The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-07-05
b E M OCRACY Isl
 NOT PERMANENT SAYS RUSTCARD'
Jazz Era Softens Sturdy Self-Reliant Spirit of
 Nation, He Asserts

The sturdy, self-denying spirit of
 the puritan brought about Democ-
 racy in both England and America,
 but it is softening and bringing
 changes in our government, declar-
 cd John Rustgard, in his speech
 at the Fourth of July patriotic ex-
 ercises at the Palace Theatre. To
 the extent that it has softened has
 that form of government which
 the fathers gave us become a mis-
 fit and must be changed to fit the
 new age of Jazz," he declared
 Mr. Rustgard's speech was a
 philosophical discussion of Demo-
 cratic government, titled "Tran5.cn-
 cy of Democracy At the outset he
 declared: "It is certain that the
 American Democracy cannot last
 forever" and that whether or not
 the American democracy is perm
 anent is, therefore not problem
 at all. The only questions are,
 how long will it last?, what will
 be the attendant circumstances of
 it's passings?, and what will be the
 nature of the institutions that take
 its placer" @se
 Cause of Change
 Evolution of peoples and not rev. olutions is the real cause of the change in character of govern ments The characterists of peo- pie must change before their gov- ernments can be changed and this is not an overnight accomplish ment. Need for an autocrat pro- duces autocracy, and the need for democracy brings about that form of government.
 The basic changes are so slow as to be imperceptible to the av- craze man, and seems to be so naturally the requirement of con ditions as to come unopposed Those who are part of them do not see them Orly the historian or the philosopher can comprehend what has taken place. he as- serted.
 The trend today in America is away from socialism and strongly toward monopoly Competition be- tween big business is taking on a new direction. Big business cor porations no longer fight between themselves. The country has awak ened to the economic value oi standardization and mass produc- tion because they eliminate waste and enhance the value of labor Actually labor today defends mon I opoly because it means hig her { wages.
 Involves Governmental Change This industrial change involves a ! corresponding change in the char acter of the country's political in- stitutions, MT. Rustgard said I'll is obvious that the control of the industries entails the control oi politics. We have already reached the point where it costs from five to ten millions of dollars to put a Presidential ticket in the field and soon it may cost from 20 to SC { millions. When that point is reach ed the financial magnate becomes { automatically the political mag nate, and a political campaign be- { comes a fight between nabobs, 1 he said
 I | ! social organism is away from goy- { ernment by the people and towards a government by business oli-
 garchy," probably caused by plac- ing greater emphasis on prosperity
 than on principle.
 No Best Government
 There is no such thing as best
 Government" the speaker declared
 Each form is best under the con- ditions which brings it forth. The decisive factors in any social move ment lie deep down in the spirit ual natures of men, and any gov ernment not based on them must 5 and should fall.
 DemocracieS have invariably fail cd when tried outside of a very few races. Moral forces to support them never existed anywhere ex- lcept in England and America and our trouble today is that these moral flores that are the warp and wool of democracy are softening. This is producing too much crime a disregard for law and lack of sympathy for law enforcement, said < MT. Rustgard, citing figures to show the prevalence of criminality in the United States as compared to some foreign countries. While con- z ceding it to be difficult to see how s Representative government can con- tinue without the jury system, he concluded either the jury system must go or organized government 3 fsurrender to the criminal.
 The desire for crime produces crime, and he argued there is
 present today in America such q
 desire. And the American who is C law abiding, he declared, cooper. C ates with the criminal element by . his repugnance to being an in-
 former. Laws are violated witl
 impunity to the knowledge of man1 = who, themselves abiding fai l. in support to the Government be.