Evening star., 1948-06-06
Dealing With Communists

FTeSlQent 1TuIndnS CllCdBO speech
clears up one point by destroying the
pleasant fiction" that his Western tour
is a nonpolitical trip. It any one had any
doubt about the matter, it is plain enough
now that this trip is as political as free
cigars and torchlight parade. But If the
speech clears the air in this respect, 1t
serves to muddy the waters in the debate
now going on with respect to the Com
munists and how to deal with them.
Mr.. Truman, drawing upon such ancient
clches as you cannot stop the spread OF
an idea by passing law against it" seems
to put himself on record as being opposed
to the Mundt bill. Perhaps this is not too
important for it does not look as though
the Mundt bill is going to emerge from the
Senate Judiciary Committee at this session
of Congress- And If it is not acted upon,
we still need not lie awake nights in fear
that the American Communists are going
to rise up and take us over before Congress
meets again.
1t Is important, however, to have clear
idea of what it is we want to do in this
matter of dealing with Communists. Mr..
Truman evidently wants to go about 1t by
ulplONlIiS Vic lOV VI GllC pCOplC, dIu IIldt
undeniably is one effective approach. But
he is wrong when he says that communism
succeeds only where there is misery, weak
ness or despair, as is witnessed by what
happened in Czechoslovakia and he is also
wrong in suggesting, as he seems to do,
that nothing can be accomplished
through restrictive legislation
Legislation cannot do the whole Job.
But the lesson which Is taught by the
success of communism and other isms is
not that legislation failed but rather that
suitable legislation was not tried
The basic question to be decided in our
own case is whether we want to try any
legislation. If the answer to that is no.
then the matter ends If the answer is
yes, however, then it is worthwhile to look
critically at some of the attacks being made
on the Mundt bill.
1t is said, for example, that the Mundt
BILL if passed, would give the Communists
an issue, talking point, which they do
not have now. That is true But the
same thing will be true of any restrictive
legislation which might be passed. 1t Is
also said that passage of the Mundt bill
would make martyrs out OF the Commu-
nists. In whose minds, other than their
own, would they be martyrs? It Is said
that the Mundt bill is unconstitutional;
that 1t entails grave threat to our basic
liberties and our way Of life. Some en-
ployers said the same thing about the
Wagner Act. Labor leaders cried out in
warning against the clanking chains OF
slavery when the Taft-Hartley law was
passed, But our basic liberties are still
intact and no one is in chains The thing
to be remembered about this is that the
constitutionality of many laws is open to
question. AS long as we have an inde-
pendent judiciary, however, and as long
as our laws are subject to its review, as is
the case with the Mundt bill, we should
not let ourselves become too frightened
by the outcries of the special pleaders.
No one can deny the reasonableness OF
the proposition that our democracy has
the inherent right to protect itself against
the Communists, or against any group
which, working in the interest of some
foreign government, is trying to accom-
plish the destruction of our system. There
is room for difference of opinion as to how
this protection can best be established
But it is wrong to contend that nothing
can be accomplished toward this end
through properly drawn legislation and 1t
Is foolish to take seriously some of the
complaints that are being aimed at the
Mundt bill. This country is not going
to impose dictatorship upon itself unless
and until that becomes clearly necessary
as matter OF sheer survival.