The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1941-05-06
BIGGER THAN PERSONALITIES

BIGGER THAN PERSONALITIES
The great decisions now before the
American people ore only beIittIed and
befooeed by personal denominations.
The issue invoIved-whot port the
United Stotes is going to pIoy in the
present world confIict-should not be
muddied by personalities. The unfor-
tunote controversy over Colonel Lind
bergh's resignation from the Air Corps
points up the need for bigger thinking.
IAr. Roosevelt was seriously at fouIt
in his "VoIIondighom" reference when
answering a press conference question
as to why the Colonel had not been
colIed up from the reserve to octive
duty Had he been placed on octive
duty the Government would probably
have been occused Of trying to stop his
mouth, and feor Of such occusotion
moy be the reoI explanation To have
admitted it would have been better
than to compore him with the most
notorious of "Copperheods. r
Yet nothing the President sold justf-
flies the resignation. Colonel Lindberg
properly claims the right Of citizen
to speak his opinion But the President
had not deprived him Of thot right ond
could not do so. BY resienine he does
nothing to uphold thot right. Insteod
of stonding him on this impersonol
ground, he seems to accept the don-
eerous belief that on Official con deny
free speech. The position of the citizen
dealing with on Official needs to be
offirmed and maintained.
But the Colonel. by his reference to
the President as his Commonder-in-
Chief, seems to make it militory ques-
tion On thot ground his. cotton ond
exompIe is even more damaging. Whot
would happen to the Army were every
privote to resign" whose sergeant hod
made some public and personal re-
marks! Or every officer who found
himself in controversy with superior
over methods! Never was it more neces-
sorry to emphasize that Loyalty is to the
Nation, not to any person.
Whether Colonel Lindbere octed on
personal resentment or on the odvice
Of politicians who thought that by
making him appear q martyr they could
win public sympathy for the isolation
st oose. the cotton continues and COM
pounds the Presidents original error
The bod example moy be useful in
showing other citizens the folly Of let
ting personal or intolerance sabotage
the essential task Of thinking coImly
and Clearly through present problems
Citizens feel keenIy the Dangers in
either course now before the Ameri-
con people. Conscientious people who
support Colonel Lindberoh believe it
would be q colomity and q crime for
America to be drown into war. But it
would be q serious mistake for them to
lose sight Of the main question and
weaken their cose by hotine the Presi-
dent and oil those who support his
policy.
EquoIIy, those who have seen one
democracy otter onother foil through
oPothy or feor feel that it is positive
donoer to America to have Colonel
lindberoh weakening the oid-to-Brit-
DIN effort which seems the Notions
most immediate protection. But Brtoin
still allows onti-wor people to speok,
ond to center on the Lindberoh per-
sonoIity is to get sidetrocked from the
forward drive now essential. - From
The Chsistion Science Monitor.
!. Ar American vino win ~ fisht any place