The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-03-25

authqf Of Brothers Under the Skin" who addressed
Detroit audience last week.
Mr.. McWiliams is not content to echo the wall
of the times and point out that racial prejudice has
gotten all Of us Americans in hell of mess, but
he has program to combat this racism and is going
around the countryside trying to drum up support
for his program. 1t seems that MIR. McWilliams be-
lieves it is not enough to know the truth but it is
necessary to follow it. He believes that racism is
menace to the national welfare and the federal
government must do something about it. It is the
task Of the enlightened ctizenry to get govern
ment to tackle this national problem and take af-
firmative steps toward its solution
In view of the despair which has engulfed so
many whites and Negroes who have sought to find
ways and means to ease the strife between the races
Mr.. McWiams has program that you can put your
teeth in and bring a measure of encouragement to
those who hate to feel that the problem is insouble
In seeking to get the federal government to meet the
menace of racism directly and without equivocation
Mr.. McWilams is in agreement with growing
number of first rate liberals The fact that the task
Of getting the government to act, when it appears
that even such agencies as the FEPC can barely
survive is certainly going to be difficult does not
brighten Mr. McWiams.
He insists that the very struggle to force the
federal government to assume it's rghtful response
bities will be of tremendous educational value. He
believes in education through action. When faint
hearted liberals declare that only education will solve
our problems, they usually envsage some long term
process which will bring results in heaven, certainly
not on this earth. Education as Mr. McWilliams sees
it, need not be century long process If Hitler
reduce civilized Germans to savages in eight years,
certainly we ought to be able to civze some Of our
American savages in comparable period.
We cannot forget that time is of essence in this
business of racsm We have no choice between
program of gradualism and one of mmediacy. The
rising tide of fascism in this country today makes
the controversy over gradualism and immediacy
criminal waste of time and talent. The forces at
work in America that are leading to Naz-lke So
cial order will not stand still for those who oppose
it to rally their resources and strength. Detroiters
who witnessed the growing frictions and tensions
last year which erupted in the city streets
should know very we'll that the quicker we mobilize
against racism in America, the better chance the
country will have to maintain the public peace and
maintain some semblance of democracy.
Mr. McWilams has sensed the urgency of the
dilemma in which all Americans find themselves and
he shares with true lovers of democracy everywhere
sincere alarm over the growing intolerance and big
otry in our commonwealth. We agree with him that
the federal government must in the interests of the
national welfare use it's resources in positive pro-
gram to combat racism and we believe that the en-
lghtened citzenry should mobilize public sentiment
in support of this federal action. We agree further
that there is better time to start our campaign to
effect this end than now.