Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17
Is Autocracy Returning

ideals Of liberty in all those ideals now
advertised as possessing a miraculous
efncacy which they pretend Is not to
be found in the ideal of liberty and
democracy, what do we find?
Let us go into the matter as dis
passionately as we would make chemi-
cal research. AS an intellectual ideal we
find only the principle of the struggle
for life and the survival OF the flttest.
It ought to make even the most enthu-
siastic doubt this principle when 1t is
seen that it inspires and justifies alike
the communistic dictatorship and the
opposite, or apparently opposite, dicta-
torships.
In Moscow they say that the working
class is the only producing class, and
that therefore they have the right to
rule and decide. In the capitals where
the nationalistic and autocratic "verbe"
is preached they apply this thesis to
states and races instead of to social
classes, which shows. incidentally, how
easily the hardest lessons are forgotten.
Germany fell because she had invented
the slogans of the pure race" and the
chosen people" and the 'predestined
country" The same lamentable, fool
ish Dragging is now heard from what
used to be the other side of the trenches.
How is 1t, one may ask. that such
vulgar and bloody doctrine and such q
mental depression have become possible?
As there is an explanation TO every
thing. there is an explanation to this
and, in my opinion, this is It: The prin-
ciple of democracy has become so EVIL
dent and so generally admitted that.
perhaps, too many consequences were
drawn from 1t. AS result there were
bound to be some fallacies, some excess
Sive generalizations.
Obstacles Encountered.
So it happened that we were bound to
realize that in some fields. such as the
economical. the religious and the colo
and facts and dangers which could not
be disposed OF simply by the laws of
democracy. There were partial failures.
These and analogous problems are
partial. special. historical and practical
problems which cannot be quoted as
failures of democracy. Great as de-
mocracy is, life has mysteries and diff
culties that no political credo may solve.
But, for a glorious century this credo
had seemed so high and infallible that
certain amount OF discredit was felt
when partial failures became apparent.
All the same. and admitting that, and
governing the world Is the principle Of
democracy For my part am convinced
that democracy will prove true even in
the fields where 1t now seems most
trampied upon-I mean in Russia. Who
can dare to deny that out Of the move
ment of the Russian peasants a new
democracy, a peaceful one. may blossom
one day and give at least to old Car
istic Russia. and to new Boleshvik
Russia the human dignity 1t never had?
For my part. I almost feel that the
very exaggerations of the hatred for
democracy are really the travails of the
birth Of surer and larger democracy.
and that all the rage against her Is
merely the last effort OF a defeated
| army. But on this point do'not want
to say more. A decided adversary as I
am of the political experiments which
are actually taking place in Italy, I do
not, at the same time, wish to discuss
! abroad the things of my country.
But 1t matters little.
When one comes to the hardest prob
| lens Of our social and political life one
soon realizes that. for all the differences
between us. from both sides Of the ocean
only q few illusions and remarks are
necessary We Westerners, indeed, living
around this Atlantic, which Is bound To
| become smaller and smaller, have moth
ing extraordinarily new to tell each
other in the field Of abstract ideas: to
mention these ideas briefly is enough
to evoke analogous reflections on the
other side.
And this fact-if we think Of its a
new argument against the rather con-
ceited hopes Of those who advocate the
return to autocratic regimes.
Autocratic regimes are essentially con-
ceivable only with barbed wires from
country to country: in fact, they are
invoked to strengthen a country agains,
her neighbor. The very fact that ever
their theories assume the pace of a
fashion and rapidly spread everywhere
shows that there is no more place In
the world for selfish national creeds
conceived as antithetical to other creeds
We are already much more of a whole
than we are yet able to realize.