Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1945-01-03
BEHIND
NEWS
BY Paul
Mallon


w part W have traced
Column yesterday the fact OF
nearly two-thirds of the serv-
icemen not voting for either
Roosevelt or Dewey and con-
trasted il with the highly or
gained political action OF the
Congress of Industrial Organi-
cations and its new theory OF
freedom as being organized con-
troll of the individual through
unions and federalized power, in
an effort to bring into the light
for plain discussion the appre-
tensions evident here as TO
where this country is going, do
mestically and internationally.
There was great fear of fas-
cism in the country before our
war victory b c m e vislbly
probable. Fascism is Dictator
ship by right wing elements,
conservatives. II was evolved
by Mussolini and perfected by
Hitler as the only means of
combating communism which
was a dictatorship by the left
wing elements.
Neither represented the
yearning of any great body OF
the people. They were conceived
at the top and imposed on the
people. They were revolutions
in which highly organized mi
norities got control of the peo-
pie, the bulk of whom are not
and cannot be expert in politics.
They did not come from cleo
tions, yet they adhere to the
system of elections. Both Hitler
and Stain held elections. gen.
orally winning them 100 to be-
cause the people dared not vote
any other way, unless they
wanted to be killed or ruined.
To make their living, the people
had to vote the way in which
the highly organized minority
at the top told them to vote.
Even so, no dictator has been
able to maintain himself in office
without periodic purges to muir
der and suppress the opposition.
NOV no important segment OF
y our people want either fas-
cism or communism, yet there
is a very popular movement for
the basic principle, denying the
democratic concept OF individual
liberty as being a good thing,
and interpreting freedom just as
the Fascists and Communists do.
Where we seem to be heading
in all this is toward new form
of capitalistic republic con-
trolled politically and economic
cally by the unions.
But is it possible to have that?
Can you have capitalism and
union control? Can you main
tain democracy under union
control?
If you have the union wage
class in economic control, IT
would make all capitalism work
toward it's ends-higher and
higher wages which would force
higher and higher prices with
less and less profits. incentive,
private capital. 1t could not last
any more than a controlled cap
italism by business could last.
IRON the political side, un-
Il questionably the great bulk
of the people who pay the prices
and the wages would not long
stand for it.
Once you accept the basic
new idea of freedom as meaning
federal control, you cannot have
either capitalism or democracy
dominated by any group or
class. 1t could not work. Only
a strictly judicial type of gov
eminent, dispassionately main
tanning the interests of the
whole, could make both ends
meet economically.
But is it politically possible
10 have dispassionate govern
ment in this country of such
highly organized minorities?
I hope no one will think this
analysis has a political, critical
or propaganda intent. l firmly
believe no one can stop this cur
rent trend of union political ac-
ton, except the union leaders,
and think they will-uninten-
tionally-by excessive zeal IN
their own behalf.
AS TO our future form of gov
eminent, the facts OF Europe
show surface forms do not mean
much. You can have elections.
even a Reichstag, call yourself
a Republic (as Russia does) +.
and still have dictatorship by
the right or left. The true diff
ference between those ways and
ours to date has been that we
allowed political opposition, and
they did not. This is the real
dividing line.
DEMOCRACY dies when gen.
~ uine political opposition to
the party in power dies, is muir
dered or suppressed. This is
the test of whether individual
liberty exists.
Call your state or movement
by whatever pretty name you
think will be enticing TO the
great bulk of people who have
insufficient time to keep UP on
their daily living to keep up on
the fine points of political mat
tiers. and can be made 10 believe
practically anything by highly
organized propaganda methods
Of interested experts. Your