The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-15
FASCISM IN US.
POSSIBLE, SAYS
SINCLAIR LEWIS
Don't Feel Too Secure
About Our Democracy
Author Warns.
BY MAX STERN
Times Special Writer

4CCl wv SCSuAC dUOub OtiI cIlOCl Ing
democracy" Sinclair Lewis warned
today. ''Fascism of the, sort that
has destroyed parliaments in a half
dozen European countries can and
might happen here"
Novelist Lewis, Nobel prize
winner, has stirred millions of
Americans by his new and sensa-
tional novel, 1T Can't Happen Here"
Such coup as he described in
this book is not a fantasy, he says.
He sees it as a real, if not an i'm
minent, danger.
Interviewed today in his hotel
here, he urged that Americans
guard against the germs of Fascism
that are scattered wide in this
country.
Il see no immediate danger from
such Fascist group as occurred in
Italy or German" he said. But
there are elements which, given
certain circumstances and pas
sionate national leader, hold grave
dangers to our democracy.
No Leaders Now
'Huey Long might have been such
a leader. I don't believe any of the
popular leaders out in the states
now have sufficient appeal.
''Fascism, however, is not born
overnight. 1t comes on cats feet,
through a national state of mind,
then through some crisis. We
have symptoms of dangerous state
of mind here and there I refer to
such amazing proposals as the
pending military disaffection' bill;
the Kramer anti-sedition bill; the
proposal to put union labor unions
under a military dictatorship;
teachers oaths; the brow-beating of
professors by red-baiting societies
and Hearst newspapers; vigilante
committees; lynch law; the Mooney
case; the Tampa beatings; new evil
dences of Ku-Klux KlaniSm and a
pretty widespread wave of anti
semitism.
These all indicate a fear psy-
chology, which national leader
with sufficient passion and person.
atty might exploit and weld into a
movement"
Communism No Threat
Mr.. Lewis said these groups CAPT.
talize chiefly the fear of Commun-
ism.
There's not the slightest danger
from Communism in this country"
he said. The Reds are only a
handful, about as menacing as re-
ligious cult. Out of 100000 votes
at the last election the Communists
polled only about $4,000. The dan
ger is from exploiting groups that
endow them with frightfulness. An
attack on Communism is almost a
sure sign of Fascist -mindedness."
Contributing to this incipient
American Fascism, Mr.. Lewis finds
out only the self-seeking patriot
eering groups, but two other ele-
ments-discontent due to poverty,
unemployment and other economic
evils, and the coS5iiness of our DEM
ocratic processes.
He pointed out to the California
EPIC and Townsend movements to
show how easy it is to mobilize the
dispossessed middle classes, which in
Europe make up the Fascist armies.
He pointed to the awful wastes of
popular government, particularly in
the multiplicity of local, county and
state governing functions.
Raises brain Trust"
Hitler once said something eter-
nally true" he recalled. This was
that you can only fight a program
with another program. We must
fight our Fascism with economic
reforms and political efficiency.
Il would like to see the rise in this
country of such group of young
experts in government as England
seems to be developing, a govern
ment of Anthony Edens. There is
the beginning of this in what has
been sneeringly called the Brain
Trust
"I don't underwrite all of the
young men of the New Deal, but
many of them are doing splendid
work. The more brains and eff
cheney we get in government the
more we will bulwark it against
Fascist attack.
1--WE can't afford to support a
slovenly democracy. Every ill-con-
sidered and costly act of Congress
like the bonus measure-invites and
incites such attacks on parliament
toria 1icrn +"