The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-03-10

dictator ne COulQ not only QOlQ MS
power indefinitely but compel the
people to like the results.
THE complimentary notion that
the new deal is a Communist
planned economy in sleeps cloth
ing rests on equally far-fetched an
alogies. Sometimes it comes from
mere trifing with words, as, for ex-
ample, when men imagine that we
are initiating Russia because the
Russians have a five-year plan and
because Mr.. Roosevelt likes to use
the word planning" The Russians
have no illusions about the vast
difference between their planning
and ours. Some Americans have.
But just as everything vitality
characteristic of fascism is left out
of our concentration of authority so
everything vitality characteristic of
communism is left out of our pres
ent experiments in public control.
NRA and agricultural adjustment
administration, whatever their vir-
tues and merits, accepts as their
basic premise the very premise
which communism most resolutely
rejects. That is to say, they recog-
nize the diversity of interests among
employees, employers, investors and
consumers, and attempt to conciliate
and harmonic them.
The essence of communism is to
regard these interests &C irreconcil-
able and to abolish them by merg-
ing all interests in that of the work.
ing class.
The differences between the two
conceptions are infinitely greater
than the Similarities 1t is one
thing to plan for a Cancellation of
interests and a social equilibrium
based on redreSsing the balance of
power among farmers, workers and
capitalists. 1t is radically differ
ent thing to plan through a dicta-
torship of the proletariat.
A CAREFUL and objective ex-
K
4 n animation of the measures
taken in this past year, and of the
way the executive powers have act
ually been exercised will show, 1
believe, that the social philosophy
of the new deal is in spirit. in OBJ
jective, and in method wholly alien
to FaScism and Communism. And
why should it not be? What reason
is there to think that ideas formu-
lated in Italy for Italians and in
Russia for Russians should dominate
Americans in the United States?
Communism has been established
in a country which was almost COM
pletely without a highly developed
CapitaliStic order.
Facsism has been established in
a few countries of central Europe
which are without the traditions of
democracy. Is there any ground
for thinking that we have to learn
our economics from a country which
began to emerge from feudalism
fifteen years ago or our politics from
countries which with only the brief
est Interruptions have been accus-
toned to autocracy through all
their history?
NV own conviction is that we
are finding our own way through
the difficulties of the modern world
and that instead of initiating others
We shall perhaps once again set the
example to others. Why not? For
a hundred years we never doubted
the promise of American life. We
never wavered in the conviction that
in the New World there was the
prospect of a good life for free men.
We need not doubt it now. In
the past year we have justified that
faith. In the midst of unparalleled
difficulties the American democracy
has shown a discipline, resource
fulness, fertility of invention and
a capacity to produce leadership
and respond to it, which enable us
to stand up before all the world in
our strength, our own purposes and
our own way of life.
Copyright. 1884