Evening star., 1936-08-30
DEMOCRACY SURE LOSER
In FASCIST-RED BATTLE
Both Totalitarian Systems Are Odious
to Americans-Perils Not
Fully Recognized.

He brought about, In 1892, a form Of
society and government which came
to be called naziism. Na1ism is much
the same as fascism. 1t will be OBJ.
served that in Germany. as in Italy,
fascism arose as a counter movement
against communism.
The same struggle, between COM
munisam and fascism, went on in sew
eral smaller European countries. The
next development in an important
country was in France. What hap
pened in France recently cannot be
described as a revolution. 1t cannot
be said that the new regime in France
is Communist. 1t is, however,
movement in the direction of the
Communist ideal.
The next development was the
present one in Spain. Spain, in 1881,
passed through revolution. 1t was
revolution of the familiar type,
monarchy overthrown. a democratic
republic set up, the same kind Of
revolution the world has seen many
times during a century before. the
same as the first revolutions in Rus.
sia and Germany.
The Spanish republic lasted some
five years. Last Winter the republic,
while remaining a republic, moved
strongly toward the Communist ideal.
Thereupon Spanish leaders and groups
who held the Fascist philosophy set
out to destroy the republic. At once
the republic went all the way toward
communism. The Spanish civil war
is struggle between fascism and
communism.
Communism Fixed in Russia.
That Is the struggle in Spain and
that is the struggle throughout most
of Europe. The only large European
country holding to the democratic con.
ception of government and the free
conception of society is Britain. All
the other large European countries,
and some smaller ones, have gone to-
ward either communism or fascism.
In Russia, Communism is firmly en-
trenched. In Germany and Italy, fas-
cism Is strongly entrenched. France
has made a move in the direction Of
AL ORdul,
and fascism are in a bloody tug-of-
war. And the lineup in Spain lines
up most of Europe. The Fascist coun-
tries give support to the Fascist fac
ton in Spain. the Communists SYM
pathize with the Communist faction.
Throughout all this, what of de-
mocracy? Democracy Is neglected.
Fascism makes progress. Communism
makes progress. Democracy recedes.
The democratic republic in Russia
lasted but six months. The one in
Germany lasted some IA years. The
one in Spain lasted five years. During
| 10 years. since 1917, in which govern
ment everywhere has been in q fer.
! ment OF change, all the important
changes have been in the direction
either Of fascism or communism.
To Americans, between fascism and
communism. there Is no choice. To
American tradition and ways of think
ing, both are odious. Between them,
there is only one important difference.
Fascism permits private ownership Of
property. Communism forbids It
under communism everything is
owned by the state. This one main
difference between the two philoso.
phies may be ephemeral. 1t remains
to be seen whether fascism will con-
tinue to permit private ownership. In
Italy, pioneer Of fascism, Mussolini
has recently reduced the scope Of
private ownership.
Two Systems Have Much in Common.
Excepting the one main difference.
fascism and communism have much
in common. Under both government
is vested in a dictatorship. Both.
abolished parliamentary government.
(Just lately the Communist regime
in Russia, after 10 years has proposed
to have a parliament. What it will
be like, assuming it comes, remains
to be seen. 1t probably will be like
the color of Henry Ford's early cars
he said the purchaser could have any
color he chose, so it's black. Prob
ably Russia can have a parliament
provided it is Communist.) Both
fascism and communism deny the
right Of opposition to exist, whether
by q party or group Of individuals.
Both regard opposition or criticism as
treason and repress 1t as such; it is
punished by death or imprisonment.
Both fascism and communism exer-
else complete compulsion upon ths
individual-both deny that the indi-
vidual has any rights which the gov
eminent needs to respect. Both deny
to the individual rights and liberties
which we in America think of as i'm
perishable. which We take for granted
as much as the air we breathe.
There Is not space here for an ade-
uuate statement of the differing philos-
ophies. nor for exactness Of definition.
One main characteristic of facism and
communism can be described by con-
trast with America. In America we
think of government as one thing and
society as q different thing. Society
is subject to government. of course,
yet has its existence apart from gov
ernment. Under facism and COM
munism government and society are
merged, they become one. 1t Is the
"totalitarian state"
Democracy continues to take itself
completely for granted. Democracy
does not realize how endangered it Is.
Nowhere is any government or group
engaged in defending democracy as
Mussolini and Hitler are defending
fascism and extending it, as. Moscow
is defending and extending COM
munism.
Would America like communism! !
Reread the dispatches coming out OF
Moscow since 1917 and imagine them
coming out Of Washington. Would
America like facism? Read the dis
patches coming out Of Rome and
Berlin.
(Copyright. 1851
M