Evening star., 1937-03-20
A Comparison Needed
Tracing Steps That Led Europe to Communism and
Fascism Would Be Service to u. S.

American sit-down strikes, the one
at Flint, Mich, last month. The
present sit-down In the Chrysler plant
goes farther than the Flint one, and
illustrates more fully the analogy. to
the Soviet actions IL Russia in 1917.
In the changes in Europe, there Is
common pattern. First, there is
an attempt at revolution toward the
Communist ideal. In one country,
Russia, it succeeded and established
ITSELF. In other countries especially
Italy and Germany, the original move
ment toward the Communist ideal did
not succeed. 1t did, however, go far
enough to create paralysis and chaos.
At that point, counter movement
starts toward different ideal, the
Fascist one. In Italy and Germany
the Fascist movement succeeded and
established itself firmly. In some
other countries the outcome Is not
yet determined
Detroit Is Weather Vane.
The early period Of acute conflict
between the two ideals seems to be
Illustrated by the Immediately pres
ent phase OF the situation in Detroit.
though we should bear in mind
that the condition in Detroit Is, so
far, local and not as yet Nation
wide) In Detroit, labor leaders hav-
ing purpose of getting advantage,
adopt the sit-doWn strike. The lead
ers, or some of them, have no in
tention beyond getting for themselves
and their followers ordinary ad-
Vantages about collective bargaining,
OF a kind familiar in America. But
by adopting the sit-doWn strike they
md themselves embarked on the
technique which has been used in
Europe to accomplished the Com
munist ideal
They adopt violence, the static vio-
lence Of seizing properties and keep
Ing out owners; and they equip them
selves for whatever active violence
they think necessary to resist the
agencies of law. Thereupon owners
OF property not only Of the properties
invaded but all properties large or
small, and all persons who instinct
lively favor the principle of private
ownership and favor the orderly
processes Of Aw-such persons, if the
European patterns works out here
would come together on a program
which, in its final phase, would point
toward the Fascist ideal. AS Mr.. Frey
points out:
"Workmen taking physical possess
sion of manufacturing plants IN Italy.
gave to Mussolini his opportu-
nifty ."
Struggle of Two Ideals.
In Europe the pattern is, and in
America if 1t goes far enough it will
become, a struggle between the Fascist
ideal and the Communist one. In this
struggle. wherever it has taken place
in Europe, the democratic ideal is
ignored. The democratic ideal is
kicked about as an inconvenient
bystander in the struggle The death
of democracy is taken for granted
the number of countries having demo-
cratic and parliamentary governments
has been shrinking for nearly 20
years. Everywhere, the struggle is
between fascism and communism to
determine which shall occupy the
throne from which democracy is
ousted The tragic thing is that all
the persons with the dynamic instinct
to struggle take their stand in the
armies Of either fascism or commu-
niSm. No one defends democracy.
certainly no one defends it strongly
enough.
This, too, is duplicated in Michigan
There the courts lived up fully to their
part OF the obligation to maintain the
American ideal They issued warrants
to evict the sit-down strikers But
the Governor of the State did not in
the Flint strike, and at this writing
has not in the Detroit strike, supplied
the force that was necessary to carry
out the courts orders. For whatever
motive, he permitted the processes of
democracy and law to be paralyzed
before his eyes.
Copyright, 1879