The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1950-09-01
WHO IS A LIBERAL?

he fails by any reasonable definition to meet this
ond criterion; he most definitely does not refuse to
let others do his thinking for him. l wish there
time to consider specifically small part of
the sound SOBER documented evidence brought to this
point in the last year be like George Counts
and Richard Crossman and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
Because there isn't time, suffice it say that
who even begins to be familiar with the evidence
suppose for second that the Communist is the master
of his Independent intelligence To extent
which at times actually approaches the comic he is
performer who twists and turns and tumbles every
crack of whip which he himself has control
whatsoever. Someone else does all his important
thinking for him. He can't any vital po-
ltca question until first he finds out what todays
party line is that point Therefore he can't possibly
be labeled liberal
1t ought to be added here in all honesty that the
thing is true of anyone who follows party line
determined by else. It's just as true of the
frightened little souls who savshly follow the Com
munst Party ne but in reverse who wait with baited
breath for the party line to be proclaimed that they
automatically oppose it without doing any indie
pendent thinking of their And the thing is
true, again. in religion The liberal religonist be he
Christian Jew is who is perfectly willing to be
guided by the collective experience of the past, but
who insists also on doing his thinking and reach
ing his own convictions.
The liberal, to be sure, is not man who ignores
the opinions of Others who refuses to be guided
very considerably by those whose wisdom in a given
field is manifestly greater than his own. But he is
who trusts his own mind and the facts, and who
isn't ready willing to take up position import
ant matters in any field until he has sfted the facts
through his mind and thought about them with inte
and integrity In short, the liberal refuses
follow party line, whether forward reverse;
he does follow his own conscience and else's.
We to third and final criterion for true
liberalism in both politics and religion. In sense it
the inevitable consequence of the first The lib
eral is who isn't afraid of change. Because he
proclaims that human institutions must meet human
needs and because he insists doing Independent
thinking, therefore he not only accepts but welcomes
change. Many years ago Carl Sandburg told the fable
on1oxy He
always played the note. When his attention was
called to the fact that else played the cello like
that way, he answered: 'Of course; other people
four strings and keep moving their fingers around be-
they looking for that right place. don't
have to do that I've found it already!''
We laugh at that, but while laughing let's not
look the fact that it pretty close to porrayng
the opposite of a liberal The who is absolutely
positive that he has found the right place the
only answer-whether in politics in religion-has
right to call himself liberal That title belongs
ony to the who approaches life and it's problems
experimentaly, who says human needs change; there
for our method and manner of meeting those needs
must also change. The conservative says All other
things being equal, what good enough for yes
terday is good enough for today The liberal
All other things being equal what good enough for
yesterday can't possibly be good enough for today Be-
today is bridge between yesterday and tomor-
row. And one doesn't live permanently bridge;
he uses it to move from one place to another.
So the liberal is who isn't afraid of change.
He understands that social evolution unlike biological
evolution, doesn't just happen through the automauc
operation of natures inevitable laws. We have to
ate the mutations, to speak, which lead to social
change We can't just sit back and confidently wait
for them to happen by themselves.
Who them is liberal? | would say, that
in politics and in religion-to whom human rights and
needs first who refuses to yield the Independent
of his mind and who not only be-
eves in but actively strives for continual process of
evolution and change. The same Carl Sandberg whom
mentioned moment ago, and who next to Walt Whit
man is the greatest poet of American democracy tells
that day Henry Clay riding a carriage of
friend. Suddenly he stopped his horse descended from
MS buggy and knelt down with his to the ground
When his friend asked the reason for such strange
behavior he answered.: 81 listening for the foot
beats of the people," That, dear friends is LIBERAL
who, all his adult life in politics and in reli
yion, listens to the footbeats and heartbeats of the
)eople.-Congressional Record July "a