The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1952-11-28
As Matters Stand
Joe Breig Says:
Back Down In Korea?

sons are prisoners of the Commun-
lists. II is vile and vicious to dangle
before them the rotten temptation
to buy back their boys by abandon
ing righteousness, breaking our
sacred promises, and handing priS-
oners over to slaughter.
When the northern colonies
compromised with the evil of slav-
cry in the founding days of the
American republic, Thomas JEFF
ferson said that he shuddered for
the future because he remembered
that God is just. The Civil War
proved his point right up to the
hilt.
Yes, God is just, and history in
exorably demonstrates if. We can
be absolutely certain that if we
buy craven armistice in Korea
with the blood and bones of help
less men, we will pay and pay and
pay, ten thousand times over.
We say that we want peace; but
we will never have it until we face
up to the fact that peace is the
work of justice, of the indomitable
justice that yields nothing, COM
promises nothing, appeases no evil
doer. We cannot purchase peace
with injustice. Either right will
prevail, or there will be no peace
In this matter of the forcible re
patriation of war prisoners. the
Communists are wrong, and we are
right. Therefore let the Commun-
lists back down. Let us make ii un-
mistakably clear that it is they
who must yield Right must not
surrender to might. If we are ever
to have decent world, the mighty
must be taught, with whatever iron
blows be necessary, to yield to
right.
He who lays down his cross will
find himself, in the end. carrying
a heavier cross. That is true of
persons, and it is true of nations
All life and all history point to
that irreducible fact. We can avoid
trouble for the moment by betray-
ing the right but the trouble al
ways comes back upon us, multi
piled.
If we sell out justice in Korea.
we will only have TO defend it on
some other and bloodier battle
field, perhaps on the battlefield
of all the earth. We. cannot flee
our duty. God will force us in the
end to face the issue of human
rights. He will have His children
free, and He will not let us off the
job of defending freedom. Double
in our tracks as we will, we cannot
escape.
Have we so soon forgotten Mu
Mich? And Yalta? Time and again
we have tried to buy peace by sell
ing other men into slavery. II can
not be done. whether the men be
Negroes, Poles or Chinese There
lis only one coin that will buy peace
the coin OF iron determination TO
have justice for all, freedom for
all.
To back down in Korea would be
to give Stain the greatest victory
Of his ugly life. Like wildfire the
word would spread that the West
cannot be trusted; that the United
Nations is false, the United States
false, Britain false, Canada false,
all false
Back down in Korea, and we will
lose Asia in one vast series of up
heavalS Back down in Korea. and
the UN and NATO will begin to
collapse The jubilant Communists.
triumphant over the smashing of
the moral fibre of the free world,
will feel the earth within their
grasp; and the atomic flames of
final total war will await only the
slightest spark.
! do not think we are going to
back down in Korea or anywhere
else | think most of us know that
we have done far too much back
ing down already. | do not think
we have lost our minds. our morals
and our courage | say that we will
brush aside the false prophets,
stand immoyable on principle, and
win. II | didn't think so, would be
taking my fellowmen for frightful
fools