Detroit evening times., 1945-11-27
FAIR
BY Westbrook
PegIer1Np

DY INQUIRY al the office Of
- the mayor Of Providence. I
have learned that the name of
M Ssolini street has been
changed 10 Russo street. IN
honor of Albert Russo, the first
Rhode Islander of Italian lineage
To die IN the present wal.
That any street in any Amer
lean city ever should have been
named for the man who created
faScism out of communism, TO
which ne was an apostate, may
remind us that some conSplcu-
ous Americans OF Italian birth
or descent, who now repudiate
MuSSolini were glad 10 honor
HIM and To receive honors from
hlm not so lorg ago.
Shortly before Pearl Harbor,
they subsidized and by cock-crow
on Dec. 3. l94l, they had denied
HIM utterly.
IN PROVIDENCE, they were
L especially arrogant, as the
selection OF the Duce'S name
for a city street shows
They were alert 10 resent
criticisms Of either the regime
or the Duce and boldly de-
manded the elimination of such
material from the press
They, in turn, were over
whelmlngly repudlated by the
Americans for whom they took
il upon themselves TO speak, and
now the names Of Russo, Basi-
lone and Damato outshlne those
of all the bumptious racketeers
OF New York. Providence and
Philadelphia who served the
DlCe here.
II is not always unwise -
name pubic places and instItu-
tions in honor Of living heroes.
The Pershlng squares here/
and there were so-Called In an
hour of emotion. hut there has
been no suggestion that they ne
renamed in honor Of later
heroes
However. in the case Of La
Guardla Field. the selection
surely was premature
And for LaGuardiaS own
sentiments on that We have his
own observation, shortly after
CorrcCldOr, that the time Was
not yet 10 honor Gen Mac
Arthur II v7rT7TtTr f7vrT7TT
EIthe" LaGuarcla forgot that
The airport had been named for
hIm or ne considered nl, own
fame and distinction 20 hc So
cure and MaCArthurS immature
and subject 10 sharp discount n
the hight of later CcNc| |op0ent
In either case LtGlatdla
seems 10 have been u"roco-'.
4 sewage plant or dump would
have been more Appropriate ~
an experiment
I'VE Italians. during 'hcrco1
Il quest Of AhN,,Iria impIl-
sIvely eXpunged tho old iamih.r
name of a Roman square and,
overnight pasted up paper
strips bearing the name Marshal
De Bono. They revoked an old
compliment 10 Woodrow Wilson
"a, a similar mood Of petulance
and named one OF their preten.
tiOus avenues after the Fascist
martyrs who forgot 20 duck
when Mussolini seized the gov
ernment. This too, probably
has beer. reSclnded now.
In the end De Bono fell be-
fore a firing squad. so proo1
ahly his name came down from
the corners even before the
Americans moved IN.
IT IS AN odd fact that, al
L though Mussolini certainly
vas popular in Italy and today
would be a hero of the people
had ne won his war. our dis
position ward the Italian
people is forgiving and SYM
pathetic whereas. IN general,
we have no mercy for the Ger
mans and apply 10 them the
principle Of racial guilt.
We do this although every
early observer Of the rise OF
Hitler acknowledged that many
Germans hated him and only
bowed 10 the terror and power
OF the brown shirts
We have seen business men.
proud and ostensibly stalwart
in their American convictions.
cooperate with the goOns, who
are almost identical with HIT
lerS early storm troops and
for the same reason
II they resist, the terror VIII
put them out OF business by
shutting off supplies ~ thclr
doors. beating up their om-
ployees and their customers
and boyCotting firms which deal
with them
If they comply, the goonN VIII
help them and limit compeii-
tion by killing of the business
Of then rivals or making 1t