Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1950-06-09
Chavez, Mccarthy
And The Stacking
Of Mems Minds
BY BRADFORD v. CARTER
For Labor Press Association

TT NEEDED to be said, and said in the United
States Senate, and Dennis Chavez of New
Mexico said it.
For what has been going on in the Senate
is the evil fruit of what has gone before-the
Dies committee and its successors and the
little Dies committees that it spawned in the
states; the loyalty oaths the tests, the mount
ing fear, the mounting hysteria, until the
people are uncertain, suspicious, frightened
and divided
1t was the attack Chavez made on the
credibility of Louis Budenz, No. / anti-com-
munist witness that grabbed the nations head
lines. But it was what he said about the
shackling of mems minds that was much more
important.
Said Chavez: '"The American people are
entitled to know the facts But the American
people do not want, am certain, the United
States Senate TO be turned into platform for
every half-baked gossip, every suspicious or
vengeful individual, every mountebank and
scandalmonger who revels in the glory of
prattling publicly"
Chavez has been in Congress 19 years II
would consider all of the legislation which
have supported meaningless" he said, ''if
were to sit idly by silent during period
which may go down in history as an era when
we permitted the curtailment of our liberties,
period when we quietly shackled the growth
of mems minds"
Our present course, he said, breeds hys
terra and nfusion'-which is exactly what
the communists want. In other words we are
playing into the communists hands.
Few dare to oppose the drift lest they be
the next marked for destruction"
And that is the heart of the matter That
reckless number-juggler from Wisconsin, Joe
Mccarthy, egged on by Republican colleagues
bent on making campaign capital matter
what the cost to the nation, has created an
atmosphere where few dare to oppose the
drift lest they be the next marked for de-
struction." And such atmosphere, where
to raise voice, where to dissent is to be
smeared as a defender of communism is the
great danger to our way of life that Chavez
meant.
IF we think so little OF communists"
Chavez asked, ''Why do we believe confessed
communist" Why are ex-communists, he ask
ed treated as heroes of the Republic?" He
continued; They are rushed to forums from
which to denounce good citizens who always
opposed communism but refused TO make mer-
chandise OF their patriotism. We, who were
never part of that conspiracy, must step aside
and let the alumni of that conspiracy tell how
America must be cleansed and protected"
There is always the peril, he continued
that some ex-communist will suddenly point
an accusing 1lnBer at us. we cannot snow
our resignation from the communist party,
never having been members"
Nobody has been proven guilty so far, he
said, but we have permitted the smearing of
loyal citizens and seriously impaired the mo-
rale Of efficient and patriotic government Of
ficials." He pointed to the ''fear that has
been implanted in the minds of teachers, re-
.searchers scientists government workers. and
in the minds of all citizens, since everyone is
aware OF the public flogging awaiting indi-
viduals accused of the reckless crime of think
ing"
He spoke for the right TO dissent and
warned that if we accept only "safe" people
I'VE become a slave people and IF our Off
cials and DUR citizens become political non
entities and yes-men, the American way of
life perishes.' Americanism, he said, includes
the right to be wrong
And our present course, Chavez declared,
Is playing right into the hands of Moscow,
'for we are polarzing all opinion between the
communists and the non-communists, telling
Moscow that all people who disagree or dis
sent with our personal political opinions are
communists" He said he was not ready to
hand over to Moscow everyone in the United
States who happened to disagree with him.
Il object" he continued Ito our elevating
the communists to the tremendous prestige of
being the single opposition in American life
success beyond the widest dreams of the
small and puny professional communist move
ment"