The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1949-09-23

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neighbors expressing themselves on
the subject of what should be done
to Paul Robson. 1t was quite evil
dent that they felt full of SABBATH
virtue and patriotism and were ready
to be pretty heroic about something.
Certainly they hadn't been carefully
taught the First Amendment and ]
wondered what their reaction would
be if I'd reared up from behind the
hedge and called upon them to en-
ploy their zeal in defense of the Con-
stitution. / find it difficult to grasp
why people have trouble understand
ing the meaning of freedom, or why,
if they value it, they yearn to des-
troy it.
My husband thought that the law
Open Season" on Divergent
Opinion
would be very careful that there was
no breach of the peace after the
slaps administered the enforcement
such papers as the TIMES and TRIB-
UNE on their performance the week
before. But there was something
about the whole tone of this part of
the country which would have con-
veyed to the hoodlums and the luna
tic fringe, as we'll as the unfledged
and those of their relatives not given
to rational thinking, that open sea-
son had been declared on anyone
whose opinions differed from theirs
The Macy Chain newspapers didn't
rush into banner headlines declaring
their determination to fight to the
death in defense of the right of the
other guy to disagree with them, but
they did warn us that prudence indi-
Gated that none of us venture into
the vicinity of Peekskill. The fact
that this editorial thus became the
servant of those who sought to intim-
idate their neighbors seems to have
either escaped the editor or suited
his purpose. 1t certainly indicated a
distrust of the ability or willingness
of the police to preserve order.
The attitude of the press in West
chester, which, like the daily press in
Montana, has no competition in
ideas, is one of the most important
items in a study of how people got
that way. 1t has deplored the VIC
lence-not on the ground that it was
violation of democratic principles
but rather that it was 'unfortun-
ate" that it happened in Westchester
and it has at the same time labored
at embarrassing the officials in
volved. The length to which this
policy has brought the press is best
illustrated by the following editorial
printed September 10, in the Ossin-
ing CITIZEN REGISTER:
Our 'Apathetic' Police
Speaking in Atlanta last Thurs
day, where she excused southern
violations of civil liberties by the
rather naive apology that such Of
fenses could occur just as easily
anywhere in the nation, Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt referred to the
Paul Robson concerts at Peek
skill.
The disturbance which followed,
she told her Atlanta audience, were
caused because the police were
"apathetic".
In Washington, President Tru-
man echoed the sentiment, declar-
ing he was 100 percent in agree
ment with Mrs. Roosevelt.
According to our dictionary,
"apathetic" means indifferent"
and has even worse connotation.
We are sure that the 232 State
troopers and the 672 other police
men and deputies, many of whom
have upon occasion risked their
lives to give Mrs. Roosevelt and
MIR. Truman fast escort through
Westchester will be interested to
know what these two prominent
personages think of them"
Since Mrs. Roosevelt and the Pres
dent are the favorite targets of our
'ress, the twisting of Mrs. Roose-
relt'S words into an excuse for viO-