The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-11-10

He said: During a somewhat ag-
greSSive experience of forty years IN
the newspaper profession 1 have, OF
necessity, cultivated the habit of an
alyzing current events both local and
foreign, and throughout all that period
I have never been charged with lack
of optimism, but rather credited with
the possession of a profound faith In
both my felloWmsn and the greatness
of this Nation in which every Amerl-
can takes such a commendable pride.
However, for the past two decades
have viewed with grave concern and
no little genuine alarm the subtle but
ever-increaSing departure of our citi-
zenry from what seemed to me We're
the fundamental principles OF a system
of group government such as is contem-
plated ythe Constitution OF the United
plated by the Constitution of the United
written word voiced my disapproval of
and opposition to this, but with very
little visible effect other than in an
immaterial local area.
During the past few years I have
witnessed the fulfillment of some of
my prophesies and today 1 observe
both with regret and added concern,
that thousands of my fellow citizens
are in such a bewildered state of mind
that nearly all heretofore recognized
principles of sound and constructive
government have been diScarded-tem-
porarily at least, and because of the
prevailing economic crisis, hundreds
of thousands of ordinarily constructive
minded men and women are graSplng
at proVerbial StraWS in order to main
tain a mode of living which is both
mythical and fallacious because it calls
for an expenditure far beyond the
possibilities of our producing capacity.
I have witnessed the gradual disin-
tegration of the very keystone of Ameri-
cas- greatness opportunity for in
dividual initiative, and the right of
individual ownership 1 see our people
on the one hand cry out against high
tax levieS and exhorbitant public ex-
penditureS, and on the other they ap-
prove with unanimous acclaim an ex-
improvements never before witnessed
since Christopher Columbus discovered
the North American continent!
Our national executive is beSieged
with appeals to extend governmental
control, to use the national credit for
activities both wise and unwise, but all
of which, in the final analysis, means
an accumulated burden for both this
and future generations! Cities, vii
lagos and school districts which have
greatly decreased their local leVieS,
loudly clamor for share of this free
money being given away by the gov
ernment-perhaps under the mistaken
idea that this is new money and the
repayment of which will not concern
those who now make the loans!
This is, in a sense, but another il
luStration of our we'll known Ameri-
can characteristic of trying to get
something for nothing, even though
this be with a full realization that a
Day of settlement MUST come sooner
or later, and that burden of debt is
being accumulated so great as to be
beyond the grasp and comprehension
of the ordinary human mind! And in
stead Of retracing our steps to status
Of pay-as-you-go, or adopt mode OF
living which will permit of a gradual
liquidation of our indebtedness, we in
SiSt that borrowing more money and
increasing our interest charges will
eventually get us out of the moraSS
of Indebtedness in which we now find
ourselves engulfed!
That our existing economic depression
is wholly man-made, all will agree.
1t cannot be charged Gas are so many
of our similar evils to government; -
nor to the all-wise Creator who does
His will in ways beyond our human
understanding. Indeed, if we concede
that our present status is but the
fruition of our own folly then let us
be consistent and take such con-
Structive steps as will repair our fast
disintegrating social structure and build
anew our wrecked standards of phil
osophy
Must we be obligated to continue our
course of the past two decades wherein
the purpose of the Constitution has
been so controverted that step by step
we have permitted Government to alb
sorb our inherent Constitutional pre-
negatives until we have in fact, as well
as theory, set up a mild form of
dictatorship wherein the pepole have
little or no voice-and but little ac-
tivity other than in the ultimate pay
ment of the gigantic costs so rapidly
accommodating?
President Roosevelt promised before
election that he would seek the powers
Of a dictator in order to explore every
avenue of experiment in an attempt to
create better conditions for Americas
millions If such were within the power
of Government. That he has earnestly
tried to keep his pledge to the people
no one will deny. The success OF
failure of his efforts rest with the mil
lions of men and women who, after all
really set up their own standards OF
living and are largely guided by COM
mon sense and not by man-made laws
During the past two decades the
peoples of this Nation have enjoyed a
period of prosperity and development
the like of which the civilized world hao
not previously witnessed. We have well
coined the advent of the motor vehicle
the airplane, the radio and innumerable
household appliances whose automatic
service has removed much of the
drudgery heretofore attached to home
life, and left more time for recreational
pursuits. We have indeed entered what
history will chronicle as the Machine