Evening star., 1943-12-10

Mr.. Wilson has Just made a con-
tribution to the thinking of our
times which might we'll have been
expected to emanate from a man
far more intimately identified with
public life than he has been. His
comment is courageous and broad
visioned.
Now we are coming into an elec-
ton year." he said, when passions
and prejudices are likely to be ac-
centuated through the normal in
terplay Of party politics. I submit
that If we give way to those passions
and prejudices, If we allow them to
influence our actions, If we lend
ourselves to the breaking up of the
society into partisan groups and
cHques, we are playing into the
hands Of the enemy. More than that
we are jeopardizing our entire ma
tional future.
Time to Exercise Judgment.
MANY of us in the 1930s feared
that a left wing reaction would
draw labor so far away from the
main body of American sentiment
that the gap could not be closed
without disastrous struggle. I do
not want to be an alarmist-per-
haps I exaggerate since I spend so
much time in Washington, where
politics is always eXaggerated-but
I tell you frankly that I am deeply
alarmed today over the possibility
that a right-Wing reaction may
draw some sections of capital so
far away from our traditions as to
imperil the entire structure Of
American life as we know it.
This above all is a time when
the industrial leaders of America
owe it to their country and to them
selves to exercise temperate judg-
ment-to practice the arts of COM
promise-to avoid the temptation
of sacrificing enduring values for
temporary gains-and to withhold
encouragement from dangerous men
who preach disunity.
Our American democracy Is q
hardy plant; but surely We have
learned by now that democracy in
any country can be blighted by the
many deadly parasites which will al
ways attack it If they can. I refer
not merely to Japanese beetles and
Nazi bloodworms, but also to an
American breed of maggot which
has been all too numerous of late,
and which is trying to break through
the skin Of democracy and suck the
life blood out Of 1t.
There are too many men who
are ready to spread the poisons of
falsehood and hate at every turn.
You and I and all of us who are
sincerely devoted to the American
ideal and to the democratic prin-
ciple have an obligation to speak
out boldly and act boldly to pre-
vent these co-called Americans from
plunging us into disastrous internal
strife"
Implicit Comments.
Mr.. Wilson's comments are i'm
plicit rather than explicit. He does
not call names or smear any one
but he draws attention to a trend
Whlch Is recognizable by any one
who follows the many currents of
discomfort that are being set in
motion today and will tend to grow
more intense as the presidential
campaign approaches.
AS one who Is not in the conf
dence OF Mr.. Wilson, there is never
thelesS no doubt that he must be
referring to the undue encourage
ment which the forces of reaction
and the opponents of democracy in
America have derived from the re-
cent Republican gains in the State
and local elections. TOO many Re-
publicans of the reactionary school
OF thought have already made
mincemeat of all the progressive
legislation adopted in the last
decade.
Instead Of going along with the
Idea of correcting the administra-
tive mistakes and bureaucratic
blunders of the Wagner Act, the Sc
curities and Exchange Act, the mini
mum hour and wage law and the
proper enforcement of the anti