Evening star., 1953-11-24
President Halls
Nation 'sCode
|0fFair Play
Right to Confront
Accuser Stressed in
TuIk to B'nui Birth

If Americans are going to con-
tinue to be proud Of what they
are, there must be no weakening
of the code by which every one
has the right to meet an ac-
cuser face to face, President
Eisenhower stressed last night.
He spoke at the 40th ami
versary dinner of the B'nai
Birth Anti-Defamation League,
in the Mayflower Hotel, during
which he received Americas
Democratic Legacy Award for
1858. The medallion was pre-
Sented by the league at the din
ner, attended by the Nations
leaders.
In informally discussing hui
man rights, President Eisen-
"In this country, if some ono
dislikes you or accuses you. he
must come up in front. He
cannot hide behind the shadow.
He cannot assassinate you or
your character from behind,
without suffering the penalties
an outraged citizenry will i'm
pose"
No Weakening of Code.
Gen. Eisenhower did not refer
directly to current controversies
over congressional investigating
procedures. But he said:
II would not want to sit down
this evening without urging one
thing: If we are going to con-
tinue to be proud that we are
Americans there must be no
weakening of the code by which
we have lived: by the right to
meet your accuser face to face,
by your right to go to the church
or the synagogue, or even the
mosque, of your own choosing:
by your right to speak your mind
ana pe projected In 1t.
President Eisenhower told the
several hundred persons present
that his staff had briefed him
at some length before the dinner
on the subject of civil liberties.
But he indicated his remarks
were strictly his own.
"Abilene Code"
He told the group about the
abilene CODE" Abilene is his
boyhood town. Gen. Eisen-
hover said:
I'VE had, as our marshal for
a long time, a man named Wild
Bill Hickock. If you don't know
anything about him, read your
westerns more. Now that town
had a code, and I was raised as
a boy to prize that code.
ut was: Meet any one face to
face with whom you disagree.
You could not sneak up on him
from behind or do any damage
to him without suffering the
penalty of an outraged citizenry.
If you met him face to face and
took the same risks he did, you
could get away with almost any
thing, as long as the bullet was
in the front"
President Eisenhower received
praise from the Anti-Defamation
League for aiding the suppress
sion of Nazi tyranny and as
league Chairman Henry E.
Schultz put it, "for his vigor-
GUS campaign to eliminate racial
segregation in the armed forces.
and in the Nations Capital"
Gets Long Ovation.
The President received long
ovation. His acceptance speech
was televiSed nationally and
later was to be rebroadcast by
other television and radio sta
tions.
The President and Mrs. Eisen-
hover frequently applauded tho
star-Studded stage offerings,
which made up Dinner With the
President. The theme was the
preservation of civil rights and
expression of tolerance. Par
ticipating were Thelma Ritter.
who portrayed the Statue Of
Liberty; Eddie Fisher, Jane Fro
man, William Frawley, Vivian
Vance, Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball.
Jackie Robinson, Ethel Norman.
William Warfield and Helen
Hayes.
President Eisenhower left his
seat at one point to greet per-
sonally those appearing on the
program.
The narration was by Walter
Cronkite and Ben Grauer, Rex
Harrison and Lilli Palmer. The
show was presented by Richard
Rodgers and Oscar Hammer
stein II, who spoke briefly.