The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-02
COMMON SENSE IN GOVERNMENT

COMMON SENSE IN GOVERNMENT
IN one Of his weekly articles on the state of
L the nation the distinguished publicist,
Mark Sullivan, laments that men able to use
calculus and the higher differential equations
are coming into the government at Washing
ton. Specifically, he attacks Mr. Mordecai
Ezekiel for his attempt to state statistically
the demand, supply and price of hogs in the
United States for some years ahead. Mr.
Sullivan tokingly alludes to such equations
as "hogarithns" and goes on to say:
That sort Of thing statistics like that and
charts and graphs and curves, are the main
spring Of the government as now admins
tered. How it would surprise Grover Cleve-
land to return to the White House and see a
President of the United States in 1893 with
his desk covered by immense charts. charts
from the department of labor, from the treas
ury, from the reconstruction finance corpora
ton. One chart contains the line called 'pur-
chasing power and another line called pro-
ductive capacity To make the line of 'pur-
chasing power rise above the line of pro-
ductive capacity is the principal present pur-
pose of the MIRA. The spirit of the admins
tration can be exposed roughly as one which
undertakes to manage the country on the
basis of these charts"
1t is possible to put very different inter-
probation on these developments in Washing
ton. To many it means the first real effort to
bring government thoroughly up-to-date. The
fact that men like President Cleveland had
not the slightest grip on the mathematical
and scientific facts which have created the
modern world is one reason why we are in
our present mess Many other Presidents
were even worse off in this regard. Even
woodrow Wilson, a university president. was
blissfully innocent Of modern science and en-
cheering and relied upon the rhetorical
methods of the age of Cicero
Our modern material civilization has been
built up by the use of calculus and higher
mathematics 1t is not unreasonable to as
sert that a comparable intellectual equipment
and apparatus are needed to control our in
stitutional life. Without the calculus and
higher diferential equations, we could not
build complicated machine, skyscraper. a.
bridge, a subway, railroad, a large ocean,
going ship, an electric lighting plant. a tele-
phone, telegraph, cable, radio or any other
representative manifestation of modern me-
chanical ingenuity.
If this be so, how can one expect tn rim
a government which is far more complicated
than any machine or engineering project,
without at least some appreciation of the
function Of higher mathematics We NAV be
glad that there is man in the White House
whose perspective has advanced beyond long
division
1t is high time that our statesmen should
begin to think in terms of modern science
instead Of relying upon the rhetoric and hot
air which has dominated politics from
Pericles to many of the present spenbinders
in the United States senate.
Still, there is a real need for common
sense in the background of government by
statistics Here Mr.. Sullivan makes a telling
case against the administration We find one
branch of the government spending millions
to increase farm acreage through reclama-
ton projects. while another branch of the
government is spending more millions to buy
up and retire already productive farm acre
age. Or. again, We have one phase of the
recovery program devoted to increasing mass
purchasing power so that men may get enough
to eat and to cover their backs. At the same
time, the farm relief agencies are buying up
hogs to reduce breeding and the pork supply
and are blowing under many acres Of cotton.
All this is designed to raise farm prices, thus
making it more difficult for the city worker
to supply his material needs.
The best way for the administration to es-
cape from this kind of criticism is to go over
whole-heartedly to the theory of the plenty
economy and relentlesSly refuse to curtail
production until it is certain that enough is
being produced to meet the legitimate con-
sumption needs of every normal American.
Taking this as the basis for judgment, it will
be hard to show that there has ever been a
great deal Of excess production in this coun-
try except in certain luxury industries.
THE T ESCNN OF CAN TncE