The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-04-13
ADA Convention Renews Fight
For Liberalism Here And Abroad

Washington (LPA) = Americans
| for Democratic Action, at their an
|nual convention here, called for a
renewed all-out fight. "to keep aloft
the banner of progressivism IN
America, the only banner under
which the free peoples of the world
can be rallied against totalitarian-
ISM"
More than 600 delegates from al
most 40 states, including many
members of Congress and high of
ficials of the executive agencies
and representatives of labor ano
liberal groups, hammered out q
series of resolutions and action
platforms keyed to this principle.
The same theme ran through a
series of fighting speeches from
Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt; Gov. Ches-
ter Bowles of Connecticut; Sen
Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota
retiring national chairman; Secre-
tary of Agriculture Brannan; and
Walter Reuther, president of the
IUAW. In line with message from
President Truman, the entire con-
vention was keyed to the import
ance of this years congressional
elections.
The platform declarations close
lly paralleled President Truman's
"Fair Deal" program, but the con-
Ivention steered clear of any com
mitment to the Democratic party
The ADA reaffirmed its "political
land organizational independence.
promising to work for the nomina-
tion and election of candidates from
Iany party "when their records are
consistent with the principles OF
ADA"
Francis Biddle, elected to sue
ceed Humphrey as national chair
Imam, interpreted this declaration
as statement that the ADA was
mot simply an annex of what Is
left of the New Deal party" He
said the ADA could have more than
one partner, but the Democratic
party still was the "senior part
ner."
One Of the hottest floor fights
came over this declaration of poll
tical independence. The political
policy commission had proposed a
reaffirmation of the l949 state
ment that cooperation with the
Fair Deal elements of the Demo
cratic party affords the best oppor-
tunity for the achievement of lib
eral purposes on the national level
at this time"
But, led by Gregory j. Bardacke
of the Connecticut chapter, and Leo
A. Lerner of Chicago, the conven-
tion majority voted down even this
much of a tie-up with the Demo
cratic party organization.
Over and over again the conven-
tion responded warmly to speeches
defending Secretary of State Dean
AcheSon, and attacking the Repub-
lican McCarthys who are trying to
smear him. Every convention
speaker denounced the Wisconsin
Senator's campaign to picture lib
erals as communists, i'm an effort
to discredit our foreign policy and
our government.
On motion of Biddle, the conyen-
ton unanimously adopted resolu-
tion commencing Acheson and de-
lnouncing "the apparent indiffer-
ence of the responsible leaders of
the Republican party to the moral
and political consequences of a
campaign of unscrupulous personal
lvilification affecting, as it nccess-
arily must, and as its inventors in
tend it shall, the confidence of the
American people in thcirsgovern-
ment and its highest officers"
In a moving speech to the con-
vention banquet, Mrs. Roosevelt
called for thinking people to stand
up and fight for the things they be-
lieve in without being afraid of the
consequences or the criticism that
may result.
"We must be able to disagree
with people and consider new ideas
and not be afraid" Mrs. Roosevelt
said. "The day we are afraid to sit
down with someone because five
years from now someone NAV say
1--WE sat in the same room with a
communist--that day will be bad
day. We must be sure enough OF