The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-01-31


 ment of arms to Spain is denounced by Henry L. Mencken, noted jour- nalist, in a strongly-written article in the Baltimore Sun. Those favor ing the lifting of the embargo, he as- serts, would have the United States plunged into another tragic war. Reds" he declared, are in control of the policies of Loyalist Spain, and the American campaign on behalf of the Loyalists is led by a group of 'Marxian idealists."
 Franco, declared Mir. Mencken, is not an agent of Hitler and Musso- lini and he would be foolish to re- fuse help from the Italians. During our own Revolutionary war he points out, Washington was glad to accept aid against England from France.
 The "Loyalists," he asserted, are misnamed, for they are not loyal to Spain but only ot the principles of Communism. Before the civil war in Spain, he said, the nation was over run with subversive agents from Rus sia and other countries. The Reds came into control, he claimed, only by a 'rigged" election, and the Red flag was hoisted over Madrid,
 Americans, he declared, have dis torted view of the Spaninsh situa- ton, because of the efficient propa- ganda system of the Communists. The Nationalists, he asserted, have been portrayed as vicious murderers, while the brlrnings, the murders, the tortures, the lootings and the con- fiscations of the Reds have gone al- most unnoticed.
 Said MT. Mencken:
 "The so-called League for Peace and Democracy naturally took the lead in these pacific proceedings, but there were plenty of other volunteers, including some of the principal wizards of the New Deal"
 Members of Congress, have begun to hear from the folks back home and what they hear is highly unfavorable to morning into the Spanish sham bles. The Marxian idealists, grow ing desperate, put on more and more heat, but 1t doesn't seem to be working. Both the bourgeoisie and the bourgeoisie appear to be predominantly against them.
 Fraudulent Concern
 "And no wonder, for what could be plainer than the fraudulence of their belated concern for democ . racy, whether in Spain or in this country? The thing they are really interested in, in both cases and in all other cases, is simply the fur therance of Communism, and nothing else. They colirted the politicoes who chased out Alfonso XIII in 1881, just as they are now courting the New Dealers here, but once the Spanish republic was set up they began to devour 1t, and in 0 little while they had ruined 1t. Within six weeks of the day Alfonso slipped over the bor- der Madrid was swarming with experts In democracy imported from Moscow. and simultaneously the confiscation of property, the burning of churches and the m,r- der of decent people began.
 The spaniards are a dull and patient race, and for five long years they endured this horror, hoping against hope. The climax came early in 1886. when the Reds finally busted President Ni- ceto Alcala Zamora, killed or ex- fled all the moderates surviving in his encourage, got control of the Cortes by a rigged election. brought in tanks, airships and other such tools of peace and democracy from Russia and pro- ceeded openly to set up a Marx ian Utopia. Only July 19 of that year General Franco crossed from Spanish Morocco to Cadiz. He came with only small force, but bit by bit he assembled formid- able army. Utopia has been fading ever since.
 we have been hearing for two and a han years from the same quacks who lately besieged Con- gress that Franco is only the agent of Mussolini and Hitler, and that his army is only 6 rabble of inercenaries. All this is hooey. Franco is no more an agent of Mussolini and Hitler than Wash ington was an agent of Louis XVI. He is simply c professional soldier doing . difficult job with the best means he can bring to hand. If he dreams of being boss when that job is done, then so did Washing ton. And if he takes whatever help he can get from the noti-deln- cctatic Italians. then Washington took whatever help he could get from the still less democratic French,
 I.oyalsts Misnamed
 "1'he naisnamed Loyalists, who are loyal to spain only in the comic sense that an American Red is loyal to the United States,