The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-17

which to work them in abundance, and
that their sole deficiency is human ef-
fort
ut required but three months for the
better educated and more intelligent
working people of Budapest to realize
the fearful abyss into which they had
been plunged. 1t was solely due to the
efforts of the trade unions in Budapest
that the Bolshevists were thrown out of
Hungary"
Naturalization Also Fails.
Speaking of the naturalization of in
dustry by legislation he said
There was effective specialization of
vast sections of industry during the
war. The only partial success Of these
measures In war was due to the great
patriotic impulse of war. These war Inn
pulses have been lost, and these organi-
zations Of constantly decreasing eff
cheney even in war now face disaster
from reduced productivity.
There Is no better example of this
than the coal industry of Europe. Pro-
duction has fallen from rate of 6O0,-
100000 tons per annum at the armistice
to rate of 450, 900, 900 tons recently.
and production to-day is at such an ebb
as to jeopardize the entire social fabric
II am convinced that the greatest pro-
portion of European leaders of Social
ism to-day to some extent realize this
bankruptcy and are endeavoring to
cover retreat with loud complaints as
to the failure from other causes. New
ertheless, this realization Is bringing the
turn of the tide. and through 1t Europe
is on the road to economic recovery-if
she gets peace.
The whole Of these various sorts Of
Socialism are based on one primary con-
ception, and that is that the productivity
OF the human being can be maintained
under the impulse of altruism and that
the selection of the particular human
for his most productive performance can
be made by some superimposed oureauc-
racy Their weakness is the disregard
OF the normal day to day primary i'm
pulse of the human animal--that is. self
interest for himself or for his family
and home, with certain addition of al
truism. varying with his racial instinct
and his degree of intelligence. :
They fail to take into account also
that there is but one sufficiently select
i've agent for human abilities in that in
finite specialization of mind and body
necessary to maintain the output of the
intricate machinery of production, and
that Is the primary school of competi-
ton.
I believe it was necessary for the
world to have had this demonstration. 1t 1
Is not necessary, however that we of the
United States, now that we have wit
messed these results, need plunge our
own population into these miseries and
into laboratory for experiment in for
eign social diseases.
Bankruptcy of the Socialist idea.
However, does not relieve us from the
necessity of finding solution to the
primary question which underlies all this
dlscontent, and that primary question is
the better division of the products of
Industry and the steady development of
higher productivity.
Need an American Substitute.
"A definite American substitute is
needed for these disintegrating theories
oc Europe. 1t must be founded on our
national instincts and upon the normal
development of our national institutions |
1t must be founded. 700, upon the fun
osmental fact that every section of this
ration, the farmer, the industrial work.
er, the professional man. the employer,
are all absolutely interdependent upon
each other in this task of maximum pro-
duction and the better distribution of its
results. 1t must be founded upon the
maximum exertion of every individual
within his physical ability and upon the |
reduction of waste. both nationally and
II dividually.
I'VE can well see vivid confirma-
ton in Europe of the fundamental eco
nomic principle that the standard of liv-
ing Is the direct quotient of the amount
of commodities produced that we must
secure a maximum production of the in
eustrial machine IL we wish to keep our
population alive or If We wish to see an
i'crease in the standard of living of our
people
Our sister civilization in Europe is
to-day recovering from n great illness.
The many new democracies that we have
Inspired are striving for our ideals.
We alone have the economic and moral
reserve with which to carry our neigh
Tor back to strength. To do this is also
true Americanisn."