Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-03
Na+ionaIism
Reason for
Red Victories
But Americans Are Told
II Is Maxi Way
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER

the Onlteu states mas prOuuCeU
the interesting paradox that he
who places this country above
all others and is ardently ma
tionalistic is un-American and,
perhaps, unknowingly. a Nazi
around the edges because the
Germans under Hitler are
nationalistic.
Thus, in order not to be a
Nazi an American must become
an internationalist.
Now we know that only a
tiny fraction of all the Russian
people are Communists and that
the overwhelming majority are
passionate nationalists whose
inspiring fight against the Ger
mans has been a fight, not for
the world proletariat, but for
their own beloved country.
mother Russia.
Certainly this government
alone 10 date has been able 10
Stub toe-to-toe with the Nazis,
but il has done so with an army
drawn from a nationalistic
people who are fighting for
their homeland and not. con-
sciously, for Britain or the
United States.
In THE course of their great
L fight, however. they have not
been bedeviled by any political
missionaries from this country.
telling them that they must put
out of their hearts any special
love for mother Russia.
Their government sees TO IL
that they are let alone and il
is safe TO assume that they are
encouraged to believe that they
are fighting for their own coun-
try and not lectured on the un-
worthy selfishness Of this de-
votion.
So, Just as matter OF mill
tary expediency, as il that we're
the only consideration. the ex-
ample of the best fighters on
our side would indicate that ma
tionalism is fine stuff for a
people engaged in a war.
-TRUE- the Germans certainly
l. are nationalists. too. but
does il follow. because they are.
that nationalism is Hitlerism
and that Americans should re-
nounce their country and en-
brace the whole world?
One proposal of mine which
has earned me no little scorn
as narrow ignoramus has been
that after this war the United
States put stop TO immigra-
lion and that citizenship in our
country be restricted TO natives
only.
II is angrily thrown at mo
that this country was built and
peopled by immigrants and their
sons and daughters which. OF
course, we all well know. hut
which has nothing to do with
the case.
THE. fact is that there has
i been a great difference be-
tween the bare-handed freedom
seeker who built the industries
and cities OF the United States
before the kaiser's World War
and those who came in after
| that war.
Those who came in after that
war have been predominantly
/ political ae.tators or more or
less intellectual types who were
not at all pleased with the form
/ of government and the economy
on which that form OF govern
ment must be based and who
tireleSSly Strove 10 conform our
country 10 various interpreta-
tons Of socialism.
/ WE HAVE been turning back
w 10 Europe for changes in
our way OF living at time when
Europe has been slipping back
I into the dark ages.
All our great leaders of the
founding period of our free gov
eminent turned their backs on
Europe and her wars and we de-
vcloped in our country as sepa-
rate republics whose people lived
together on the friendliest terms
and were devoted TO the one
great mother republic of them
all.
For years we have regulated
and limited immigration and
have even Disseminated. as ref
erence 10 our laws and regula-
tions will show, and 10 suspend
immigration would be only 10
extend the degree of the same
policy.
IF IT is un-American 10 pro-
Il pose total suspension for a
time, then il is equally un-Amer-
lean TO limit immigration at
all and thorough Americaaisn
demands that this nation be
made a free ground for all the
peoples of the world without
regard for their own desire or
ability TO accommodate them or
their attitude toward us or cur
institutions.
Naturalization, also, has been
limited and regulated and we
have the word of John c. Knox,
late senior judge of the federal
court of the Southern District
of New York, that a substantial
portion of all applicants apply