The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1953-01-02
My 1.-TWO Bits" Worth
By LEVERNE HAMILTON,
ThOmpson Falls

/
Normally 1 am not a person to quib-
| BILE over trivial technicalities of def
milton but in this instance | must as
a lifelong socialist voice brief criti-
| cism o f Marie Eaton's article on
| CREEPING SOCIALISM, (Voice of
| Dec 3D.
My criticism is not directed at the
general tone of the article for with
| that / am in hearty accord but I must
object to her ill-advised use of the
terms 'fascist-socialism" and fascist
socialist theology" for as the old farm
| er said on his first sight of a camel
| hell, there amt no SIGH animal"
The fact is that fascism and social
| ism are as far apart as the poles and
my criticism is offered solely because
the mistaken idea of Jumping the two
together gives an entirely erroneous
impression to the reader who may not
have investigated far enough to dis
tinguish the difference.
For the information of any reader
who may be in doubt / will say that
the most clear and concise definition
of socialism and the socialist aim is
THE social ownership and demo-
cratic operation of the means of pro-
duction and distribution"-and it is
therefore the very essence of democ-
racy. Amy other theology is emphat-
ically NOT socialism.
True, both Hitler and Mussolini
CLAIMED to be socialists before they
rose to power. They simply used that
method of securing power because in
both countries there was a strong trend
to a socialist theology and they, like
many of our old line politicians in our
own country, adopted some socialist
ideas or suggestions to secure power
for themselves and once that position
of power was secured they gave their
countries anything else but socialism,
We have seen the same thing going on
during the New Deal-Fair Deal period
Hitler and Mussolini were both die
tators and your true socialist insists
that there can be no dictatorship I'M
der a socialist economy. 1t may be that
Marie Eaton has been misled by the oft
repeated claims or Hitlers National
Socialism" into the belief that his
claims to socialism were true and she
has fallen into the error, common to
many, of really believing that Hitler
was giving Germany a brand of soc
ialism (you remember that Adolph him
self said that ii you told a lie big
enough and repeated it often enough
people would come to believe IT'D How
ever, | am of the opinion that her use
of the terms fascist socialism" and
"socialist-fascist ideology' were simp-
ly unfortunate, for her letter indicates
that she is sufficiently well informed
to know better, and were it not for |
the erroneous impression they might |
create | would not offer this criticism. |
There is a world wide trend toward |
a socialist economy at the present time |
and it has been in progress for decades |
ooh yes, we have it even in the u S. Al |
here, as in other coun-
tries it is the creeping" kind, not |
the kind that advances boldly as So
cialists would prefer it. In this coun-
try we see it eXemplified especially |
during the New Deal4Fair Deal" pc
riod by the politicians of both old par
ties purlOining a few planks from the
socialist platforms and advancing
themselves to positions of power be-
cause of the appeal those planks made
to the voting public.
A returned G.. l. once said to me
that he wasn't a socialist because he
had seen to many socialist countries. I
was compelled to inform him that he
had not yet seen ANY socialist coun-
-rieS because there were none at the
present time. True, some countries
nave made the first faltering steps
oward a socialist economy, New Zea-
and, the Scandinavian countries, Great
Britain and Russia. Britain with her
naturalization of a few major indus
ries Mexico with her naturalization
If petroleum, and Russia. Russia has t:
DeIeN6 gone the IdTJn6SC toward a | {
ocialist program, from the informa-
ion [ could gather before Churchill
nd the American press dropped their |
iron curtain" of secrecy and censor
hip over news coming from that coun-
ry. But even in Russia they operate
if we may believe the press) under a Is
and dictatorship is en-
rely foreign to the real modern, So
ialist theology of democratic co-opera-
ion {
Hulett Johnson Ocean of Canterbury l
vrote several books dealing with the !
russian methods prior to and during
World War II, which indicated that I
russian industry was then operating I
n a more democratic basis than even ;
ere in the u. S. A, and took the OBJ
ortunity upon several occasions Gone l
specially speaker who was speaking I
n behalf TO the war effort) to in
uire of people who had travelled in
sussa if these books gave an ac-
urate picture of conditions existing in &
suSSia and the reply was invaria bly =
hat they did. This was at a time when
sussia was an ally and there was no
eason to misrepresent facts.
Now of course, we need not and f
hould not, accept as gospel what the
russians tell us, nor should we accept t
S gospel the things that our own t
tell us about Russia, t
9th sides will be, and are, prejudiced. t