Montana labor news., 1947-04-17

worldwide conflict between east and
west, he is telling the Soviet leaders
that we are preparing for eventual
war. They will reply by measures to
strengthen their position in the event
OF war. Then the task of keeping the
world at peace will pass beyond the
power of the common people every
where who want peace. Certainly it
will not be freedom that will be vic
torious in this struggle. Psychological
and spiritual preparation for war will
follow financial preparation. civil lib
critics will be restricted: standards of
living will be forced downward: fam
lilies will be divided against each 9th
err: none OF the values that we hold
worth fighting for will be secure.
Truman Appeal Hinged
In Hypocrisy
Most Americans fear that the ac-
tions proposed by President Truman
will lead to disaster. That is why
congressional leaders were prepared
III duhdlltt lOl III IltSlQClt . HlCS-
sage. That is why the program was
presented piece by piece, and not as
an overall program that Americans
could look at and judge as a whole.
No hypocritical appeal to the gener-
osity and decency of the American
people should be permitted to draw
us into Il commitment for which there
is no end in sight. Americans are for
democracy and for economic recon
struction. AS one American citizen !
say: No loan to undemocratic and
weII-fed Turkey: No loan to Greece
until a representative Greek govern
ment is formed and can assure Amer
lea that our funds will be used for the
welfare Of the Greek people.
To authorize the loans proposed by
President Truman will bring the world
nearer to war. To defeat these loans
will not bring peace. | recognize that
there is grave danger Of eventual war
in our present policy Of drift. All ma
tons are responsible for this drift to
war; all nations must work together
for peace.
No one wants war. If war comes
one day, it will be because we have
failed to think on the scale required
for peace. Roosevelt thought on that
scale. He foresaw generations of
peace and plenty. Two years later
President Truman asks us to look
forward to generations Of want and
war. President Truman has summon.
ed in a Century of Fear. | say this
can be the century of the fulfillment
of the American dream.
iiust Give Something Better
Than Communism
This is the time for an about world
wide reconstruction program for
peace. This is Americas opportun-
ity. The peoples Of all lands say to
America. Send us plows for our fields
instead of tanks and guns to be used
against us. The United Nations is
waiting, ready to do the job. We
should start with an economic plan
for the Near East financed by the In
ternational bank and backed by the
United Nations. The dollars that are
spent will be spent for the production
Of goods and will come back to us in
a thousand different ways. Our prog
ram will be based on service instead
of the outworn ideas Of Imperialism
and power politics. 1t is a funda-
mental law Of life that a strong idea
is merely strengthened by persecu-
ton. The way to handle communism
is by what William James sailed the
replacing power of the higher affec-
ton" In other words, we must give
the common man all over the world
something better than communism. |
believe we have something better than
communism here in America. But
President Truman has not spoken for
the American ideal. 1t is now the turn
Of the American people to speak.
Common sense is required Of all Of
us in realizing that helping militarism
never brings peace. Courage is re-
CURED Of all of us in carrying out a
program that can bring peace. Cour-
age and ommon sense are the quail
ties that made America great. Let's
keep those qualities now.