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DAILY NEBRASKAN
Thursday, May 8, 1941
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Ridicule or reason
What every man thinks depends upon his previous associations,
his studies, hs environment, and the way he evaluates the facts he
acquires. Since no two men have lived identical lives, the world
is full of conflicting schools of thought, each person with his own
beliefs, confident that he alone is right and assured that another
with somewhat different training and somewhat different reasoning
is a poor misguided individual.
Of course it is self-evident when one thinks about it that nobody
can be altogether right, and no one can be altogether wrong. Per
fection just does not exist. As a recognition of this fallibility of
man's judgment we treasure democracy which is based upon the
assumption that the conclusions of the majority are more likely to
be right than the conclusions of the other divergent groups.
If the premises that nobody is right at all times and that de
mocracy is based upon this belief are true, then the success of that
democracy depends upon every person being given the opportunity
to freely and openly express his v'ews. If he speaks in good faith,
we as democratic people should listen to what he says and challenge
it, if we feel it should be challenged on the basis of reason and not
upon prejudice.
Whether or not what Mr. Lindbergh believes is right or wrong
is immaterial. He is a citizen of this country. And his opinions
should be taken as the opinions of a patriot.
Feople don't have to agree with him. They can debate him fairly
and squarely and bring forth evidence with which to refute him.
But they need not as they have chosen to do try to tear down his
aiguments by throwing bad reflections upon the mental ability of
the speaker. By ridiculing Lindbergh and by slurring his intelligence
they seek to shut off the effectiveness of part of public opinion.
Though one of the elementary principles of debate ethics is to attack
issues and leave the individual alone, these men revel in the sarcasm
they can cast upon his name.
Too many think that Lindbergh in as much as he doesn't agree
with what they believe must be one of the misguided men of the
country. Too many won't seriously consider what those disagreeing
with them have to say. Too many forget that maybe they themselves
are the ones that are wrong.
At any rate since we are unable to distinguish truth from error,
let's listen to all arguments, and encourage all expression. And
censor only such material from our presses that is written or spoken
with malice. Then we will have a democracyof which we can be
proud.
r
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Behind
the
News
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Ordal
Olson
In the capitals . . .
The English House of Commons voted confidence in Prime Min
ister Churchill, by the resounding majority of 447 to 3. The test came
after David Lloyd George, England's key man in World war I, voiced
blunt criticism of the English government's prosecution of the war.
In a speech on the status of the war, and in reply to the criticism,
Churchill disclosed that General Sir Archibald Wavell has nearly half
a million men under his command iHthe Mediterranean area. The
Prime Minister expressed confidence that Suez, Egypt, and Crete
could be defended from the axis. Churchill also said that the assur
ance of construction of merchant ships in America plus the building
program of the English would carry them through the Battle of the
Atlantic in 1942.
In the air the German luftwaffe sent waves of big bombers to
Glasgow, and to Liverpool for the sixth consecutive night. Ulster was
also bombed. The English claimed to have downed 19 of the German
planes, and admitted losing 7.
In Moscow, Josef Stalin took over the premiership from Molotov,
who remains commissar of foreign affairs. The significance of this
move is not yet apparent, but it is suggested by some that it is a pre
liminary move toward more active participation in the war. Just how
or where is a matter of conjecture.
In Washington, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson made a forth
right plea for the use of the navy to make sure that American sup
plies reach Britain. After describing the grave emergency in which
this nation now is because of the German threat to our civilization
the secretary went on to say: "We have at our hands a naval instru
ment prepared and ready for just such an emergency in our defense.
The
Daily Ncbraskan
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(Continued from Page 1.)
bell, ea-chalrmen
Marjnrie Hranlns;
Dorothy Ftllry
lUndall I'm It
Kd Chait
Hon Albrrty
8TI lKNT MIGRATION;
Don Steele, rhiilmiaa
MHrgarrt Fouler
Hub Krttrll
Inclnla Fmrraon
POINT Hl'HTKM:
Hub Kramviu, rbairnuin
Mary Rmboroagh
Klaine Moan
I'rentnn Hi
Mar'bule Htmpaoa
t ONHTIH TIONH:
l-arry HawaMt, chairman
Marvin Tbooipvoo
Tom Hrogan
Marian Jones
tillbert Hueftle
QomwwiL
Commentorials
. . . from, our readers
Editorial contradictions
Dear Editor:
Your editorial "Aim at Happiness" of May 7,
1941, is so full of contradictions and misstatements
that I cannot resist the temptation to answer it. I
am sure that with a little more thought and after a
search for factual proof you will not permit your
self or any member of your staff to publish again in
your paper such generalizations about American
life as the following: "America fought one war for
ideals. We have none of those today." better
speak for yourself ;-"Men are dying of disease be
cause our medical service is not available where it
is needed." Though improvement is possible, the
United States health record is better than that of
any other country; "And a faulty legal profession
lets the rich control the poor and the crime rings
control the governments." This is silly; certainly a
few isolated examples do not justify this generaliz
ation. "We never think of spending billions of dol
lars to alleviate these conditions." Where have you
been since 1933 ? Let that be enough.
