude are not thereby automatically
and forever cut of from the vast
majority Of law-abiding citizens.
They, too, are citizens and on many
of them in time we expect to call for
service and devotion to the common
good.
Products Of Conditions.
Many if not most of our prison
population find themselves behind
bars for crimes against property
a result of the bad distribution OF
wealth. work and opportunity which
the New Deal came into existence
to redress. Many Of them are the
products of bad education, bad
health, insecure and broken homes
faulty social conditions which it is
the task OF this generation to
correct.
Personally. it seems to me to be
the f1ttest sacrament of our national
unity that the prisoners and cap
tiveS Of our society should be al
lowed, even in their cells and mess
halls, to listen to the Inauguration
OF the President of all the people
and to take part in the national OBJ
servance of our common citizenship
and social unity.
This IS something new in our
political history. For the first time,
the real inaugural ceremonies are
not held in Washington at all.
Washington is simply the place
where the President takes the cath
of Office. In this connection, it is
worth recalling that Calvin Coolidge
on the death of Harding took the
oath of office on lonely farm In a
little Vermont township. This year.
through voluntary program for
national observance on January 20.
the real inauguration takes place
throughout the Nation.
Meetings Throughout Nation.
In every schoolhouse of America,
children not only have the oppor-
tunity to listen to the inaugural
broadcasts but stage ceremonies of
their own, recitations, prayers and
the singing of patriotic songs. A
number Of cities arranged local in
augural parades. On the night of
January 20, small meetings are held
throughout the country. in high
school auditoriums, Legion posts.
union halls, oranges. fraternal lod~~e
to listen to special broadcssts erd
otherwise take part in the event..
This Is Americas answer to tie
hypnotic histrionics of a Nurem'-r =
rally. Fascist adunata, or a mac--
meeting In the Red Square at "
COW. Our sovereignty is vested il
the people-where they are and =
they are. The officials at Washir~-
ton are their hired men, chosen IN
attend to the peoples business and
to perform the peoples will. Their
Chief Justice administers the oath
OF office which their President takes
in the presence Of their Senators
and Representatives, without reg-.rd
to partisanship or sectional, eco
nomic or social divisions.
Our very diversity thus becomes
q source of added unity and strength
the true meaning Of the phrase
consent Of the governed" which
dictators are too hasty or too
ignorant to understand. For we are
all Americans on Inauguration dfv,
and the man whom a majority of u7
have elected becomes the President
Of all of us, bound to foster and
cherish the rights of the minority
as well as to promote the will of the
majority. This day is fittingly pro-
claimed national unity day" by the
American people.
released by Consolidated News Features.
Inc.)