The Progressive magazine celebrates 100 years

[April 27, 2009]  MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Progressive magazine has a century's worth of battles under its belt.

Through internal disputes, money troubles, a First Amendment clash over nuclear secrets and more, the fixture of the American left celebrates its 100-year anniversary still fighting for peace and social justice.

Founded in 1909 by progressive Wisconsin Sen. Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr., the magazine is marking the anniversary with a special edition, a book that features its best writing and a series of events starting Thursday. Robert Redford is honorary chairman of the festivities and several members of Congress, writers and activists are joining the celebration.

The magazine has long been home to influential leftists, from early writers such as Jane Addams to modern contributors Howard Zinn and Barbara Ehrenreich. Eduardo Galeano, the author whose work was recommended by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to President Barack Obama this month, is a contributing writer.

The magazine enjoyed a resurgence during the presidency of George W. Bush; subscriptions increased nearly 30 percent to 55,000 last year. The magazine railed against what it saw as abuses by Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney: the war in Iraq, warrantless wiretapping of citizens, torture of terrorism suspects and more.

Editor Matthew Rothschild promised the magazine would oppose Obama when necessary even if it means alienating its liberal readers. He has already criticized Obama for refusing to nationalize troubled banks.

"We are defenders of a set of progressive principles," Rothschild said in the magazine's small, cluttered office across the street from a Catholic church in downtown Madison. "These are principles of civil liberties and civil rights and preserving the environment, combating corporate power."

Rothschild spent months poring through back issues to decide what to include in the 100-year anniversary edition and book, "Democracy In Print: The Best of The Progressive magazine 1909-2009."

He said he was struck by progress on issues championed by the magazine like ending child labor, enacting the minimum wage and giving women the right to vote. But he was troubled by the failure to pass universal health care -- Addams wrote about that one in 1909 -- and to ban the death penalty and prevent unnecessary wars.

His all-time favorite piece was a 1962 letter from the writer James Baldwin to his nephew, decrying racism in America. ("You were born where you were born and faced the future that you faced because you were black and for no other reason.")

A noted 1912 essay came from poet Carl Sandburg after his wife gave birth to a baby girl. Rejecting suggestions that he must be disappointed to have a girl, Sandburg predicted his daughter would live to see women vote and serve in the U.S. Congress.

"We turned every page of The Progressive, looking for gems to drop out and a lot of them did," said Rothschild, who has been editor since 1994.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., called the magazine "a powerful force for progressive change." He said his crusade to end gubernatorial appointments for open Senate seats, for instance, tracks the magazine's push for the direct election of senators.

La Follette founded "La Follette's Weekly," publishing his own speeches and writings by others. After he died in 1925 his family continued publishing the magazine. They renamed it "The Progressive" in 1929 under a joint operating agreement with the Capital Times newspaper and its prominent editor, William T. Evjue.

The La Follettes retook control in 1940, angry over Evjue editorials supporting U.S. military intervention to stop Adolf Hitler. Rothschild said he squirmed when he recently read the ensuing pacifist coverage of World War II, including the headline "No War with Japan" the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

"Their position didn't look too good, especially when all the brutality of the Nazis came to light," he said.

The publication shut down in October 1947 because of skyrocketing production costs but readers came to the rescue with donations. It resumed publishing months later under the headline, "Resurrection," and has continued since as a monthly.

Rothschild said finances remain a challenge. More than half the roughly $2.5 million budget comes from subscriptions. Donations and advertising make up the rest. The magazine has 15 full-time employees plus contributing writers and freelancers.

An article written by freelancer Howard Morland in 1979 put The Progressive in the national spotlight. Attempting to end the secrecy surrounding the production of nuclear weapons, Morland used public records to write "The H-Bomb Secret: How We Got It, Why We're Telling It." The piece included drawings showing how a nuclear bomb works.

Tipped off about the pending article, the U.S. Department of Energy sought to stop its publication. A federal judge took the extraordinary step of issuing a preliminary injunction preventing the article from being published, citing the potential of "nuclear annihilation."

The restraining order was eventually lifted and Morland's article was published in November 1979. Rothschild called the episode a victory for press freedom, which the magazine continues to champion.

"This is probably the freest place in journalism in the country," he said. "We're our own bosses. We can write pretty much whatever we want."

[Associated Press; By RYAN J. FOLEY]

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