xt7wwp9t2q46_3 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), "American Liberty League: A Statement of Its Principles and Purposes" September 10, 1934 text "American Liberty League: A Statement of Its Principles and Purposes" September 10, 1934 2013 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wwp9t2q46/data/59m61/59m61_4/Am_Lib_Lg_4_001/Am_Lib_Lg_4_001.pdf section false xt7wwp9t2q46_3 xt7wwp9t2q46  
Legion or in the American Federation of Labor.   "  ’ i
Yet both the latter organizations are powerful * *
enough to command a majority vote in the House
and the Senate. »  
_ The League does not in- ‘
Busmess OIYIY tend to call upon candidates  
W§I1IZ$ to SIN? to declare themselves in the
g gay; ga coming November elections. C
q The organization has not  
been set up soon enough. But it would be natural . ‘
to expect a frank avowal from every member of B
Congress on January Ist so that the people in each _ Y ‘
district may know where every member stands and Dev"?] I-ewrenee
so that the American Liberty League may begin its
campaign of education in those districts in which l -
members of Congress are supporting proposals in * * *
· Washington at variance with the principles of sound _
economics or the rights guaranteed by the Con-
stitution. ‘
The Tenth Commandment said “thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor’s house" and the dictionary V
defines "covet" thus: "To desire inordinately with-
out due regard for the rights of others." -
The taking away of private property by con-
fiscatory taxes and the distribution of funds to
subsidize voters is not merely a violation of the
Tenth Commandment but it comes dangerously
near another commandment which says “Thou shalt '
not steal." _ _
To take one man’s business and customers away Repymt from the Umted States News
and give them to his competitors is a form of * *
larceny.
The use of the boycottby removal of the Blue
Eagle has no sanction in law or in the Constitution.
It is the caprice of bureaucracy.
The use of Government funds to pay political
debts is an unmoral act.
The American people will not long tolerate the I »
politicians who would use government for their
own ends.
American business today is tired of the politicians  
and the grafters. .
American business today wants to cooperate with
government in developing a sound program of
recovery.
American business today respects President
Roosevelt and asks him to give business a voice in  
the making of public policies. Q
American business today wants and demands and li
will fight for a square deal. `
e 8 e ~AMERICAN LIBERTY LEAGUE
· I WASHINGTON, D. C.

  
A THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
* * *
THE Tenth Commandments and the Fifth Amend-
ment to the Constitution of the United States are
strikingly similar. The one reads:
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house * * *
` V nor anything that is thy neighbor’s."
The other reads:
“No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or
V ° property without due process of law; nor shall
n private property be taken for public use without
A just compensation."
, It is an amazing commentary on the trend of
affairs in America that an organization should
have become necessary to enlist the citizenry for
a crusade on behalf of the Constitution or the
Tenth Commandment.
Pious lip service to these two great precepts is
given every day by those who would deceive the
American people.
“Why, of course, we believe in all that," say the
“leftwing” radicals.
 .4 And, of course, they do not.
The kind of transparent hypocrisy which these
traducers of American constitutionalism really
preach is best exemplified by the tongue-in—cheek
answer given by Professor Tugwell to the inter-
rogating legislators when he avowed himself a
“conservative," adding quickly that he wished, of
course, to "conserve" what was worth while.
_ The American Liberty
what L'b€"tY League is a call to arms.
League Group It is the beginning of a
Stands For movement which, if properly
guided and aggressively car-
ried on, will save the American people from the
forces which today are threatening to bring misery,
A starvation and disaster to the common people.
y It is a movement aimed at those who in the
‘ name of the law and in the name of government
i would rob Peter to pay Paul, who would repress
honest dollars and issue fictitious money, and who
c . would confiscate by taxation and by government ‘
competition the savings of one hundred and fifty
years of Americanism.
i It will not do to laugh off the American Liberty
League or to hurl epithets at it or to speak of it as
a return to the “old order.”
Such an attitude would be a reflection upon
A President Roosevelt himself whose great personality
3

  _
has forged a new approach to American problems, ing of funds for such projects as are capable of
whose skillful leadership has brought the old- repaying indebtedness, and are not competitive with
fashioned reactionaries in American business further existing enterprise, the efforts made to stabilize the
toward the sensible liberalism of Woodrow Wilson dollar, the proposal to remove tariff barriers and
and Thomas Jefferson than has any other single r negotiate reciprocal trade agreements, the moves
influence in our lifetime. The “left wing" is un- towards disarmament and, generally speaking, the
fortunately blind to these gains. entire foreign policy, the use of silver asa monetary
For there is a greater sense of social responsibility supplement but not a substitute for gold, the stimu-
in business today than ever before. lation of foreign trade, the legislation adopted to
There is, moreover, no group of business men help reorganize corporate structures, the general
of any substantial number in America who want to purposes of the Federal housing act and the measures
see human rights disregarded. for the relief of farm and city mortgages.
