Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-05-11
On The
Beam
By
Clayton w.
Fountain

end in shattered Europe. Mil
lions of men, women and chill
dren have died to bring us to
this hour of muted celebra-
ton.
Have they died in vain? In
forcing the German Army to
surrender, have we vanquish-
ed the Nazi idea?
These are the first questions
we must ask ourselves now,
while we fight on to defeat
japan and win complete VIC
tory, and while we turn sober
ly to the task of resurrecting
Europe from the CORY sham
bles of hunger and hatred out
of which the declaration of
peace is proclaimed.
To be able to answer these
questions, we must first un-
derstand the meaning of the
Nazi idea. And, to be able to
understand the Nazi idea, we
must first comprehend the
causes and reasons from which
Hitlerism arose to afflict the
world.
DEATH TO DEMOCRACY
Adolf Hitler rose to power
in Europe because the privi-
legged plutocrats in Germany
hired him and his Nazi gangs
ters to crush the democratic
movements of European peo-
pies.
The Nazi slogan was Death
to democracy"
Powerful German landlords,
industrialists and b an kers
were deadly afraid of democ-
racy. They feared that gov
ernment of the common peo-
pie would rise up in Germany
to- challenge minority control
of the economic life of the
German nation.
They knew that such a dem
ocratic government of the
common people could extend
trade unionism, legislate So
cial security, parcel out land
to the landless, reduce the
profits of industry, and other
wise compel the use of eco
nomic resources for the good
of all.
Such a democratic program
was poison to the German
plutocrats.
FAKE REVOLUTIONISTS
To win support from the
less enlightened sections of the
German working class and
peasantry, the Nazis turned
themselves into fake revolu-
tionists. They proclaimed ma
tional socialism" as their goal,
and they pretended to de-
nounce the "capitalistic pluto
crats"-while the plutocrats
laughed up their sleevs and
shelled out the dough to fl
nance this phony propaganda.
Then came the proclamation
of the master race theory and
the brutal persecution of the
Jews. BY blaming the Jews
and the trade unions, the COM
munists and the socialists, for
Germany's miseries after
World War l, the Nazis di-
verted attention from the real
culprits, the plutocrats.
Finally, after Hitler was ap-
pointed Chancellor, thus Civ
ing the Nazis control of the
Nazi police system, they pro-
ceeded Systematically to de-
stroy the labor movement and
the political movements of the
common people.
In thus crushing the unions
and the anti-capitalist poll
tical parties, Hitler and the
Nazis disclosed the real pur-
pose of the Nazi idea,
WAR GOES ON
So / say today, on May Z,
1945, the day of the surrender
of the German forces, that
the war against the Nazi sys-
tenn has not ended; that the
war against the Nazi idea
must 60 on.
Progressives all around the
world must fight on for the
advancement of the demo-
cratic idea.
Wherever plutocrats gang
up on labor unions, the Nazi
idea still lives, and we must
fight it on that front.
Wherever politicians kick
the people around, the Nazi
idea still lives and we must
fight it on that front.
Wherever the dim-wit klux-
ers discriminate against Ne
groes and Jews, the Nazi idea
still lives, and we must fight
it on that front.
The war against the Nazi
idea must 60 on until we have
built a democratic world of
peace and brotherhood.
Tn arguing against nuhlica-