The courier-index., 1919-01-17
ONLY THE STUMP OF
DAGON WAS LEFT

rid OF their old autOcratS. The way
has been cleared for them to choose
a Democratic form of government.
Russia has chosen anarchy. Ger
many and Austria have swayed to-
ward the abyss.
Autocracy is government by the
worst element at the top; Bolshev
ism is government by the worst
elements at the bottom They diff
fer in that autocracy is organized
hell and Bolshevism hell let loose.
Neither can stand up long before
Democracy. When the ark of God
was brought by the Philistines into
the temple of the false god, only
the stump of Dagon was left to him.
the end of delivering Europe over to
the Bolsheviki it has been fought in
! vain. Instead of freeing the souls of
/ men we shall have loosed the beast
in them. The Allies have won the
first world war and they will win the
second one. Until they do the fight
| to make the world safe for Democ-
racy is only half finished
Our relation to this second strug-
gle is exactly what our relation to
the first was. Though not primarily
involved, we cannot remain an inno-
cent bystander. One hundred million
Americans were loyal and sound to
the heart all through the great war.
but among them was small body
| of traitors, potential of deviltry out
of all proportion to their number
/ The same condition confronts us In
this new fight. The mushy-minded
and the good-natured sentimentalists
were inclined to pooh-pooh the idea
of German agents and German-Amef-
lean traitors during the early days
of the war. They are disposed to be
genially tolerant of the Bolsheviki
now. They will have to wake up
again. Autocracy and Bolshevism
are both bitter enemies of Democracy
One would stand it up before a firing
squad; the other would bend its neck
to the guillotine.
The foul crew that has been in con-
troll of Russia-one cannot say of the
Russian government, because there Is
none-are not content with anarchy
at home; they would put the torch
to the world. Their agents are ev-
erywhere among the ignorant, the
sap-headed and the vicious, working
for world anarchy.
What are we going TO do about
it here in America? Are we going
to permit few hundred thousand,
largely foreign born, the rest almost
wholly selfish insincere or self-de-
ceived to mislead the simple minded
and the ignorant? Are we going to
welcome every Russian, German and
/ Austrian Red who wants to come
i over here to SOW discord and reap
dollars? And how long shall we
i tolerate those who have sought sanct-
uary here, only to vilify the host
under whose roof they have found
| safety and at whose table they have
1 grown sleek and fat? Along with
i these there is silly lot of Ameri
/ cans-sOme of "a peculiar and not
! uncommon professor-type of mind
i lldt tdhCS any tHCOIy IL Cdn
| play onthe pianola others are self
| play on the pianola; others are self.
! styled. "intellectuals," who have in
herited money or have made 1t in
\ any way except the one they urge
on the rest of us for the good of
our souls-little tin-horn Bernard
Shaws without that great mans
brain and heart. They are, of
course, joke and could be laughed
aside, were it not for the American
habit of accepting mans appraisal
of himself. A faker has only to
play the banjo on a soap box, or
in a solemn periodical ballyhoo has
panacea for world ills. and the crowd
will cape and pay to dose itself
with his nostrum.
For a century America was the
sanctuary of the oppressed; latterly
1t has been the sanctuary of too
many would-be oppressors. But now
the people of Eastern and Central
Europe are rid of their old auto
Gratis. They are free to make an
America at home. If they choose set
up new autocrats, TO make mess or
their own affairs, must we submit to
their imposing autocrats on us, to
their making a mess of our affairs
too? Must we stand by idly and
let them put the torch to world
that is now as closely built together
4 as a city block? Bolshevism is as
4 much the business of Democracies as
/ Kaiserism 1t. too. must be decisively
! settled
j Two-thirds of our troubles in
i America are imported. Shall we keep
on importing them? From our silly
system Of smart society, taken from
! European capitals with their class
/ distinctions and monarchical tradi-
| tions, down to our bogus Socialism,
| made in Germany and Russia as a
/