The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, August 30, 1946, Image 2
Communists Active
In South Carolina
BY SPECTATOR
The Lancaster News recently ran in its edi
torial columns the following statement by a sol.
dier: “When 1 was discharged from the Army,
1 got a job through the government employ
ment agency but 1 had to join the CIO. Is the
government employment agency working for
the CIO? One month after going to work, I was
assessed $5 to support OPA; the next month
$5 for organization work in the South and then
$2 for flowers for Hillman’s funeral. If 1 don’t
pay,’I am told I will be barred from work any
where and my wife and child beg or starve. Is
this a free country?” And the editor of The
News makes this comment: “Talking about
slavery, if the working men and women of
this country are not being held in slavery by
the CIO we do not know the meaning of the
word."
Nothing further need be said. The ex-soldier
scales hit case clearly and the editor comments
briefly and impressively. Ponder this, fellow
Americans, you citizens of the land of the
free. One may wonder whether America has
become "the home of the brave", meaning the
CIO managing group and our National leaders.
"The land of the free" is becoming the land
wherein specially favored groups are licenced to
prey on their fellow men. If America’s freedom
is the freedom of the CIO to impose itself on all
workers, with Government encouragement and
sanction, then let this become again the home
of the brave—a citizenship brave enough to
restore equality of opportunity, equal p r otection
«
of the law.
No man can challenge successfully the prin
ciple, the very mudsills of America, that a man
must enjoy full liberty to-solicit work and hold
jobs without membership in any Union or
other organization. In employing men in in
dustry we do not require that they shall be
Democrats or Republicans, Baptists or Metho
dists, New Dealers or Old Dealers. A man’s job,
his right to work, his opportunity to earn his
bread and meat, should not be a political mat
ter, whether Party politics, or Union politics.
Whether we be followers of Mr. Roosevelt,
or Mr. Truman, Mr. Hoover, Mr. A1 Smith or
Mr. TaR Mr. Wilson, Mr. Bryan or Mr. Cleve
land, we have one vital interest in common, for
we, all, love our country, and that interest is to
maintain the freedom of the individual. The in
dividual!! To protect him in all his liberty—
that is American policy since 1 776. Are we *o
swap the Declaration of Independence for a Dec
laration of compulsory membership in the CIO?
Does a Congressman owe special allegiance
to a President? Mr. Truman seems to have
that idea. His call on the Missouri voters to
oust Congressman Slaughter is based on what
he regards as opposition to him by Mr. Slaugh
ter. I don't know anything about Mr. Slaugh
ter and hold no brief for him; I raise the ques
tion because the National Government is com
posed of three co-ordinate departments—the
Legislative, Executive and Judicial. A con
gressman is supposed to use his judgement and
to obey his own conscience. That is the theory
of our National policy; no law requires that a
Congressman shall sacrifice his judgement for
that of the President. Nor is it thoroughly
American for a President to denounce and de
feat a Congressman. When Mr. Truman twice
vetoed important bills he was within his Con
stitutional authority, even though some students
of government challenge the use of a veto when
the Act of Congress is clear and not a violation
of some great basic tradition. However, let us
grant the right of the President to veto the Acts;
he was deliberately thwarting the clear purpose
of the Congress in legislative matters. Mr.
Slaughter had not opposed Mr. Truman in Mr.
Truman’s field of executive authority; he mere
ly did not agree with Mr. Truman in Mr. Tru
man's recommendations to Congress.
I go into all this detail because intelligent
opinion must be based on facts.
Shall the Congress now retaliate on Mr. Tru
man by prganizing to prevent both his.nomina
tion and election? That would be repaying
the President in the same coin.
Our Government is not like that of Great
Britain. Over there the members of the Cab
inet are usually members of the Parliament, ap
pointed by the King. But the King appoints
those who are suggested to him by the majority
Party; the majority Party is in control, then, of
both the Executive and Legislative Depart
ments, working together. It is the Cabinet, as
members of Parliament, that introduces legis
lation. There is no separation, in practice, be
tween the Executive and Legislative Depart
ments; they are the same. But we have no
such arrangement in this country.
THE NEWBERRY SUN
FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 1946
Is Communism flourishing in South Carolina?
