The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-04-19
BY CAROLINE BRAMMER

/ By CAROLINE BRAN MEh
Whatll it be folks, life or death
Will you have war and humiliation
or life and peace? It's your choice.
If you want war and the end o
your world, you can have it, easy
Don't give it a thought, don't lift
finger. Just relax and watch the fire
works. Maybe you'll be one of the
lucky ones who will SEE atom bombs
in action One of those lucky ones
who dies later. after the pretty flasf
and bang, of internal hemorrhage.
If you want life and peace, you are
going to have to work for it-sweai
| it out as you have never done before
You are going to have to go back
to the beginning and learn your ABC's
| for the atomic age. What was good
enough for your father isn't going to
be good for you, for long.
Are you buying a new refrigerator
looking forward to 1947 car? Are
you planning a new house to be built
of the astonishingly improved mate
rails which you hope will be plenti-
full and cheap four or five years from
now? Are you thinking of sending the
children to a good college when they
finish high school in 1850 or 1851
Are you giving thought also to provi-
sions for comfortable retirement
when you are older, winters in Cali
fornia, perhaps?
Must Bear Full Share of
Responsibility
These plans are important to you
and to America, but since August,
1915, any plans you make are con-
tingent on the success with which
the problems AND threat of atomic
energy are handled by mankind. Man
kind is you You must realize that each
individual American must bear his full
share of responsibility for the atom
bomb. How much thought and study
are you giving this subject? Are you
facing up to it, or are you thinking
George can do it?
History may record 1916 as the
most decisive and the most critical
year of our democracy. In 1916 our
people will either come of age and
move forward in maturity and wisdom,
or they will sign their own and their
children's death warrants. They will
get down to the job of realizing that
we live in new era, fraught with
terrible and immediate danger, and
needful of the most painstaking reas-
sessment of basic human values, or
they will, by inertia and general ina
bility to accept responsibility, commit
suicide. Atomic energy can be our
friend and benefactor; it can give us
an UNNECESSARILY better, healthier
world to live in. But the atomic bomb
is our enemy; it is the enemy of life
in any form, anywhere.
Atomic War Is World Suicide
For time, which, historically speak
ing, must be regarded as an instant,
we have chance to think, a chance
to choose life or death. To quote the
chancellor of the University of Chi
cago, DR.. Hutchins, Everyone is
agreed that atomic war is world sui
eide, no one can win. No scientist of
repute doubts the fact that every
country with an industrial capacity
will have the atom bomb in five years
:" About the time the building
materials for the new house are avail
able and junior is matriculating in that
college.
ha oil 1.-Two 70 ir1or n
live in peace, under law, with ones
neighbors, is to go to war. Since war
now is suicide, how can there be any
But learning to live in
peace, under law, is not something
peoples and nations learn over night.
1t requires the same tolerance, under
standing, flexibility and patience
which are necessary in any success
full human relationship. Americans do
not like or understand certain Rus
sian patterns of behavior. Likewise,
Russia objects to certain patterns of
behavior in us. This is serious. This
needs careful tudy. This calls for toll
erance and understanding and flexi-
bility and patience. This is our first
lesson in learning to live in peace.
What this situation certainly doesn't
need, indeed can't afford, are the red
baiters, the irresponsible press, and
the men of little faith beating the
tom-tom for war. Fear is an emotion
which seriously handicaps the think
ing man Remember what Franklin
told us about that?
Dr. Hutchins says further, Because
of the prejudices of our statesmen or