The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-19
System Must Be Saved
From Itself, Asserts |. u.
Law Professor.
LAUDS RECOVERY DRIVE
Social Control Is Urged by
Hugh E. Willis at
Society Session.

itself by social control and planning
is constitutional and is the desired
objective Of the present recovery
program, in the opinion of Profess
sor Hugh E Willis of the Indiana
university school of law.
Addressing the Phi Beta Kappa
society here last night, Professor
Willis expressed his belief that most
Of the features of the Roosevelt
program grow logically and articu-
lately out of former presidents of
the United States supreme court,
but that there are a few features of
the program which would have to
be declared unconstitutional unless
the supreme court overruled about
six of its prior decisions.
Capitalism has not merely
changed its own nature, but has
created an economic order that is
unavoidable" the speaker said. The
chief result of capitalism has been
the concentration of 80 per cent of
our wealth in the hands of 10 per
cent of our people and IS per cent
of our wealth in the hands of 2 per
cent of our people.
UnderconsumptiOn Is Problem
This is causing a permanent
problem Of underconSumption which
is not only the cause of our present
depression but bids fair, if I'M
changed, to cause one depression
after another until both our
economic order and capitalism are
destroyed
Who has been to blame for this.
situation? 1t can not be emphasized
too strongly that what has come to
pass has been the result Of capital
ism itself rather than the result of
social control.
while capitalism, has been sub
jected to some social control so as
to delimit its liberty on the whole
it has either been left uncontrolled
or has received protection from
social control against other social
forces. Left to itself capitalism has
shown that it is vicious and i'm
possible.
More Wealth for Consumers
What is the solution for the
problem? Either capitalism must
be allowed to ruin itself and some
other system be substituted for it,
or it must be saved from itself. All
of the tendencies in the capitaliStic
system are in the direction of cauS-
ing further problems rather than
solving them.
Hence. if capitalism is to be
saved. as undoubtedly the majority
of the people of the United States
desire, it must be through the ac-
tivity of the government.
THE most essential part of the
Roosevelt plan of social control Is
the balancing in the United States
of purchasing and producing power
by giving the producing class less
and the consuming class more OF
the wealth of the country. This, OF
course. means the breaking up OF
the present concentration of wealth
in the United States.
New Taxation Likely
Cup to the present time, it has
undertaken to do this by increasing
the purchasing power of the debtor
class. the wage-earning class, the
creditor class so far as they are de-
poSitors in banks, and the owners OF
securities and other parts OF the
consuming class who are the buyers
of the products of public utilities or
sellers of agricultural commodities.
1T has not as yet undertaken to
break up the concentration OF
wealth by a capital levy or by new
and radical forms of graduated in
come taxes and inheritance taxes,
but there are indications that new
forms of taxation will soon be a
part of the Roosevelt program.
Are all of the features OF the
comprehensive Roosevelt program
constitutional? Granting there is a
possibility they may accomplish the
economic result which they are I'M
dertaking to accomplish, will 1t be
legal and constitutional for the
Roosevelt administration to go
ahead with its program?
Supreme Court Sanction Needed
To uphold the program. the su-
preme court will have to find:
I'D That the doctrine of a dual
form of government has not been
violated by the legislation as to the
weight of the dollar, the gold
clauses. legal tender notes, gold
boarding. bank holiday. the secur-
tiles act, the Tennessee valley
authority. farm loan act. home
owners act. Reconstruction Finance
Corporation. and the national re-
covery act and agricultural admin
iStration act"
"(2) 1t will have to find that our
doctrine of separation Of powers,
which is involved in practically
every one of the features of the
Roosevelt program, also is not vlo-
lated
"(3) 1t will have to find that the
constitutional guarantees against
social control are not violated by
the legislation as to the gold clause,
legal tender notes, gold boarding,
securities act, Tennessee valley au-
| thority. farm loan act, home owners
act. Reconstruction Finance Cor
poration, the national recovery act.
and the agricultural administration
act"
Professor Willis address followed
| the initiation banquet for the fol-
lowing Indiana university seniors
who became members of the organ
ization last night: Rossahne Barker.
Hudson; Frances Blank, Valley
Mills; Samuel Brown, Peru; Fairy
Burnau, Frankfort; Ray Dauer,
Gary; Marion Fidlar. Vincennes;
Charles Kinzer, Laconia; Eva Belle
Rifle, Windfall; James Rust, CO.
lumbus; Edward Schrader. Kokomo;
Edith Strain, Charlottesville; Rich
ard Thompson, Indianapolis Mary.
Ellen Todd Bloomington