Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
James Madison and Classic Virtues of Our Founding Fathert
In this age of witch-hunting, of "guilt by accusation," of the
invocation of false principles, every resort to the basic ideal's of
our democracy is a contribution to the cause of a safer America
and a better existence for all
who make up this great land.
Dr. Saul K. Padover, dis-
tinguished scholar, dean of the
School of Politics of the New
School for Social Research,
makes a major contribution to
democracy's ideals with his lat-
est book, "The Complete Madi-
son: His Basic Writings." This
Harper - published v o 1 u m e, ire
which Dr. Padover has incor-
porated and edited the Madi-
sonian thoughts, is as valuable
for the brilliant analysis of
Madison's life and works as for
his ideas. It is a timely work
that should be read by all who
today fearlessly fight against in-
fringement upon free thinking
and free expression. James Madison
"As one of the major architects of the American democracy,
he (Madison) deserves to be better known than he is," Dr.
Padover states. Readers of this column will recall that our reviews
of Irving Brant's books on Madison already had supported this
viewpoint. We continue to invite increased interest in Madisonian
ideals which have enlisted us among his great admirers. We
share the viewpoint of Dr. Padover that "he was a man of almost
classic virtues—a statesman, a selfless patriot, and a political
philosopher who was in the fortunate position of being able to
translate his thought into living institutions."
His basic contribution was the establishment of freedom of
religion in this country. Dr. Padover's explanation of this great
gift to human freedom, in his introduction, should be read and
studied by all libertarians. We quote it:
"The idea of the need and desirability of a large number of
divided and balancing interests, whether material or mental,
also underlay Madison's attitude toward religion and property.
He shared with Jefferson a lifelong passion for religious free-
dom and distrust of any and every kind of clericalism. History
taught him that established churches, relying upon the power
of the state, created 'ignorance and corruption.' The exercise
of religion, he insisted, should be completely separated from
government so that every person would be free to worship,
or not to worship, where, how, and what he pleased. Man, he
said, 'is accountable to his God alone,' and not to any priest or
hierarchy. Complete religious liberty for every individual and
every sect, Madison argued, would not only free the human
mind from that 'religious bondage (that) shackles and debili-
tates it, and unfits it for every noble enterprise,' but would also
lead to harmony in society. Instead of any one church, Madison,
therefore, favored a multiplicity of sects, because the existence
of a,larg-e number of religions would, among other things, pre-
vent anyone from dominating the others.
"Madison was, to a large extent, histrumental in establish-
ing 'freedom of religious opinion and worship' in the United
States. In the first Virginia Constitution, which he helped to
draw up, he inserted the provision for the 'free exercise of
religion according to the dictates of conscience.' In 1785, when
an attempt was made in the Virginia legislature to impose
a tax on the people .for the support of 'teachers of the Chris-
tian religion,' Madison led a masterful and successful attack on
the bill. In the course of that conflict he wrote A Memorial
and Remonstrance Against Religious -Assessments, which still
remains a classic statement of religious freedom."
We have referred time and again to this Remonstrance in
our frequent evaluations of the struggle to keep church and state
separate. This Memorial and the,-Madisonian and Jeffersonian
views on the subject should be made compulsory reading in our
schotils. We know of no better defense of our basic liberties.
How did Madison propose to protect society against encroach-
ments of a potentially ignorant majority which could be swayed
by some demagogue?" Dr. Padover explains:
"Madison knew from history that such a peril did exist;
he adMitted that liberty was often lost through what he called
the 'licentiousness' of turbulent majorities, and that frequently
in the past the 'majority trampled on the rights of the minority'
and thereby produced despotism. But the answer, Madison
argued, lay not in depriving the people at large of any voice in
the government but in increasing group interest and participa-
tion. Here again Madison's concept of balance came into play.
In essence, he said, the more you divide interests and spread
powers, the safer you are. Large numbers of special interests,
whether deriving from property or opinion, will not easily com-
bine into a majority that would threaten the minority."
Selections from Madison's thoughts referring to Jews, in Dr.
Padover's "Complete Madison," include a letter the fourth Presi-
dent wrote in 1820 to, Jacob de la Motta, of Savannah, Ga., as
follows:
"The history of the Jews must forever be interesting. The
modern part of it is, at the same time so little generally known,
that every ray of light on the subject has its value.
