The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-09-21
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER

NEW YORK. = Mr.. Churchill may have
something in his basic-English language of
800 words, even though expression would be
bleak and stilted and might cause serious
nervous disorders in some of us to whom
English or Amerlcanese is the mother tongue
AS l understand it, this would be not unlike
the Frenchman's way OF speaking English in
his early efforts, as when he wants to say
that someone kicked someone in the pants
and it comes out that the party of the first
part made blow of the foot to the panta-
looms However, that would suffice and. on
the base of the 300 words the other peoples.
If they would be kind, could build more
elaborate vocabularies, ornamented with by
words and slang. If the whole world knew
basic English we could at least understand
each other.
But, would we?
l am thinking Of one word that has been
the subject of many orations, books and tracts
and the cause of many bitter personal ha-
treds and fights, which has many meanings
IN nation, meaning our own which never
theless reveres it.
The word is democracy
This means, according to Webster a gov
eminent in which the people exercise the su-
preme power through a system of delegated
authority, even though the majority should
all rights of a minority
The communists call their one-party sys-
tenn and the dictatorship of one man tWenti-
eth century democracy on the far-fetched the
DRY that Joseph Stain is the peoples choice
to exercise authority in their name during
their pleasure. And Henry Wallace has in
troduced some novelties which he calls intel
lectual democracy, economic democracy and
sexual democracy.
Our own standard concept of democracy is
somewhat more specific than the broad def
milton, being reinforced by the Bill of Rights
and other amendments, but Mr.. Wallace has
said that he doesn't altogether care for the
Bill OF Rights which operates as system of
battles to prevent impulsive decisions that
might seem attractive to a majority al a
given moment but might have the effect of
abolishing democracy altogether
In California only few years ago they
had close call and a severe fight in a ref
erendum on a long and complicated PROPOSE
ton called ham n eggs. This was put for
ward by small group of adventurous dem
agogues and promoters and was taken up
and Endorsed by the CLIO under communist
domination and by the more candid COM
munlsts. Disguised as a system OF old-age
pensions, it in unmistakable effect once
you took the care to analyze it, a proposal
to nullify but without repeating them the
Constitutions of the nation and the state, to
COHllSCdLe all properly anu W eleCt d ulC-
tator named in the proposition on the BALLOT
and empower him to name his own successor
The communists and many discouraged and
needy Americans who deeply believe n y
loved our form of government, cried de
mocracy! majority rule!'' in defense of the
proposal and there was no denying that they
were on good ground If the majority voted
to do these things in a regular election, that
was their right in pure democracy. II they
voted to open the vaults OF all the banks at
high noon on a certain day and loss the
money up for grabs from the roofs, that
would be the peoples will.
The big business interests and the home
owners and farm owners and more conser-
vative citizens of the middle class were really
frightened and don't let anyone tell you they
weren't. Money was raised somewhere ana
strong counter propag anda was starteo TO
get out the vote of the apathetlc element 10
save representative, popular government ana
the economic system of capitalism IN Call
fornia and. on election day ham n eggs was
defeated by no more than to or there-
abouts very close call. But for mat cam
paign, ham m eggs probably Wouio nave
won; so you might say that the money inter-
ests. the propertied class, stood OIL dictator.
ship and preserved the American system Oh
government against the threat OF democracy;
But a communist could say, and ,coulo not
dispute him, that if the majority hau voseo
a dictator into power and Voteo W 'oaiioon
permanently their popular rent W oepose
him. that would have been classi0a1 opei
alton of the democratic process.