The Chicago star., November 02, 1946, Page 6, Image 6

About The Chicago star. (Chicago, Ill.) 1946-1948

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
speaking
6
By FRANK MARSHALL DAVIS
I have reached the conclusion that there is no way of getting
to the 1948 elections without first passing through Nov. 5, 1946. Since
. * a blissful two years, hibernation is out of the
f ■ question, we may as well face the fact that we
I are going to have to act in a positive fashion
gtr * this election day in order that there shall be a
- IL/sCT m 1948 -
iir l am just as displeased as you with some of
fCracv Ift the candidates - But when 1 think ot ietting d ° wn »
| > ,// I take a look at the opposition and get going
j I / again It would be the sheerest kind of suicidal
folly if disgusted liberals and progressives sulked
/ in their tents when the bus boys for Big Busi
' / n ess and our hybrid Hitlers eased into office.
Despite the present policies of the Democratic and Republican
leadership, they and their/candidates are not Tweedldum and Tweed
ledee Not yet. While the Republican candidates are almost solidly
reactionary, with virtually all the liberals liquidated, there are Demo
cratic office seekers who have never wavered from the Roosevelt
policy and are determined to do all in their power to swing Truman
back down the Roosevelt path.
* * #
TRUMAN is a weak President. He has moved far to the right,
spelling a temporary halt to progress. But I feel that part of it was
due to the reactionary nature of the 79th congress. He lacked both
the will and the strength to fight the polltax Democrat-northern
Republic* coalition. Right wing gains on Nov. s—because you
and I fail in our job—will make his surrender complete. I cannot
picture Truman fighting, even as feebly as he did for FEPC and
OPA, if we pack Congress with Hooverites and Taftlings.
By the same logic, t is we send back representatives and senators
who have pro-labor and pro-FDR records, along with new faces to
replace the fascist sympathizers, we’ll be telling the administration
that we don’t like the way things have been going and want a re
turn to the Roosevelt policy. And if Truman and his crew can’t take
the hint, we’ll have enough voices in Congress to shout it to his
face.
The foreign and domestic situation today is plenty bad. But it
can get worse. Thus far we have only talked of World War III; the
atom bombing hasn’t actually started. To date Congress has done
little other than nibble at the labor movement; the unions are still
intact. As of now J. Edgar Hoover and American Action, Inc., have
done little more than paste a few Red labels; mass arrests and
beatings are still in the planning stage. * * *
A REACTIONARY victory Nov. 5 will be a go-signal for the
dividend diplomats who direct our foreign policy and the gold grab
bers who wrecked OPA and turned our economy down the speed
way to boom and bust. What’s more, they’ll have two fat years to
enjoy their spree.
What happens to us? To the plain people who will get killed
in any new world war and who are suckers for the big profit grab
bers? Do you think you’d like it? No? Then what are you doing to
get out the kind of vote that will nullify this picture after Nov. 5?
I am not saying that if you vote right, presto! all will be solved.
We can look to neither major party for salvation. But we can be
realistic. We can hold the line against reaction by electing the most
progressive candidates, with the determination to build an independ
ent mass organization to support candidates in 1948 who will be
more than the temporary stop-gaps of 1946. On the record, many
of those we must elect on Nov. 5 will undoubtedly be worth the
backing of a new political group two years hence. •
* * *
LOOK AT it this way: because you can’t have the new car on
which your heart is set, it would be foolish to throw away your old
one and start walking.
The conclusion is obvious. For sheer self preservation we must
cast our ballots for those candidates who come closest to meeting
our qualifications. Specifically, in Illinois, this means Democrats
and independents. A Republican here meriting our support under
present conditions would be rare enough to preserve under glass at
•amilisui iiaiuosipiuis aqi *****
Incidentally, I suppose you’ve read about the subscription con
test between Star columnists. Pop Dearborn started last week. Read
ers are asked to secure new subscriptions in the name of their fa
vorite Star columnist and send them to the Star office 166 West
Washington. Not being a bit bashful, I’ll be eagerly waiting to re
ceive yours any day. I’d propose one change though. Let the contest
run through January 1, along with the circulation drive—if Pop is
willing.
ADVERTISEMENT
RE-ELECT
ADOLPH J. SABATH
CONGRESSMAN - sth DISTRICT
« Dean of the House of Representatives
• Chairman of the Rules Committee
• Champion of liberal and progressive
legislation
• 40 years service
VOTE ® DEMOCRATIC
ELECTION—TUESDAY, NOVEMBER sth.
