The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-04-03
Rx John STAHLBERG

49,
Sentinel talks about constructive
criticism, constructive" comment OF
matters OF public interest, 1t slowly
dawns on you that the whole concep
of constructiveness is a creation ex
clusively his; that all rights In 1t, In
Guiding the right of translation out Of
Sentinelese into English, are reserved
OF course, by constructive criticism
he means criticism which agrees with
his point of view. That point of view
is distinguished by a rich and buttery
smugness, an air of GodI-thank-thee-
that-I-am-not-as-ot His al
most Prussian inability to recognize
sincerity or justice in an opposing
point of view, is, as he himself would
express 1t in his erudite way, "a phe-
nomena"
Well. two months before Pearl Har-
Dor, when Russia, with her mistakes
behind her, was fighting the epic bat
tie which stopped world ruin in Its
tracks for at least six priceless
months, this Son of Heaven sat down
in constructive mood Dipping his
pen in sweetness and light, he wrote
(quote):
There Is something paradoxicaI In
our determination to aid Russia -.
against Nazidom. With con-
sIstency we could hope for death
struggle between these two destroy
ers Of civilization that would leave
ho+L nxhouctaJ Our epAr-
gels are directed toward the de-
structon of HitIerism at the mo-
ment. If our purpose is accom-
pIlshed we must then turn upon
Communism and seek its destruc-
End quote.
This may not be the most amazing
thing that has appeared in the edi-
torial columns Of the Sentinel since
Gods elder brother inherited control |
there, but 1t does attain absolute zero
in judgment and taste. Why? Well, |
let's consider the main historical facts
as Of October 1941.
1. Russia was our ally. The notion
that we were not In the war until
December 7th is folklore for back
country storekeepers, small-town
newspaper editors, and other believ-
ers in political and economic voodoo.
The fact is that we entered the war
the moment the Axis became clear
cut threat to American and British
business-as-usual. 1t would be even
better history to say that we were
In the war before its official begin
the British Chamberlains and Simons
and the French Lavals and Bonnets,
our economic rulers were enemies of
genuine peoples movements so long
as those movements seemed the great
sr threat to their accustomed privi-
eges. Therefore they helped to crush
he Spanish republic; therefore they
helped to build up the power OF the t
fascist monster. 1t was during the
brief breathing spell between Munich
md the Polish crisis that they began
% see their pampered montser in It's
rue proportions - not merely as r
great evil, but as an evil strong '
enough and ruthless enough to des- e
roy even its creators. Then, like the e
scientist in Mary Shelleys fantasy, o
hey began to detest their creature v
nd to cry out against it because it t
vas, to their great surprise, exactly
8 they had created it. And they o
uickly entered the war against it as t.
lilies Of the people, for now the peo- fl
lie had become the only power on "
arth that could save them. Even the q
eople fled or surrendered or were a
verwhelmed on all fronts except the q
british island and the Russian plain. t.
2. Aside from the respect due to a "