The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-28
Fair Enough
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1916, BY King Features
Syndicate. Incl

AO4AiN IN AAASG q SISA1O hlO III VAS 001nO
guard duty at a camp for German prisoners
of war.
MT. SpelVln was pleasantly surprised over
the chance meeting and, after a few minutes
OF this and that, George asked the kid what
about the Heinie PW's
Did they yearn for a democracy like ours?
Wen" the kid said, they do and they
uont' because when the officers start giving
them that old democracy thing in the lectures,
we'll these krauts realize that if thew don't
yes the ears off them they may never get
nome ITO Germany, but if this is democracy
that we are getting lately, you can give my
undivided share to Eleanor and Sidney Hill
man because it is pretty hard to keep a
straight face to a German.
Like the other day, one of these guys was
asking me, he said, How is it Herr Lewis
can close down all the coal mines, even when
the president says he shouldn't do like so.
because he says, Hitler never let NOBODY do
like SO in Deutchland. If the government can't
run the American Reich and a few bit shots
can ruin everything, then the big shots are
bigger than the government he said.
well, 1 was reading Eleanor the other day
where the CAB she said she and her friends.
ike Sidney and all, had finally taken economic
control away from big business and given
economic control to the government so it could
be run for the benefit of the people. I hit
the German with that figuring I couldn't 20
'&NS doSeAhS ttO 4p OoL ilG S1NG HE q OuInO
look and asked me if the government had
con'rol like she says, then how come the
americans still can't get any automobiles and
this Reuther can dictate how much profit the
manufacturers can earn. Because.
ne says, any guy who can do that or any
guy who can stop your coal or your railroads
is just like Hitler and they control the GOV
eminent whether you call them a fuehrer or
a LABOR leader or whatever the hell. And he
SAID If a country as big and rich as ours
coulon even produce enough clothing for the
people and discharged soldiers couldn't find
any place to live because the union buns
won't let the working people manufacture
building material, well maybe democracy is
beautiful but, with us, we always knew Hitler
was working for Germany and not for Russia
or Just the coal miners or the pants-pressers
Under Hitler the fellow said, we paid
income taxes to the Reich but we didn't have
TO pay income tax to union gangsters. But
mere IN America you pay first the income
tax to the gangsters and after that Won nav
the government. Hitler, he just figured If any,
one is going to have the robbery privilege
why let the government do the robbing and
oont let any private competition cut in
L tried to tell him, we'll democracy isn't
perfect and he said, You can't get any argu-
ment out of me on that Then I said they had
plenty OF gangsters in the Nazi government
and he said they sure did but thew were gov
SoiSo oilo I'LL never let them
tie up industry and production or tax the
peoples wages to build up a political party
IKE the CAB and her pals are doing. And he
SAID maybe the old girls party would be ma
tlonal socialist after all, just like the Nazis.
because, ne said, it certainly acts that way
up to now.
PLENTY of ways our democracy seems lust
ike national socialism only not anywhere near
so efficient, he said to me. but if we keen
on the way we are going the people will get
sore and the government will take over the
unions and industry, both, and regulate wages
ana profits, too, SO in the long run it makes
tAe same difference.
And furthermore the German said. the
Dig Nazls acted like a lot of hogs, living in
the best hotels and homes and eating expen-
slVe luxurles but who do you read about in
the saloon news in Washington and New York
ana hollywood except party officials and some
olrty-mlnded old garter-snapper from the high
courts and shyster lawyers and actors and pro-
paganolSts and rich profiteers, just like in
Germany under Hitler
Mr.. Spelvin,' the kid said, 81 tried him
every way. 1 said, yes, but you Germans
made a god of Hitler and do you know what
ne cracked back? He said, yes, and see
where the Americans have a sacred national
shrine at Hyde Park and Herr Truman saws
he won't really be president but just interpret
the departed leaders will. A shrine means
~ ~ EtoNS, ~ L SoC0S IldL means V0llT
national god is buried there
Il said, well, anyway, we have got free
dom OF speech and he said, that isn't what
1 read in a little book by Frank Knox, who
ran for vlce-presldent with Herr Landoa, he
cause the book says business men didn't dare
speak out unless they would get in trouble
with the income tax and the labor board. In
Germany 1t was just the same so the business
men got wise and Joined the nazis and Herr
Knox old the same thing here and a lot of
otner people, too, including preachers and
writer's, also
Il asked him if he was a Nazi and he
SAID, well, are you a democrat?' He said he
was only II when Hitler came in promising
comfort and high wages and vacations with
pay and sock the rich, and I was the same
age When Roosevelt came in with the same
promises and here I am now, a buck private,
guarding a Heinie buck private.
SO now, I just don't argue with the Nazis
because if you skip the religious part if iS
hard to top their answers. They had brown i
shirt gangs and we have picket mobs. Thew
prosecuted you for your religion and we g;ve
you hell if you don't pay a dollar to the gains
political party and won't even let YOU earn
food for your family. And in Butte. Mont
they kick your house down and chase vow
wife and kids down the street if vo1 stioll
to your job and we have the gall to sav ~
Nazis were cowardly brutes. VIC
t'Sometimes," the neighbors' kid Gaia Ger
think I am wasting my time in uniform TO-.
ing these buns democracy because their co,.
try went through that stage 20 wears q on5