The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-09-15

newspaper and also the local news Q
spontaneous origin published hereir
All rights Of republication Of all othe
matter herein are also reserved.
Let's Keep Trying
Not all Of the comment regarding
the New Deal with its forward
looking program designed to improv
the lot Of the average man, is favor
eble In tone.
Some persons profess to see in |
. socialstic development which. car
ried to It's ultimate end, means de-
struction Of our present form Of gov
eminent and society and the intro.
duction Of Marxism as the guiding
light In American affairs. Others
contend it Is wrong in principle, at
tempts to change the normal course
OF economic developments and will
result In failure. The burden of their
cry is that 1t has been tried before
and has failed.
A reader Of The Tribune, for
example, sends us q quotation from
the book "Richelieu and the Growth
Of French Power" published in 1890
by James Brock Perkins. It reads as
follows:
1.-THE protecting hand Of the
state was extended over almost
every branch Of human industry:
the state regulated the rate Of
interest, that the usurer should
not charge too much: It super
intended the manufacture OF
goods, that fraud might be pre-
vented; 1t fixed the rate of
wages, that the employer should
not pay too much or the en-
ployee receive too little; it for
babe tho importation of goods,
lest the manufacturer should
lose his gain; 1t imposed great
penalties on sending silver and
gold out OF the kingdom, lest the
circulation should be insufficient
and the country be robbed Of its
precious metals: it told the
farmer how much land he might
put into wheat, and how much he
might plant with vine, lest. in
search Of his private gain, he
should injure the public veal; the
existence of the laws Of trade.
which no legislation could over
ride, were as little suspected as
the existence Of the law of gravi.
tation."
unquestionably there are market
points Of similarity between Richie
Neu's program and that Of Franklin
.. Roosevelt. The state now is ex
tending its protecting hand over al
most every industry, but then it ha
been doing SO for some time. I
was doing so in the halcyon days o.
1928-29. The only difference now i
that the protecting hand also shell
tiers the helpless individual in In
dustry. certainly not an unfair thing
Our laws long have regulated thu
rates Of interest, sought to prevent
fraud In the manufacture and mar.
keting Of goods. Apparently the po'
Icy has not proved disastrous.
We are not, unlike Richelieu, at.
tempting to regulate wages. TIL,
NRA agreement does seek to prevent
payment Of wages too small to main.
tain life. Why shouldn't it? TIT
preamble to the constitution recog
nizes that, before we can pursu.
liberty or happiness. we first mus
have life.
The importation Of goods has beer
under handicap in this country fol
. generation. Possibly we shoult
lower the bars somewhat now, bu
for 30 years our high-tariff polio!
was regarded as bulwark O.
American prosperity.
We do not now tell the farme
how much he shall plant to whea
but We do make an inducement +,
him to curtail his acreage. The pla,
IS an untried one but it has prospects
Of success and may prove to be @
Certainly the old way OF economi'
thinking brought no help for agricul
ture.
The present program does not seel
TO ignore the existence of laws o
trade and economies but to proven
the violation OF what everyone agree
these laws are at their best It ct
tempts to bolster thsm and put oh
eerv1nce on . higher plane.
A prime consideration. Of course.
tho difference between the people Q
Richelieu's time and our own. Pub
Tic understanding 81 economic ques
lions was not very far advanced i
tho period from 1885 to 1912.
Only the so-called upper classa
could read or write Or had mucl
knowledge Of either politics o. eco
nomics.
tn United States Of 100 veal
latef = : far different matter. o.
people may b misinformsd ca man
queGlioos. Much Of what they rea
nay - twaddle and there are
do9on conflicting views on almol
every Issue, but there Is no escar
lng tn fact that al have opportun
~ =: learn.
r tie good sense Of the America
peopas has reached the standar
49, ~ = y hops y hass Roost
sets-1 49,