Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-06-13
BEHIND
THE NEWS
By Paul
MaIIon

the four. freedoms and radical
ideoloogieS which is apparent be-
hind the confusing political news
from abroad is also conspicuous
behind much domestic news and
Interpretation.
The leftist journals are cur
rently campaigning for the
Beverage proposed way OF life'
in Britain, with the critical de-
mand that il also be pursued
here. They think that is what
the four freedoms mean, as
sumption by the state of more
complete authority over the
lives OF men economically. fix
ing their wages, their employ
ment, their security rather than
encouraging the individual to do
il himself on his own initiative.
That is the kind of peace and
postwar planning they want.
But we have campaigned this
war through TO a point near
victory on the basis of bringing
liberty and democracy for the
individual both here and abroad.
Is their thinking now not as
confused and as far wrong as IT
was a few months ago when
they were campaigning for a
quart of milk a day and labor
wage standard TO be fixed
throughout the world?
What is liberty? What Is
democracy! What is freedom
of the individual? If we do not
first decide that, how can there
be anything but confusion about
postwar planning?
4 N INDIVIDUAL enslaved to
N a state economically by
taxation or otherwise, is no less
slave than if controlled po-
litically. In a dictatorship, his
life is no more free than the
conscience and ability Of the
man who happens to be run
ming the state at any given
time.
If he has a democratic form,
he is still no more free than
by whatever degree his Presi-
dent and Congress are free
from domination by minority
class groups and interests. In
the religious sense. he is not
free if he is dominated by any
class group either. Domination
by one religion or by atheism
is equally far from any demo-
cratic theology.
The radicals see this, but this
part OF it only. How can they
expect any one to believe domi-
nation brings economic free
dom when they see so we'll il
does not bring religious free
dom. They could not consider
the world politically free If it
was dominated by one world
imperial power, at least no one
else would. Domination never
yet has achieved freedom or
liberty or democracy in any
way.
WHAT we would like to have
w is complete freedom for
all peoples in all ways. eco
nomically. politically re-
ligiously. This always has
proved too idealistic a goal for
the world 10 achieve entirely,
but by whatever further prog
resS we make in that direction,
the peace will be successful.
BY whatever measure we COM
promise it, the peace will fail.
We were drawn deeper into
what measure of collectivism
we already had before this war
only to meet failures. The ideal
was not voluntarily eSpoused as
the proper way of life. It was
not what we wanted. II was
what we had TO take. Entering
the war. we assumed the addi-
tional collectivism only for war.
Our course in that direction
should be pursued in the post
war peace only to whatever ex-
tent il will bring true Justice to
the individual. The star of indi-
vidual freedom should never be
eclipSed one inch by collectivism
as our ideal.
Our success in this war was
not due to collectivism but 10
voluntary democratic co-opera-
ton by all hands. To whatever
extent labor sacrificed its rights
TO strike. ii expects to get that
right back. and so with all OF us.
internationally we did not
win by collectiviSm either, but
by truly democratic co-opera-
ton. One nation did not domi-
nate the military decisions of
how TO proceed with the fight
ing. This democratic way is
working well against a nation
which practiced collectivism and
preached subServience of the in
dividiual to the state.
IF WE wish TO dispel confusion
Il and plan our way. we must
first define our words and UNI
derstand our goals. We must
decide that, internationally or
domestically, the star of real
liberty must be maintained as
indispensable.
We must abhor collectivism
as an ideal, and compromise
with il reluctantly and tempo
N-aVtlO <rIxr a..