There is no group that believes in the exploitation
of human beings. i
There is no group which wants to see any human Indefzmrble But there ceen _he ne de;
belng starve. », _ _ fense of the spo1ls system-
But there are groups, yes, hundreds of them, who P¤l¤¢¤¢= °f WhefehY Pnblle tfnet le
honestly believe it is cruel for a political-minded GOV¢fnm€nl: betmYed· `
set of men to waste public funds, to take property There een be nn defense
without due process of law, to confiscate property er hhrea“eraeY· _ _
without just compensation and to ignore the plight There eah bc ne defense ef a Pelle}? which de"
of the millions of men and women who want work SrreYe earrle er erePe· _
but cannot get it because the economic mechanism is There can be ne defense 0f_ {he P0l1eY of lending
kept from functioning by the sabotage of irrespon- rheheY _re scr UP lnsrrhmentnlltles thee Wenlel enm-
sible radicalism. netelwith aind distrgy business 1n which the public
as investe its un s.
It _S a n h t bl m There can be no defense of rhe policies which
Operation of “bi Eugisgsg, ng? th; mf; O; seek byisubterfuge to usurp the rights of the States
N I L g _ as, for instance, 1n the NRA s theory that lall bnsi-
efure . awe an eeehenhe SYSterh that has ness has suddenly come under Federal Jurisdiction.
BENQ Retarded gr‘£‘g;rlrS&r;r;h;§le1§’;rJ‘(ih;ncEd; Tlgere can]  no cl)ef1ense of the p)ol(lcy ofbwasteful
_ spen ing vv IC un a ances our u get y 4,000
_eha§e Wllldedbeu ever the World thc dhempleymem millions of dollars and gives no dependable pledge
Pre em . as .eeh gr°W‘hg.aS ah eftcfmeth of Wah of abatement of such expenditures.
It is high time the blaming of one another ceased Thcrc a b d r r h . r
and the so-called leaders of American thought recog- individu F P C no eijnee gr t e lietelgleree 0 ley
nized that the responsibility for improvement of the Conititzltieey pu ble d lee dwbe ele"? t eg
economic conditions now lies with those in govern- , ·uStiH th On can e We eee eeeuee t e en
mental position who are retarding the operations J rr es . C means' . .
of natural economic laws and shaking the founda- h rt rs deeded ed amend the C°ner‘r“r‘°“· lee
tions of the Republic by casting doubt upon the t e people have the chance to express themselves
title of the individual to his home and his business. upon every edeh peepeeeh
If taxation goes to extremes, it means the destruc- lf rf re deerred fe grve the Federal e-reverhmehe
tion of private property, complete p0Wcr over all business and industrynlct
If jungle levv prevails in government, then l the people vore upon that proposition IH constitu-
commitments cannot be made by business men. ' rrehal eehvenfrene-
Financing of enterprises must then be at a standstill. If lt is desired to abolish the State g0Vef_nments
Whg Wants to buy 3 bend payable ten yegye hence 2.l'1Cl let tl`l€ FCdCI`2.l 3,U.tl’1OI'lty COI`1iZ1‘0l Cl€Ct1‘1€; llght
if the whole structure of business is threatened by and P0Wel', coal, 0ll, 9-nil all the Pfednetlen ef
acts of piracy? Where are such transgressions? American farms, let the Ameflenn Pe0Ple» else ln
Let ug Hrst make 3 egnfesgign Of faith; COI1Stlt\.1tl01'1&l COI1VCI1tiOf1S, pass upOI1 tl’1C such funda-
The New Deal has some commendable policies. mental eh¤nge$·
So far as this writer is concerned, he approves There is nothing in the Constitution which per-
heartily the methods and the money that have been mits any man or group of men to equalize competi-
used to furnish relief to the unemployed, the lend- ·. tion, to redistribute wealth or to redistribute brains,
4 5

  
*0 Put 3 P¢¤anY upon °inoi€noY of to Punisn Suoooss getting power of minority blocs in congressional
by oonn$oatoYY taxation- elections to align himself at the outset with those
who would regard the American Liberty League
as an institution of “reactionaries."
