Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-03-13
u. S., Russia
Far Apart
In IdeoIogies
Wallace Fails TO See
Basic Difference
By PAUL MALLON

w Vice President Wallace'S cru
dlte speech. 10 the Ohio WeS-
leyan conference flew so high
into the stratospheric philoso-
ply of some one named Hegel,
ct al, that il missed many
front pages and few citizens
got what he was driving at.
But II really presented what
might be called the Wallace
philosophy. perhaps even an Of
fetal administration idea. of the
postwar world. Boiled down. IT
comes 10 this:
Russia is progressing from
Communism toward democracy.
Our democracy is progressing in
the opposite direction toward
Communism. We should meet at
p place called TX" and on
that spot, postwar world
should be built.
Now, do not Immediately con-
Clude that this is a strained SIM
plification of the Wallace philo-
sophy, or that it is altogether
unreasonable. 1t is true, for
instance, that Stain has been
working away from MARKHAM
Communism. The Russian sys-
tenn today is more of socialist
than a Communist state.
IN THE other hand. the New
~ Deal has proudly proclaimed
it's mild advance from de-
mocracy, as we used 10 know
it, toward socialism Tennessee
Valley Authority and various
COVE rnme en- enterprises of
ownership and operation, and,
to lesser degree. the collec-
twist socialist philosophy of
the taxation policies. AAA,
NYA, Social Security, etc).
Nor can there be any ques-
tion about Mr.. Wallace's hope
that such progress. both in Rus
STA and the United States, will
continue, for he says:
"The future well-being Of the
world depends upon the extent
To which Marxisnism, as It Is
being progressively modified In
Russia, and democracy, as we
are adapting II to Goth century
conditions, can live together I'm
peace.
"Old line Marxianism has held
that democracy serves the cause
of the common man with plati-
tudes rather than with jobs,
and that Il Is weak.
And, we, who believe In de-
mocracy, must admit that rou-
tine science, invention and
technology have provided MS
with new bottles into many Of
which we have not yet poured
the wine of the democratic
spirit. Democracy must be tre-
mendously moro efficient than
10 has been In the service Of the
common man and In the re-
sistance to selfish group pres
sures."
IF THIS seems so indefinite
AS to be confusing TO you, you
are probably in the same boat
with Mr.. Wallace. While he sees
definitely the direction in which
he wants TO 60. he cannot yet
define where TX" is to be.
He does rot know how far
we are 10 go toward Marxianism
and. therefore, cannot write the
specifications in a clearer way
that would be understandable TO
the general public.
All this sounds like il came
out of a book, a very big book,
and no doubt much of it did.
Mr.. Wallace's tramp back
through the history of philoso-
ply to prove that the German
Hegel and the German Marx are
the original philosophers OF both
Fascism and Communism may
possibly be true.
But no citizen needs a book
TO see that Mr.. Wallace has
somewhere missed the whole vast
difference between the Russian
and American systems.
Leaving all high philosophy
aside, the man in the street
knows what Russia stands for,
and he knows what America
stands for. and. therefore, he
knows there is a sea between
them more vast than any ocean
on the map.
FOR ONE thing, the kind Of
socialism Stain represents is
totalitarian. Democracy is anti
totalitarian. Stains socialism is
not that Of freedom of the COM
mon man, but dictatorship by
the worker. Our form Of govern
ment is against dictatorship by
any group, worker. farmer, or
rich.
II seems clear that Mr.. Wal
lace has fooled himself. by read
ing all the books, into acceptance
of theory that any man in the