You, Too, Are a Fascist

The repercussions of Henry Wallace's Detroit speechmaking (TIME, Aug. 2) refused to die. Wallace had loosely tossed around the word "Fascist," without naming or plainly indicating exactly whom he meant. A few Republican leaders had replied in kind. The press took them up. Said The New Yorker wisely:

"It is already apparent that the word 'Fascist' will be one of the hardest-worked words in the Presidential campaign. Henry Wallace called some people Fascists the other day in a speech and next day up jumped Harrison Spangler, the Republican, to remark that if there were any Fascists in this country you would find them in the New Deal's palace guard. It is getting so a Fascist is a man who votes the other way. Persons who vote your way, of course, continue to be 'right-minded people.'

"We are sorry to see this misuse of the word 'Fascist.' If we recall matters, a Fascist is a member of the Fascist party or a believer in Fascist ideals. ... It seems to us that there are many New Deal Democrats who do not subscribe to such a program, also many aspiring Republicans. Other millions of Americans are nonsubscribers. It's too bad to emasculate the word 'Fascist' by using it on persons whose only offense is that they vote the wrong ticket. . . ."

Last week, in an impromptu talk before labor delegates and woman Democrats in his native Iowa, Henry Wallace continued to talk a good fight. But he gave up "Fascist" in favor of an older, better accepted whipping boy. Said he:

"It's time now to take off the gloves."

"The large corporations never believed in all-out production. They always believed in holding down production for profit, . . . The general welfare will not be promoted unless there is a showdown on whether the corporations control the Government or the people control it."

Nobody rose to protest.

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