"Among the features peculiar to the Political system of the
U. States, is the perfect equality of rights which it secures to
every religious Sect. And it is particularly pleasing to observe
in the good citizenship of such as have been most distrusted
and oppressed elsewhere, a happy illustration of the safety and
success of this experiment of a just & benignant policy. Equal
laws protecting equal rights, are found as they ought to be
presumed, the best guarantee of loyalty & love of country; as
well as best calculated to cherish that mutual respect & good
will among Citizens of every religious denomination which are
necessary to social harmony and most favorable to the advance-
ment of truth. The account you give of the Jews of your Con-
gregation brings them fully within the scope of these obser-
vations."
In this connection, this must be added: Madison, like Jeffer-
son, favored absolute religious equality. They were opposed to
clericalism. That did not make them irreligious or anti-religious.
But they adhered to a principle that a person should have the
`right to worship as he pleases, or not to worship at all if he so
chooses. Such principles made our country great.
Dr. Padover, by making these views available in his splendidly
edited book, once again has brought to the attention of Americans
this noteworthy gift of our great Republic to human liberty: the
principle of religious freedom,
2 — DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, July 3, 1953
Immigration Committee
Defeats McCarran's
Stalling Tactics on Bill
WASHINGTON, JTA) Mem-
bers of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, responding to a
White House emergency plea, are
seeking action on a long-stalled
administration bill to admit
240,000 refugees in the next two
years.
Informed sources said Presi-
dent Eisenhower intervened per-
sonally after a resolution back-
ed by Sen. Pat McCarran was
adopted to prevent the commit-
tee from taking action before
July 2. Chairman William
Langer called t h e committee
into a secret session on the pe-
tition of a majority of members
who overrode the McCarran
delaying tactic.
It was learned that President
Eisenhower informed influen-
tial Republican Senators that
the administration regards
passage of the refugee measure
as a vital device in U. S. psycho-
logical warfare operations aimed
at encouraging anti-Commun-
ist elements in4 Soviet satellite
countries. Eight members of the
committee petitioned for im-
mediate action.
Ben-Gurion States
Religious Girls Must
Do Military Service
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—A delega-
tion of rabbis visited Premier
David Ben-Gurion and appealed
to him against the implemen-
tation of the law for military
service for religious girls. The
Premier told the rabbis that the
law will be implemented in a
manner that "no mother will
shed any tears" over the fact
that her daugher is performing
military duties.
Riley Asks Near East
Cooperation with New
UN Truce Supervisor
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—a. Gen.
William E. Riley, laying down
his responsibilities after a five-
year tour of
duty as United
Nations truce
supervisor, this
week called on
the peoples of
the Near East to
place their full
confidence in
h i s successor,
Maj. Gen. Vagn
Bennike.
Before his de-
.
Riley
parture, the Is:
raeli Foreign Minister presented
Gen. Riley with a first century
vase as a gift in appreciation for
his "efforts in behalf of the
cause of peace in the Middle
East." The vase was presented
to Gen. Riley when he paid his
last courtesy visit to the Minis-
try prior to his departure for
the United States.
Gen. Riley left the Middle
East as the security situation
continued tense and Israel faced
a continuing series of violations
of her borders.
The latest incident was an
ambush by Arab infiltrees at
Beth Anakubah, near Kiryat
Anavim, in which one watchman
was killed and a second severely
wounded. A police detachment,
accompanied by UN observers,
tracked the infiltrees to a near-
by Arab village.
Israel Leaders in France
To. Sign Trade Agreement
PARIS, (JTA) — Negotiations
for the conclusion of an Israel-
French commercial treaty have
started here at the French For-
eign Office. A delegation of Is-
rael experts representing the
Foreign Ministry and the Treas-
ury Department are participat-
ing in the talks.
Israel Foreign Minister Moshe
Sharett arrived in France on the
Israel ship "Jerusalem" to spend
several days resting in Southern
France prior to his. return to. Is,
rael on the same ship,
Manischewitz Gives Books for Detroit
Jewish Libraries to Hebrew Schools
• ..
As part of its nationwide program of participation in Jewish
cultural and educational activities, the B. Manischewitz Co., matzo
bakers and producers of kosher foods, recently presented to the
United Hebrew Schools of Detroit, copies of "My Mission In Israel"
by Dr. James G. MacDonald, first United States Ambasador to
Israel. The books will be distributed to. Jewish libraries through-
out the Detroit area. Left to right in the photo: ALBERT ELAZAR
associate superintendent, United Hebrew Schools; ABRAHAM
SHARP, of National Wholesale Grocers Co., 8938 12th St., Detroit
distributor for - Manischewitz products, and BERNARD ISAACS,
superintendent, United Hebrew Schools.
