The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1943-11-06
AMERICAN FASCIsTS

From the first distant rumbngs of the present world
wide upheaval this paper began pointing out the posi-
bity of resurgence of ant-democratc sentiment in
this country. Dscord and danger could from the
latent Torysm still existent in the descendants OF the
old anRevoutionary groups those die-hards who
completely accepted democratic form of government
but yearned for republic in which select proportion
of citizens should be in control They have always de-
spised agreement which gives every adult the right to
free participation in selecting those who to the
government and brings about that whether the voter
is banker butcher stevedore scrubwoman all votes
in the ballot box are of equal value There disturb
be expected from those who tolerate and defend
lynchng from the pol-taxers from the coorphobists
who block democratic growth by their persistent segre
gatonforcolor not only in the South but in Washington
the seat of the national government And true enough
the European conflict developed the American brand
of fascism stimulated by the activities of its counterpart
abroad and by the hopes of fascist triumph began to
take positive action directed toward hampering national
unity and efforts to win the war.
Hence the riots that swept the country, hence the
outbursts of antiSemitism in Boston and else
where They but the expression of vicious racsm
which parallels Hers program of hate Few Christian
voices raised in America to denounce color seg
CATION Jim Crowism in the Armed Forces discrimination
at the National Capital all of which have contributed to
breed the of racism which bouncing upon
the Jews. This week representatives of liberal groups
urged Attorney General Bdde to investigate antSem
IN New 1ork ana bOSOn ana the IacaI tension IN
Detroit and prosecute thefoentors of the disturbances
The delegation said at isincreasngy recognized that
the outbreaks have been fomend by persons and groups
associated with the Ku Kux Kan the Christian Front
and similar subversve organizations Here in Boston
Bishop G, Bromley Oman asks:
"Who is flooding the nation with anti-Semitic lit
erature, and why? Who finances these movements?
Why is it that the antSemitic leaders now under Fed
eral Indictment have attacked such religious organi-
cations as the Federal Council of the Churches of
Christ in America, the Methodist Church and other
Protestant religious bodies? Why has Franco, the
Fascist dictator of SPAIN been extoled?
"The beating of Jewish boys is not the work of
hoodlums. 1t is not prank that be passed by
with complacency. Far from home, our sons
fighting to destroy fascism 1t must not be allowed
to exist at home. 1t is to be hoped that religious
forces Catholic Jewish and Protestant may unite in
demanding that these beatings stop and that steps be
taken to discover and destroy the dangerous forces
that lie back of them. Let US now unite in action
that will demonstrate that the war against fascism
without means the death of fascism within"
The awakening comes late. We may not find that
subversve agents have slipped into the country from
abroad. Hitler has friends already here who doing
his work for him. 1t may be that a great many of US
cannot See danger unless we are close to it. For that
colored observers cannot be credited with any
special of foresight for they have been close to
the danger all their lives