The Washington times., 1932-07-26
GILBERT SELDES

DO You Know What You Are Talk
! o,,RrRr sE,Drs ing About The page filled
up with definitions of terms, like gold Standard capital
money, commodity and This excellent
idea The first thing to do l should say in combating
our trade paralysis is to know what are talking
about; many employers and employed and unemployed
and nteecuas do not know 1t is the least spectacular
of suggestions to urge the putting aside of little time
to acquan oneself with the fundamentals of economics
Ga week of evenings would take we'll within the
wood but it would certainly lead to revolutionary
results than the blind protests accumuating fast
The dangerous man is the who has taken thought
and then resolved action; he knows where to strike
and what object to gan-unke the sailors we saw in
blind mutiny in the film 'Potemkin'
:Definition.
"But how to begin ones sefeducation in economics? :?
Obviously the first step is to define the subject Well
then, economics is the science of the production and
distribution of goods as when and where required No
will dispute the definition, but scarcely
anyone grips hard enough particularly the part about
distribution For distribution of goods requires as all
of know, distribution of money the tickets to claim
goods and we should discover what all of do not
know that there in fact two branches Of economics
industrial, the other financial This classification
obvious it is when made already revolutionary for
practically all reforers today confine themselves to
dustrial economics This is particularly true of So
ciasts and Communists, whose ignorance of finance
the controller of industry is abysnal
All lsnas Alike. r,
"t is in fact, hard to grow accustomed to the SINH
lary in psychology of the Communist and the Fascist
the Liberal and the Conservative the workngman and
his boss Yet all alike agree that in the words of Mr.
Dooley the aim of economic system is to proteck tn
poor wurrukin man that he'll have to go wurrukin
Not one of them has attitude toward work and
leisure; all share in the notion that jobs be pro-
vded for all and men must be compelled to take them
1t makes wonder what in heavens name machinery
was invented for; to give goods and leisure
to to be obstacle to be painfully surmounted
that slave much as ever? 1t will be
that have progressed from definitions to an
inquiry into the purpose of economic system, and
the proposal made that the community should
vote on this question. Well, why not?
Vote Yes or No!
major c. H Douglas, of England one of the extremely
few men revolutionary enough to challenge the assump-
tions of Communist and stand -patter alike made the
proposal of vote this question: "Do you want en-
poyment, or do you want goods" Note that victory
the present economic systems of the United States Soviet
Russia Italy and all the other countries It would say
that the people wanted discipline and morals woven into
their economic structure and maybe when the propa-
ganss had finished with their spells the people would
vote that way, would indorse system of reward and
punishment disguised as economic system.
Vote for Good Goods.
The campaigners the other side would argue that
what people really want is goods. They will have will
TO economic plenty and the sole aim of economic sys
tenn to that they get it. If it takes only few men
few hours with the aid of machinery to gut society,"
then Why Introduce friction by employing than
are needed Suppose the election went in favor of the
goods program then what? There would be more
stupendous unemployment than before The sign of
progress! Millions retired to the leisure class
Something would have to be done about that and
Major Douglas may say, is prepared with an answer
1t is not starvation but dividends for ALL But mustn't
jump into economic algebra before we have mastered
economic arithmetic.
Digging With Spoons.
Here's the problem in arithmetic. Two workmen to
whom tickets for goods longer being issued hat
is, they jObless) watching maevoenty steam
shovel at work at Radio City, Says Joe Tom If that
there machine weren't there they'd have men on with
shovels. Right you are says Tom to Joe carrying out
the ogis of equang the manhours of the total working
population, and if there weren't shoves they'd have
$4,000 of em with tea spoons They go down the street
and join the Communist party which has the aim
of protecting the workngman that he'll have go on
working. But in the higher mathematics of economics
This is regarded a preposterous solution For in
reality the problem is given plenty for ALL produced by
minimum expenditure of effort, how is plenty to be
Distributed 1t would astonish you how Douglas arrives
ALWAYS astoniSAling-in its nhvionsness"