The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1953-07-03

| which few of this human race now
| understand, among them we should
| have definitions of Democracy, Repub-
| licanism, Socialism, Capitalism, Athe-
| ism, rheumatism and even Christian
/ ity. Those items seem least understood
by most members of this so-called hui
man race. The definitions should be
! accurate and simple, so simple that
| even a Republican can understand
| them. AI
! Our politicians rant and rave about
| the blessings of democracy but we
| haven't begun to practice it, They
make the welkin ring with their boast
of political equality, but you don't
| have political equality until you first
| have economic equality for if one in
| dividual has the power to say to an
other you shall or shall not work"
and by so saying says in effect you
shall or shall not eat". what becomes
| of your boasted equality. AS for Re-
publicanism, | tried several years ago
| to find out what that was by asking
staunch Republican and his reply
was, Yes dern it I'm a Republican and
| | amt going to let no damn Democrat
| beat me Stealn'". That seemed to be
| the best definition / could get for it
| and looking over the past record of the
Republican administrations they seem
| to have been living up to it conscien-
| tiously AS to the present administra-
| ton, it's slightly early to say whether
they can maintain their previous re-
cords but then they have been out of
practice due to their lack of oppor-
tunities in the past 20 years. Thus far
however, they have shown consider
able aptitude and, given time, will
probably equal or possibly even sur
pass all previous records.
AS for Christianity, I'm free to ad-
nit 1 don't understand it. 1 thought
al ipna I hut in fha
days of my "callow youth. 1 thought
/ was a Christian and when the first
World War broke out I said that Chris
tianity told me thou shalt not kill' so
wasn't going. Strange as it may
seem many of the Christians in my
particular locality wanted to hang me,
so | was compelled to admit that l
couldn't understand Christianity and
still can't seem to grasp it for after
two thousand years OF Christianity,
we still haven't learned to be HUMAN.
Yes, we need a lot of definitions.
For example there is the matter of
JUSTICE - and mercy. 1 sometimes
wonder if any of us know their mean
ing
A good many years ago a man was
hanged in Missoula for the murder of
member of a prominent family. He
went to the scaffold protesting his in
nocence, and years later on his death
bed, the victims own brother confess
ed that he, not the man who was hang
ed, was the guilty party.
over a score of years ago, we execut
ed two men, Sacco and Vanzetti, for
crime which another party confess
ed few months later.
We kept Tom Mooney and Warren K.
Billings in Jail for twenty years for a
crime they didnot commit.
We sent Gene Debs to a federal pris |
ar for ci0 tn
foreign policy (war policy.
We convicted Alger Hiss on the tes- |
timony of an admitted perjurer.
And, we recently executed a man and
wife, about whose guilt there was and |
is still considerable doubt. Yes, Ethel |
and Julius Rosenberg are dead and |
another dark blot is added to the pages
of AMERICAN JUSTICE. They pro-
tested their innocence to the last and |
were convicted largely on the testi-
mony of man who gave evidence to
save his own skin. 1 do not profess to
know whether they were guilty or not |
but l would rather accept their dying
words than the evidence of a man
afraid to take the consequence of his
own action. 1t is not for me to say as
to their guilt of innocence and even if
they delivered the atomic information
as claimed, did it deserve the death
penalty? Atomic scientists have stat
have been disclosed was not secret in
formation from any scientist. And
death has fashion of being so damn
ed permanent.
And WHY-was the prosecution
the Department of Justice CD so in
sistent on the death penalty being so
hastily carried out? Was it because
they were afraid new evidence might
establish innocence? WHY also did a
member of congress demand impeach-
ment of a judge who granted stay
of execution? Is it possible that our
government officials are SCARED that
justice may be done? Have our Off
Gals reached the stage of fear at
which they must kill anyone who
wants all the facts brought out or who
dares to disagree with their opinions
or policies? Are we still in the stage
of the Salem Witchcraft decisions? If
SO are we any better off than the news
papers claim for the people of Russia?
Yes we need some new definitions. |
L feel definition of HUMANITY might
help for at present l feel that 1 am
gradually drifting farther and farther
from this so-called human race.