Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-08-04
SOCIALISM In
U.S.. OBSERVED
Senator King Says Civiliza-
ton Being Made
Over

WASHINGTON, Aug. Sour
civilization is being made over be-
fore our eyes.
1T is not being done gradually.
Our transition from the compe-
titive system toward a socialistic
state is progressing at u~nprecedent-
ed speed. for SO great a change"
Sen. William II. King of Utah,
the speaker, was discussing recent
developments - the field of finan-
cial, commercial and industrial con-
solidation-notably various new
mergers Of gigantic proportions,
generally attributed to the house
Of Morgan.
ct seems 10 me-" Senator King
wrote lately to Atty. Gen. William
D. Mitchell. that these o--ltem-
plated mergers and combinations
are violative of tn antitrust laws
OF the United States
That much can be done TO check
them, however, the senator frank
ly doubts.
"Our antitrust laws" he admits.
shave been practically dead letters
for a long tine"
Due to non-enforcement7-or TO
defects in the laws?
Both" says the senator.
"And in cases where prosecutions
actually have teen begun, and back
ed up by really substantial evi-
dence, juries have refused to con-
Wet"
"The truth is confessed the
Utah legislator. himse.- a last ditch
champion Of the seemingly dying
competitive system, that public
sentiment is a~pathetic.
I'VE are in the grip Of a craze
for mass Professionalism neces-
sarily means mass capital.
Labor is sold or the idea-be-
lieving 1t insures high wages. Ag-
riculture cannot oppose it-for the
farmers are trust-making on their
w account. Big business favors
It, for the sake of monopoly-and
bids for popular support by peddling
out bits OF its stock to great num-
bers Of people Of small means.
Such a volume Of opinion makes
the tendency hard to fight"
And the outcome.
"Trotsky"- .
Senator King investigated soviet
conditions in Russia at first hand,
when the now exiled bolshevik lead
er was at the height Of his power.
"Trotsky predicted to me-" said
the senator, that, in Is TO so years,
conrol OF American wealth, re-
sources and power would be con-
centrated in SO few hands that gov
standardization OF them all would
become imperative-and we would
have communism.
IF Russian communism had not
already proved such a miserable
failure. I should consider his proph-
esy likelier Of fulfillment.
But there is an alternative"
continued the Utah lowmaker.
1T was first strongly advocated
by President Roosevelt, who spoke
much OF god trusts and bad
trusts President Hoover appears
to be a believer in the same plan
federal Incorporation Of all enter
prises Of interstate scope, which all
OF them, OF any importance, now are
under strict federal supervision"
"This," said the senator. would
subject every business transaction
10 the within Of some petty bureau
rat in Washington. Every business
would require a government license
Issued from Washington, to the
remotest parts of the country.
Thousands Of shoppers would swarm
everywhere. Everything would be
run from the national capital. tSate.
local and individual rights would
disappear.
Naturally the same group which
held economic control would hold
political control.
"Of course 1t would amount to So
cialism."
Then that is the destination We
are headed for?
Probably not our final destina-
ton" replied the senator.
When a government becomes so
centralized, it usually becomes top
heavy. too-and collapses. The
country either breaks up into sew
eral countries, or its people clear
away the debris and start again
and so on.
But as I remarked before. this
particular transition promises TO be
en- exceptionally rapid one"