xt7wwp9t2q46_142 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wwp9t2q46/data/mets.xml https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wwp9t2q46/data/59m61.dao.xml American Liberty League 37 linear feet archival material English University of Kentucky This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed.  Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically.  Physical rights are retained by the owning repository.  Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws.  For information about permissions to reproduce or publish, contact the Special Collections Research Center. Jouett Shouse Collection (American Liberty League Pamphlets), "Bulletin Of The American Liberty League", Vol. 1 No. 10, May 15, 1936 text "Bulletin Of The American Liberty League", Vol. 1 No. 10, May 15, 1936 2013 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wwp9t2q46/data/59m61/59m61_0010/bulletin10_1/bulletin10_1.pdf 1936 1936 1936 section false xt7wwp9t2q46_142 xt7wwp9t2q46 v ~ MERICAN IBERTY EAGUE
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’?;·Y Le?
NATIONAL PRESS BUILDING
WASHINGTON, D. C. 4
VOLUME I MAY 15, 1936 NUMBER 10
4 v
· USE_§QUR_VOTE
The Executive Committee of the American Liberty League meeting In New York Thurs-
day, May 14, approved an open letter addressed to the entire membership of the League,
' to be published 1n the Bulletin, which reads as follows:
TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN LIBERTY LEAGUE: ’
[ A ` There can be no question of the importance of the elections to be
held this year. The fate of constitutional self-government In the United
States may be at stake. ·
_ ' In such circumstances every citizen owes a duty to himself, to his
family and to h1s Nation. His duty is the free and intelligent exercise of
his right of franchise---his vote. The ballot  hich a free citizen casts may
be compared w1th the payment of a premium upon his 1nsurance policy. If the
premium is not paid, the policy lapses and he and h1s family lose the protect-
1on for which he has labored and saved for years. The exercise of your right
to vote constitutes the premium you pay to protect the most valuable insurance
policy ever written--—the Constitution of the United States. ‘
The American Liberty League believes that the people of the United
States do not wish to abandon their Constitution or to permit It to be null1—
fied. The League believes that the people are well aware of the fact that `
_ the Constltutfon, and the Constitution alone, protects them In such rights as
religious freedom, free speech, a free press, trial by Jury and safeguard of A
lives and property against the whims and caprices of an autocratic bureaucracy. ’
The League believes that the people know full well that in many of the other
major Nations of the world today such rights are non-existent because of the
absence of a definite constitution made effective by a government in which
legislative, executive and Judicial powers are properly separated. .
But even If some American citizens do w1sh to change the form of
their government, the League is certain that the people are not willing to
allow such change to be made without their express consent and approval. The
people themselves, and they alone, have the power and the right to change the
Constitution. .
In the last four Presidential elections, an average of only 55% of
all potential voters actually cast their ballots. The men and women who fail
I to vote have no r1ght to complain of the character of government thrust upon
_ them. If they are too lazy or,too indifferent to go to the polls they must
accept the result. It must be remembered that those who have a selfish in-
terest 1n the outcome of an election are always very careful to vote.
v_ A Because of the unusual importance attaching to the elections this
I year and because the right of franchise is the most sacred privilege of every
citizen, the Executive Committee of the League feels called upon to urge that
all of its members In each state of the Union pledge themselves to exercise
the right of franchise 1n November. The Committee also urges that each member
of the League constitute himself, or herself, a committee of one to obtain
similar pledges from as many fellow-citizens as possible.
_ To make this program effective, it is important that it be started.

 at once. The registration period is already upon us in some states. 'In many
instances 1t is necessary to register 1n order to vote.
w1th1n the next few days members w1ll receive a communication from
national headquarters of the League outlining suggestions for making effect1ve_
th1s proposed mobilization of votes. The Committee wishes to emphasize that
1t is merely asking members to pledge themselves to vote and to obtain similar
pledges from others. In making this pledge, the Committee is not requesting
that anyone promise to vote for any particular candidate or any particular ·
political party. It is merely urging that all lndlcate their intention to `· ‘
exercise the most valuable right and perform the most sacred duty of cltlzens
in a free democracy.
· '£I;i.l&.l2‘..QE¥l A
Before the next lssue of the Bulletln appears, one of the major political parties
w1ll have assembled 1n national convention and the other w1l] be on the eve of so doing.
Aside from nominating candidates for the Presidency and the Vice Presidency, the prin-
clpal activity of national conventions is the formulat1on and adoption of party p1at—
forms. what 1s a party platform?
