The Wilmington morning star., 1947-12-27
AS Pegler Sees It
By WESTBROOK PEGLER
copyright, 1947, By King Features
C.p.d;nafn Inn

(COpyright, 1947, BY k1ng FeatureS
Syndicate, Inc.)
One great difference sets apart the Com
,nunists from all other groups which nave
attachments to other lands and brands the
Communists unmistakably as enemies OF
the United States.
The favorite political protege Of the Com,
rou1ist propaganda is the alien minority.
If you damn the Communist as pro
Russian YOU are a bigoted cooper center.
Ym1 hate all Immigrants and all who main
tain an affection for Ireland, for example.
There is no parallel here. Most OF the
Irish immigrants and many OF their proge-
nv were ferocious against England Tor her
oppression of Ireland. But there was nc
question of their devotion to the United
States.
During the First World war, some Ger
man immigrants and their children were
suspected of disloyalty to this nation be-
cause they applied their intelligence to the
issues between Germany and France. very
few were pro-German to the extent tna'
they were anti-Ameerican
TO get our perspective, we must under
stand first that Russia is our enemy ana
that all Communists are adherents OF tnat
enemy On treason the constitution says
it consists of levying war against the Unit
ed States or adhering to our enemles' CIV
ing them aid and comfort. =,
Those Irish and their children who hated
England did not levy war against this ma
tion. and Ireland the country to which
they gave assistance, was our 1r1eho.
A few Irish did undertake to strike blow
for Ireland against Englano from our
able under another heading. Such mischief
might involve us in war with friendly
power some time and the precedent, con.
firmed in the financing or organlzatlon OF
Armies in the United States to fight IN
Spain and Palestine, is being useo against
us even now by Stain.
The Germans who had come here prior
to 1914, some Of whom, and some OF whose
progeny, were caught in the problem OF
loyalty in the first war, were, on the Wnole,
fine group Their virtues have long been
recognized and to mention those virtues
grant groups who were inferior IN those
particulars. Politically they were doubt
full boon, being tainted with Socialism.
When August, 1914 befell, our country
somehow suddenly came under the spell OF
a vast, insensate, adolescent crush on
France herself had been an aggressor by
trade, and was inefficient, quarrelsome and
disorderly. She had been asking for a re-
turn match ever since 1870, when she got
a licking which she deserved at least as
well as she deserved some of her past
pumped for France right from the start.
We also fell for the publicity which bade
us loathe the Kaiser as wicked man
because Germany repudiated her treaty
with Belgium as a scrap OF paper. This
made us feel virtuous, but we forgot the
in our own relations with the Indians, and
by means no less brutal, time, place and
military proficiency considered.
Many of our Germans, to give them a
convenient name, had better information
about France and the French and refused
though someone had criticized al
sophomores girl We turned on them saw
agely, refused to listen to argument and
even found ourselves on the side OF Eng
land, our favorite enemy. Even thousands
Of American Irishers were so bemused by
the crush on La Belle France ,promis-
cuous wanton, in fact that they could bring
themselves to fight on England's side in|
crisis when, if ever, perfidious albion
could be crushed and degraded.
Now for the difference between all such
friends of other countries, and the Com
munists of today and their feilow-travelers
The difference is that Soviet Russia is
an enemy of the United States. The fact
that her enmity long was ignored and only
lately was acknowledged by our own gov
ernment does not alter the fact that the
Soviet government has been actively hostile
to us for 30 years. 1t was our enemy even
during the recent great war 1t infested
our country with plague of spies when
American generals were not allowed to
visit the Russian fronts. It sabotaged our
industrial war preparations during the Hit
ler-Stalin alliance. The record need not be
reviewed in detail.
The fact to be emphasized is the fact
of Russias hostility. This is the ground
work for proof of treason by those Ameri-
cans who adhere to Communism, which is
but the political war program of Soviet
Russia The infestation is worst in New
York. It is dangerous in Hollywood and
Washington and in the CLIO. 1t is active
in groups which receive and pay money
the guise of lecturers on Poland and Pales-
tine.
1t would be pathetic if we had to rely
on the dictum of Francis Biddle, late At
torney General of the United States, that
Communism is inimical. BY thousand
testimonials of better authorities that i'm
placable hostility was proved in our own
congressional hearings and reports and
in confessional warnings of self accusing
apostates. Biddle's official opinion is well
come merely as corroboration. Commu
nism is war in the modern manner. Hitler
took Austria and Czechoslovakia without
firing shot. Stain took the little Baltic
nations also without a shot by the very
same process. The only difference here IS
in the size of the problem
| The Communist is not just one who holds
certain political views. To amend our law
and execute him by firing squad as trait
or is not an attempt to shoot an idea. 1t
is merely to adopt modern methods in
dealing with modern treason in modern
war.
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