WHAT IS FASCISM LEADING TO?

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 122, 9 June 1937, Page 8

WHAT IS FASCISM LEADING TO?

War and Internal Disorder Prophesied AMERICAN VIEWS NEW YORK, April 26. "The United States is the only nation in a position to arbitmte with European powers to forestall a second world war in the event of the present controversy abroad not being settled peacefully," said Dr. James Howard Wellard of Chicago, Rotary International Relations Institute lecturer, in an address. Dr. Wellard explained that tho United States is the only major nation with nothing at sfake from a material standpoint in European hostilitiea, and therefore would be the only democracy whose intervention would not be re sented by Fascist nations which, he held, are ' ' baiting ' ' demqcratic Europe. He indicated that he f elt any possible intervention by America would be to curb Fascism. Dr. Wellard said that the rising tide of Fascism in Europe would result in war or a breakdown of Fapcism itself from internal disorder wilhin Germany or Italy. He' mentioned as a solution a collective security i'ormed by an alliance of democracies in Furope. but warned that such an a^lianec of France, England and Russia would force Germany and Italy into a defensive pact — and might result in war. He said that war in Europe within the next few years depends npon whether#Italy and Germany feel they have the man power, armament and resources necessary to defy England to stop their advances toward further colonisation. In that eventuality, he said, England would be forced to fight. Dr. Wellard declared that Italy invaded Ethiopia because Mussolini realised England was not prepared to interfere, but the speaker interpreted Great Britain's re-armament programme as an indication that she is preparing to call H Duce's hand, should he continue his aggressive foreign policy. He insisted that peoples of the European nations, even Fascist naI tions, -want peace. Hitler and Mussolini, he said, feel r deflnite loss of prestige. Particularly does Germany realise a desperate need for more colonies, Dr. Wellard said. Those factors, he said, account for their aggressiveness. - Besides a nnitlng of European democracies against Fascist control, Dr. Wellard said a more equal distribution of world resources and a more co-oper-ative attitude" toward under-privileged nations would help solve the European dilemma. He reierred briefly to the present Bpanish crisis and declared Fascist nations wero not alone in interf ering in . Spain. The United States, Dr. Wellard said, is the only world power which has retained its integrity with all nations. That, he said, is appreciated throughout Europe. He scoflfed at the idea that Communism or Fascism is undermining the United States. Communism is no longer aggresBive and instead of ^preading fhroughout the world, ^ as some propagandists assert, is becoming isolated.