Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-06-06
American
hdiu;;tlTrrulisrr
A Timely Message to
the American People
By HERBERT HOOVER
Secretary of Commerce.
IV.-Economic Phases.

IV.-Economic Phases.
"HAT high and increasing stand
ards of living and comfort
should be the first of consiuera-
tons in public mind and in government
needs no apology. We have long since
realized that the basis of ali advancing
civilization must be Il high and grow
ing standard of living for all the peo-
pie, not for single class; that educa-
ton, food, clothing, housing, and the
spreading use of what we so often term
nonessentials, are the real fertilizers OF
the soil from which spring the finer
flowers of life. The economic develop
ment Of the past fifty years has lifted
the general standard Of comfort far be-
yond the dreams of our forefathers.
The only road to further advance in
the standard Of living is by greater in
vention, greater production and better
distribution of commodities and serv-
ices, for by increasing their ratio to
our numbers and dividing them justly
we each will have more of them.
The superlative value Of individual
ism through its impulse to production.
its stimulation to invention, has SO
far as / know, never been denied.
Criticism Of it has lain in its wastes
but more Importantly in its failures OF
equitable sharing Of the product. Iii
our country these contentious are main
ly over the division to each of his
share Of the comforts and luxuries, for
none Of us is either hungry or cold
or without place to lay his head-and
we have much besides. In less than
four decades we have added electric
lights, plumbing, telephones, gramo-
phones, automobiles, and what not In
wide diffusion to our standards of Nv
ing. Each in turn began as luxury,
each In turn has become SO common
place that seventy or eighty per cent
Of our people participate In them.
To all practical souls there is little
use In Quarreling over the share OF
each Of US until we have something to
divide. SO long as we maintain our
individualism we will have increasing
quantities to share and we shull have
time and leisure and taxes with which
to fight out proper sharing of the sur
plus" The income tax returns shuw
that this surplus is q minor part Of ,,lr
total production after taxes are pGid.
Some Of this Surplus" must be set
aside for rewards to saving. or stimula-
ton Of proper effort to skill, to leader
ship and Observation-Disclosures the dis.
pute Is In reality over much less than
the total Of such surplus" While there
should be no minimizing Of certain
fringe Of injustices In sharing the re-
suits Of production or In the wasteful
use made by some of their share, yet
there Is vastly wider field for gains to
all Of us through cheapening the costs
Of production and distribution through
the eliminating Of their wastes, from
increasing the volume Of product by
each and every one doing his utmost.
than will ever come to us even If we
can think out method Of abstracr
Justice in sharing which did not stitle
production Of the total product.
1t Is certainty we are confronted
with population in such numbers as
can only exist by production attuned
to pitch in which the slightest reduc-
ton of the impulse to produce will ut
once create misery and want. If we
throttle the fundamental impulses of
man our production will decay The.
world in this hour is witneSslay the
most oyershadowing tragedy of ten
centuries in the heart-brealling life
and-death struggle with starvation ny
a nation with hundred aud fifty mil
lions of people. In Russia under the
new tyranny group, in pursuit of So
mary self-interest Impulse of the indi-
vidual to production
Although socialism in nat!on-w wide
application has now proved itself with
rivers of blood and inconceivable mis-
cry to De an economic and spiritual fat
lacy and has wrecked itself finally up.
on the rocks of destroyed production
and moral degeneracy, | believe it to
have been necessary for the world to
have had this demonstration, Great
theoretic and emotional ideas have
arisen before in the worlds history ana
have in more than mere ma erial baiik-
ruptcy deluged the world viii. fearful
losses of life. A purely philosophical
view might be that in the long run hui
mainly has to try every way, even
precipices, in finding the road to bet
terment.
But those are utterly wrong who say
that individualism has as it's only end
the acquisition and preservation of prl-
vate property-the selfish snatching
and boarding Of the common product.
Our American individualism, indeed.
Is only in part an economic creed. 1t
aims to provide opportunity for self
expression, not merely economically,
but spiritually as well. Private prop
erty is not fetch In America. The
crushing of the liquor trade without
rent Of cOmDenSatton with SCARCELY