The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1927-06-10
The Cherry
1" Where with our
roo Little Hatchet
we tell the truth
about many things, sometimes pro-
foundly, sometimes fippantl~.
sometimes recklessly. -. &.

Benito Mussolini has decreed that
Italy shall have certain kind of
government and he has proclaimed
that he is the only person qualified to
conduct that government
Here is an experiment in autocracy
every bit as interesting as the expert
ment going on in Russia and every
bit as menacing to the democratic in
stitutions of free nations.
What most commentators seem to
miss in considering Italy and Fascism
is the fact that in it's fundamentals it
is about as near to the soviet form
of government as it could get And
the truth is, if it can be stated with
out bringing forth an accusation of
ultra radicalism, there is nothing so
ALFRED revolutionary or terrible
about either of them, except the die
tatorship.
Lenin and Trotsky started some
thing in Russia, based on soviets,
which could, if they were free, become
very simple and effective form of
democracy. But they are not free.
Mussolini started something in
Italy, based on a philosophy of gov
ernment by occupation-a type of syn
dicalism, perhaps-which could be be-
come a very simple form of democ-
racy. But there is no freedom.
Perhaps in time all the world will
turn to something like the form of
organization upon which the Musso-
lini concept is founded, but with free
dom instead of under autocratic domi-
nation.
Mussolini struts around, cockeyed
with power and pomp, and says:
'This is my show" That's what
spoils it ALL
Mussolini says parliamentarism is
dead. Mussolini is as wrong as Ma
poleon was and as wrong as King
George was. Political parliamenta-
rism, that takes no account of the in
dustria life and its demands for rep
resentation and voice, is on the to-
boggan, but parliamentarism as such
is about the livest thing in the world
The people of all countries crave and
will have a controlling voice in their
affairs.
Dodo parliamentarism that exalts
politics of the Teapot Dome brand and
shuts out the real life of the people
is going to bye, bye land. But it is
not going to be supplanted by die
tatorships, except temporarily, as il
Italy and as in Moscow.
Just how this thing is going to work
out may be left for the more cou-
rageous prophets and for time itself
But certain it is that the vital forces
in modern life-the forces that are ir
and of the industrial life of the peo.
ple-are not going to be forever helc
in the lobbies and the cloakrooms
III Italy human organization seems
to be forming around lines of useful
ness around occupations.
If, with that form of organization
there could be freedom of expires
sion, freedom of voice and vote, the
world would witness an experiment
well worth watching Democracy il
new clothes would be giving the worlt
something to think about
But for the present the dictatorshi,
takes all the meaning sfrem it anc
leaves it just one more sickening ex
ample of lust of an individual fo
power. Just one more strutting EN-
peror.
But perhaps some day the peopl,
will take that emperor and chuck hin
and will then show to the world wha
a people so organized can do in free
dom. That will come some day-anc
) it will be something to watch.