THE CHICAGO STAR, NOVEMBER 2, 19J,6
kew group combats |
school discrimination
In an effort to combat racial
and religious discrimination in
liberal arts colleges and proses
sional schools, a new organiza
tion, Appreciate America, Inc., is
now distributing free cartoons,
posters and literature from its
headquarters at 130 N. Wells
Street. Gen. A. F. Lorenzen (ret.)
is chairman and Sydney B. La
vine is director.
A special reprint of a paper
by Robert Redfield of the Uni
versity of Chicago entitled “Race
and Religion in Selective Admis
sion” is being sent to educators
throughout the nation. #
“The GI Is struck with awe
when confronted with mount
ing discrimination,” declared
Lav in e. “There-were no fox
holes with ‘restricted” signs
and bullets didn’t change their
course because a racial or reli- a
gious quota had been reached.”
.-r - -
Charging that Lon Mao Arthur has Hindered the growth ot a
democratic labor movement, these pickets are protesting the hiring
jt scabs by the Japan Broadcasting Company.
Bowles hits Republican
smashing of price control
If the progressives ring door
bells to get out the vote, there
will be a peoples’ victory from
coast to coast, former OPA ad
ministrator Chester Bowles and
Senator Pepper declared last
week at a Stevens Hotei dinner.
The affair was sponsored by
the Illinois Citizens PAC and the
Independent Citizens Committee
of the Arts, Sciences and Profes
sions.
As the alternative to aggressive
campaigning for Democratic afid
independent candidates, the
speakers predicted a Republican
victory, the scrapping of present
progressive legislation, failure to
8% jyfjjP , ,
SBBEBn\ , cs
'IK
Ml, CIO, progressives unite
for Price,Bonjean, downstate
SPRINGFIELD, 111. Laoor
and progressive forces are going
all-out to elect Roscoe Bonjean,
Democratic candidate for con
gress from the 21st district, and
give a smashing defeat to Evan
Howell, Republican victor in
1944 whose record is described as
being “as bad as Rankin’s.”
Bonjean, described as progres
sive, has the support of the Ma
coupin County AFL Non-Partisan
Legislative and Political Action
Committee, the Sangamon Coun
ty Labor Political committe,
composed of both AFL and CIO,
the Springfield branch of the In
dependent Voters of Illinois, and
veterans organizations. He also
has the virtual endorsement of
the Springfield Federation of La
bor.
enact much- needed reconversion
measures and a return to depres
sion.
* * *
In his first major speech
since the end of OPA, former
head Bowles said: “We all
know what the Republicans did
to price control, fighting it
tooth and nail. They spent bil
lions of dollars on skillful lob
bies which licked us.”
Specialists
in trade union and IB
organizational printing ||j
: CUSTOM PRINTING C(^
The congressional ticket of
Bonjean and Emily Taft Douglas
may put the 21st district, of
which the state capital is the
center, in the Democratic column
for the first time since 1940.
Howell won by a 12,000 majority
two years ago but his record has
turned many previous supporters
into Bonjean backers.
EAST ST. LOUIS, 111.—Melvin
Price, progressive pro-Roosevelt
Congressman in the 22nd district
here, lashed out this week
against his Republican opponent,
Cal Johnson, for evading the is
sue in the campaign.
The Citizens Committee ‘ for
Price, made up of Democrats, in
dependents and even some Re
publicans, has pointed to the rec
ord of Congressman Price as the
strongest answer to Johnson’s
campaign propaganda. The Re
publican candidate's main slogan
during this critical period is
“End Confusion—Stop Commu
nism.”
Stating that voters wfii not be
fooled by reactionary attempts at
creating hysteria, the Committee
has declared that its campaign
in behalf of Price is “based on
the need for a Congressman who
will fight for the Roosevelt pro
gram of peace and economic se
curity.”
End labor detail’,
UAW local demands
In a strongly-worded resolution,
the members of Local 453 of the
CIO United Auto Workers this
week called for the elimination
by the police department of the
so-called “labor detail” headed by
Captain George Barnes.
A crowd of over 2,000 members
at the local's regular quarterly
meeting unanimously approved
the program, which included an
indictment of police brutality and
the use of anti-strike inunctions
in the current strike against the
American Automatic Devices Co.
The meeting was addressed by
UAW legislative director Irving
Richter and independent candi
dates Sylvia Woods and Dorothea
S. Allen. Other resolutions passed
included one denouncing red-bait
ing as a tool of big business, con
demned British policy in Pales
tine, and sent, a telegram of sup
port to CIO president Philip Mur
ray.
Earlier, the local had sent a
letter to the Chicago Tribune, at
tacking an editorial of October
22, in which the Tribune had en
thusiastically supported the AAD
injunction.