Between You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR.
(Copyright, 1953, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate)
Jewish Agency Trends
All indications point to the fact that practically all Zionist
groups in the United States are favorably inclined toward Dr,.
Nahum Goldmann's proposal to invite American non-Zionist
leaders to join the Jewish Agency . . . There is some hesitation in
the ranks of the Zionist Organization of America, but even ZOA
leaders admit that something must be done to bring the non-
Zionists elements who are friendly to Israel into the picture .
American Zionist Laborites are outspokenly in favor of an en-
larged Jewish Agency ... Hadassah leadership agrees the Zionist
movement should be ready to admit into the Agency a few lead-
ing non-Zionists active in the fund-raising field . . . Mizrachi
leadership indicates it will not oppose the inclusion of non-Zion-
ists into the Agency in New York ... Even American Zionists-
Revisionists favor consideration of Dr. Goldmann's plan for co-
opting non-Zionists into the Jewish Agency executive . . . The
matter will be one of the major subjects of discussion at the
plenary session of the Jewish Agency executive this week in Jeru-
salem . . . Among participants in this session are heads of Zion-
ist groups in the United States who are not members of the
Agency's executive . . . Should all Zionist groups at the Jerusalem
session agree to broaden the Agency executive, invitations to join
will be extended to non-Zionist leaders in the United States on
an individual basis . .. Such invitations will go especially to ac-
tive figures in fund-raising, including leading non-Zionists active
in local Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds in the larger com-
munities... The-system of inviting non-Zionists in their personal
capacities rather than as representatives of the organizations
with which they are affiliated will, in all probability, be pre-
ferred because the question of inviting organizations-is very com-
plex . . . All in all, it can be expected that before this year is
over, the Jewish Agency executive in New York will definitely
have a number of non-Zionists in its ranks.
Zionist Problems
The future of the American Zionist movement is being de-
cided this week in Israel in talks between leaders of the Israel
government and leaders of the major Zionist parties in America.
. . . The view of the Israel Premier is that the party system in
countries outside of Israel cannot continue to be the basic pillar
of the Zionist movement .... This coincides fully with the stand
taken by Dr. Nahum Goldmann that if the Zionist movement in
the United States is to survive as a dynamic force, it must be
cemented into one territorial union . . . This does not mean the,
abolition of ideological trends, but it means the formation of one
central Zionist body representing the entire Zionist movement
and carrying out the Zionist tasks . . . Dr. Goldmann advanceS
the argument that a Zionist movement in America organized into
a territorial unit could fight as one body for real Zionist prin-
ciples instead of being swayed by fund-raising and practical con-
tingencies . . . ZOA and Hadassah fear they may lose their pres
ent influence in a merged movement, and their presidents, who
are among Vie American Zionist leaders summoned to Jerusalem
now, will argue against the merging of all Zionist groups into one
territorial federation . . However, they may return to New YOrk
in. a different mood than when they left . . . The present talks in
Jerusalem may not soften them up to a point of completely sur-
rendering their- opposition to the idea of merging all Zionist
groups in the United States into a territorial federation, but they
may pave the way for some understanding on this issue .
Whatever the outcome of the talks, the work of expanding the
American Zionist Council as an instrument of unified Zionist ex-
pression, will definitely be speeded up after the Jerusalem parley.
Fund - Raising Issues.
The problem of how to coordinate the United Jewish Appeal
campaign with the drive for the sale of Israel bonds is no longer
considered a problem as far as leaders in major cities are con-
cerned It is by now taken for granted that the UJA has the
upper hand in most communities and that no conflict between
the two drives—such as the one that took place last year—can
occur now . . However, the Israel government wishes to be sure
that the two drives do not clash, especially since it contemplates
continuing the bond drive for a few more years . . Hence, Israel
Finance Minister Levi Eshkol, during his recent visit to the United
States, sought an arrangement under which both drives would be
put under a supreme authority . • . In this he did not succeed.
.. He left for Israel with vague plans and with the idea that he
would later summon the leaders of UJA and bond drive to Israel
to continue discussing these plans . . . There is very little enthusi-
asm here among the parties concerned fol. Mr. Eshkol's sugges-
tions .. . Certain of his opinions are considered out of line with
opinions expressed by .American., Jewish leaders interested in the
two drives.
.