Evening star., 1934-06-13
BY DR.. WILLIAM A. WRIT.

BY DIX. WILLIAM A. WIKI.
GARY, Ind, June 13 (N.A.N.A).-
From the news reports of DR.. Rexford
G. Tugwell's appearance before the
Senate Agriculture Committee and its
examination into his fitness to take
the post of Undersecretary of Agri-
culture, it appears that he states he
does not now and did not then believe
in national economic planning of the
type presented by him in the article
published in the March, 1882, Amer
lean Economic Review Supplement.
According to the press, he states
now that he was only engaged in an
academic discussion and that he was
explaining a course to which he was
and is opposed. Yet the final para
graph of his article is as follows:
There is no denying that the con-
temporary situation in the United
States has explosive possibilities. The
future is becoming visible in Russia; :;
the present Tin the United States) is
bitterly in contrast. Politicians, the
orists and vested interests seem to
conspire ideally for the provocation to
violence of a long patient people. No
one can pretend to know how the re-
lease of this pressure is likely to come.
Perhaps our statesmen will give way
or be more or less gently removed from
duty; perhaps our Constitution and
statutes will be revised; perhaps our
vested interests will submit to control
without too violent resistance. 1t is
difficult to believe that any OF these
will happen; it seems just as incredible
that we may have a revolution. Yet
the new kind of economic machinery
we have in prospect cannot function
in our present economy. The contem-
porary situation is one in which all
the choices are hard yet one OF them
has to be made"
Considered Undetached Club.
I do not consider any part of this
statement either scientific" or de
tached." DR.. Tugwell's explanation
is merely the usual explanation OF
radicals who, when placed in similar
positions, deny any serious import in
their statements and affirm they were
''only joking"
Within the last four months, DR..
Tugwell has restated his theories In
his book, Our Economic Society" :"
This book is advertised by its pub
fishers as "the factual background
and the theoretical framework for the
new deal" Is DR.. Tugwell being
merely scientific and detached in this
volume?
He says: THE objectives are clear.
The methods to follow are not so
apparent. But we cannot sit and
wait. We must act. and we cannot
act without planning. To act in the
public interest, we must plan on a
national scale. To put these plans
into effect we set up social control
These two processes constitute eco
nomic planning.
For many years the technical task
of devising plans for regulating our
complex economic interest was too
difficult to attempt. But today we
know that this is no longer true, for
Russia has shown that planning is
practicable.
TUT many years GiIc SOfcILHlCht
has handled the mails efficiently and
there is no reason to suppose that
other enterprises would be more diff
cult. The more complex our society
becomes-the more difficult problems
of management are-the more I'M
reasoning it is to leave the matter
entirely to thousands of individuals
working at cross purposes.
"PubIic Ownership"
Complete economic planning is
possible only when there is public
ownership and control of the means
of production. In the United States
the Communists seek to achieve this
objective by revolution engineered
by the proletariat. The Socialists.
although desiring the same type of
society, are willing to work gradually
for its orderly attainment.
The experiments commenced in
1888 in the United States are worth
while beginnings. They are not eco
nomic planning, but they afford new
opportunities for working out plans
The national industrial recovery
act provides mechanisms for social
control, but the fruitful exercise of
control depends upon the ideals of
the people in whose hands it lies.
We have not a plan, but rather op-