Eliot, Soule View Liberal Attitudes, Program in Brisk Law School Forum

Anectodes by T. R. Powell and Rooseveltian rhetoric spiced a discussion of the Liberal Creed last night in a Law School Forum at Sanders Theatre. Onetime Congressman Tom Elliot '28 and George Soule, a New Republic contributor, discussed liberal attitudes and programs from the civil liberties and economic viewpoints.

Eliot denounced the recent presidential order designed to eliminate "disloyal persons" employed by the government. After voicing a distaste for Communists, he expressed fears that abusive and hysterical application of that order might deprive the accused of the right to confront and cross-examine his accusers.

Mr. Eliot pointed out that the President's dictum contemplated the use of the "dangerous" Dies Committee "subversive" lists in determining disloyalty or sympathetic association with groups called subversive by the Attorney General. A person discharged from the government service for disloyalty, he stated, would find himself condemned in the job market and as stigmatized as one convicted of treason.

Soule warned of an impending, economic crisis which could demolish the American liberal tradition and force other democratic nations dependent on America, to turn to authoritarian governments in their search for security.

Free enterprise inevitably means a disastrous business cycle, he indicated; liberals, relying on their traditional weapons of reason and science, must support a program of partial planning of the national economy.

He concluded on a pessimistic note that liberalism might succumb to depression pressures unless liberals were willing to come out of their armchairs and fight.