Turning to your philosophy, so contradictory
in its simultaneous optimism and pessimism, I as
sure you that you do not have a monopoly on the
goals of justice and happiness; I, too, who disagree
with you fundamentally on the means to achieve
this goal, and even many of the "politicians" whom
you denounce so summarily believe sincerely in
these ideals. We see, however, the problems which
you rather lightly ignore.
How are you going to achieve justice and hap
piness in the United States when the world is dom
inated by the Axis powers? Do you believe that we
won't have to build up our armaments? Dou you
believe that internal divisions financed by the Axis
powers will cease? Do you believe that Hitler and
the United States will live happily ever after?
Weigh the alternatives, but do not ignore them.
Ignoring them is not fair either to yourself or to
your readers.
R .A. Winnacker.
Facts stand by themselves
in spite of professorial labels
Labeling an article with such words as "con
tradictions" and "misstatements" does not in it
self tear down an argument. Nor is the assump
tion valid that a person who doesn't have the
same prejudices and who doesn't give facts the
same weight as another is either "lightly ignor
ing" or coloring the truth.
Despite Professor Winnacker's general attack
upon your editor's swing into philosophy nothing
has been advanced to refute the argument itself.
These points we believe still stand.
In every age there are dreamers bent on cre
ating at great cost Utopian orders insuring perma
nent happiness, peace and power.
History shows, however, nothing is perma
nent. Dream bubbles have swollen for a time but
have always burst. War and destruction are as
common today as at any time in the past.
The main values that men are striving for,
and to this Prof. Winnacker agrees, are happi
ness and justice.
Though freedom is a part of that justice
and wars may be necessary to bring happiness to
a people, wars for vague ideals are too costly.
Wars always bring depression, economic
collapse and burden a people with heavy taxation.
The heavy death toll and huge expense to fight
such wars have seldom been compensated by ac
tual gains from them. People are no happier to
day nor more secure than before America fought
in 1917-18.
There is much in the way of clearing up
slums, of raising the standard of living of a large
portion of our population, and thereby increasing
the sum total of happiness in this country that is
a challenge to any man. And even Mr. Roosevelt
has not produced the results in this field since 1933
that Professor Winnacker suggests.
Though this is a most controversial issue,
and though our status doesn't give our beliefs
the weight of a professor's, we cannot believe
that freedom in this country must go down before
a nazi-dominated Europe, if such domination is
either secured or if secured after the war ends,
is lasting. America has been the arsenal of free
dom in the past when Europe has been ruled
by the try ant.
a
In view of these things therefore, we still
contend that America's best policy to achieve the
maximum of happiness, is an internal policy. Her
efforts should continue to be directed towards re
habilitation, improvement of health services and
towaAls improving what Edwin H. Sutherland, pro
fessor of sociology at Indiana university says is a
legal profession in which money talks, and in which
criminal rings even in the better cities are able to
exert deciding pressure on officials.
Editor.
Marrarft Knalrr
A(THm 1 11 hr.TS;
Jean llumbrr, chairman
Fred Meier
Randall I'nll
.Norma Jean Campbell
l ed Koealrr
HOI MM,:
rJdaa MathmiM-r, rbalrnaaa
tillbert Haeflle
Klaine Klonn
Ted Koesh r
lif-orge t urn pen
HOKMNCi CO.NIHTION'H:
l.eorsr Caniprn, chairman
Hob Albert y
Roy Bvrana
XM't O.N KNTION :
Marion Trainer, rhnlmtan
Marjr lUMboraafh
l-arry Ha mold I
Kldon Mnlhoiifcer
Kd ( halt
Heefcy Hall
FK r'.SH MAN VYKKK:
Kutb Ivrraan, rhairmaa
r red Meter
Maryellrn lUtblnaon
Hub Hrttel
Betty Ann TMhaaniarr
Itorathy r'Mcy
FORI MS:
l'rrton lla. chairman
Hetty Jean lionier
trance am pea
Marjorte Hrnntnc
Hetty Ann Tlnthammer
I'l KUt ITV:
MarJoHr Hranlnr,. chairman
Mrrlten RofclnMMi
Ra' Hiram
Marlon t rainer
Hetty Ann Hubert
Hick HiirnslierKer
HIHIK MOKK:
Marcarrl fronlrr, chairman
Hetty Ann Kabcrte
Marion Jonrn
Kd Chult
Marylotiie Simmon
Ted KueUer
Jl OU1ARV:
IHOe Theobald, chairman
Norma Jean Campbell
Jean Humphrey
Cbria frterara
Rnrlnn ThtH
AMr M)MKrS TO CONHTITl THIN :
Kuth Ivrnon, chairman
Marlon Cramer
Maine Maan
Norma deaa Campbell
Carta Tetenien
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