King's Business - 1968-09

FROM A CHILD THOU HAST KNOWN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES • — 2 Timothy 3.15

"a message from the editor *

^ e v e r a l y e a r s a g o the Supreme Court o f the United States took on an entirely new complexion. It may be debated as to just when the liberals took the power from the conservative element in the Supreme Court. During the Roosevelt dynasty, F.D.R. became so completely frustrated with the historic inter­ pretations o f the Supreme Court that he made a frantic effort to increase the number o f justices from nine to fifteen. His effort got nowhere. However, with the passing o f time and the retirement or death o f justices, there has been apparently a cal­ culated determination to change the nature o f the Supreme Court to suit the fancies o f the liberal presidents that we have en­ joyed (? ) during recent years with the possible exception o f President Dwight D. Eisenhower. But regardless o f the recent history o f the Supreme Court, the fact remains that the ideologi­ cal liberal element is firmly entrenched in that august body. With­ out trying to oversimplify the problems confronting us today, it may be said that the current Supreme Court is responsible in large measure for much o f the foment that we see in our coun­ try on every hand. One such interpretation o f the law by the Supreme Court has magnified the “ right to dissent.” This has taken on all manner o f irresponsibility and lawlessness on the part o f dissenters. The newspapers recently carried news articles in connection with the dissenters’ riot at Columbia University. According to the news item, “ A very small militant minority demanded that the Uni­ versity abandon its plan for building a gymnasium in Morning- side Park. That unkempt trash-strewn area is supposed to be a recreation spot for Harlem. They demanded further that the University sever its ties with the Pentagon and that no students engaged in the uprising be disciplined.” The rioters locked up the University administrators for several hours, and it was re­ ported that these hoodlums threatened bloodshed unless their demands were met forthwith. However, the Columbia University president refused to yield on the last two points. He announced publicly that the student leaders would be disciplined. In other words, he dissented from the dissenters. Within two or three weeks after the fracas occurred at Columbia, a Los Angeles lawyer an­ nounced that he was going to bring suit against Columbia Uni­ versity for interfering with the dissenters by disciplining them. Whether the lawyer wins his case or not, the tragedy is that he is even allowed to bring such a case to trial. It must be kept in mind that in practically every instance o f civil disobedience it has been but a small handful o f dissidents who have been able THE KING'S BUSINESS

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