Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-12-31
ANOTHER WAR FOR
DEMOCRACY ?

The following comment on the
war situation is worthy of wide
spread publicity at this time. 1t
was written by Frederick j. Lib
by, editor in-chief of Peace Ac-
ton, and inserted in that month
ly publication. The editorial fol-
lows:
If we join in another war, it will
be another war in defense OF democ-
racy. The slogan, TIE democracles
must stand together" is already being
made familiar to our ears by speak
ers from Great Britain and France as
well as by some of our own leaCers Of
thought. Against this slogan we must
fortify our minds and organize our
strength.
The appeal is attractive: France and
Great Britain, the two great democ-
racies left in Europe, must be sup
ported by their fellc w-democracy
across the ocean against the growing
power of the fascist states, Germany
and Italy.
We respectfully suggest to all who
favor our taking part in another war
for democracy that one such war was
enough to eliminate half of the de-
mocracies of the world. Another
would end democracy everywhere.
Even the United States would go fas-
cist, as our War Department Iealisti-
cally anticir ates. It's industrial mo-
Utilization plan provides for fascistic
control of the whole nation, not only
for the period of the war but for six
months after the President shall have
declared the emergency, not the war,
to be at an end.
We oppose our country's being in
volved i'm any war anywhere. The
legislative program of the whole
American peace movement, therefore,
starts with the strengthening of our
neutrality legislation.
Let us, before our soldiers mobilize
again by the million, calmly analyZe
the slogan, war for democracy" For
what are we actually to fight? Is it
for Great Britain, as democracy, or
is it for the British Empire, which IS
clinging to the colonies taken from
Germany, control of which the British
Conservative party declared at its re-
cent convention must not even be dis
cussed?
Is it French democracy for which
cur boys would die again on foreign
soil or is it for the French comite
des FORCES, that mighty network Of
steel men and munition makers, whose
malevOlent influence has bedeviled
European politics ever since the Ver-
sailles Treaty gave it the power to
prevent peace?
There is one other democracy" iC
the combination that beckons us. 1t
is Soviet Russia. Russia and France
a year or two ago formed an alliance
similar to their alliance preceding
the World war. Germany and Japan
have replied with an alliance of some
sort against communism" Alliances
breed cOunter-alliances. Italy and
Germany have also found that they
possess certain common interests in
the mad and reckless European game
of pressure politics and are winning
diplomatic victories against France
and Russia in the Balkan region.
The propaganda in our press that
would involve us in this economic
struggle ignores the sOrdid history
of the years in which the Versailles
Treaty prevented peace and reconcile
alton between France and a disarmed
German Republic. 1t ignores the con-
tinual pin pricks and humiliatiOnS
that contributed heavily to the cleo
tion of Chancellor Hitler and German
rearmament. 1t ignores the policy OF
enlightenment of Germany designed to
compel her to be permanently help
less. 1t would have us divide Europe
as we did in 1917 into devils and an
gels, we taking the side, of course,
of the angels-the British Empire,
France and Russia, in whose behalf
we went to war less than twenty
years ago. 1t is because the victOrs
of the World war have used, and are
using, their power so unwisely that
they need us again. They are now
taking steps even to secure further
loans from us.
Stripping the democracy slogan
bare of it's poetic features, we find,
then, that our boys would be giving
their lives, not lin defense of democ-
racy" but in defense of British and
French prestige and economic SUI
premacy, of British colonies in Africa,
of misunderstanding munition firms in
Eranco and i'm dafanSe Of Com mimi IF
Russia, engaged in mortal combat with
her Fascist foes.