Evening star., 1936-12-20

or Royalist sympathies. but national
LIST feeling Is even stronger, and they
will prove themselves good French
men If there Is any interference from
outside.
The one thing the political league
leaders are careful to explain on all
occasions Is that they have no associa-
tions with the Nazis of Germany, how
ever sympathetic they may feel to-
ward the Fascists in italy. The po-
litical leagues, as semi-military for
nations, have been dissolved by law.
The libel laws are being strengthened
and. 80 far as can be seen at present,
democracy and republicanism in
France can hold their own.
In ireland fascism has lost ground
There Is practically no communism
In the Irish Free State and the great
ma jority Of the population are good
Catholics. Gen. O'Duffy's movement
was aimed at enlisting Irish Cath
olics against the extreme Liberal
and semi Socialist program of Presi-
oent de Valera.
But De Valera and most Of his
ministers are good Catholics also The
peasantry is politically strong and has
benefited from the agrarian legiSla-
ton passed by the Dali. The Co.'S
grave party also has suffered from
the accusation of being pro-British,
and the extreme nationaliStic feelings
Of the Irish have been successfully
exploited by the De Valera party. The
army is loyal, the Irish Labor party
weak, and the unemployed lower mid
die class youths are overshadowed by
the younger sons of the small farmers.
should hazard the prophecy that If
all Europe should 60 Fascst the last
Democracy to succumb would be that
Of the Irish Free State.
Growing in Belgium.
The most spectacular growth Of
Fascism has been in Belgium. Dur
ing the last 18 months a new party
has grown up under the leadership of
Leon Degrelle. He is just over 80.
and was q member of the great Bel
eian Catholic party. For many years
that dominant political group has
been divided into mutually antag-
onistic sections. One of these, the
Christus Rex movement, was created
by Degrelle with the ostensible OBJ
ject Of roofing out the alleged cor
ruption and lack Of moral purity in
the party.
Up till the financial crisis Of March,
1888, when the franc was devalued
and the first Van iceland cabinet
was formed. Degrelle was still so OBJ
scure that he was trying to obtain .
place on the Catholic party electoral
list. Failing, he broke away, dropped
the word "Christus" from the party
label on the advice of his ecclesiasti-
cal friends, and now calls his party
"Rex."
The devaluation Of the franc and
the Brussels World Exhibition led to
. revival Of trade which lasted till the
Fall Of 1885. AS soon as the exhibi-
ton was over the Rex party started
an extraordinarily violent and active
campaign. As in France, all the DO
liticians were accused Of corruption,
graft, unpatriotic conduct and doubt
full financial transactions. AS in
France, there was some basis for it.
Degrelle founded q paper called
'Rex" which, with the aid of immense
expenditures from mysterious sources,
attained q large circulation. Degrelle's
opponents declare that he is financed
from Germany. His party presently
made an alliance with the Flemish
Nationahsts. some Of whom have
German sympathies. Just prior to the
election last Spring, Degrelle brought
out q daily paper, lie Pays Reel. "
which was distributed in immense
quantities free Of charge all over the
country. He ran candidates in prac-
tically every constituency, and in the
elections last May he won 81 seats
out Of . total Of 202. In the Belgian
Parliament the campaign Of calumny
and accusation was carried on with the
greatest violence and the anti-corrup-
ton campaign was replaced by an
anti Communist movement.
Mobolises Disseminated.
Only per cent Of the voters are
Communist In Belgium; nevertheless