Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1956. január-június (5. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1956-01-05 / 1. szám
1.4 AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ January 5. 1956 THE STATE OF HEALTH OF THE NATION Family Page A MEETING FOR LIBERTY — From Our Correspondent — An enthusiastic crowd of 300, representing every corner of New Jersey applauded Prof. P>roadus Mitchell, John Ciardi, Victor Rabinowitz, and Ring Lardner, Jr. as they reviewed the present status of civil liberties in our country at a banquet of the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee on December 15 at Newark, N. J. The occasion was the anniversary of the passage of the Bill of Rights as well as the first birthday of the New Jersey Committee. Chairing the meeting, Professor Mitchell, an outstanding economic historian and member of the faculty of Rutgers University, expressed the hope that the Newark t e a c hers dismissed for their use of the 5th Amendment, would soon receive a favorable decision in view of the recent victory of their Philadelphia coilegues. He pointed out, however, that despite the excellent struggles of working teachers against attacks on civil liberties, much remains still to be done in the field of academic freedom particularly. He pointed out that school administrators, as opposed to classroom teachers, have remained “singularly silent, while American education has been in peril.” John Ciardi, well-known poet, critic and also a faculty member of Rutgers, stressed that the real emergency in civil liberties is ignorance. He deplored the fact that not only do his own students have a vague knowledge of the Bill of Rights, but that lawmakers also have an ambiguous and reckless understanding when framing civil rights legislation. Ciardi reminded the audience that the 5th Amendment is the keystone of our liberties. Otherwise, people could be physically tortured in order to be made to confess to any allegation. Victor Rabinowitz, noted attorney, reviewed in detail some of the pending cases. He was particularly concerned with the stigma that so many young draftees must endure for life after Army “loyalty” checkups. The Army has been known to give “undesirable discharges” to many who have committed no greater “crime” than to have some distant relative who may at one time or another have contributed to an organization on the Atty. General’s list. Such discharges can blacklist a young man from employment after Army service. In recent weeks there has been some easing of this situation, but this policy will have its true test in the outcome of the Fort Dix inductees’ suit. The court has already declared this practice outrageous, but it must now issue an injunction to prevent its further use. Mr. Rabinowitz warned that the Walter Committee hearing, scheduled in January, may prove one of the most dangerous threats to freedom. So far preliminary hearings have subpoenad lawyers connected with the New Deal administra- iton. Once the freedom of lawyers to defend clients in civil liberties cases is impaired, all freedom is jeopardized severely. It is necessary for all to protest against these hearings vigorously, because mass activity has a great effect on the courts. The disastrous effect of McCarthyism in all its forms over *the cultural life of America was emphasized by Ring Lardner Jr,, one of the original “Hollywood 10.” The elimination of “controversial“ ideas, censorship and the blacklist in the entertainment The life expentancy of the American male exceeds that of the Bantu Bushman, therefore we do not need a national health schemer Nonsense? Of course, it is nonsense, but it is typical of the reasons given by the American Medical Association against the adoption of such a scheme. It is also claimed that it is un-American and tends to undermine that rugged individualism which is the foundation stone of American success. If that is the case, why not let that rugged individualism assert itself in our congressmen? Stop the medical attention which is lavished on them and which they claim as a right. They have as much right to be rugged individualists as anyone else, so let them pay their own medical bills. A national health scheme, or to use its more unpleasant name, socialized medicine, is nothing new. It has been practiced successfully for over 70 years in backward, illiterate European countries. The first scheme was adopted by Germany in 1883. Austria and Hungary followed before 1900, then Norway in 1909, Serbia in 1910, Great Britain in 1911, Russia in 1911, Japan in the 1920s, France in 1930. There may be others; there probably are. It has proved such a dismal failure in those countries that, after trying it, not one of them rejected it, and, in the course of time, several of them extended the coverage. For those who-say that other countries are different, that they probably are in need of such a service while America does better under its own rugged individualist system, let me quote a few facts and figures from a speech made by Adlai Stevenson in New York City on June 2 of this year. It is published in the current issue of the New Republic. “One of every seven of us. . . will die of cancer”. “Ten million. . . suffering from arthritis, one million permanently disabled. “Sickness idles more employees than lack of work. “One of every 12 children born this year will at some time need institutional care because of mental disorder...” If anyone thinks he is permanently immune to cancer, arthritis or mental disorders, I suggest he go and see a psychiatrist; he needs institutional care right now. “More than a quarter of a million people die each year whom we have the knowledge and the skills to save.” In other words, they failed as rugged individualists and could not afford medical care. “. . . A million families will spend more than half their income this year for medical care. . . half million cases will consume the entire family has led to cultural conformity. The ultimate victim has been not the blacklisted writer, director or actor, but the audience. Deprived of substance, cultural life has become nothing but a frightened shadow. Despite the difficult road ahead, hopefulness was the keynote of the evening, all speakers agreed that since the relaxation of the “cold war” many victories are being won in the reconquest of people’s liberties. The New Jersey Chapter of the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee calls attention to the recent hearing of the House Unamerican Activities Committee. It is obvious that such hearing have at least the following objectives: a) To smear] the New Deal and its great achievements towards social justice, — including the National Labor Relations Act. • b) To punish lawyers, who have over the years been associated with protecting the rights of the people. We of the E.C.L.C. will do all within our power to prevent the achievement of these objectives. It is time that the people of this country were finally unburdened of these Unamerican Committees. The above resolution passed by acclaimation 260 people were present at this'first Annual Bill of Rights Anniversary Dinner. income, eight million families today are in debt for medical care... “There were fewer medical school graduates in 1950 than in 1905, and there are fewer doctors in proportion to the papulation than there were a hundred years ago...” For those who believe that the AMA is guarding their interests, let me quote this: “New medical school construction which will cost a quarter of a billion dollars is needed, and it costs four times as much to educate a medical student as he can be expected pay in tuition. “The United States Senate... in 1949, passed unanimously a bill to assist, medical schools. The AMA oposed that bill, and it died in a House of Representatives Committee.” The only reason I can think of for such an action is that the AMA must have a trade agreement with the morticians and is afraid of a slump in their respective business. I cannot finish better than with a complete quotation of Stevenson’s final paragraph: “It seems a little strange that the Department of Agricolture will spend for research on plant and animal diseases $10 million more than the Public Health Service is spending for research on cancer, arthritis, mental illness, neurological and heart diseases combined.” Who knows? Perhaps a cure for cancer in human beings may be accidentally discovered by a chemist in the Department of Agriculture while he is searching for a cure for spotted hog de- sease. FRANCIS L. PAYNE, in the Labor’s Daily JM BEIL DISLOYALTY These two principles are the very core of Americanism: the principle of the Higher Law, or of obedience to the dictates of the conscience rather than of statutes, and the principle of pragmatism, or the rejection of a single good and notion of a finished universe. From the beginning Americans have known that there were new worlds to conquer, new truths to be discovered. Every effort to confine Americanism to a single pattern, to constrain it to a single formula, is disloyalty to everything that is valid in Americanism. Henry Steele Commager In “Freedom, Loyalty, Dissent”. THE COTTON CURTAIN Free elections in East and West Germany ? Why, man where have you been for 100 years? How about free elections in North United States and South United States, in our own backyard, right here, boy, in the deep south? Who’s kidding? If pious old Dulles made half as many trips to Mississippi as he made elsewhere trying to save us from the Reds, maybe we wouldn’t look so hypocritical when we talk about free elections. (A letter to the editor of th N. Y. Post.) Sárospatak, Northern Hungary) V
