Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-06-01
The
Beam

I had lunch the other day
with a delegation of Belgian
journalists who have been
touring this country under the
auspices of the Office of War
Information.
They told me that the occu-
patton of their countr--' by the
Nazis had served as a lasting
lesson in political education
for their people.
Under the Nazi occupation,
they said, it yvas the pluto
Gratis, the rich industrialists,
bankers and landlords, who
were quickest and most ready
to help the invading German
tyrants to oppress the Belgian
people.
This collaboration of Bel
gian plutocrats with German
Nazis proved what Belgian
progressives and laborites had
been saying for years: That
the plutocracy fears democ-
racy and will join with any
gang of goons to stamp it out.
This was proven in France
and other occupied countries,
as well as in Belgium; and the
plutocracy of all countries will
act the same way, as l have
tried repeatedly in my small
way to say in this column.
PEOPLE IN DOUBT
Prior to the German occupa-
ton of their country, the Bel
gian journalists said, there
were many people who
doubted that, given a chance,
the Belgian plutocrats would
stab democracy in the back.
But the occupation gave
them their chance, and they
scampered like rats to help the
Nazis fasten the yoke of tyr
amy on the PROSTATE neck of
the Belgian people.
Now the common people in
France, Belgium and other lib
Grated countries know the
truth.
They know that the pluto
Gratis who pretend to love
democracy are mostly liars
and fakirs.
They have learned, N blood
shed, anguish and death, that
plutocracy is the sworn and
deadly enemy o. democracy.
LESSON FOR AMERICA
There is a lesson for Amer
lea in all this, too-especially
for the workers and farmers,
professionals and small busi-
nessmen of this country.
Our own plutocracy has
carefully and skillfully Gre
ated the popular belief that
industrialists, b n k S and
andlords-especially the very
rich ones-are true lovers of
democracy.
They have sowed far and
wide the false idea that the
privilege of getting rich and
owning great properties is a
basic democratic right, and
that anyone who challenges
the privileges of the rich is a
devilish and un-American Red
bent on destroying home own
ership, church and woman
hood.
This idea has been accepted
by many millions of common
Americans who regularly vote
for plutocratic candidates and
thus help plutocracy to main
tain its power in this country.
Without this help, rallied by
paid plutocratic propagandists,
the plutocracy could not main
tain the firm rip it has on the
factories and real estate of this
country.
THE HARD WAY
I hope we in America do not
ever have to learn the hard
way, as the Belgians did under
the Nazi occupation, that plu-
Locracy is a deadly menace to
our freedom and our demo-
cratic rights.
But we must learn to reject
Nazi ideas-if we
are to remain free.
Small business men must
earn to fight the plutocrats
who secretly try to swallow
hem up.
Farmers must learn to fight
he bankers and corporations
hat grab theii land.
Workers must learn to fight
'acial discrimination-or it
will wreck their unions.
Unless we learn these les
ons now, under freedom, we
will have to learn them later
under tyranny.
And now among the fading
embers,
'hese in the main are my