The Wilmington morning star., 1942-11-17
BY WEsTBROOK PEGLER

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
NEW YORK, Nov. 16.-Pardon me all over
if I seem to dwell overlong on the speech
Of Vice President Henry Wallace to the Con-
gress OF American Soviet Friendship, what
ever that was, but Mr. Wallace stands in
line for the presidency of the United States
and might be the nominee of the New Deal
Party in 1914, so I just think we ought to
study his ideas. It is hard and certainly
more than l can do to discuss the difference
between Russias form of government and
ours without drawing fire from those who ia-
sist that military cooperation with this ally
in war against a common enemy requires
the political and economic assimilation Of this
country to Russia. That is called Red bait
ing and dlsruptiveness and the bravery and
sacrifice of millions of Russian common peo-
pie in defense Of their own homes and soil
which is sacred to them are cited to show
what dirty dog you are for insisting that
the virtues of the familiar American way
out-value its defects and the virtues of Rus
sia's way.
Now, Mr.. Wallace disparaged the Bill of
Rights of our Constitution and said that Rus
sia and the United States both have been
working toward a practical middle ground
between economic and political democracy.
Political democracy is the Bill of Rights de-
mocracy which he would moderate to some
underlined extent.
He said Russia had perceived some Of the
abuses of excessive Bill of Rights democracy
and had placed strong emphasis on economic
democracy He acknowledged however, that
if economic democracy is carried to an ex-
treme, all power resides in one man and
his bure aucratic helpers.
He thinks Russia has been easing away
from this extreme or dictatorial phase OF
economic democracy, which is a paradox fo-
you, ard said, "ln present-day Russia differ
ences in wage income are almost but not
quite as great as in the United States. The
manager of factory may be paid ten times
as much as the average worker Artists, sci
entists and outstanding writer's are usually
raid even more than factory managers or
political commissars.
''The chief difference between the economic
organization of Russia and that of the United
States is that in Russia it is almost mpossi-
BILE to live income producing property -
| So let's see. Knowing something about the
political temperament of the American life,
we can be apprehensive that the manager of
the factory, getting ten times as much as the
average worker, would be chosen more for
his Ia1ty regularity than for his ability Harry
.Aohnii's' Aol eAd11lple. Woulu idIk very h1gn
in title and in income, although his record
OF achievement is SC involved in politics that
it cannot be valued at ALL What sort OF
artists and outstanding writers would be paid
more than factory managers in our country
if we were to adopt that economic system
which Mr.. Wallace calls democracy? We have
hao a little experimental experience along
those lines already, for the radical or COM
munjstic artists and writers have been paiy-
hooed far beyond their paltry merits by crit
les and reviewers informally committed to
the Communist Party line, while worthier in
dividuals of conventional American political
faith have been disparaged or simply neglect
ed.
Art, theoretically has no more politics than
science, out everyone in the American arts
knows that that mas not been so in nraot,oe
here It certainly is not so IN Russia whera.