Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1954-07-02

many OhlOans is one of relief when the eX-
tent of the problem is defined and it is
pointed out that the sickness of Communism
can be confined to limits within control that
eventually it will die because it cannot grow.
The mere exposition of the facts finds an
other reaction. When the American people
understand a crisis they roll up their sleeves
and pitch in. People want to know what to
do. They want program in which they
themselves can participate. They want a
chance to express their latent antagonism
toward Communism but are inarticulate be-
cause they are not informed. Therefore,
their weapons against the subtle, indirect
Establishments of Communism, for the most
part do not exist
Such lack of information is exceedingly
dangerous. 1t sometimes leads up to per-
form, quite innocently, the tasks set by the
Communists as their own objective. For in
stance, recent demagogy from Washington
has linked the very foundation of our judi
cial system with Communism. You have
heard the term Fifth Amendment Com
munist" created because so many persons
sought it's protection in hearings.
This has led to a general misconception
concerning the Fifth Amendment, that it is
a dangerous haven for Communists and
criminals which places them beyond the
reach of law, that it contains but one pro-
vision, to the effect that person cannot be
compelled to bear witness against himself
Throughout Ohio have found appalling
ignorance of the fact that the Fifth Amend
ment also provides other guarantees without
which our judicial system would be exactly
that wished by the Communists. The Fifth
Amendment also guarantees trial by jury;
elimination of double jeopardy; due process
of law and just compensation for private
property taken for public use These are
among the basic projections in our law To
condemn them all because Communists may
take advantage of them is as sensible as
condemning all highways because accidents
take place upon them
1t has been my finding also that the pub
lie is generally ignorant of the anatomy of
its enemy. What is Communism? Why is
it such a deadly threat both abroad and at
home? Why does this materialst creed seek
destruction of our free institutions, our
churches, schools, labor unions, capitalist
economy representative government, free
press, even the family? What is the nature
of this beast? We have called it names but
have not answered these questions.
In fact, our educative process has been
IL, -
forming us both as to the nature of the
enemy and the way he fights. We have not
been sufficiently briefed in order to wage
a more successful campaign against the
enemy.
The reverse of this coin is our ignorance
of the very philosophy of our form of So
ciety Fifty years before Karl Marx, our
Thomas jefferson laid the theological founda-
tion for the kind of country we have sought.
Our school children merely repeat that
Thomas Jefferson was our third president.
What he said and why his expression is inn
portant today is unknown and untaught.
1t so happens that Thomas jefferson first
related the dignity of man to the dignity of
the government he chose.
If, on the one hand, an organized group
is to repeat the teachings of Karl Marx,
without our understanding of those teach
ings, while Thomas jefferson is to be known
only as an early president, why blame the
Communists for our conquest? We will have
failed in the clash of logic and reason mere
ly by presenting neither-only that Thomas
jefferson was our third president.
Yet there was one sentence that Thomas
jefferson wrote which he expressed in ex-
panation of the American Constitution after
it's writing:
eve believed. that man was rational
animal, endowed by nature with rights and