Show I Prevailing Pre V acL Comment e of Z the American Opinions Press Press- ion s I An Anniversary That Is Also a Warning Americans who accept their constitutional guarantees of freedom freedom freedom free free- dom with scarcely a thought as to the necessity of defending and preserving their liberties can with profit this week review the tragedy of the rise and fall faU of a constitutional democracy Twenty years ago last Tuesday the independence of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia v kia a war-torn war democracy was proclaimed in Washington by the Slovak Czech national council At Atthe Atthe Atthe the same time a a. declaration renouncing renouncing renouncing re re- re- re allegiance to the Hapsburg Hapsburg Hapsburg Haps- Haps burg dynasty and projecting the founding ofa republic was issued in Paris under the signature of Dr Thomas G. G Masaryk president president president dent of the council Twenty years ago next Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Wed Wed- the Czechoslovak declaration declaration declaration declara declara- tion of independence was signed by Dr Masaryk In our own Independence Independence In In- dependence halL halL- There is grim irony in the closing closing dosing clos dos ing words of that declaration of independence Democracy has defeated autocracy Militarism is overcome The longed-for longed age of humanity is dawning We believe in democracy democracy we we believe in liberty ever more Since Since- the sell out of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czecho Czecho- slovakia at Munich it has been easy to dismiss this death of liberty liberty liberty lib lib- erty with the glib ph phrase e. e Oh well it was an artificial state anyway It never should have been en created But 20 years ago it was not viewed as an artificial creation On June 30 1918 American Czechs and Slovaks agreed at Pittsburgh to support a united state of both nationalities Formation of the nation won wide approval But liberty doesn't ly sustain itself It must be safe safe- guarded Forces are at work in inthe inthe the world which would destroy freedom and independence wherever wherever wherever ever they exist Totalitarian government government government gov gov- threatens to wipe out de de- de- de It remains for Americans to cherish their liberties and to be ready to defend them against all aggression whether from within or from without Alien isms have no place here Neither have governmental methods copied from lands where freedom has died Philadelphia Inquirer Thomas at It Again After an unwonted spell of si silence silence silence si- si lence on the subject Senator EImer Elmer Elmer El El- mer Thomas Oklahoma a Democrat Democrat Democrat Demo Demo- crat is out with another monetary inflation ion scheme He wants President President President dent Roosevelt for one thing to hurry up and devalue the gold content of the dollar to the full 50 per cent of its former level After that Senator Thomas in intends intends intends in- in tends to reintroduce his bill to convert the federal reserve board into a monetary authority for the express purpose of securing the proper value for the dollar and then to keep such a dollar as stable as is humanly possible Keeping the dollar relatively stable is pretty hard when such as Mr Thomas are always trying to shoot more wind into it This time the busy Oklahoma Oklahoma Oklahoma Okla Okla- homa economist hopes to tie his inflated dollar to farm prices and achieve a neat balloon act lifting them swiftly toward the stratosphere stratosphere stratosphere strato strato- sphere thus delighting the hearts of agriculturists who have be become become become be- be come confused by Secretary Wallace's Wallaces Wallaces Wallace's Wal Val laces lace's crop curtailment plans which yield ever larger re price surpluses It is amazing that Senator Thomas has the hardihood to stick to dollar inflation as his life- life work He might have a lot more fun if we went in for something more modern like 30 every Thursday So far as the country is concerned it couldn't go broke much quicker by adopting crackpot crackpot crackpot crack crack- pot pension proposals than by in inflating inflating inflating in- in flating its already abundant currency currency currency cur cur- rency and tinkering with its money in accordance with the theories of Senator Thomas Philadelphia Inquirer |