The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-21

We wrong; tyranny becomes free
dom and freedom becomes tyranny. Like Alice, he
finds himself in Looking glass Land, with the
whole world on the other side-strange, removed,
and inaccessible.
Like Alice, Spargo finds life in Looking Glass
Land to be nothing but an insane chess game Gone
the logic of economies Of the struggle of classes
Tint pieces move with the suddenness and incoher-
ence of dream. Gone is the conscious effort of
millions to free themselves from oppression
Great Man" makes nation Fascist Bolshevist
at WILL Pawns moved and captured. A
few big pieces dominate the scene.
Into such madmans picture of the world has
John Spargo transposed himself as a result of his
panic at his first glimpse of open class warfare
and workingclass victory
wherein" asks John Spargo, 'lies the genius
of Mussolini? "In his stupendous commonplaceness'
is the answer. Because Mussolini consists of "con-
Inonplaces intensified to a degree rarely attained.
Is not this answer which all the inhabitants
of LooSing-glass Land, the Gryphon and the Mock
Turtle, the March Hare and the Dormouse would nod
with grave approval?
For Spargo Lenin and Mussoni are Tweedle-
dunn and Tweedledee. Only since this is Looking
glass Land it is Lenin who is the romarticist while
Mussolini is the realst!
"In Dantes land young romantic descended to
hell by way Of the World War. He back to
Asworld Of stern and stark realism. Somewhere
the way to his Inferno, in it, his romanticism
dropped away and he became realist. From
romanticism that was as dull as time-wou tnsel he
leaped TO a realism so thorough that it dazzed the
eyes by it's brightness"
In such epic strains the poet Spargo sings Of his
nero Mussolini-the little traitor sings Of his hero
the big traitor. Let US translate
"ln Italy where the misery of the workers has
always been very great young socialist-romantcist
hscame after the manner of his kind social patriot
emo went to the war While enjoying a majors COM
mission with its nlodcum Of power and authority he
found thrills and romance such as the bitter, monos
tonous, daily struggles OF the workers had never
yielded him, and not having real scientific under
standing Of the basis Of socialism the of social
ism became tasteless IN his mouth and he back
greater ror1anticist than ever, agog for greater
thrills and greater power. From the age-cld sober
realism of the struggle of oppressed class against
its oppressors he leaped to the tinse roancisn CT
iRflammatory nationalism, to the heights of Chief
Bully of dictatorship with its satiation Of blood
lust and it's Coney Island thrills"
Is not this the true story Of Mussolini it would
appear to anyone except Spargothroug hthe-OekIng-
glass?
Let us quote some more of Sparge's LoOking-gass
language. Once you have the key it is easy to under
stand. Reverse everything and you have the truth.
"Mussolini the romanticist would have seen in the
spread Of Bolshevist propaganda. the rosy dawn
of of internationalisnI. Mussolni the real
list in it the threat of death to the reality
of supreme consequence Italian nationality and UNI
ity."
And now let us ask Spargo the looking glass real
ist when "the reality of Supreme consequence
Italian nationalism" conflicts with 'the reality
of supreme consequence 1Jugoslav nationasm,
when the reality of French nationalism conflicts
with "the one reality" of German natonalism, when
American nationalism conflicts with British nation
alism, then what happens? Is Man supposed to go
back to barbarism and find his cone reality of
preme consequence" in the form of a few shellfish
the shore few roots grubbed out Of the woods?
"NIussolini's primary object to Italian
nationality by Kidding it Of its worst foes. 1t
discovery in the midst Of the struggle that the
ditions Of modern life makes the nation dependent
upon its economic mechanism far more than upon its
ornaments" Alas for "the sterile ronanticism OF
the Marxian formulariesT Alas for poor Karl
Marx, the sterile, the romanticl Had he been real
is of the SpargoM ussolin type, he too might have
discovered that "tho conditions of modern life make
a nation dependent upon its economic mechanism"
far than upon anything else.
what Lenin represented in the leadership of the
destructive forces Mussolini became in the leader
ship of the conserving and constructive forces"
Again the language of the lookng-glass.
History viii place Mussolmi higher than Lenin