The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-12-03
IN OTHER WORDS

greatly fear that | am a confuset
r liberal. | don't know the answers.
, don't know what Is going on behint
, the scenes or to what climax the
. tragedy may be tending. Perhaps the
, survivors will inaugurate something
new and fine In human relationships;
perhaps, on the contrary, they will
wake from the anesthesia of their own
propaganda to find themselves teth-
cred and fenced In like cattle.
l happen to be personally in favor
of fighting Hitler now, since we must
apparently fight him sometime. was,
as matter of record, in favor of do
ing something to stop Hitler when
Hitler first came to power; but at
that time, as some readers may re-
member, the idea was not popular. At
that time the apocalyptic lightning
had not yet struck the Roosevelts, the
Peppers, the Thompsons, or-to let go
all handholds and clatter abruptly to
the bottom Of the, ladder-the Win
chells of this country. These estimable
people took forever to arrive at their
present complete understanding" of
world affairs; and that, | believe, is
prime reason why so many Ameri-
cans are suspicious Of them now,
when they are trying to impose it ON
the rest Of us as the only true reve-
lation.
Why didn't they wake up and re-
alize little Of what was happening
when the people of Spain were being
butchered by German and italian
armies? They were on the side of the
oppressors then, every silly horses
rump of them! They were wholly in
capable of grasping the simple propo-
sition that IL you assent to the de-
struction Of fellowmans liberty you
nourish an oppression which will
some day grow strong enough to
reach threateningly toward your own
liberties. Now that the monster has
challenged us they tell us that we
can fight him effectively only by
yielding to them the same power over
us that he would demand If he were
victorious.
| believe that Hitler is beyond COM
parison the greatest force for sheer
evil that has ever afflicted mankind.
On the other hand, | am old enough
to remember the last war, into which
our country was driven by fraud and
| know that modern war
Is screaming imbecile horror, that
our entry into it win mean exactly
what Senator Wheeler has said it will
mean: the blowing under of every
fourth American boy. l don't believe
hat anyone who is not himself elig-
bile to take the risks of military serv-
ce has any right, morally, to urge
he fight upon those who must and
will take the risks. 1t is in execrable
aste, it is wholly unnecessary, and
t beclouds-it does not clarify-the
ssue. l doubt very much that our
var effort will be crippled IL the few
citizens who feel this way refrain
rom active support of the prelimin-
Try propaganda effort and devote
themselves instead to defending those
principles of American civilization
which need support now as never be-
ore. The propaganda for Intervention
will win anyway-has In fact won
nut the principles of democratic free
ON and the theory of equality are
threatened and will not survive I'M
sss we fight for them.
To that fight l am committed, first
y the good fortune of being born an
american, then by everything that
as since happened to me. / am in
arrest about 1t; l believe in 1t as
elieve in nothing else on earth. II
'eedom is finally suppressed in the
United States, it will be suppressed
yer dead American bodies, and mine
ill be among them, l promise. Il
ont mean that as an encouragement
the suppressors!) Life is painful
nough at its niggardly best; under a
rmly established tyranny 1t would
e insupportable.
II the Voice has any readers who
believe that suppression of
berries, in whole or in part, may be
istified by special circumstances,
nould like to exchange views with
lem. No letter will be published
ithout permission.