Evening star., 1933-05-28
BY MARK SULLIVAN.


~ URING the last two weeks
there has been fought and
won-at least at this writing
- 1t seems safely won-a con-
test of ideas, which, if seen
accurately. ranks with the decisive bat
ties of history. To express it that way
seems, 1 am well aware. dramatic. su-
perlative, "highfalutin." but I am not
inclined to reduce the force of words
which seem to me accurately to ex-
press the facts.
Except by a few. the contest will
never be recognized as having been
decisive, or even a contest. The out
come consists of having averted some
thing. and the averting of events or
conditions is never spectacular-only
the coming of the event impresses the
popular imagination. II, during the
last week of July, 1914, some group
of statesmen in Europe had succeeded
in averting the Great War their names
would be unknown today and their
achievement would hardly be recorded
in history.
What has been decided the last 10
days is that turning of the United
States in the direction Of a collectivist
form of social and industrial organiza-
ton has been certainly postponed and
probably averted. The contest of ideas
took place, is still taking place, in the
writing of the bill for control of in
dustry. That bill. as originally inspired
looked toward taking step which
would be permanent. AS the bill
stands today, as it seems likely to be
in its final form, and especially in
the way it is to be administered. the
change is not permanent, but tempo
rary.
The difference between what might
have been and what apparently Is tC
be may be illustrated by a previous
experience Of Gen. Hugh johnson twhc
apparently Is to be the administrator
of the measure). During the war Gen
johnson wrote, put into effect, man.
aged the details and carried out the
selective draft. He did it in the spirit
of meeting An emergency. The diff
ference was between writing a draft
act for the purpose of fighting a spe-
ciflc war then confronting us and,
on the other hand. imposing upon the
United States permanent military con-
Scription such as used to be practiced
in Germany and is still practiced in
France and some other European coun-
tries. Similarly the difference between
the present control of industry" bill
and the bill it might have been. is a
difference between a mobilizing of in
dustry for the purpose OF an emergeny
war against depression ana on the
other hand, the permanent Sovietizing
of American industry and, even more
the permanent Sovietizing Of American
labor.
Individual Protected.
In the original inspiring of the bill
and agitation in behalf Of it, there
were persons who. with the best inten-
tions, with idealistic aspirations had a
bent of mind toward collectiviSm, who
sincerely believe, consciously or in
stinctively, that collectivism would be
happier state than indiyidualism
Such persons. in any step they take
follow, often unconsciously, the bent Of
their minds Such persons, If they had
completely dominated the writing OF
this bill would pretty surely have pro-
duced one which would tend toward
permanence. AS it happens, othel
minds, believing in individualism. en-
incidentally. so far as he took any hand
/ leaned toward the preservation of in
dividualism). The result is measure
which comes automatically to an END
/ two years after its enactment-tha'
alone is sufficient averting of per-
manence. Moreover, the bill is SC
written, and apparently is to be so ad.
ministered. as to avert features which
tend toward permanence.
After all this Is said, let us admit II
may be that some lessons we shall learr
In this experiment in peace-time mob.
liking Of industry, may turn out to sp'
peal to us and nnay be retained Is Z
permanent featursSof American indus.