Evening star., 1936-09-20
BY WALTER DURANTY.
. dio IN The Star.


Dy Radio to The Star.
TOULON, France, September ID
It Is impossible to make an accurate |
estimate of affairs in Spain without an
understanding of what is meant by
anarchism, or anarcho-syndicalism, as |
the Spaniards prefer'to call 1t.
I admit have had only a cursory
view of the Spanish picture, but Ger
tain facts are obvious to the observer,
however hurried. One OF them-per-
haps not absolutely certain, but 80 per
cent probable-is that Catalonia Is
setting the pace for the rest OF Loyal
ist Spain. Another-100 per cent true
lis that the Anarchists and their
sympathizers among the left Catalan
Nationalists now are running Catalo-
MIA, both by virtue Of superior and
more energetic leadership and numeri-
cal preponderance.
Among the myriad flags and sym
bolic agglomerations of three, four and
five letters that now adorn the BARGE
Iona streets and vehicles, the red and
black flag of anarchy and the letters
r. A. I-Federacion Anarquista 1be-
rica-and C. N. .T.-Confederacion Ma
tional de Trabaj ajo-hold pride OF place
even over the striped emblem OF Cata-
lonian independence. Three-quarters
Of the Catalonian troops on the Sara
eossa and Huesca fronts and those sent
lately to assist Madrid wear the req
and black Anarchist two-peaked TO
rage cap.
Program More Intangible.
Those are obvious facts, but what
anarchism means, or what Is the An
archist program is far less easy to dis
cover. One thing it is not is what
Americans understand by anarchy
lawlessness and mob rule-but its pro-
gram is as elusive as Hitler's before
he won power.
theoretically, the Spanish Anar-
chists follow the doctrine OF Bakunfn
and Kropotkin; that is to say, some
what Utopian system Of complete in
dividual liberty which needs no laws
or government because each individual
knows how to conduct himself as
social unit. Actually, the Catalonian
Anarchists have found-as their fel-
lows in the rest of Spain also must find
1nevitably-thatt there is vast differ
ence between theory and practice, and
that, under the stress of war, individ-
ualism must yield to discipline and
freedom to obedience.
Bitterly as the Anarchist leaders
they even hate the word leader, but
some one must lead any popular move
ment-refuse to admit it, they are be-
ing forced by circumstances toward
bureaucratic control in the political
and economic fields and toward sys-
tenn of Officers may call them
comrades commanding companies or
comrades commanding divisions-in
the military field.
As far as I could see, the Anarchists
are not far different from the boil
sheviks, except in theory or theology.
To put 1t more accurately, they are
aiming at stage beyond communism
which even Soviet Russia has yet
failed to achieve. They believe, OF
course, in collectivism and the aboli-
ton of money, property and religion,
but, when you ask them how they
propose to achieve their goal, they are
apt to say, like the bolsheviks, "by
making people follow u.s." which
hardly can be regarded as an express
sion of pure freedom.
For practical purposes, I imagine
the best way to explain Spanish an
archism is to say that its system is
proletarian authority with lip service
or theological concessions to the Span
dsh sentiment of individualism. In
other words, it is fluid mass Of
theories that will be crystallized into
q working regime by the pressure of
fact, circumstances and war. And its
ultimate form will not be vastly diff
ferent from the dictatorship of the
proletariat-or the dictatorship over
the proletariat-with which An
archist spokesmen so readily find fault
In the Soviet regime.
In theory, anarchism and dictator
ship are exact opposites, but life, and
especially war, are stronger than the
ories and the men who hold them, and
it is evident that Anarchist practice
in Catalonia now is undergoing pro-
found change from its original ide-
OkOSlCdl COIlCcpt. hG pTcSSllL, ILLS
change is confused and befogged by
terminology which sounds at first like
sheer nonsense. For instance, how, in
wartime, can one glorify "the virtues
Of indiscipline," as the Barcelona An
archist press proclaims?
But I learned in Moscow that ter
minology is only form, which cannot
hide facts If one looks for facts hard
enough. So, too, with the Spanish
Anarchists-their terms are mislead-
ing, that's all. They preach indis-
cipline, and impose ruthless authority;
they profess individual freedom, but
demand obedience; they advocate
equality, and issue orders on pain
Of death.
Like Lenin, with his Marxism, their
doctrines are novel and untried, but
I venture to predict they will pro-
duce something of interest and per-
haps Of value to humanity.