Some Poignant Thoughts On Liberalisim

The fall of Carthage is a terrible example of the slow agony of a people which ended in destruction and which was the fault of the people themselves. In his three articles of faith Carl Clausewitz expressed this event admirably and gave it a definite form when he said: "The stigma of shame incurred by a cowardly submission can never be effaced. The drop of poison which thus enters the blood of a nation will be transmitted to posterity. It will undermine and paralyse the strength of later generations." How true!

Once the slippery slope of Liberalisim had been tread upon, our people were unable to pluck up sufficient courage and energy to call a halt suddenly to the conduct of our Liberal adversary as the oppressive measures were being constantly renewed. The enemy was too shrewd to put forward all his demands at once. He confined his duress always to those exactions which, in his opinion, and sadly that of our Government, could be submitted to for the moment: so that in this way they did not risk causing an explosion of public feeling. But accordingly as the single impositions were increasingly subscribed to and tolerated it appeared less justifiable to do now in the case of one sole imposition or act of duress what had not been previously done in the case of so many others, namely, to oppose it. That is the 'drop of poison' of which Carl Clausewitz spoke. Once this lack of character is manifested the resultant condition becomes steadily aggravated and weighs like an evil inheritance on all future decisions. It may become as a leaden weight around the nation's neck, which cannot be shaken off but which forces it to drag out its existence in slavery to it.

The immenent collapse of our nation in the years to come will be bitter and manifest. Yet it was in recent years that was the time chosen to persecute us in the most malicious way our enemies could devise, so that what happened afterwards could have been foretold by anybody. The government to which our people submitted was and is as hopelessly incompetent as it was and is conceited, and this was especially shown in repudiating those who gave any warning that disturbed or displeased. Then we saw--and today also--the greatest congressional nincompoops, really common saddlers and glove-makers--not merely by trade, for that would signify very little--suddenly raised to the rank of statesmen and sermonizing to humble mortals from that pedestal. It did not matter, and it still does not matter, that such a 'statesman', after having displayed his or her talents for six months or so as a mere windbag, is shown up for what he or she is, and becomes the object of public raillery and sarcasm. It does not matter that he or she has given the most evident proof of complete incompetency. No. That does not matter at all. On the contrary, the less real service the statesmen of this Government render the country, the more savagely they persecute all who expect that congressional deputies should show some positive results of their activities. They persecute everybody who dares to point to the failure of these activities and predict similar failures for the future. If one finally succeeds in nailing down one of these Liberals to hard facts, so that this political artist can no longer deny the real failure of his whole action and its results, then he will find thousands of grounds for excuse, but will in no way admit that he himself is the chief cause of the evil.