The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1955-03-16
OUR responsibilities AS AMERN ans DISCLOSED BY DR. MONROE DEH

independence of these Unit d
States, you have also added IN
guarding the freedoms so neroi-
cally fought for, the precious rights
which characterize this nation
they are the goals which the
founding fathers sought and to-
ward which we are bound TO move.
AS you well know. they include
freedom of religion. freedom OF
the press. the right of petition,
habeus corpus the right TO a fair
and public trial. The phrase in Our
Pledge really covers them in two
'libery and justice" which
are due to all, to every one of us
LEST WE FORGET
There are among us those WHO
even as In the days Of hot war,
so in our cold war" forget these
words-forget that, were we to
lose the rights guaranteed to us,
the freedoms enumerated in our
Constitution we may retain our
independence but would lose the
very characteristics of this nation.
this government. We have seen ex-
amples-all too many examples
Of failure to treasure these rights
on the part of some public offici-
ais and of others who yield TO
hysteria. who are swept blindly
away by the very same attitude
that was responsible for the treat
ment accorded you and yours dur
ing the war.
Keep your heads" is good
word of advice to all of us--re-
main loyal TO American ideals ev-
EN- though feelings run high. Re
call the words of Lincoln-preser-
walton of our nation is imperative
but we must at the same time pre-
serve the things for which this
nation was created And assuredly
Justice was one OF the cardinal
aims of the founding fathers.
Men or women must not suffer
on the basis of anonymous a t.
tacks, the words OF faceless &C
cusers And while technically dis
missals from public service and
questioning before congressional
committees, may not be termed
trials, yet they may so readily re-
suit not only in depriving a per
son Of his position but sending him
fort hto face the public under a
veritable cloud of suspicion. feel
strongly that such bodies should
seek to follow judicial procedures
TO as large a degree rs Is possible.
RIGHT TO COUNSEL
Men should be informed in ad-
vance fthe charges against them,
should be able to have counsel TO
defend them should be granted the
opportunity to confront face to
face those who have made t h Q
charges and permitted to have
the full report of the proceedings
open to public scrutiny. I know 1t
is objected that all this would take
much time, would prolong the in
yestigation unduly. but certainly
the same thing could be said Of
court trials and yet we realized
that 10 arrive at the truth, to &C
quit or condemn a man no time Is
too long
n mere suspicion is to blacken a
mans life and cause hi into be
Stunned by his associates, then
one wonders whether we are not
proceeding down the road Of to-
talitarianism. In Hitler's Germany
or Stains Russia men were seized
and rushed to concentration camps
or slave labor camps on the basis
of word of gossip proof was not
needed defense was not permit
ted II the state and its interests
are aline to be guarded, then In
justice to an individual is of nc
moment: the state comes first
what happens TO the individual Cbs
it blackened reputation, i'm :
prisonment or DEATH is immateri.
al.
Our present treatment OF mer
and women discissed from public
service OF stigmatized before com.
mittees bears a shocking resemb-
lance to that characterizing Nazi,
and Soviets. 1t has CThank Heav.
enD not yet gone as far as con-
centration or labor camp, but tn,
principle on which these actions
In our land are being taken Is pre.
cisely the same as that which AMI.
mated Hitler and his followers n
we'll as Malsnkoy and his aida
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