Show BILL OF RIGHTS Hysteria Is a Chronic Disease That Thrives on National Fear Thin la tho of three article an the Rill af and mil sf liar which will ba celebrated December Hysteria Is a chronic national disease which thrives In an atmosphere of It Is an Illness which has gripped our nation before and which Is flaring up again as we face the threat of communism and take steps to meet that The most dangerous of national hysteria is abridgment of the civil liberties set forth in our Bill of These points were recalled on Bill of Rights by the American Civil Liberties Union through its executive director Patrick Murphy Fear and Insecurity led to the infamous Alien and Sedition acts of a Hysteria over national legislation Is not new In American Shown here is clash In Congress In 1798 during debate on the Allen and Sedition aimed at securing the country from French was used to curb opposition political views and a political party the then Matthew a Republican congressman from was so by the Federalist gibes that he spat In the face of Federalist Griswold of Since there was not a two-thirds vote to expel Griswold took matters In his own hand and attacked Lyon with a passed In an atmosphere of war Taking advantage of anti-French the Federalists passed bills allegedly to curb alien actually to suppress opposition from the rising Jeffersonian But the common sense of the American people and their fervent belief In free was Americans realized the threat to their liberties in and dealt the Federalists an overwhelming defeat at the polls and repudiated their spurious history's lesson seems momentarily forgotten confronted with new we are again putting hasty restrictions on fundamental civil a SUCH RESTRICTION is the ONE McCarran an attempt to tighten national security by registration of Communist and Communist-front and stiffening of immigration and naturalization On the surface it may sound like a good but it still strikes at the heart of expression of Already it has created considerable confusion in immigration And because of Its loose terminology and broad it could be used by the controlling political party to outlaw just as the Federalists attempted in In today's Insecure there must be protection against sabotage and But our safety will only be insured by democratic not by institution of the very totalitarian methods we are Despite these temporary periods of in times of crisis the nation has kept a balance between preserving national security and maintaining individual December our Bill of Rights recalls the firm belief in this guarantee of funda mental liberties that has seen us through periods at Staunch championship of the Bill of Rights is still democracy's greatest weapon for at home and |