Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-01-27
OH, LOVELY
WORLD! COULD
IT BEDONE?

A state of society in which every
body worked and nobody was over
paid and nobody was underpaid. and
everybody enjoyed fair share of an
overwhelming abundance Of the good
things of life has certainly enormous
advantages to recommend it, if it can
| be attained, as compared with our
present system. Nevertheless, even
| this is only to be secured. according to
| it's advocates, by the introduction of
system which might carry with it
very deadening drawbacks. Mr.. Cole
deals deadly blow at State Socialism
when he speaks of the "regimenta-
ton" involved by it, and describes it
as Prussianizing movement In
order to obtain the very great econo-
my in production, which is certainly
possible if a really efficient State ad-
ministration took the business in hand
decided what was good for the COM
munity to consume, and then set the
whole energies of the nation on to
producing those particular articles, it
would be necessary to lose the free
dom of choice in production and con-
sumption which our present system
gives US, involving some waste, but at
the same time comforting certain
benefits which are rightly very bear
to the great majority of mankind, and
will continue to be so.
The most of US, to find ourselves
members of monstrous organization
which regulated our lives from our
birth to our death, telling US what
work we are to do, what necessaries
If life we are to consume, and what
pleasures we are to enjoy, would seem
70 be a fate under which, though we
might get much larger supply of
some of the good things of life than
we now enjoy, we should only do so
through the sacrifice of all the free
dom and fumbling and failure which
,i'tshS iItS WOi I'll living USCduSc IilSy
are our own faults and make men and
women of US by testing US and bat
tering us with our own blunders and
teaching us to take risks. 1t might
be cheaper to have national retail
stores at which we all had to shop,
instead Of half a dozen shops in the
same street competing for our Gus
tom, but should we be so we'll served,
and should we have the same variety
f choice, and should we not suffer
very considerable inconvenience by
having our wants supplied by people
who had no incentive of private gain
to spur them to do the best that they
can for their customers
AS human nature is at present, it
seems most probable that our dealings
with the great Government stores
might often be very uncomfortable,
iisagreeable and unsatisfying. 1t has
'ong been a commonplace that the diff
ference Of spirit in which one is serv-
ed at a post Office and at a private
shop which depends on it's customers
goodwill for its profits is markedly in
favor Of the latter. And a very inter
esting confirmation of the incentive of
profit in rendering services to the con-
sumer has been provided during the
late war, when, owning to restric-
tions on the supply of goods and the
absence of competition, shopkeepers
no longer had the same need to OBJ
serve ordinary courtesy towards their
customers. 1t is often assumed by So
cialistic enthusiasts that when once
orofit-making and competition are
eliminated every one will be sunny
and kindly and helpful. How far this
theory is from fact was made clear to
any one who during the war wanted to
buy pound Of sugar or box of
matches or anything in which profit
was automatic and competition was
suspended.
But even if this were not so, if we
not only had abundance, which is
doubtful, but also pleasant and kindly
relations between producer and con-
sumner, which is problematical, would
it make up fer the loss of the old free
dom to make mistakes in our own way
and so attain to the development
which is only possible to those who
have a chance Of doing and being
wrong Hartley Withers in "The
Case For Capitalism