Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-08
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER
WHAT a BUM
w What never to = be-
adequately laughed-at palooka
Benito Mussolini turned out to
be the minute they rang the
bell, yanked the stool from
under him and sent him out to
fight!
History has given US some
memorable buns in the ring and
some historic stumble-bums in
command of nations, too, but
never one like this ludicrous
tramp with the silly tassel dam
Cling before his eyes from a
trick hat designed to make him
look ferocious and scare the
world.
Painting Phil Scott. after all,
was a sportsman and a gentle
man. He didn't go around blow
ing his face full of wind like
brat in a tantrum, giving people
the glare and telling world
what a killer he was.
And. of course, the kaiser an
swered the standard description
of a bum when he yelled the
German equivalent Of "One side.
please," and high-tailed for Hol-
land, deserving his soldiers and
his people when they need him
most.
DUT what a bum this Duce is.
~ this colossal phony who
placed himself at the head OF a
mob of burlesque-show generals
in CONTAINERS uniforms. backed
by all the chiseling grafters and
the posturing fancydans of ltal-
ian suburban society who took
over a whole nation as cheer
ing section for his vanity.
His gorillas waylaid some in
dividuals on dark streets or
mobbed them in their homes
and made them drink castor oil
and kerosene and told them
selves that that was brave going.
The muckers all joined up and
denounced their rivals and those
to whom they owed honest debts
of money. and had them killed
or sent away to exile camps. ----
He had big posters made pic
turing himself in an iron hat in
a heroic pose against the sky
against eternity. even-aS the
greatest man the world had
ever known, whose glory would
never die.
ALL this time the big bum was
"A Dragging of his invincibility,
his indomitable will and telling
the world about his irresistible
legionS.
Those legionS were something.
Four million soldiers he had. IN
a nation of 100000. and vast
herds of tanks that he liked TO
show in the movies. snortlng
over the landscape with himself
scowling from an imperial re-
viewing stand, with his chin
thrust out.
And thousands of planes dark
ening the sky and the battalions
of foot soldiers marching along
telling the world how they loved
to cut Threats.
That was a show for you.
The chin effect recalls the re-
mari of Jack Dempsey the first
time he ever saw Primo Car
nera. Dempsey was old then and
out of action, but when he was
asked what he thought Of Car
nera. he said:
"My. my, He has n wonderful
chin. hasn't he? a big, promi-
nent chin. would love to have
a shot at that chin"
60 MuSsolini went to Spain for
~ little no-decision war, and
barely escaped a knockout, and
claimed that il was Just a GYM
nasium workout and therefore
didn't count.
Then he waited until the
French were knocked kicking
and gave them the foot while
they were down.
Then he went into Greece. and
was chased out so fast by little
army that. in running away, he
didn't even have time TO take
down his own daughters name
from over the post office in
Porto Edda. 49,
And while this was happening,
the British yelled, "be absent,
bum!' and chased the big tramp
clear out of Egypt.
Mussolini, The Duce'
What a bum,
Copyrighted by United Features synd., In