This Fascist Racket-

The following is the thirteenth of a series of articles, “This Fascist Racket,” by Mr. McGrady, exposing, from the inside, the workings of a typical Fascist organization here, and revealing, through publication of the Fascist “chieftain’s” correspondence, how and in what manner these racial rackets are operated. The series appears daily in the Jewish Daily Bulletin.

When Christians began plucking the strings of Economic Liberty he discovered that all sorts of discordant minor keys emanated from his music box. The most resonant note he has attained thus far is that of anti-Semitism, a pitch he had never anticipated.

His task at present appears to be to harmonize the divergent notes of all anti-Semitic organizations into one blood-curdling scream which will throw all Jews into panic and attract into his fold the “Aryan” majority of the nation. Those who do not respond to the sweet allure of being persecutors of a minority race he will seek to drive into line, employing much the same tactics as were used by Hitler. He will probably class them as the “Juden-Genossen” the “Jewish spirited,” and thereby shame many “Aryans” into coming to a defense of their kind.

Perhaps one of the most widespread and potentially influential anti-Semitic organizations in the United States and the world is the “Anti-Communist League of the World.” Its southern national headquarters are in Houston, over which territory Major Luther I. Powell presides. Powell has been an active aide of “Silver Shirt” Pelley and appears to be willing to rent, for specified fees, his anti-Semitic influence to all comers.

The League’s first communication to Christians came in the form of a request that he join. Christians has since been striving to align the various departments of the League with his group. The League has been inactive, except through exchange of correspondence; purchase of each other’s books; and some slight cooperation in other fields of minor activity. Christians, it is calculated, can bend all these departments into a strong, active group, using cudgels as well as words. Each member officer of the league controls an organization which is active locally or nationally. Just how many organizations comprise the League has not been revealed, but it is safe to assume that there are scores.

IDEALS OF LEAGUE

The ideals of the League are set forth in the following communication from General Henri C. Fletcher of Salt Lake City, who, as the League Universal Vice-Chairman, serves the organization from Washington, D. C. In the national capitol the League maintains only a Post Office address. It is Box 1826. The letter follows:

“In union there is strength, and when (since the day of the crucifixion) have Aryans more needed to be united against the anti-Christ and his organization—Judaistic Communism, Bolshevism, or Sovietism? The peoples of the world must be united through the broadcast of the truth behind the situation in the politics of every Christian capitol throughout the world.

“Truth is being assiduously suppressed by the Jewish-controlled press, world wide….

“Please select your counsellor at the earliest possible date, send his name and address, with a personal description including his professional title, experience, etc., also a photo from which a cut can be made if necessary.”

LIST OF LEAGUE’S OFFICERS

The names of the officers of the League in the United States, a large number of them controlling the most bitterly anti-Semitic groups in the country are printed herewith. So are the names of their collaborators abroad, who are striving for a world-wide persecution of Jewry:

Major L. I. Powell, Universal Chairman;

Judge Thomas B. Lewis, International Counselor, Houston, Texas;

General H. C. Fleisher, Salt Lake City, Universal Vice-Chairman;

Dr. E. F. Webber, Oklahoma City, Okla.;

Lem Gilbert, Houston;

J. E. Carter, Shreveport, La.;

John E. Water, author “Red Justice,” Madison, Wis.;

Fred H. Johnson, organizer, Lincoln, Neb.;

Rev. I. Boyd Wenger, Baton Rouge, La.;

Benjamin B. Shelley, Wichman, Nev.;

Jerry Wolff, Kansas City, Mo.;

Erich H. Faerber, Baytown, Texas;

Dr. Fred E. Bennett, president American Science Foundation, Kansas City, Mo.;

Gilbert F. Stevenson, author “The Cuttle Fish,” Santa Monica, Calif.;

Barton Cruickshank, D.Sc., Seattle, Wash.;

Frederick Mullen, Toronto, Ont.;

Dr. C. H. Sherrer, Blue Field, W. Va.;

Dr. J. B. Taylor, financial executive, Seattle;

Ernest P. Hawkins, organizer, San Diego, Calif.;

Lucia Ramsey Maxwell, writer, Largo, Fla.;

Sy Foster, Liberators, Carson City, Nev.;

Rev. Howell C. Harris, Social Democracy, Cordele, Ga.;

Col. E. N. Sanctuary, American Christian Defenders, New York City;

William Kullgren, publisher The Beacon Light, Atascadero, Calif.;

Hiram L. Hunnicutt, lecturer, Farmington, Ark.