Essentially a party platform 1s a proposal to enter 1nto a contract with the people
of the United States upon certain conditions set forth 1n the platform. The party asks
the people to put its members 1n control of the Federal government for four years and
promises that lf the people grant this request 1t will do certaln things. In other
words, 1f the people, by electing the representatives of the party, accept the contract, J
’1t becomes b1nd1ng. ,“
Unfortunately pol1t1cal parties have not always manifested a real1zat1on of the
seriousness of the obligations undertaken when they formulate their platforms. It has
been suggested facetiously that a political platform is analogous to a loading platfonm
used for boarding street cars—é-once the passenger 1s aboard, he forgets about the plat-
form. Recent experiences with a platform solemnly promulgated as "a covenant with the
people to be faithfully kept,' indicate that the foregofng suggestion is not entirely
humorous. `
However, there-are st1ll many c1t1zens who believe that a party seeking control of
the Federal government should be willing to deal honestly with the electorate and to
write its platform with the 1dea of fulfilling the promises made there1n. The fact that
lone may have once made the mistake of h1r1ng an unreliable employee (public servant) 1s
not a valid reason against h1r1ng any employees at all 1n the future. If you employ an
agent to purchase a horse and buggy and he returns w1th a plnk elephant bought with your
money, you may, with considerable Just1f1cat1on, refuse to employ him 1n future business
transactions, but that experience would hardly justify you in refusing to employ any
agent at all thereafter. · A e ‘
Members of the American Liberty League and American c1t1zens generally could render
no greater public service w1th1n the next few weeks than by seeing to it that the po11t1ca1
parties adopt platforms 1n harmony with the American system of constitutional government
and by making lt clear to those who formulate the platforms that they will be held to
. strict accountability 1f their party is victorious 1n the coming elections.
' LEAGUE_LITERATURE o _ -
ADDRESSES:
e ”An American Phfloso h " — Speech by Jouett Shouse, President of the American Liberty
League. (Doc. No. 121) L
'The L1begty_Lea ue — Old Friendships Destro ed" - Speech by Senator Daniel O. Hast1ngs .
of Delaware. (Doc. No. l22)·
A l 'A Federal_Un1on — National and State Res onslbilitles? — Speech by Fitzgerald Hall,
member, Natlonal Advlsory Council of the American Liberty League. (Doc. No. 123) e
'Const1tut1onal Heres ” - Speech by Raoul E. Desvernine, Chairman, National Lawyers ·
Committee of the American Liberty League. (Doc. No. 124)

 - LEAFLETS: I »
A"Gratftude In Politics? - Reprint of an editorial from the washington Evening Star.
Ueaflet No. l0) g b
"28 Facts About The New Deal" - (Leaflet No. ll) A A
~ PETITIONS 0F_PRQTEST t A
Petitions bearing the signatures of more than 55,000 c1t1zens includfng representa- »)
t1on from every State in the Union have been filed by the Leaguefs national headquarters
with the United States Senate In protest against the actions of the Black Lobby Investi-
gating Committee and the Federal Communications Commission in seizing and examining
private telegrams. Since these petltfons were filed on May ll other petitions bear1ng A
many additional names have been received at League headquarters. They·w1ll be filed
later. In addition, it 1s understood that many more petitions have been sent direct to -
members of the Senate. , , ‘
> Any member of the League or any c1t1zen who has not yet sbgned one of these petitions
_ land who wishes to register his protest against the unwarranted and Illegal actions of the
Lobby Committee and the Communications Commission may obtain rorms upon application to the »
League‘s national headquarters. .
A ‘ I 1. c a A *'AMERICAN GUILLOTINE" »
_ - y ”The original gu111ou1ne which decapftated King Louis XVI, loyal friend of the
American colon1es when they needed a friend, was sold in France on St. Valent1ne‘s day
rar $1ev. g A A
”w1th American liberties at stake it might not be Inappropriate to buy that
gulllotine and set it up in front of the new Judicial temple wh1ch frowns across the
_park that separates it from the Cap1tol.” ‘
I V I · —- From the March issue of "The Democratic D1gest," I
‘ published by the Women's D1v1s1on of the
G A— Democratic National Committee.
”@§ERE A PRESBYTERIAN.CHURgR CANNOT BE §UILT" I `
“There is a place where a Presbyterian Church cannot be bu1lt.. That_may be start-
, ling news to some of us. But 1t becomes more startling when we learn where the place _
1s.. we m1ght suppose that it was In Africa, China, Russia, or Mexico. But the locatlon
is not in some far away land, but right here at our own door---1n our neighboring State _
of Tennessee, 1n the town of Norris. The reason is the Federal government has taken
1 religion in hand, built a 'community church house,' and has said to all denominations,
you cannot build any of your churches here. And that settles it. The order sounds very _
much like those being issued 1n Russia and Germany._ And all this in spite of the fact
_ that the Federal Constitution says: that Congress shall make no law respecting the es-
tablishment of religion or preventlng the free exercise thereof. But Constitution or
`no Constitution, you can't build a Presbyterian Church in Norris, Tennessee, in the good
old United States." 4 . , I
-- Mississippi Visitor (Presbyterian Monthly)
I Jackson, Mississippi .