The State has something to say about it. The
State is the least excitable of papers, enduring
placidly all manner of affliction rather than fly
to evils which it knows not of. The State has
taken notice of the threat, the menace, the very
presence of Communism among us, even as
The Charlotte Observer has. Says The State
editorially:
"If any one thinks the Communist party is
not active in this state, trying its best, under
smart direction, to upset the people and to win
converts to its cause, then that person has a
rude awakening.
For a long time there have been evidences
of communistic influences in this section, but
the work has not been so out in the open. Now,
however, it is different. The Communist
party, USA", as it styles itself, has set up a
Carolina committee which is distributing litera
ture, with names of individual leaders and with
a postoffice address in one of the larger cities
of the two states.
Thus the danger of Communism—something
that regardless of rumors seemed far, far from
our own state—is very definitely upon us. One
of the first aims of the Communist party is to di
vide us, to stir up racial strife, to align the poor
against the rich, and to hit good government
below the belt.
For years the Communist party has been a
very real threat in other parts of the country,
but not down here in the South. Now, with
every evidence of playing to prejudice and
stirring up strife by creating all the imiginary
ills possible and pitting class against class, per
son against person, the Communist party not
hiding, but out in the open—begins an aggres
sive campaign right in our own state. How long
this work has been going on, we do not know,
but that an organized drive is being set up now
is a very definitely established fact. We have
seen the literature and read one of the propa-
tyanda sheets beine f distributed.
VETERANS
OF
Newberry County
*
We Are Supporting
JAMES McLEOD
For Governor
Communists are stirring up White people
against Colored, and Colored against White.
Our Colored people have .nade more progress,
sane, sound, stable progress,* than any other
people in the history of the world, for the same
number of years. This proves not only good
qualities among the masses of the Colored
people, but it proves the kindly, helpful, tol
erant, indulgent attitude of the White people of
the South.
Observe what is going on in Europe ana
Asia: not a question of leadership by a dorr ,iant
race, as here in the South, but the bitterest hat
red and constant antagonism in every contact.
Our Southern negroes—ninety per cent of
them—are working happily and prosperously.
No hand is against them. They live in peace and
cordiality with the White people, both in town
and Country. We need not forget that the
Negro enjoys today what our fathers won on
bloody fields over thousands of years. In Eur
ope and Asia White people of illustrous history
are beaten, starved, terrorized because of racial
clashes, though all of them are White.
The human race does not make progress in
dramatic exhibitions. Such exhibitions may only
prove the slow, steady, sure progress. We are
hearing too much about the Negro and his
rights today.
All this upheaval serves more to emphasize
our differences than to promote harmony. Poli
ticians are ramming the negro down our throat.
The result can only be a deplorable racial em-
bitterment.
Communists are striving to make this a
country like Russia. When you want to lift
your head in Russia you ask Stalin. You don’t
criticise ML Stalin; you obey him. In this coun
try we don't like much government; we believe
(as Jefferson did) that the government should
not meddle in everything; we are self-governing
people.
BECAUSE...
He is a veteran of World War I and II
He advocates adequate educational facilities and opportunity
for those desiring further education
He advocates every possible assistance for disabled Veterans
He advocates full recognition of the debt owed to the wid
ows and orphans of those men who made the supreme
sacrifice for their country , J
\
He advocates full consideration to be given the service ren
dered by Veterans within the power of the Governor
He advocates hospital and medical care for Veterans
As president of. the S. C. Medical Association an agreement
was made with the Veterans Administration to give Vet
erans medical care m their own communities
Communism will never make much headway
in the rural districts, for the farmer is still our
individualist; but it may—and will catch many
town people who have no stake in the land, no
interest in the future, no thought but the vision
ary idea of getting something for nothing. But
the future belongs to all alike, for the poo* man
of today may be the father of the leader of to
morrow.
The Independent (Anderson) tells us edi
torially that Mr. Truman was "all-out" against
Congreissman Slaughter because Mr. Slaughter
was “all-out” against the pet scheme of an F.
E. P. C. law.
In order to defeat Congressman Slaughter
Mr. Truman made common cause with the Pen-
dergast Ring, the C. I. O.—and other ele
ments not specially Democratic, though sailing
under Democratic colors.
Spectator is so old-fashioned that he would
like to have the presidency restored to its an
cient dignity and less embroiled in cheap
politics.
Vot
Fo
James McLeod
i ' - \
The Veterans Friend
%
Political adv. paid for by the Veterans of Newberry County