The Wilmington morning star., 1945-11-26
Fair Enough
Nv wEsTBRooK PEGLER
Upright, 1915, BY King Features Syndicate

NEW YORK, Nov Is. - BY inquiry at the
office of the mayor of Providence, have
learned that the name of Mussolini street has
been changed to Russo street, in honor of
Albert Russo 'the first Rhode Islander of
Italian lineage to die in the present war"
That any street in any American city ever
should have been named for the man who
created fascsm out OF communism, to which
he was an apostate, may remind us that some
CONSPICUOUS Americans of italian birth or
descent, who now repudiate Mussolini were
glad to honor him ard to receive honors from
him not so long ago. These persons are, for the
most part, pushful and selfish political up
starts who presumed to speak for all Ameri-
cans "of American lineage" and profited by
their effrontery through subsidies from the
IA scist government and trashy medals and auto
graphed photographs Of Mussolini, bestowed
with the personal touch. They tried to segre-
gate this body of Americans from the rest
Of US and. to some extent, succeeded in arous-
ing in them feeling that any notice Of the
ferocious anti-American campaign in Musso-
lini's press, was reflection on their race or
blood and an insinuation against their Aneri-
can loyalty Shortly before Pearl Harbor, they
subsidized and by cock-crow on December g.
l941 they had denied him utterly.
In Providence, they were especially arrog-
III,
city street shows. They were alert to resent
criticisms Of either the regime or the Duce
and boldly demanded the elimination Of such
material from the press. They, in turn, were
overwhelmingly repudiated by the Americans
for whom they took it upon themselves to speak,
and now the names Of Russo, Basilone and
Damato outshine those Of all the bumptious
racketeers of New York, Providence and
Philadelphia who served the Duce here.
It is not always unwise to name public places
and institutions in honor of living heroes. The
Pershing squares here and there were social
ed in an hour of emotion but there has been no
suggestion that they be renamed in honor Of
later heroes. However, in the case of La
Guarda field. the selection surely was pre-
mature. And for LaGuardia's own sentiments
on that we nave his own observation, shortly
after Corregidor, that the time was not yet to
honor General Macarthur in similar fashion.
Either LaGuardia forgot that the airport had
been named for him or he considered his own
fame and distinction to be secure and Mac
Arthur's immature and subject to sharp dis
count in the light Of later developments In
either case LaGuardia seems to have been
immodest. A sewage plant or dump would have
been more appropriate as an experiment.
The italians, during their conquest Of Abys-
sinia, inpulsively expunged the old familiar
name Of Roman square and overnight, pasted
up paper strips bearing the name of Marshal
de Bono. They revoked an old compliment Of
Woodrow Wilson in similar mood of petulance
and named one of their pretentious avenues
after the fascist martyrs who forgot to duck
when Mussolni seized the government. This.
too, probably has been rescinded now.
Not long afterward, Marshal de Bono was re-
called, arriving in Rome long after midnight
roo4Y1 oil ~ l..
give him a triumphal reception The marshal
had laid an egg and, for once since Mussolini
had made the trains to run on time. train was
hours late on a run comparable to the COM
muters' daily ride from New Haven to New
York. In the end de Bono fell before firing
squad, so probably his name came down from
the corners even before the Americans moved
in.
It is an odd fact that. although Mussolini GER
tainly was popular in Italy and today would be
hero Of the people had he won his war, our
disposition toward the Italian people is for
giving and sympathetic whereas, in general,
we have no mercy for the Germans and apply
to 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 to the terror and
power of the brown shirts. And this in spite Of
same in many cities, particularly in the North.
west.
We have seen business men, proud and os-
tensibly stalwart in their American convic-
tions cooperate with the goons. who are almost
Identical with Hitler's early storm troops, and
for the same reason. If they resist, the terror
will put them out of business by shutting off
supplies at their doors, beating up their en-
ployees and their customers and boycotting
firms which deal with them. If they comply,
the goons will help them and limit competi-
ton by killing off the business Of their rivals
or making it impossible for prospective rivals
to open up.
That was Hitlers way. And yet, not because
Hitler's rules were worse than Mussolini's but
only because he was more efficient, many Of
us damn the Germans as a race and point
out that German children are suffering no
worse than Hitler made Polish and Jewish
children suffer. However, as to the Italians in
Italy who did honor the Duce and would have
been brutal in victory, our sentiment is that
they were innocently misguided and exploited.
NO Americans of German descent ever tried
to name an American street or square after
Adolf Hitler. 1t is not amiss now to consider
"nat their feelings must be- having fought
wen IN two wars against Germany, when they
near that there is something in the German
oreeo or blood which bears the faint Of guilt,
lncIudlng, we would have to assume, even
ElsenhoWer's blood