"W" Mugt Plan to Stay Free" Says Ken Smith

"'fhe time ltas gone," said the speaker, "whetl a speakcr rreed marshatl proof that the one great issue that transcends in importance every other issue in the world today, is whcther coercion shall strpplant freedom, whether the creelling plralysis of paganism shall again engulf civilization, *h"itr.t here in America, where the seemingly illimitable light t-rf freeclom ltas burned brightest and devclttpcd the gieatcst nation yet on earth, we shall fail to nteet thc challenge of history."

Tlre slleaker was Mr. Kenneth Snlith, of Sarl I"rancisco' assistalrt to the president of the l'acific Lutnber Company, and he was adclressing the Kiwanis Clul>, in Ilakersfield, California. Report says that Mr. Smith made a trcmendous ittrpressi,rn on the large crowd that hacl gathered to hear ltint.

He u'as making good his text for the occasion which was that if wc remain free it will not be by accident; that we mtlst plan to stay free' "Free<l<tm is not free," lTe stid' ,.There is a price tag on liberty. That price is irrdivi<lual willingness to carry the responsibilities of being a frec man,-to act as :r free man. When more citizens are willing to be wards of the state for farrcie<l security than are rvilling to stancl up an<l slug it out for themselves, then freeclom is gone. It will be shattered on the reefs of political expe.liency. Our blind faith that freedorn is automatically guaranteed by the right to vote has already been so exptoit.a by political charlatans that we have been rapidly lroting ourselves into slavery, into abject dependence upon governmental control of our lives. It has never been nrore irnpottuttt than in this confusecl, almost hysterical postKorea era that we got it fixed in our minds once and for all that it is not the right to vote BUT WHAT BECOIVIES LAW that leaves us free or chains us to the juggernaut state."

"F'erv of us appear to understand," continued Mr' Smith' "this insicliotts process rvhereby we are using our own laws and our own governnrent to destroy our own liberties just as surely as if some foreign con(lueror had power over us. When our liberty is gone-rvhether because some aggressor takes it from us by force or becattse rve ourselves *iitlng-t)' vote it away-civilized man must die' Men will bccomc robots, machines without mitrds, controllcd and driven lly Godless masters."

Irr another paragraph Mr. Smith said : "Corrosivc doubt as to tlte end pattern <-rf the economic and political system rvhich is cvolving in America, consci<tusly or unconsciously affects the plarrning for tomorrow of every llusirress -and professional man in this country. lle knows that ottr frcci.rm .rf opportunity system is in <tanger and is plagued try gravc dclullt as to whether we ciln avert bccotning it collectivist state."

And he concluded: "The most important planning you can do, is planning to stay freg. Salvation is personal' There is a price tag on liberty. We either accept the responsibility that goes with it, or we lose it. In spite of all our mistakcs, our appeasements, our retrcat from freedom; in spite of the fact that rve have become largely worshippers .ri ..pty words, we are yet the only hope for tltc childrcn of men in our time. I sullmit that it is onr resllonsibility to pcrsonally staud uP an<l light to rccre:rtc here ir, Arrlcrica the free society we havc bccn frittcring away"'

Mr. Smith has <tcvclopccl in himsclf much of the enthusiilsm of the Crusa<lcr, and his story strikes home to every person in his audiences

Ios Angeles Building Acti\rity in April

Buildirig permits issuJd during April in the city of Los Angeles numbered 4,180 valued at $19,979,082 compared with 4,625 permits the previous month, with a $25,486'534 valuation.

Building permits issued in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles county numbered 3,919 with a valuation of $24,874,4ffi in April compared with 4,312 perrnits valued at $29,351,016 the previous month.

Lee LeBreton of the San Francisc<l office of llottnds Trading Co., and Mrs. LeBreton drove to San f)iego recently to visit their son who is a dental officer rvith the rank of Lieutenant in tl-re U. S. Navy. On the way bacl< Lee conferred rvith Max Barnette, manager of the company's Long Beach office.