In England the League is represented by Lt. Col. O. Boulton, T.D., of The Unity Band, London. Gabriel LeBlanc, international politico-economist of Switzerland has charge of the movement in that country; and in Germany O. Farmer, owner of the “World Service,” a German news service, supported by the Hitler government, which restricts its news purely to anti-Semitic topics.

The World News Service is disseminated to a number of anti-Jewish publications in this country. It appears both in English and German, and finds its way to Nazi publications, such as Amerikas Deutsche Post in New York, and American Fascist publications such as the Silver Shirt Silver Ranger.

There are many other communications in Christians’ files. The one, for instance, from Frank W. Clark, commander-in-chief of the League of War Veteran Guardsmen, which maintains National Headquarters at 16 Trinity avenue, East Lynn, Mass.

On April 28, 1934, Clark wrote, in part, to Christians: “Should any of our forefathers come back at this time they would immediately gather an army, comprising a majority, and overthrow those who have perverted our government, and they would do this without any hesitation.

URGES REVOLUTION

“Every move of these capitalists now clearly indicates that there must be some form of a revolution, and such revolution be performed by a majority of the masses, and without the aid of the lawyer, judge, banker, and cheap politician. Such revolution is the only method that will ever again bring real happiness to the masses of producing labor.

“Will advise you that I am in constant touch with key leaderships of various organizations throughout the country.”

Sensing the worth of this man to his organization, Christians promptly turned the matter over to Charles F. Davis of the Ohio Brokerage Company, Middleport, Ohio, who appears to be another White Shirt cabinet officer. The financial basis upon which the groups could trade was discussed, and it developed that Clark is not averse to earning his living from agitation. He wrote a short time ago to Davis:

“Before I go into the money subject I would rather you knew a little more of myself. First I want to say that Congressman Louis T. McFadden and I are personal friends. We have been fighting shoulder to shoulder on many political issues. Should you write to him regarding myself, he will be well pleased, and you may find him ready to go a long ways. Regarding the Associated Groups for Economic Liberty, Oakland, Calif.—had not my finances been so low, I would have been at this conference, and I believe I would have made all the traitor unscrupulous scoundrel bankers and their rat economists run for cover, due to all the things I would for the first time in American history bring forth for public consumption.”

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

It is this camaraderie among anti-Semites and anti-Democratic factions that makes the present rise of Fascism distressing. The leaders are neither intelligent nor gifted with the power to sway large masses of people. The followings are not large and are usually the fanatical element skimmed from the normal population. United, the crackpot element would present a threat to American democracy; divided as they are now they can be absorbed by the tremendous forces of sanity which usually prevails, the more destructive being taken care of by public institutions provided for the abnormal and the rest allowed to carry on however they may see fit, so long as they do not interfere with the peace and well-being of the people.

It has been said before, and it is worth repeating. The danger to American civilization lies in the possibility of emergence of a strong man capable of uniting all these disgruntled elements. Upset economic conditions, hunger, strikes, depression will fertilize the ground for their seeds of violence.

Christians will not be the successful prophet of a new era, for he does not have the mental or physical properties which must make up the American dictator; Pelley will not be it, for his appeal is of a psychic nature (and he can never live this down, regardless of changes in policies) and he appeals only to the most frenzied of the cultists; other Fascist leaders thus far announced are too narrow in vision to appeal to the whole of the country, and they perforce must fail.

Meanwhile, all these leaders cultivate the spirit of reaction and rebellion in their particular fields of enterprise, and by virtue of their efforts, the prophet will find much of his work already done for him, when and if he should make an appearance.

To be continued tomorrow