Evening star., 1936-09-19
BY WALTER DURANTY.
- "a lia "a Tha Star

spanish situation is, how far do
events and tendencies in Catalonia
correspond with what Is happening
or will happen in the rest of Loyalist
Spain?
The crux of the whole matter lies
there because Catalonia has gone
further than the rest OF the country
on the path Of social revolution-and
Is going farther still-although the
popular leaders still are rather shy
of the phrase. social revolution
chiefly, one supposes, because 1t sounds
like playing the game Of the rebels.
who call themselves Nationalist and
call the Loyalists Marxists.
At this point, it is necessary to
emphasize the fact that there is little
or no Marxism in the Catalan peoples
movement, although the majority OF
foreigners in Barcelona, nearly all
of whom lost money or Spanish friends
as result of that movement. refer
harshly to the Barcelona authorities
as Communists" or Reds" Like
the foreigners in Russia after the
Bolshevik revolution, they dislike the
transition of Catalonia from capital
ism and the profit motive to collec-
twist system in which profit is ex-
cluded
Transition in Progress.
Unless am vastly mistaken, such
q transition Is in progress today and
is advancing by leaps and bounds,
but the popular leaders were careful
to tell me that it will not be done,
If they can help it. on such a
thoroughgoing or hurried scale as in
Russia under militant communism.
The Catalan ideal appears to be some
thing like the Soviet under the "nep,'
with all big finance, industry, busi-
ness, transportation and public utilities
run by the state-in short, state con-
troll of the basic means of production
but considerable freedom for petty
productions and business-that is to
say, private trade and private profit
under state control.
As matters now stand, all the banks
and financial establishments of BARGE
Iona are nationalized, the stock ex-
change is closed, and the valuta ex-
Moscow, although, as in Moscow, there
Is bootleg exchange at far below the
fixed rates Practically all the big
factories, department stores, large
estate, and, Of course. all church
property and public utilities already
are nationalized or are run by workers
committees, which comes to the same
thing. The agrarian question, which
forms the subject Of later article, re-
mains unsettled, but the indications
are that a considerable degree Of
collectivism will be introduced.
In short, Catalonia has had q pro-
letarian revolution, or what the popu-
lar leaders call a democratic revolu-
ton, because they think the word
proletarian savors too strongly of Mos
COW and the word dictatorship Is
abhorrent to them. For these leaders
are anarchists, not MarMsts. Even
the numerically greatest popular
party-the Catalan Left Nationalist
Is far closer to anarchism than to boil
shevism, Marxism or communism.
Defined as Individualism.
What the Spaniards, especially the
Catalans, mean by anarchism is very
different from what the word con-
notes to the American understanding
as will be explained in q later article.
For the time being it may be defined
rs an expression Of individualism,
which is immensely strong in Span
iards generally and in the Catalans
in particular.
Foreigners who know Spain well de-
clare that his individualism Is the
curse Of the country-that there is no
Spain as a unit, but Navarro, CASTLE,
Andalusia, Catalonia and q dozen
other provinces which will not work
together unless compelled by mas
ter's hand. 1t must be admitted that
in Loyalist Spain, as in Soviet Russia
shortly after the Bolshevik revolution,
the idea of local autonomy has run
wild.
Not Catalonia alone, but Valencia,
Malaga and the other important CEN
ters controlled by the Loyalists, care
little for the central authority Of Ma
drid. Nevertheless, like Soviet Russia,
they have the common purpose Of
fighting reactionaries and, whether
they realize it or not, this purpose will
bind them together.
had an example Of this on the
Saragossa front when presented my
credentials from the Barcelona Anti
Fascist Militia Committee to Gen.
Durruti, commanding a, column which
was composed mainly of Barcelona
anarchists.
Ecornful Of Emblem.
"What is this separatist emblem?"
he said, pointing sconrfully toward the
Catalonia-and this Is Spain. Next
the document. This is Aragon. not
Catalonai-and this is Spain. Next
time you come here, tell your Cata-
lonion friends to give you pass with
out that fiag-I don't like it."
He spoke roughly but his eyes were
smiling, and he added quickly, "that
does not matter. First, we will beat
the rebels and then fix the consti-
tuition"
I asked how, and Gen. Durruti in
dicated hope for q federation. some
thing between the Soviet Union and
the sovereign States Of America.
But that" he said, will come later.
Meanwhile we are fighting side by
side, Anarchists. Socialists, Com
munists, Trotskyites, Catalan Ma
tionalists and other Spaniards. against
the Fascist enemy. One thing Is GER
tain-when we have won. 1t will be
peoples government in the true
sense Of the word and the govern
nent of q united people, because this
struggle will unite u.s.
Catalonia Sets Example.
It is likely that Gen. Durruu spoke
truly and that Catalonia, despite its
separatist tendencies, which, like
"home rule for Ireland" date far
back. is setting an example to the
rest Of Spain.
It is likely, too, that the Loyal
lists" or government forces" viii fol-