Evening star., 1934-04-08

trine. In other words, allied with and
hoping to make use of the out-and-
out Socialists, there are, in the ag-
gregate, millions of persons who are
by no means unfit but who are simply
disgruntled, restless for change, or
adventurously bold in the hope of
some glamorous rise amid the general
confusion in overthrowing one social
order and striving to set up another
in its place.
Among the nations in which
socialistic doctrine is making rapid
headway, the United States is unique
for two things: First. it is moving
toward the great experiment after
having overwhelmingly disavowed the
regular Socialist party; and, secondly,
though now farther along the road
toward Socialism than almost any Of
the great nations Russia excepted) ,
it, in adopting that course. Is, in the
name Of broader justice for all men,
apparently about to turn its lack on
its old governmental concept, which
is the most equitable yet devised.
Repudiated Old Devices.
There can be no question as to
whether or not our system of Govern
ment has outstripped all others in
providing equality Of opportunity.
Indeed, the form of Government out
lined in the Constitution is strikingly
similar to that ideal of orderly and
buttressed liberty toward which,
through the centuries, mankind has
been striving, the philosophers prompt
ed by reason, the people by hope.
We repudiated all the ancient de-
vices for holding down the under
privileged. We did away with no.
bility and hereditary privileges. We
gave every man a chance to go just
as far as his talents warrant.
Why, then, are Americans so
meekly and even hopefully watching
this alteration of their governmental
system? For two reasons:
First, the pre-depression, all-time
Socialists, the men who are incapable
Of using or unwilling to use the
chance to go ahead offered under our
Government, in the best of times.
have persuaded themselves that
equality Of opportunity carries with
1t the sacred right of every man to
take advantage of the extent to which
his fellows use their opportunities.
Society, through the Government,
must make up the differences be-
tween men, not merely differences in
ability, but in willingness to use that
ability.
Demands Are Excessive.
Secondly, thousands of ordinarily
sane and perceiving persons, thrown
into panic by recent losses of money
or unemployment, are willing, in des-
peration, to jettison constitutional
government because Of the temporary
alurements Of a program Of national
Socialism. They are demanding Of
their Government things which it can
never fully perform and which many
Of its leaders must be loath to under
take-operation or supervision of all
industries, minute control of money,
recasting an entire civilization on an
essentially Socialistic instead of
private-property basis.
These men and women, ordinarily
sound In their thinking, send up q
shout of triumph when their Govern
ment repudiates its own monetary
agreements with thousands of its citi-
zens. They act as If they had
achieved great victory when the
established doctrine of the OBLIGATION
Of a contract is smashed.
We are, governmentally, in the
midst Of a transvaluation of all values
But 1t Is by no means proved that
we are enhancing real values in the
process. On the contrary, many signs
point toward the fact that we are