Evening star., 1934-10-25

To the Editor Of The Star:
There Is IN our country an un-
healthy feeling with regard to what
we call wealth, feeling that at
times approaches actual hostility. This
feeling is directed against few Of
the really wealthy men or against
great corporations. But men, as
such, and corporations, as such, are
relatively of little consequence, and
while this feeling of hostility finds
a tangible object Of attack in such
men and In corporations, its true
significance must be sought in wider
f1eid, and its menaces, If any exist.
are not simply against men, but against
society at large.
We thought until few years ago
that both actually and potentially
we were a very wealthy Nation. AS
q matter of fact, we have always been
poor and are poor today. The gaunt
figure of hunger stalks only a little
way In the rear Of every man and all
nations. The great contest OF all life
has been for mere existence; some
thing to eat. 1t is just as truly the
condition today as 1t was a hundred
years ago. New York, for example,
is supposed to have a supply OF food
that would last two weeks If all ex-
ternal sources Of supply were suddenly
to fail. If we were really wealthy,
the specter Of hunger might be re-
moved some distance; it can never be
baniShed. Our countrys problem
therefore, broadly stated, Is how to
become really wealthy.
To solve this problem the first step
in its solution was and Is to seek
more fully the physical conquest of
Nature with the proper control over
production and distribution. The sec
ond step was and Is the full CO.
operation of capital and labor with
one another and with our Govern
ment.
We have learned many secrets from
Nature, which we have turned into
account. We have used the winds, the
tides, the Seasons. We have devel-
oped chemistry and mechanics, and
little by little we have gone forward,
only to fall back, and then advance
again, until few years since we
thought we had in some senses not
only the earth, but the solar system
in our grasp, or, if not in our grasp
at least spread out before us In such
a manner that further secrets would
be learned. But again we fell back
and oh, what q fall! And again we
are advancing.
The contest of nature has always
been intricate and painful, not only
because the contests are unequal, but
because men have never been fully
able to understand one another. We
grow rich, then We throw the riches
away. We accumulate power and use
1t to crush others.
But there is reason to believe that
a new idea is at work in our country
today. The new idea-new in the
sense that it is now really making
itself felt-is:
The New Deal, q new process initi-
ated by our Government under the
leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt, is
q cooperative alliance that compre-
hands all the leading forces Of mod
ern life. This idea, with the neces-
sary modification, il carried to prop
er conclusion will bring about spirit
of cooperation in all walks Of life
and bring men In solid ranks for the
benefit of our Nation solely. The
wealth added to such an alliance Il
beyond calculation. That the gaunt
figure Of hunger win be pushed bach
and the burden Of fear that rest,
upon the hearts of our people will be
lightened by this process ID also be-
ycnd calculation.
The hope of the people and oul
country Il in the success Of this pro.