The Washington times., 1932-07-01

GLBERT sELDEs governed What sense do these three
situations make today?
"Of course they are all aspects of the single
confused problem. We all in business we are all
governed and all part of the Government-whlch
we all pay for What is the answer? In other words
what is the of this gigantic national paradox! ls
most obvious symptoms apathy, indifference ana
ignorance. 1t all seems so remote SO complex tnat you
and do nothing about it. We feel completely helpless
in the face of depression we cannot escape.
A Bad Joke
We joke about Congress spending the taxpayers money
wiring hands and wonder when business will give
us back our jobs feel bitter dsusionment concern
ing Wall Street All of which accomplshes precisely
nothing We take action We haven't the satisfaction
of having actually done anything, no matter how small.
"But the public temper is changing. AS a nation we
have believed that it easier to earn dollar than TO
save dollar AS individuals discovering that
a dollar saved is dollar earned. 1t won't be long now
before lot of individuals will insist that their Govern
men earn money by saving it. Which means that the
public getting interested in the Government as Dus
ness We are realizing at last that Government has
been bad business wasteful business, and we can no
longer afford pay for having it waste our money It
has got to cut the of by cutting the red
tape and confusion of government It must give us
clear and simple accounting of every penny it spends
"On the other hand business while it has learned 10
kee accounts has never learned the art OF governing
The gCad old rugged individualsm was line as long as
business was small and there end OF opportun
ties But in time business grew to be Big BUSINESS ana
spread from coast to coast AS the opportunities were
exploited, competition became more Oltter until now
American business finds itself almost IN state OF CIVIL
war, because 1t mas never lealneo " so ~ N
national scale. ooa
MO,r Government has not learned to operate GOOD
and our businesses have never learned TO govern
Themselves We used to think it didn't mater We formed
national habit of indifference and apathy 1t took an
awful jolt to make us realize that we are tng M @
Now that we have found it out to our COST WnaC are we
1o;no tn do about it? What can do about it!
Write Your Answer
probablv the most effective thing is also the easiest
tn dowrt not to your Representative or your SENATOR
but to your newspaper. Today In America Ine a~ ne
napers more nearly express the sentiment OF the peope
than our professional Government representatives or our
two political parties with their vague ana similar plaC
forms and their straddng of issues ~.
"The newspaper is almost the only place e1I III Uno
country where the daily records of Government and bus
ness are both printed On the front page you VIII 1nu
revealed the scandals of government ana Che scalu
of business Here is written the record OF corrup'on
and craft as well as the history of racketeerlng.
at is important that the public have some means OF
EXPRESSING it's opinions and its temper II the VoIe Is
the srest means the newspaper is the quickest IL par
tcularv important at this time when poltlcal patlorS
are being thrown together, and candidates have SUD
denly exhumed that long forgotten man. the puO1c.
After all it is his own fault that he was torgoteh ne
has been content to cry for leaders, ana "aiC lor
miracle when what need is an intelligent ana ar,
ticulate publc sentiment Only with powerful ana
active public opinion behind them have our great leaders
been able to lead anywhere.
"And only out of open discussion and tne EXPRESSION
of MANY points of view has public opinion in the past
been able to weld itself into great guiding 1orce FOE
the expression of such opinion today the neWSpApeI VI
the land present the best available meeting place. WIN
great public opinion expressed through their columns
men will find the strength and the courage to become
leaders-eaders in the business administrator OF our
Government and leaders in the governing OF our Ous
nesses."
~ r.