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Show We Americans have been hearing hear-ing far more than usual recently about human rights. This may be only fitting, since this new attention to human rights comes at the end of the nationwide observance of the Brotherhood Week and the beginning be-ginning of the Christian Lenten season, which is a period of brotherhood, re-dedication, self-examination self-examination and penance preceding pre-ceding Easter. But Americans were also reminded re-minded this week that the world "is watching the marathon Senate Sen-ate debate" on minority voting rights. In the House of Representatives Negro Congressman Adam Clayton Clay-ton Powell of New York declared de-clared that "the world would watch the outcome of anti-bombing legislation as a measure of U. S. willingness to protect minorities" mi-norities" from violence in civil rights disputes. Americans were told that the "world is watching" the Negro passive resistance campaign in the South to obtain equal service at variety store lunch counters. Americans were reminded by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People that "the world is still watching the school integration problem," which Counsel Roy Wilkins said was "far from solved or forgot- It is also a credit to America that the world has come to expect ex-pect high moral standards from the United States. But the case of the oft-doomed and reprieved convict author rapist Chessman has become as ironic as it is unique. Without belaboring or continuing continu-ing the Chessman debate, it is obvious to everyone that his has become a world wide cause ce-lebre. ce-lebre. Lively argument rages over whether "he has already suffered enough" in an inhuman but self inflicted "Russian roulette" rou-lette" on death row, whether all capital punishment should cease, whether an end to execution of some criminals would encourage all to flout the law. Through all of this it is ironic that elsewhere other convicts continue to die unpublicized as California decides the Chessman affair. It is ironic that the issue of Chessman's guilt or his self-professed self-professed innocence is generally ignored. It is ironic that the issue of the alleged inhuman violation of a Chessman's "human rights" by cruel and unjust punishment" should be debated at home and considered a legal precedent in terms of its effect on world opinion. opin-ion. For it is a matter of record that worldwide public demonstration ten." Americans were reminded that "the world will be watching" the outcome of a newly coordinated coordi-nated Northern Negro effort to obtain unsegregated equality in housing. President George Meany declared de-clared that the "world would watch" a new AFL-CIO drive to eliminate racial discrimination , in union membership ranks. Americans were told by Evangelist Evan-gelist Billy Graham, while in Africa, that the "world is watch- i ing" the U. S. response to the challenge of African nationalism and independence, especially in view of Khrushchev's coming grand tour of the "Dark Continent." Conti-nent." President Eisenhower has declared de-clared that the "world is watching" watch-ing" congressional action on his $4 billion foreign aid program, which is "regarded as a reflection reflec-tion of our humanitarianism." The United Nations Human Rights Commission launched a new study of its proposed, controversial con-troversial Covenant, urging a declartaion of "economic rights for the peoples of the world," and Mrs. Roosevelt said this week that "the world would watch" whether the U. S. is "willing to proclaim that the world has the same right to material well-being Americans enjoy." Critics charge that "world economic rights" is a scheme to impose "socialism" on the American free enterprise system. Pehaps the most amazing, most controversial recent instance in which Americans were told "the world is watching" has been the Carvl Chessman case. ana iear ot uommunist inspired riots in Latin America during President Eisenhower's goodwill visit won Chessman his eighth reprieve. But the supreme irony of the entire Chessman affair is that while such great attention is focused on his life, the world and Americans in particular hardly seemed to care when London Lon-don reported the mass execution recently of the first 150 teenagers teenag-ers in Budapest for their part in the ill fated 1956 anti communist commu-nist revolt. These are the first of many more to young for even the Communists Com-munists to execute for their part in the uprising until the "legal" execution age of 18 in Communist Commu-nist Hungary. A reported 400 more Hungarian teenagers face execution as they also reach the "legal" execution age. Communism is divided. Moscow denies that such executions are occurring. Budapest Radio has broadcast only that "young criminals" crim-inals" are facing execution "for crimes carried out under pretense pre-tense of patriotism." But even in the very unlikely event that the youths, who were only 13 and 14 years of age during the revolt had been criminals, they are no more guilty than Martyr Chessman, Chess-man, whom Communists and non-Communists would spare. Yet, where is the outcry? Why not at least a face saving United Nations "inquiry" to let history know we cared? Cannot freedom mobilize world opinion as effectively effec-tively as Communism did Chessman's Chess-man's cause? Isn't the "world still watching" Hungary? Does anyone care? This columnist is not herein arguing the pros and cons of all these many instances in which Americans have been warned of their actions should be determined deter-mined by the world's reaction. Americans, whenever aroused, have usually demonstrated their inante sense of fair play and humanitarianism, hu-manitarianism, whenever righteousness right-eousness is really at stake. All of these racial and other issues should certainly be capable cap-able of scrutiny on their merits and judged according to what is right than by "the world's reaction." |