The Wilmington morning star., 1945-08-28


with them as much as many of his read
ers. His articles serve the good purpose
of making people think.)
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1945, BY King Features Syndicate)
NEW YORK. Aug 27-When Ernest
Bevin, the new Foreign Secretary of the BRIT
ish government, spoke of THAT very much
overworked word, democracy, " and said it
appeared to need definition he gave faint
yank at the string which might unravel the
entire costume of hypocrisy and fraud from
the takers Of the world.
It is the name of an evil political system
whereby the majority rules without regard for
the rights Of minorities
It has not standing in the American system
of government which, from the beginning, has
been republican. You will not find it in either
the Declaration of Independence or the con-
stitution which latter document, on the con.
trary, was devised explicitly and by deliberate
choice, to guarantee to the states of this nation
republican form of government.
France, too, was a republic which degen-
Grated into democracy, then slavery under
dictatorship
Some Americans who thoughtlessly or
stupidity accept democracy a definition Of
our form of government, insist when
cornered, that they do not mean pure demo-
y.
is legitimate word for the representative
form of government. That is republic which
provides for constitutional government by
elected representatives of the people.
1t is an interesting paradox that the most
vehement advocates of democracy or majority
rule are also most clamorous about the rights
Of minorities which, under true democracy,
have no rights.
Slavery can exist under democracy for
under true democratic prodecure it is neces.
sary only for a majority to vote to enslave
the rest. The majority may vote themselves
the earned possessions of the minority In the
practise Of unionism here, man who flouts
the will of the majority, however repugnant,
may oe barred forever from employment
This hurts him and his family just as much
as though he had been barred because of his
religion or race but the will of the majority
must be done under democracy. They are not
sollcltous for the rights of minorities as such.
They have pet minorites.
There is another queer paradox in the fact
that many of the unions which cry that they
are democracies are actually republics but
still lntlict abuses the weak and helpless
They conduct regular elections which are,
theoretically, fair and honest. in which the
outstanding men are repeatedly returned to
office.
They presently become so powerful
however, thanks to their superior intelligence
and their opportunity to devote themselves to
nothing else but union politics, that they man.
age to hold their jobs for long terms, some
times for life. They pass laws with without
authority from their constitutions, which give
them personal power over the union treasures
and, in some cases, prerog atives which are
truly royal and not legally given even to the
President of the United States in relation to
the American people.
The defect here is that they do not forbid
union president to serve more than one or two
consecutive terms or compel members of the
governing councils to step down after a given
time. Those states which forbade that gov
ernor should serve more than one or two con-
secutive terms took this precaution to prevent
ambitious rascals from developing greater
power than the people.
The founding fathers neglected to provide
against this but the George Washington tradi-
ton nevertheless persisted until Franklin D.
Roosevelts political power, developed by ap.
peals to prejudice, selfpity and greed became
so great that he could elect himself for a
third term and, finally, fourth.
This autocratc government of republican
unions does not necessarily reveal a flaw in
the system What it does represent is abuse OF
the system which could be prevented by con-
have seen, however, it is almost impossible to
correct such abuse by any action short of
revolution once it has developed
Those who have cried democracy and more
democracy" these last 10 years have a
strange and special version of the majority"
To them a ''majority'' of any given group
means majority of those present at par
ticuar meeting.
In one spectacular case, an industry en-
ploying 300 men and women received demands
from union representing 10 per cent of the
payroll. This minority called meeting which
was attended by II of its members, majority
of the 80. Ten of the II were against the
strike, knowing it would wreck the business
and end their jobs permanently.
The communists dragged the debate along
until five of those 10 went home to sleep. The
strike vote then carried to and all 80
majority" The other 27O also were laid off
and this condition became permanent when
the owners who had been making no profit
anyway, just shut up shop.
1t is easy to agree with Bevin that
democracy" has been overworked, and needs
definition. But republic too has been neg
lected and needs explanation and propa ganda
so that Americans may be rescued from their
delusion that democracy is the form of govern
ment which provided freedoms and the stand
ards that exist in no other nation in this world
but the Republic of the United States.
so THEY SAY