Baldwin Fears Trend Against Civil Liberties

Roger N. Baldwin 04, Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, cast a dubious eye towards the query "How Safe Are American Civil Rights?" at the fourth Law School Forum last night.

Moderator Mark D. Howe '28, professor of Law, led a spirited discussion between Baldwin and E. Merrick Dodd '10, Fessenden Professor of Law, John Saltonstall, Jr. '38, and Elijah Adlow '16, Justice of the Boston Municipal Court, who termed himself a "fare creature known hereabouts as a reactionary."

The Civil Liberties Union director was the main speaker, while Adlow, Saltonstal, and Dodd served as interrogators.

Dislikes Taft-Hartley Law

Baldwin charged that in the past year or two "Had Enough?" forces have buttressed conservative elements and made it increasingly difficult to fight for human liberties. He decried the Taft-Hartley Law, the method of administering loyalty checks, and activities of the un-American Activities Committeee as the most depressing aspects of this trend.

Declaring that the report of the President's Committee on Civil Rights is a landmark in the battle for civil liberties, Baldwin noted that similar sentiments supporting human equalities are embodied in the UN charter. He voiced his belief that foreign critics of American failures in the sphere of human freedoms ". . . are, in large measure, right."

Attacks Foreign Policy

Baldwin stated, "Many do not think that you can reconcile capitalism and democracy--and there is a lot to be said on their side." He added that democratic-socialism may well be the bulwark of human liberties and should Britain's experiment fail, chances of democracy in the world would be greatly dimmed.

Expanding on this remark, Baldwin digressed to a criticism of American foreign policy on the ground that supporting reactionary governments rather than "middle-of-the-road" forces is a fundamental error that manufactures a previously non-existent Communist threat in those countries.