Evening star., 1931-06-21
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

/ 0tdtCo 10 UcSIlltlL1lS 10 reach The
4 average newspaper reader. So
long as 1t was confined mainly
to universities, churches and literary or
other "high-brow" circles Cncluding,
curiouSly, some quarters of big business)
this kind of utterance practically never
came to the attention Of the average
American In Topeka, Kans, for ex-
ample, or Lincoln, Nebr., or Pueblo, Colo.
Recently. however, the new thought"
about social organization and govern
ment Is beginning to be voiced by men
III politics whose words are carried by
the press as a matter of course. This
emergency OF the advocacy of change
| into popular circles, this whole phe-
nomenon, If it really means anything
at all, is decidedly the most formidable
thing now afioat in America The
sheer quantity oft makes it important.
So does the elevation of the sources
from which much of 1t comes. II we
should have a Nation wide debate about
adopting new kind of social organiza-
ton, next years presidential campaign
would be relatively as township elec-
ton for road supervisor. Perhaps we
had better recall that past depressions,
about the time of their concluding
phase, have also been characterized by
talk about social revolution. A whole
volume could be written about panaceaS
proposed, or revolution predicted, IN the
past.
Probably should explain the word
revolution" as used in this article.
| Not all who talk about the thing call
| it by that name Though many frankly
do). Comparatively few mean vio-
lent revolution. tThe average Amer
ican has learned the word revolution"
as having a bloody meaning, through
its association with our war for inde-
pendence in 1T76-"the Revolutionary
War is the name most of our school
books on history use)
What is meant by most Of the sources
of current talk about something por-
tentouS which they say is about TO hap
pen or must happen in America, is a
| fundamental change in our whole form
Of social organization-a change which,
If IL should come, would make the IA
miliar world we live in a very different
place. If this thing should happen, the
boys and girls now in school would
grow up into an America as altered
as Russia was by its adoption Of Com
munism in 1918, or italy by Fascism in
1922, or France by the French Revolu-
tion in 1889.
Much Of Talk Is Vague.
1t is necessary 10 be careful in max
| ing generalizationS such as the one in
| the sentence above, for not all the per-
sons ! am about to quote mean the
same thing Some think we must go
the whole length Of initiating Russia
| for the sake Of the virtue they think
is in the Russian system. Others think
we must make a fundamental change
In our social organization for the very
purpose of defending ourselves against
Russia. Much of the talk is so vague
that 1t is apparent the utterers them
selves do not quite visualize what they
assert is ahead Of America. But what
their words mean. If they mean any
thing, is revolution. no less.
Perhaps we can make progress by de-
scribing the American social system
that now is, the thing which these
prophets say is doomed. AS it Is put
by young Senator La Toilette OF Wis
consin, as he speaks to popular lecture
audiences: The philosophy Of laissez-
faire has ended in disaster. A new GET
up of society is necessary"
Now, ''laisSez-faire" is a French
phrase meaning ''let alone" let eacn
of us take care of ourselves and act for
ourselves" The phrase has been long
in use as technical term in economic
and social philosophy. It means the
same thing that President Hoover means
by his often-repeated phrase, "Ameri-
can indiyidualisfM."
What "laissez-faire" means IS the
system we have had in America since
the first colony was founded. 1t means,
in short, the world as the average
American knows 1.-THE average Amer
ican takes it as much for granted as
he takes the Christian religion, or the
Fourth of July. or the fact that men
wear trousers while women wear skirts
Under this system (Which Is de-
Scribed as "ended" by Senator La Fol-
lette definitely and by the others either
definitely or vaguely boy is born into
family and is brought up by 1t. CThe
Russian system aims to merge the FAM
, lily into the state for the upbrlnglng Of
children.) The boy is indicted into
whatever church his parents belong to
| (The Russian system abolishes all
churches.) He goes to school as long
as his parents means permit, or his
own ambition leads. When he is ready
| to take his place in our "laisSez-fa1re
economic structure he looks about to
sell his services to whoever will pay him
the most, in money or in opportunity,
for whstever aptitude he has. He gets
a job" as we say. In due course he
marrieS, takes out an insurance policy,
starts a savings bank account, buys a
house and raises a family. AS respects
NN~@~
ness, he either goes upward in promo
ton in the line he has chosen. or after
saving money he sets himself up IN
whatever business he likes or feels
adapted to. He becomes a farmer, or a
truckman, or he starts store, or sets
up garage, or whatnot. If he remains
q hired man or salaried man. ne
chooses his own occupation and selects
has own employer. If he doesn't IKE
carpentering, he turns to chaufteurlng;
II he doesn't like one boss or foreman,
he goes to another. AS he acquires
money. assuming he is saver, he does
what he will with it. If he has GER
tain set of qualities, accompanied by
favorable fortune, he becomes perhaps
an employer. AS head of an industry
on his own account, he makes or pro-
duces what he feels like making, and
sells it for whatever price he cares to
accept.
All that is "laissez- -faire." the Amer
icarl system; all that-at least the eco
nomic part of it's what Senator La
Toilette says is ended"
Kind Of Intellectual Epidemic.
In quoting others whose talk runs in
| the same direction, one must be care
| full not to mislead. Not all are as spe-
cific as the young Wisconsin Senator.
| Yet all use phrases which, whether
vague or not, mean that America must
adopt a new "set-up Of society" ana
the new "set-up" they have in mind Is,
In one degree or another, economic col
lectiyism" of the sort exemplified by
Russia. It is perfectly clear that prac-
tically all this talk, the whole phenome-
non, is kind of intellectual epedemic
caught by susceptible minds from the
Russian experiment. One sign OF Rus
STA that runs through it all is the word
"plan." The American new thought Is
saturated with such phrases as social
planning" collective planning" new
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