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5.

"You can push artists just so far ....... but, just challenge their freedom of expression ........ man, you've got a fight on your hands."

More important, our artists displayed maturity by rightly defending their organization and answering by strengthening Equity with more members, more chapters, more activity. Congressmen Plumley from Vermont and Javits of New York, both came to the artists' defense on three separate occasions. We are grateful for their support of an issue that is the heritage of every American. We came through this ordeal with dignity and vindication. We won more friends than we lost. Our cause was championed by the press and museums, gaining in prestige the respect of all those working in the art world, and we continue on a cordial and firmer basis throughout the nation.

We know by now that Equity is the largest and main professional artist's voice and spokesman, here to achieve economic security for him. There is no other artist organization that parallels our aims. Nor has anyone before us ever attempted to clear a path in these fields. Artists have to carry the initiative and help themselves, then others will be ready to help them. We have made some progress in establishing a code