The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1940-11-15
EDIT OR Al. S

dangerous turn Of events which may
jeopardize democracy, temporarily at
least have insisted that democracy
can hardly compete with dictatorship
In spite of my avoWed and lnveterate pre-
ference for democracy, | see it threatened
by forces that will not down The onrush
Of the tide Of totalitarianism threatens TO
engulf our own nation as II is threatening
to destroy democracy in Europe. Nothing
proves more conclusively the nature OF the
struggle ahead than the clumsiness Of the
democratic processes in election times. !
said. before November 5, that whether
Roosevelt or WlIkie is elected, the ugly
fact remains that the incoming president
must unity country that Is dangerously
divided.
This campaign is bound to leave an al
termath Of bitterness and apathy, that Will
be detrimental to the causes Of defense.
What is worse, we must go through TINS
divisional process again in four more
years It takes SO much Of our nations
energies. in dividing itself and becoming
reunited, that we have far too little
energy left to complete our task It IS
most unfortunate that pressing matters
must wait until an election is decided. be-
fore they can move on. While this is not
very detrimental in times Of peace. in
times of war. it threatens to be disastrous
Had Willke been elected, he would have
had to spend considerable time playing
the politics Of organization before he
could even give himself to the task OF de-
Tending this nation. He would have not
only had to organize for four years OF
critical service, but he would have found
ii necessary to lay plans for his reelection
four wears hence This takes entirely too
much Of nations energies for an enler-
gency. However distasteful may be the
ugly fact, 1t must be faced, that democrat
ic processes are too slow to competf WIN
dictatorship.
It is in these slow processes that we
have major danger to democracy, Wnen
race gets tight, as between democracy
and totaitarianism, the fellow who stops
ito tie his shoes will lose the RAGE Every
four years. Uncle Sam must stop 70 tie MS
shoes; while Hitler and Mnssolini are
rushing on. This IS not as serious now as
il would be, were it not for the British
navy. Even the slow processes Waaid not
he fataI were it not for the fact that the
people are left divided. It may be said
that intelligent people will not nurse the
bitterness and rancor Of prediction stres-
ses and strains, the fact remains tnal
people are not given to acting lnteil-
gently" on matters OF politics and religion,
but act rather from their feelings, ana
therefore not according 10 Intelligence.
The least intelligent of human actions are
those displayed at election times. Hence
we are confronted with two grave dangers,
the one Of our slow process, and the other
Of the divisional nature of election pro-
cedures
It is expecting too much to expect pe.
litical wounds to heal over night ana
while they are healing. dictatorship 10
forging ahead. The dangers pointed ou.
are those surrounding the presidential
election in general. Had Mr.. Willkie won.
there are peculiar dangers in the oiTlng,
It is generally conceded that the Republl-
can party is the party Of plutocrats. This
means that if Willkie was true to his trust,
he would have had to serve plutocracy
first. The major interests, OF plutocracy
have been in ever larger dividends even
when declared against the interests of the
great cause of labor. To revert TO the Old
ideals of large dividends at any cost, will
mean the end Of democracy here III Ameri.
ca: for with a taste of better things labor
will never submit as in generations past
Roosevelt, on the other hand, has cast the
die and mapped his course, which, unto
God. may some great man carry through!
Roosevelt's task will be simpler in that ne
has already broken with the plutocrats,
thanks be to God!