Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1942-11-05
America Can Help Build
A Democratic World

The program of the Youth
Committee for Democracy, which
was adopted at Chicago some
time ago, contains food for.
thought for all of our citizens.
This Youth Committee, accord
ing to its published pamphlet,
is "a group of young Americans
who are determined to make
democracy so real to all of our
people that totalitarian propa-
ganda in this country will be
waste of time, energy and
money"
The pamphlet further states
that it is "A group of young
Americans who are determined
to make the peace which follows
this war a victory for freedom
everywhere. No Fascists, no
Nazis, no Communists are elig-
ible for membership in this or
ganiZation."
The program adopted at the
Chicago convention follows:
Democracy can offer to America
and to the world, hope, challenge
and a means for ending totalitarian-
ism. Youth of every nation whose
future is being created today have
a common stake in democracy as an
alternative to recurring wars, human
exploitation, and the total subor-
dination of man to the state. AS
young Americans, we accept our
share of responsibility for building
in the midst of war and oppression
this democratic alternative.
Democracy in America is chal-
lenged by a growing Capitalization
of economic and political power, a
declining standard of living for the
great majority of the people, war
profteering, RECOMMENDATION of the
labor movement, CONSUMPTION, cur
tailment of freedom of expression
and organization. It is challenged by
those who would make a peace of
vengeance containing the seeds of
another World war
Democracy in our country must
become a way of life so vital to our
people that it will never be sur
rendered. This means building forces
to make democracy real in every
phase of life.
1t means extension of political
democracy to those who do not now
possess it.
1t means expanding democracy in
economic life to include participa-
ton of farm and working people in
its controls, and the growth of the
cooperative movement.
1t means protection of living stand
ards by ending war profits, and taxa
ton according to ability to pay; re-
Taxation of priorities for consumer
goods production and jobs for prior
ity unemployed; distribution of any
rationed materials according to need.
1t means a social democracy which
has no place for persecution of minor
tiles, racial discrimination, anti
semitism.
Only such an America can help to
make democratic peace We begin
now the fight for just and durable
peace, peace which will not be
again breathing space between two
wars. We advocate such a demo-
cratic peace at the earliest possible
moment. This fight for peace with
freedom is shared by people every
where; in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Though these continents be ravaged
by war, it continues. 1t will not be
won simply by military victory of
any nations, for democracy cannot be
transplanted by conquest; it must
be won from within This peace
must be peace of freedom for colo
NAL peoples, freedom for those liv-
ing in the shadow of dictatorship.
It must be peace which begins to
cure the economic causes of war,
poverty and oppression. It must be
peace of cooperation among people,
not of domination by nation over
nation.
To this victory for freedom we
dedicate ourselves. With faith and
determination we will work so that
the future may belong not to die
tators, but to free men everywhere.