Evening star., 1939-03-28
Sweden Pictured
As |mmunized 10
Tota|itarianism
Cutting Lecturer
Says Democracy
Delivering the Goods

4Ilc OWcQeS TdClal ana cultural
distaste for arbitrary dictatlon pref
ty well immunizes Sweden against
totalitarian influences, DR.. Gunnar
Myrdal, economist from the Univer-
sity of Stockholm and former men,
Der of the Swedish Senate, said last
night. He delivered the final 1899
Bronson Cutting memorial lecture at
the Belasco Theater. The Swedish
Minister was present.
Russia is at our back, Germany
on our 'front.'" Dr. Myrdal said in en-
phasizing that Sweden was nearly
surrounded by totalitarianism. But
the Swede follows the "legalistic
folkway," demanding the due process
OF law. and thus. in the view Of DR..
Myrdal, pits basic strength
against the disease of totalitarian-
ism" He continued:
up to now the theological influ-
ences from our powerful totalitarian
nelghbors have been remarkably
scanty. The Swedish labor move
ment has been practically immune
against Communist contamination.
The Nazi groups are even more in
consequential
1ntelligentsia Stays Clear.
The intelligentsia of my country
has kept particularly clear of Com
munism and NaZi-ism. Neither ide-
ology has ever had a single ad-
herent, man or woman. who could
pretend any expert knowledge or
great literary capacity. No meas
ures to curtail their freedom of
speech, press and assembly, their
organization and propaganda, have
been taken.
I'VE have not been willing to set
aside the principles of liberty even
IN defense against the enemies of
liberty. The only outcropping of such
measures that I can remember in
Sweden Is a very wholesome law
passed in 1884 forbidding the pub
lie nuisance of parading in party
uniforms or other signs to denote
party aftlliation. This law was, how
ever. a general law, formally di-
rected against such action by any
party
II think I can confidently state
that the chief explanation of this
resistance to the totalitarian ideol-
ogies of our neighbor countries is
the very fact that our democratic
government delivers the goods and
satisfies the people, and particu-
larly that it has proved competent
to tackle the economic problems"
A Tempered Reform Spirit. .
The chief historical feature of
the Swedish democratic government
IN recent days is its eternal in
sistence on change and reform, and
the chief feature of the drive toward
reform is the slowness with which
change takes the form of law, Dr.
Myrdal said. He explained:
In Sweden the Social-Democrats
are in the majority but are not very
enthusiastic about suppressing the
minority. Even If the development
goes little slower than we might
wish We have rather preferred to
tone our reform activity down to
the tempo where we have also the
support. or at least the toleration.
OF a considerable part OF that mi
nority.
This slow but steady movement
always In the same direction GER
tainly fits the national tempera-
ment best. But there is hardly
any doubt that the Swedish Social
Democrats, who are Socialists in
principle, would have been prepared
to utilize their majority more cour-
ageously and would have pressed for
more rapid social change had they
not had the object lessons of the
nearby totalitarian countries.
This negative influence of to-
talitarian government on the evolv-
Ing OF Swedish democracy, manifest
IN the anxiety of the dominant
Social-Democrat party to have even
the opposition with them, is highly
important. Regarded from the out
side, the political picture in Sweden
Is marked by the fact that, on the
whole. the conservatives are made
rather open-minded and radical and
the radicals rather conservative"