The Omaha guide., 1946-05-04
/ OUR
!. GUEST
!. Column
Edited by Verna p. Harris
~ONE-TRACKED
LIBERALS
(by Eddie Cantor, Radio and
Screen STAR

Very lew OF us even Try 10 DC hDcl-
al. To be a liberal requires intelli-
gence, sensitivity, kindness-and for
most people, that's a bit too much. 50
most people 90 their c~arefree way,
thinking only about themselves, their
families, their friends. And then they
feel very much disappointed and
wronged because the world, with the
memory Of an elephant and the re-
morseless indifference of a machine,
pays off at regular intervals with de-
pressions and wars.
But even those of us who try to be
liberals are usually no bargains. U.s.
ually this is because most of US try to
make a bargain with our liberalism, to
give as little as possible and get back
as much as we can get away with. We
give eff our liberalism in small, care
fully weighed doses, and then wait for
the world to get well and healthy. We
scott at the narrowness of others, and
are Just as narrow and blind in our
own way. Of course, | am not talking
about all liberals. Just the one-track
liberals. !. the "gliberals. ".... whose
words about democracy are just -.
WORDS.
Who are the one-tracked liberals?..
They are the people who talk demo-
cracy for all, but mean democracy for
their group or the group in which they
are chiefly interested. They are those
Negroes who argue p%assionately for
justice to mankind, but can't see
what this has to do with saving the
Jews in Europe, or fighting anti-Sem-
itism in America. They are those
Jewish people who ~ant a truly demo.
cratic society in America, but can't
see why such a desire need prevent
them in any way from discriminating
against other groups to keep them out
of the neighborhood,
The one track liberals are for free
dom for all people. but not for the
Catholic. Others are all for reopen
ing the frontiers of the West to poor
southern whites. -. but let's keep the
Chinese-Americans and Spanish-Am-
orleans and Japanese-Amerians in
their place. They feel that the most
elementary decency demands that
Jews and other displaced persons be
admitted to Palestine, Australia, At
ghanistan. :. but let's not have a lot
Of foreigners come into OUR coun-
try.
They give generously to people who
come to the back door for food or old
clothing. but they feel that unions
have got to be controlled once and for
all, that the government should step
- a-J t,Lo a. x,1a1 11--, tr1 -
three pegs so they'll be on the same
level with management. Tor will they?
Some of the leading fighters for free
dom are one-track boys. The race re-
lations committees which will fight ed
vocational quotas against the Negro and
pass as regards quotas against Jews,
Italians, or Mexicans. -. because that
is a secondary" problem. Or, take
the other side Of the same coin, the
committees and commissions which
will fight educational quotas against
Jews, and pass" as regards quotas a.
gainst those whose problem is 'too
tough" The people who are all for
one World, as long as it doesn't in
volve their neighborhood or school or
club.
You can also be one-track about
solutions as well as about people. You
know them, I'm sure. the people
who say that if only this would be
done We would have no problems no.
how. The THIS is usually small and
simple, in capsule form, to be taken
five or ten times a day by some
body else.
The f%avorite capsule is: If only the
minority groups would educate them
selves and come up to OUR legal
gradually. e. almost always, these
frierds Of liberty, sometimes teachers
in large institutions, have only the
faintest idea Of the character Of The
minority groups in question, or the
state of their education, or the true re-
%lationship between 'our level" and
9 theirs. Nor do they realize that in
= most personal situations the question
really has nothing to do with minority
groups whatever thai terms means in
a democracy, but with this boy, that
girl, this other family. Many people
refuse to understand that the differ.
ences between members of a group oil
of a single family are often, if not us.
. ually, more significant than their sim
ilarities.
There are all sorts Of one-track cap.
" sules, so to speak. There is the eco
nomic variety which shouts for equal
distribution and sneers at education
because it's in an ivory tower" There
are the people who actually live in an
ivory tower and want a long-term
program of education. the longer
the better IT'LL. because you can't leg.
islate prejudice GU Of existence
There are the people who are interest
ed in "militancy" as an end in itself
and discard every attempt at analyst:
or strategy as uncourageous and hush
hush"
Some of my one-track friends are
all for free elections but nix on public
housing, all for religious freedom buI
nix on FEPC, all for labor but nix or
strikes, all for good public education
but nix on good public recreation, all
for happy children but nix on ade
quate medical care.
What one-track liberals don't yel
know is that if we're not just talking
but really mean democracy and justice
Tor all, it's really "all or nothing a
all" So fellows, you better get of
that track. Democracy Unlimited il
coming through