Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1956. július-november (5. évfolyam, 26-46. szám)

1956-07-19 / 29. szám

July 19, 1956. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ 15 Whither, Democrats? By Herbert M. Orrell As a life-long Democrat who cast his first bal­lot for Roosevelt in 1932, 1 should like to offer a piece of advice to my party. It is this: victory in 1956 should not be the dominant element in Democratic thinking. I should like to suggest, instead, that the Democrats build for the future. Right now is not too early to begin. Even granting that a Democrat stands a chance of beating Eisenhower, it is possible to argue that victory in 1956 would be the worst thing that could happen to us. For it is plain that victory, at least on the terms in which most Democrats visualize it, would only prolong and deepen the illness from which the party is suf­fering. Victory is always fatal to an institution with a radical tradition, and we Democrats have had too much victory. Victory, in fact, has all but ruined us. What is the nature of the Democratic malady? It is the same which afflicts all those who have grown soft on power. My party is suf­fering from a deep-seated malaise, .a failure of political insight so profound that party leaders have virtually lost contact with the environment. Manifestations of the Democratic psychosis are manifold and depressing. Not the least of them is the delusion that the split between northern liberal and southern bourbon is only superficial and can always be bridged in times of emergency. It is this failure to size up the situation which can dismiss the boycott in Alabama as a local incident, whereas the truth is much more likely that it is a manifestation of a deep unrest and dissatisfaction whose only logical terminus is the elimination of Jim Crow from our national life. .The split over segregation is fundamental; it is doubtful that any candidate, regardless of his personal charm, can reconcile the northern and southern factions in the same way that Eisen­hower, for example, has been able to unite the disparate elements in the Republican party. Even more out of tune are the par.y’s viewrs on the international scene. Obsessed by the con­ditionings of World War II when the watchword was total annihilation, party leaders continue to view the world in the same narrow and vindic­tive terms. While Ike speaks out for peace and declines to attend a demonstration of a hydrogen bomb explosion, the Democrats concentrate on findings flaws in his defense policy. While Ike breathes the spirit of Geneva, the Democrats breathe militancy and rancor. It is no surprise, therefore, that the Geneva conference should have been Ike’s personal triumph. Whatever im­provement there has been in Russo-American relations can hardly be laid at the door of the Democratic Party. ★ The crisis in the Democratic Party, in short, is of the same piece which has enervated thought in so many other quarters. It is the assumption that the radical tradition has failed and has nothing further to contribute. Democrats today are wary of the party’s radicalism; they look askance at the New Deal, and they are prone to equate the thirties with Alger Hiss. Radicalism, in brief, has fallen from repute. Yet the radical always needs to be heard. It is in him that we sense the creative force which releases 'men’s full potential. The truly creative eras in the world’s history have always been radical ones. The Pro­testant Reformation, the Renaissance, the Age of Reason have all shaken the very ground from under men’s feet. Similarly the Democratic party reached its Golden Age precisely when its lead­ers were most radical. Since then the curve has been downward. While there are many individual Democrats who understand what has been happening in the wmrld (one thinks particularly of Sen. George), their perception is seldom' reflected in party councils. History has been moving in directions that party leaders do not seem to be able to fol­low or even to understand. They simply do not get the drift. They continue to think in stereo­types which have lost their relevance. Fixations and obsessions serve for ideas. Since 1952, the world has been witnessing a miracle. The miracle of the past four years—the miracle which apparently has been lost on the Democrats—is that two titans historically des­tined for mortal combat have instead resolved to work out their differences in a peaceful man­ner. The odds were against it but still it hap­pened. As a" result a totally new environment has been created, of which Ike has been both the beneficiary and the sponsor. It is in Ike that the new spirit, prepared by others, have found its most important and significant embodi­ment. And this is one of the ironies of history, for Ike is not a particularly distinguished figure. His intellect is but average, his presence marked only by a kind of puzzled honesty and sincerity. Nevertheless, it is mainly Ike—not a Democrat —w7ho will be remembered as the man who built the bridge between the Best and the West. It is this new turn in history which my party has yet to grasp. Until we do, we cannot put a man in the field—and this includes Stevenson— who can hope to capture the imagination the way Eisenhower has. And this is why it is im­portant for the Democrats to build for the fu­ture. There is much to be done. ★ The questions Democrats have to face are more than political; they are philosophical, historical, and religious. For we know now that our pre­mises have been cast in the wrong terms. The