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Show Liberty or Revolutionary License ROGER N. BALDWIN, director of the American Amer-ican Civil Liberties union, who was a Salt Lake City visitor Saturday, believes our American Amer-ican democracy is In grave peril because America Amer-ica resents the activities of subversive elements seeking to undermine our defense forces or to accomplish overthrow of the government by lores or violence. Don't get Mr. Baldwin wrong. The peril he sees to democracy Is not in what these subversive subver-sive elements may do, but Instesd In what America may do In Its efforts to block these termites and revolutionists in their activities. In a talk here, Mr. Baldwin expressed vehement ve-hement opposition to two bills now before con-gress. con-gress. He himself accurately described those bills as "making it a crime tor anyone by speech or publication to Incite disobedience In the armed forces or to advocate theoverthrow of government by force or violence." It's difficult to understand the "workings of Mr. Baldwin's mind in this view. We will concede con-cede that he Is a true American, with a sincere love tor democracy. Yet he is not concerned over the efforts of revolutionaries to over-throw over-throw the American democratic system of gov-ernment gov-ernment by force, or over, their efforts to. so corrupt and demoralize our army and navy that they would mutiny or collapse under the (trees of war. Certainly if we believe In democracy, we inust grant and uphold the right of citizens to advocate a change In the form of vernment BUT NOT TO ADVOCATE SUCH CHANGE BY REVOLUTION. That would be to nourish and encourage under the protection of democracy democ-racy an assassin seeking to murder democracy by undemocratic means. , Democracy means rule by the majority of the people. Theoretically under a democracy the people have all power even the ultimate power of abandoning democracy in favor of monarchy, or dictatorship, or communism. But h must be the people, and a majority ot the people, who make that change-and by democratic demo-cratic means. It Isn't democracy to permit a minority ot the people to use force and violence to Impose their wiU upon the majority. And there is certainly not the slightest obligation upon a democracy to grant liberty to the point ot inviting democracy's death by force ana VlTo(oppose restraint upon revolutlonsry agitators agi-tators on tho grounds that such restraint la undemocratic seems such obviously false reasoning rea-soning that the only explanation we can offer to that Mr. Baldwin-and the American Civil Liberties union are so blinded by their cherished role of defender of liberty that they cannot see the deeper realities ot democratic rights and nrivUege and so eohluse liberty with license. It may be well to note that under democracy we have as Individuals freedom of speech and press, but that freedom does not extend to Slander nor libeL And neither should it extend to treason and rebellion. As to tho prohibition of efforts to Incite disobedience dis-obedience in the nation's armed forces, it seems obvious that no state, be It democratic com-munlat com-munlat or dictatorial, can permit such a threat to Its national safety. It's like expecting a well-armed and protected man, menaced by a, gang ot murderers, to stand Idly by while the gang breaks through his fence, poisons his dogs. Jimmies his double-locked door and confiscates con-fiscates his guns and ammunition. It's ridiculous. In fact, the whole reasoning Is so ridiculous that It to hard to avoid the conclusion that Mr. Baldwin and the Civil Liberties union" are a great deal more interested In protecting the hazy rights ot subversive radicals than they are In safeguarding American democracy and the fundamental liberties we all enjoy under our Dresent system of government. |