The Progressives--A Long Range Plan--Part 4

Wilson's first term concentrated on issues dealing with domestic policy. The Revenue Act passed in 1913 lowered tariffs and gave us the 16th Amendment imposing the Federal Income Tax. The 17th Amendment, being considered by some for repeal, gave us the direct election of senators now no longer responsible to the citizens of their home state. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 provided a central banking system so that we had flexible currency and the rediscounting of commercial paper. We gained the Federal Farm Loan Act that provided federal assistance to farmers and established the National Park system with the National Park Service Act of 1916. And let's not forget the Clayton Antitrust Act and its impositions on big business.

Wilson's second term was taken up by World War I or "the war to end all wars." To Wilson's credit he did not rush the country into the war in Europe until certain issues forced his hand. He did offer to mediate the war and he did not move to build up the army probably something he regretted. His comment to the peace faction in the US was that an army build up would be to provocative. Indeed, Wilson got himself in trouble in Philadelphia while making a speech where he declared that "sometimes a nation can be too proud to fight."

Wilson was not inactive when it came to criticizing the warring nations. He warned Germany about her submarine warfare because the Germans made it perfectly clear they would attack those who supplied England.That came true when the Lusitania was sunk by German subs killing American passengers. One would think that the sinking of the Lusitania would be enough to cause America to go to war but that was not the case because the Germans promised to restrict submarine attacks to combatants. That did not work because Germany was losing the war.

The issues that took America into World War I were the Zimmerman note and Germany's decision to renew unrestricted submarine warfare on noncombatants. Germany made overtures to Mexico. They suggested that Mexico invade the United States and when Germany won the war Mexico would be given the land they had lost to the US. This infuriated Wilson and he asked and received a declaration of war against Germany and her allies. Wilson told the public that this was a war to make "the world safe for democracy." It was America's entrance into the war that caused the defeat of Germany and her allies Austria-Hungary and Turkey.

What we need to pay attention to is what happened at home after Wilson took us to war. The Congress passed and Wilson signed the Espionage Act in 1917. This made it illegal to pass information on to the enemy or convey false information to any branch of the United States military.

In 1918, the Sedition Act was passed. It prohibited citizens from speaking, printing, or writing anything bad about the United States government or military. Government officials such as the postmaster general had the power to stop the delivery of mail if he deemed it to come under the Sedition or Espionage Act. All foreign publications had to be translated and approved by censors. If American publications did not obey their newsprint could be shut off effectively ending their ability to publish.

Citizens were not to speak out against the government in their own homes. Jonah Goldberg points out in his work, "Liberal Fascism" that a man in Wisconsin was put in jail for two and a half years for criticizing a fund raising drive by the Red Cross. Another incident concerned a movie showing British troops committing atrocities during the American Revolution got the producer a ten year jail term. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes stated that these actions, that saw tens of thousands of Americans being arrested, were constitutional. Does any of this sound familiar?

Historically speaking, my history teachers and professors taught that this was all okay. One came away with the impression that all these policies and all the new government agencies created to implement these policies were necessary to help the downtrodden and create a safe home front. We had emergencies that we had to deal with and only the government could do that. Now an expanse of time has passed and we are able to do a critical analysis of the Progressives. Good causes or not the Progressives showed a willingness to interfere in areas not supported by the Constitution. They did this and do this because they believe that we are unable to fulfill the legacy left to us by Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers. Thus government must take over and direct us and spend our money for us. Government knows best.

With the passage of time we can see clearly the path of the new Progressives who by changing their name from liberals, what they became at the end of the Wilsonian era, are going back to their roots. They speak of unity and centralization. They believe that government knows best. They constantly speak of change something that has devastated our education system. They bring wars that seem to need fighting yet they are wars to enhance their grip on our country. In the words of the immortal Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us." And that "us" can show up as a Progressive liberal or a compassionate conservative Republican.