Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1942-10-22
Fact And Opinion
Willkie's Idea of liberalism.
BY e. C. Stengelsen.

i By Z. g. StengelSen.
Wilkes Idea of Liberalism.
Mr.. Willkie lis worried. He fears
that the conservatives in the two
old parties may get together and
form an isolationist bloc. If so, he
sees danger that our peace program
will be sabotaged and that, follow
ing victory, we shall again withdraw
to ourselves as we did after the
World war.
He is bordering the need of FORM
ing a Liberal third party, under
whose banner they may gather who
are determined that America shall
not lapse back into isolationism, but
shall cooperate fully with other ma
tions to prevent future wars and to
work for the worlds economic, social
and political betterment.
1t is, in short, to be party COM
posed of interventionists. In stress
ing the word liberal" in describ-
ing this tentative new party, he OBJ
viously considers that intervention
lists are of necessity liberals. No 9TH
er construction can possibly be placed
on his statement.
Let us apply his reasoning to the
facts, as we know them, and see to
what conclusion it logically leads.
If interventionists are ipso facto
liberals as Mr.. Willkie seems to
think, then nearly every southern
legislator is an ardent Liberal, for
nearly every one was an ardent in
terventionist.
Thus, Senator Pepper of Florida,
becomes a Liberal, as do George of
Georgia, Bilbo of Mississippi, Rey-
holds of North Carolina, Mcclellan
of Tennessee, Happy" Chandler of
Kentucky and Congressman Martin
Dies of Texas, to name only few.
suppose it is proof of their Glib
eralism" that they refuse to permit
Federal laws to be passed which will
give the southern Negro some kind
of protection against lynching; and
it is doubtless also due to their Glib
eralism" that they insist upon retain
ing their poll tax laws which prevent
Negroes from voting.
Because Senator Capper of Kansas
was an isolationist, he becomes a
conservative, according to Wilkes
reasoning. So do Wheeler of Mon
tana, Shipstead of Minnesota, VAN
denberg of Michigan, Taft of Ohio,
Hiram Johnson of California, Nye
of North Dakota, La Toilette of Wis
consin, etc.
1t is queer how utterly wrong
everybody except Mr.. Willkie has
been. According to the simple belief
of the rest of us, these men were the
Liberal bloc in the Senate. We could
always rely upon them to support
every forward looking piece of pro-
posed legislation, just as certainly as
we could expect the southern sena-
tors to oppose it.
Applying Mr.. Wilkes classical
ton further, we discover also that we
have been wrong in looking upon the
Midwest as the country's stronghold
of liberalism. Because it was large
ly isolationist, it now develops that,
actually, it was hotbed of reaction.
Though it did seem peculiar
that the areas which had been looked
upon as particularly lberal-North
Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin
neutrality-suspicious. be widely isola-
zionist. 1t also seemed queer that
nearly every Liberal was an isola-
zionist. 1t seemed equally queer that
all we had previously considered con-
servatives were uniformly interview
zionist.
We were, of course, wrong. Those
we had considered Liberals were &C
tually Conservatives, while those we
had considered Conservatives were
actually Liberals.
TIE inst aS Simple as that