The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-11-21
TUEspAY. WOW. u. 1883.
THE FASCIST PHOBIA

THE last decade or 50 turned the tables in
- the epithet industry in remarkable
fashion. Back in the days Of the Luck COM
mittee and the Inqusition directed by Attor-
ney-General Palmer after the World war, any
one more enlightened or progressive than
Judge Gary or Calvin Coolidge was likely to
be called a radical. He was then placed upon
one or another roll of honor in the form of
"black list" prepared by some patrioteering
committee.
Now the tables have turned. Radicals are
freely and huently calling anybody more prac-
tical than w z. Foster Fascist" Not one
article in a hundred written by an American
radical on any aspect Of the new deal will fail
to use the epithet Fascist" at least once In
deed, it now has become almost automatic to
try to damn any enc we do not like by de-
nouncing him as Fascist.
This practice now has gone to the point of
absurdity. AS with most labels, it is being used
so loosely and Unfortunately as to become
utterly meaningless.
William 2. Foster and the official American
Communists have frequently denounced Mr.
Calverton and his associates as Fascists It is
common practice for the Calverton group to
assai Norman Thomas as Fascist wolf in the
Sleeps clothing Of modern Socialism Norman
Thomas IN turn warns that the new deal is
bringing us dangerously close to a Fascist re-
gime in the United States.
Mr.. RoOsevelts supporters caution us that
If the new deal does not succeed the Fascists
led by Dave" Read and other conservative
Republicans will get us. And when Dave Read
in desperation called for an American Fascist
chieftain his mind coniured up the image of
Mussolini. Finally, the German admirers of
Hitler all are alleging that NIussolini is piker
as Fascist and contend that the supreme
knight of the swastika" is the Fascist par ex-
ceIlence.
1t is quite apparent that term which
actually and recently has been used to desig-
nate representative figures all along the line
from V. F. Calverton to Herr Hitler has be-
come so meaningless as to be merely ridic-
ulous. Like the term hell" it has become
valuable chiefly as handy epithet.
1t is high time for us to return to sense
and sanity on the Fascist issue. After all,
what does Fascism really mean?
According to the prevailing radical def1ni-
tion-when the radicals really get down to
business and are not merely tossing off cpl
thets-Fascism means the use of the state or
political force to preserve capitalism. This
however is a very incomplete definition, for
political institutions may be used to support
capitalism under completely democratic forms
and methods Fascism certainly implies more
than the suspension of democratic political
methods and institutions. however, for Com
munism does all of this.
Therefore, Fascism, viewed broadly, means
the suspension Of democracy and the estab-
lishment of dictatorial policies to save the
capitalistic system. This dictatorship to
qualify as Fascism, must be a deliberate. ra-
tional and permanent program There is
nothing truly Fascist about temporary die
tatorship to meet an emergency Least of all
would extensive executive powers temporarily
and voluntarily delegated by the legislature,
constitute Fascism But this is all we have
under Mr.. Roosevelt at the present time.
1t will be high time to fill the air with the
bricks and dead cats of Fascist epithets when
a dictator really appears in this country, de-
nounces democracy and proclaims that he is
going to save Wall Street with machine guns,
air bombs and poison gas.
It will be most sensible to keep the term
Fascism in its exact meaning SO that we will
recognize it and can denounce it when it gets
here. Meanwhile let us deal with the opinions
and activities of our opponents on their merits
and not try to evade them or discredit them by
carelessly singing around inaccurate and ir
relevant epithetS