· _ g g March, 1956
) Q§§EQTISM.§ T
Raoul E. Desvern1ne's book, ”Democrat1c Despot1sm," is an exceptionally able con-
tribution to current discussion and thought on trends of Government. The author 1s
Chairman of the National Lawyers Committee of the American Liberty League. He has been
a close student and observer of political and economic events in the United States and,
abroad for many years. _He points out striking parallels between the beginnings of g
despotism in Germany, Italy, Russia and Turkey and the development of policies by the
,New Deal Adminlstration. Mr. Desvernine sees the destruction of 1nd1v1dual liberties and A
of self-government as the Inevitable result, unless the swing away from the Constitution
1s checked. - _ e ·‘

 . The author deals with facts. He uses the officially uttered words of the President
and of his associates in the Administration to disclose their real theories and plans.
_ He finds their purposes to be In conflict with our traditional concept of a Government
‘ whose powers are divided between the three branches of Government, the Legislative, Ex-
. ecutlve and Judicial. ——-Dodd, Mead & Company, New York City; $2.00. p
THE MORE ABUNDANT LIQE ' o
'My Annual Cash Dividend from my paid-up $5000 L1fe—Insurance Policy #1,594,176, In
__ Company of New York:
].929•••••I••••••¢••••••••$42•7O lgggtOIQ•OOO••••|••|Ol|II•O||$58|6O
].9mOIO•l•••••O••••t•••q•   l954*•|••••••••••I••O•••••••I•  
1931OIOOOIOOIOIOOOIOIIOOI  1,935••••••III•••I•••IIO|O•••I  
  1932OI•II•••|¢|•••|OOOII-O   IQBGOOIIIO•||O|||•|•••••'*·••  
l, ‘ "The foregoing figures show what the 'New Deal' has done, is doing, and will do, to
; " all l1fe—1nsurance policy-holders. There are millions of us being pumped dry by the
'New Deal,' those of us who are 1nsurance—pol1cy holders."
—- Excerpt from a letter from P. H. Powell,
108 Parsons Street, Wallingford, Conn.
_ PINOCHLE_yS. FLQQD CONTHQL
"Contrasts in Illinois ` I . I
"Two adjoining stories in a recent issue of the Johnston City (Illinois) Progress
. were:
"No. l. 'More than two weeks ago Johnston City made application for a $75,000 W.P.A.
project to help stop the flood which 1s threatening to destroy its coal m1nes.'
V "No. 2. 'An extensive recreational project was launched in Johnston City this week,
with $7,344 allotted to carry on the work. The project will include Instruction In
, checkers, calisthenics, mass games, indoor and outdoor group games, etc. Pinochle,
~ bridge and dancing will be included if the community does not object.'"
—— Washington Star
‘ February 17, 1956
mms PRESQQNT'S_MQ@"
"Five thousand men are still at work making a bigger and bigger ditch out of what
was to have been the trans—F1or1da ship canal. — -
‘ ”And about half as many are still busy up at Cobscook Bay doing whatever men do on
a grandiose undertaking to harness the tides. t
g "Yet officially it 1s not intended that either of these projects shall ever be com-
pleted. Indeed, 19 days ago President Roosevelt announced that he would allot no more
4 money to either the canal or Passamaquoddy unless Congress directed him to do so. Con-
gress, which had before frowned upon both projects, has in the 19 days shown no desire
» whatever to continue them. The Army engineers In charge of the two projects say they
I have no orders to stop. They indicate that unless they receive orders to the contrary
; they will carry on until July 1 and the last dollar of allotted money is spent.
A "It is President Roosevelt's responsibility that the taxpayers' money is being thrown
l A away on these two 'abandoned' projects. He started both of them, without asking the con-
? sent of Congress, and against the advice of Administration experts. More than $9,000,000
j has already been wasted. The least the President could do is to withdraw, forthwith, the
_ unexpended balances of the allotments and put those 7500 men to work on projects that will
be completed. ~ -
n "In no part of his whole spending program is the President so vulnerable as In these
two haphazard ventures." g
‘ I —- Editorial · ‘
· I THE WASHINGTON DAILY NEWS (and other Scripps-
_ Howard papers)
_ May 4, 1956 I