. Th€ Writer d¤¤s not PYo· The men in the American Liberty League are
Neemn Needs f€$$ to know the Program not the kind who are intimidated by the comments
sown? Fr¤m of the Amonoan _Lib€YtY of various members of Congress who promptly
Opporlunisls League, CXCCPY fsr 1t$_ Pob‘ christened them "die-hards."
hsnod Statofnont sf an *nton‘ The League is an inevitable response to the
tion to preserve and defend the Constitution. challenge by the left Wing.
Bus thsfs is mm i¤ Aissrissr i¤¤lssd_» thsrs is rr re, therefore, definitely errrrreriieei.
need today for men who will give their lives, their t It is against the gteupe that Weuid dtive ML
fsfsusss end. then eeered hemsf ee preserve the if Roosevelt from sound to unsound positions.
Republic against those who either have never read
the Ten Commandments or who believe an emer-
gency in economic circumstances repeals the laws of _ For the forces which have
right and wrong. p To FISH for been unloosed in the depres-
For nearly a year and a half, business has been Rights Reserved sion and would introduce a t
abused. Taking their cue from the White House, to the Pe°p|e eornmunistie or soeiglistie
the “left wingers” have denounced all business men state are for the moment
as dishonest and only occasionally have they con- i sympathetic to Mr. Roosevelt, but they will turn
ceded there might be a few exceptions. upon him whenever he makes the slightest conces-
There comes a time when business loses its t sions to the liberal conservatives.
, morale, when there is defeatism where there should There are few men in America who have given
be hope and determination. i of themselves so unselfishly as Alfred E. Smith.
Business should organize. It should enlist sup- g He rose from poverty to the highest gift in his
porters in every precinct in the land.   party. He served the people of New Xiork hStat’e
as governor and nobody called him a die- ard
. . . then.
Signifieenee themfjep °1“‘°‘a‘iS kssw Only Today former Governor Smith lends his name
- guage 0 VOteS’ not d o en su ort to the American Libert Lea ue
In Character the logic of reason or the en p b hpp it t i h . . d Y gh '
[Or enizere eeteueeiveneee et thoughtful t must e ecause e ee s t e issue is rawn, ttat
° 8 debate there has been an attack on the Americanism which
It is significant that twoimen who have been lgefttgeggtoeere safeguarded e meme hsms end his
honored by the Democratic part b bein given ’ . . .
the nomination for the presidenciir hizive coiisented .Fee eereee this fend tbs s1¤sf·t*¤¤*<¤¤g ssssls
to serve on the executive committee of the Ameri- Wul Jem ths Ame“ee“.Lu°e“Y Lsagss bssauss u
can Liberty League. It is significant that two eefere thsm as eppeeeumey ee Hehe for e eeuee that
prominent Republicans have done likewise. le .the emx ee.Amemeen liberty 1tee1e_el?e Perpetu-
This, therefore, is no new alignment of parties. etlenee ths rights greeted by rhs eieneemmen and
It is the beginning, however, of a Constitution bloc. Fhs rights reserved ee ths peeple Whleh It Wee neleer
TO the extent that Ceegteee hee dietegetded the mtended that government or the Constitution
pleas of business, the American Liberty League will . Should ever usurp• _
begin in due time to help the election of Democrats i Funds may eeme at ths eueset hem a isw busmsss
Oi. Repubiieetiet es the eese may be, who WOW men who sponsortthe movement, but in the final
themselves in favor of principles of sound economics. aualyele rhs Aruomoan L1bortY Loaguo Wul s¤¤s¢s‘=d
As for Mr. Roosevelt, it is inconceivable that the • °r eau depending upon Whotnor It bnngs ts Its
Ametieeii Liberty League is at this time planning membership the rank and file of American voters,
e campaign te ebbeee the Ptesideiite teeieetieit the white collar workers as welltas all who own
Rather would it seem logical that the American pr°portY» thsss whs manag€ buSlnoSs» thoso whs
Liberty League Should be bieiming to Win the understand how. high taxation destroys incentive
support and cooperation of Mr. Roosevelt on as and Provonts buslnoss ToooVoI`Y·
many portions of its program as possible. Tho Loagtno Plans to gift at1cast_4r¤¤¤,<>¤¤ m_on'¥‘
The President is tee Wei] aware of the Vote- bers. This is more than there are in the American
6 7