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a a Ser ee ew A eee le asking for petitions toc jlate. Lu- therans, Episcopalians, Catholics and Jews, as well as the evangelical denomina- tions, realize that the end of civil lib- erty means also the end of religious lib-= erty. Doctors - great makers and reflectors of public opinion = see the danger to all professional freedom. Dr. George B. Lake, of Waukegan, Illinois, editor and publish- er of "Clinical Medicine and Surgery," writes: "I have been hoping that something like the NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO UPHOLD CON]= STITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT would come into existence to give a focal point for the expression of opinion of the millions of Americans who ere largely inarticulate." Women are valiant soldiers in this fight. They are circulating thousands of petitions and calling for more, .“I prompt- ly secured 40 signatures, and had only one refusal," writes a housewife in Salen, New York. Let me urge sll those who are circu- lating our petition, or any other petition ageinst the Supreme Court proposal, to bear this point in mind: . A voter's individual letter of pro= test often carries much more weight than his signature on a petition. Both are needed. Every one circulating a petition should urge all signers not to stop with Signing, but also to write to their Con- gressman and their Senators. Tell all to express their thoughts in their own words and let their servants in Washington lkmow, in no uncertain terms, what they think about the proposal to undermine the in- dependence of our courts. , The question raised by this amazing proposal is not whether President Roose= velt wishes to become a dictator. The question is not whether the legislation he favors is good or bad. It is not a ques= tion between Democrats and Republicans, It transcends parties. The question is, shall we give to this man, or to any one man = and his unknown successors -- such tremen= dous power as the President will have if he gets control over the judicial, as well as the legislative and executive branches of our government? Who can predict who will be President Roosevelt's successor? He might represent the viewpoint of the masses or he might represent the viewpoint of en-= tranrhearR wealth wlichaanee --- Only a ow years ago the people of this country were worrying about Huey Dong and the methods he had adopted in gaining unlimited power in his own state. Ome of the things that he found necessary to do in order to establish himself as dictator was to get control of the courts. It is this situation thet has stirred the nation. This vital question is being discussed every day in homes throughout the land, on our farms and in our factories. The question is of such supreme importance that every man, woman and youth should un- derstand its full significance, In closing let me say that I am giving my time and effort to this cause because I am fearful of what may happen to America if the power of the Supreme Court is weakened in the way proposed. If we need changes in the Constitution, they should be made in an orderly manner as prescribed by the Consti- tution. I have supported some of the measures that Fresident Roosevelt has favored. As a liberal, there are many reforms I should like to see brought about, but these re- forms must be brought about lawfully and under the Constitution, not by destroying the Constitution, As some one has well said, if you have a headache, try to cure it by administering the proper medicines, not by cutting off the head, We can bring about any legislation that the people de- sire without destroying the judicial safe- guards of all people's liberties. I am particularly concerned over this great issue because of what I saw in the dictator=-ridden countries of Europe where orderly democratic government has been overthrown; where the people have no freee dom of speech, no freedom of the press, no freedom of religious worship, no freedom of public assemblage, no trial by jury, no security whatsoever. No American would care to live under such a government; and if Americans could only kmow and appreciate what life in those countries means, they would see to it that we shall not be even remotely threatened with such conditions in the country we all love, The blessings that we enjoy have cost a thousand years of bloody struggle and un- counted millions of lives. These sacri- fices mist not be in vain, Government of the people, by the people and for the people