◆ SpookStack

2 | + t 7 MARCH 8, 1948 HENRY WALLACE’S COLUMN _ Old-Fashioned Americanism wT . BIGGEST ISSUE in the 1948 cam- _ paign is a return to eld: fashioned Americanism. ’ By. old-fashioned Americanism 1 mean the right to express an opinion without fear of losing your job, your citizenship, or your business. -By old-fashioned Americanism 1 mean the spirit of Irish-born congtess- man Matthew Lyon of Vermont, who, --~ in-4798, said just what he-thought of John Adams, even though he was jailed for it. It was Matthew Lyon in jail in 1798 who prepared the way for Thomas Jefferson and the destruc- tion of the Federalist Party. The un-Americanism of the Fed- eralist Party in 1798 is expressing it- self in the US. today to frighten millions of American citizens. Head- quarters for this un-Americanism are the Department of Justice, the Com- - mittee on Un-American Activities of the House of Representatives, and businessmen who use economic com- pulsion to interfere with the free ex- pression of political views by em- ployees and business associates. As J have iraveled back and forth across the country I have been told many instances of violation of the spirit of the First Amendment. Young men have been fired because an em- ‘ployer saw them wearing a Wallace button. Hundreds of businessmen have given anonymously to our cause be- cause they feared they would be dis- criminated against by their associates if their names were known. Stealthily, over the United States black fear is creeping. So far it doesn’t shoot people. Its method is to stifle every progressive thought by subtle terrorism. — The two divisions of the Depatt- ' ment of Justice which spread this ter- ror mest insidiously are the FBI and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. A foreigner (this is an ac- tual case) applies for his final papers. He is highly educated and progressive, a church member, certainly not a Com- munist. One of the questions asked by. the naturalization officials to this par- ticular man is, “Do you know Henry Wallace?”’ He had heped to work for me in the campaign. He has not yet got his papers, though he thinks he will get them, But will he work for Wallace? He will not. He will be afraid of endangeting his citizenship. He knows what is happening to foreign-bom labor leaders. So he will lie low and vote for me, but his truly great tal- ents will not be used in the campaign. The creeping terror has stifled his ‘creative abilities with fear. That’ is what the government of the United States has done, This man will never make an issue of it, nor do I want to embarrass him. But I do want to start an informal Freedom League. I want everyone who has a specific instance of how the fed- eral government or businessmen have abridged our freedom to write in to the Freedom League at Room 1405, _ AO East Forty-ninth Street, New York 17. Give the name of the man who put pressure on you or who asked an un- American question. Did the investigator ask whether you read the New Republic, the Nation, PM ot Reader's Scope? Did he ask if you knew Henry Wallace or Glen Taylor or Jo Davidson or Albert Einstein? What other questions were asked designed to make you feel like a criminal if you entertained a pro- gtessive idea or knew a progressive American? We shall not use your name without your permission. If you feel it is really necessary, don't even sign your name when you send us the in- formation. Many minorities have had to band details, together to protect themselves against unjust attack. Tihe Anti-Defamation _ League of the B'nai B'rith is an out- standing example of such an organi- zation. The time has come for those of us who believe in old-fashioned Americanism to fight back. The first step is to get the names of the men in the government who have been using unfair methods of investigation. If you write to us without signing your name, please be sure to describe just what the unfair methods were, and give all it is my contention that the De- partment of Justice has no more right to ask prospective citizens if they read the New Republic than if they read Business Week. It is no more just to imply that the New Republic is subversive than to imply that Business Week is subver- sive. When investigators spread feat and terror among those who are work- ing politically to overthrow the pres- ent Administration by votes, - govern- ment is stepping outside of its consti- tutional functions. We shall oppose such extra-constitutional functioning by using old-fashioned American meth- ods. The Freedom League must also ptepare to expose businessmen who employ economic coercion to control ‘the political activity of employees. It is true that the best work on behalf of unprotected minorities is often done quietly; in some cases publicity de- feats the purpose of justice. Future de- velopments, and the response to this article, will determine the extent to which we shall work publicly or shall exert our pressure quietly and behind the scenes. We have heard a lot of talk about the Freedom Train, with its precious documents from the past. How about making freedom live?