cherished antitheses do not hold; they bear no relation to the world as it is. The antithesis be­tween capitalism and communism, while once valid, is now factitious: for a long time each system has been taking on features of the other. Nor is there any reason to believe that man must be caught up in vast, impersonal forces which he can hardly understand, much less cope wdth. The events leading to the post-war split be­tween Russia and the United States were based on human decisions. Ten years later, the im­proved atmosphere between Russia and the United States is likewise of human genesis. Initiated by men, it is being nurtured and fur­thered by men. Unlike the heroes of tragedy, what mortal men do they can undo. If we are confronted by a totally new set of conditions in the arena of international relations, the same is even more true of the vital field of interpersonal relations. Exploitation of man by man,- racial bias, using people for one’s own per­sonal gain, manipulation of whole classes of peo­ple, all these are seen to be profoundly evil. For we know that such practices destroy not only the object but the subject as well. What the Democrats must understand, if they are not to die out as a political force, is that there has been a change in the world configura­tion which is profound and fundamental. It is true that a deep anxiety grips most men as the immensity of the changes begin to be under­stood. This is the characteristic difficulty men experience in shifting from behavior dominated by neural reflexes to conscious willing and un­derstanding. To help men overcome their bond­age to their reflexes is one of the noblest aims of education. The role of the political party takes on unpre­cedented importance at a time when men are groping toward new7 levels. It is being asked to be more than political. It is being asked to tran­scend itself. Othervise politics becomes divorced from life, just as institutionalized religion is al­ready divorced from life. It will be said that a program of reformation might tear the Democratic party to pieces. This * is correct—it might. And not only the Demo­cratic party but the world as we know' it. One hears the objection, “This is revolution!” This, too, is correct. Jt is revolution. Rut nothing less than revolution is going to save us. As Dr. Crane Brinton has said, contemporary society is un­stable; it cannot endure as it is. Society cannot remain where it is. Either it must sink back into the pre-conscious level from wrhich it came or it must ascend to new heights. Are mere politicians capable of such extra­ordinary feats of creativity? As Faulkner says, men are brave and intelligent when the times demand it. What is demanded no1»7 ;s r^ihing less than w7hat was demanded in 1776, wrhen a revolutionary elan transformed ordinary men into creative geniuses. A printer was tranformed into a statesman and diplomat. A Virginia land- owrner into a leader, philosopher, and adminis­trator. A Tea Party into an event w'hich shaped history. It can happen again. Let the corruptible put on incorruption. When the truth breaks into men’s lives, they are infused with the powpi7 and will to do the impossible. (The Churchman) Az AP hire szerint New York városban kira­boltak egy bibliai árust. Miután csak 7 dollárt talált nála a rabló, az ájtatos biblia-ügynök még egy bibliát is akart adni neki. — Azt még a 7 dollár ráfizetéssel se veszem el, — mondotta a rabló. AVENEL AUTO BODY REPAIRS 1366 ST. GEORGE AVENUE, AVENEL, NEW JERSEY REPAIR SHOP Body és fender-javitások • WELDING • SPRAYING • BRAZING PAUL ABLONCZY, tulajdonos — Tel.: RAhway 7-1487 A GYÖNYÖRŰ SYLVAN TÓ PARTJÁN, 65 MÉRFÖLDNYIRE NEW YORKTÓL CAMP LAKELAND Kényelmes szobák — Nagyszerű koszt,— Rendszeres kultur program — Jutányos árak — Kedvezmény családok részére. GYERMEK -KAMP • V» •- \ . *. • ■" y/ - . . • A konyhq Berk#vies Gizi hozzáértő vezetése alatt van Hívja AL 5-4283, vagy írjon 1 Union Square New York 3, NY. Ács Pál betegsége Sajnálattal tudatjuk olva­sóinkat és New Jersey-i .összmagvarságot, hogy Ács Pál, a Newark Hírlap szer­kesztőjének, orvosi tanácsra ismét a kórházba kellett mennie. Ács Pál egészsége állapota az előző héten már annyira javult, hogy kiengedték a kórházból, most azonban megálapitották, hogy továb­bi kezelésre van szüksége. Azt hisszük az egész New Jersey-i magyarság egyönte­tű kívánságát tolmácsoljuk, amidőn mielőbbi, teljes javu­lást kívánunk neki. ANNAK El.Ut.v IKK, hogy a dolgozó munkások száma 500.000-el emelkedett március havában, a munkanélkülié^: száma még mindig megközelíti a három milliót. yrl/bí, Rétesház és cukrászda miit mm un iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiumitii mm 11111111111111111111 ív 1737 Third Ave., New7 York, N. Y. (a 81. St. sarkán) Telefon: BU 8-0660 és BU 8-0670 • GESZTENYE PÍRÉ, MIGNONOK, TORTÁK • Este 8.30-ig nyitva van Töltse szabadságát a gyönyörű Berkshire hegyekben levő CENTER LAKE INN NYARALÓBAN (BECKETT. MASS.) ahol a Kish házaspár remek konyhája várja a pihenni vágyó nyaralókat Felnőtteknek hetenként ....................... $38.00 Gyermekeknek 10 éves korig ..................... $15.00 Gyermekeknek 16 éves korig ..................... $25.00 Weekend és egyes napokra ............. ... $ 8.00 Telefon Beckett 3831. — Aki telefonál, azt atLee vasut- '"•> állomásnál kqpsival várják Felvilágositást ad Yolandá Kiss, 337 E.T3 St. Tel. GR 3-7112 Rezerválják szobájukat jó előre, mert a vidéken végbemenő 1 ~ 7 . s -épi tljeze.se k miatt nagy a kereslet

Next

/
  • Elrendezés
  • Igazítás
  • Forgatás
Oldalképek
Tartalom