Evening star., 1934-02-11
BY RALPH w. PAGE.

There Is neither danger nor posi-
bility of saddling the people of the
United States with any system OF
regimentation or government by edict
or of compelling a change in their
ways of life unless they want it.
Prohibition proved that. All the
laws ana lawyers and marShals ana
sheriffs in the United States cannot
foreclose a mortgage in North Dakota
today. It's dangerous business In
great many other localities.
I've seen piles of printed injunc-
tions in many court houses in the
South To stop foreclosure, all one
has to do is to fill out an injunction.
A hold-up man has better chance
than labor leader in Southern Cali
fornia. People in the United States
pay taxes as long as they want-and
when they no longer want to no power
on earth can make them. It's been
tried and found failure.
Now I've reported that majority
of people want regulated business.
In the main they are trained and will
stand by majority rule within their
own industry. In the main they are
willing to grant the entering wedge of
the principle of shorter hours and a
living wage.
Red Tape Insisted Upon.
But as every one knows, they are a
resourceful, impatient and independ-
ent people. And the physical machin-
cry of conferences, documents to sign,
reports, delays and hindranceS en-
countered in governmental regulations
are getting them out of humor
1t is probably too soon to predict
that this will cause breakdown in
industry. Every one recognizes that
the task was colossal and the time
short. Moreover, 80 per cent of the
arrangements have been made by the
leaders in industry themselves.
The American executive, the dollar
a-year man, is the worlds champion
organizer But the lawyers and blank
makers have got stranglehold and
insist that every detail be drawn up,
revised, scrutinized, signed, sealed, re-
corded and filed in quadruplicate in
13 places under their immediate su-
pervision. The printing business is
on the boom. And the people are
getting sore. They are beginning to
throw the blanks across the room into
the waste basket Neither the word
nor the workings of bureaucracy is
popular in any quarter.
Now all this may and probably will
work out in typical American fashion
That is, the people are inclined to
conform to the regulations they need
and believe in, and blithely disregard
the rest. And perhaps in this way
the machinery may become simplified
and speed up to the point where ii
will be endured.
There are various evidences point
ing in that direction. Government Of
flcials are of necessity politicians
They aim. to please A fierce public
demand for action usually results in
| official action. 1t only took foul
months for the home owners to begin
| to cut the red tape of the Home Own
| erS' Loan Bank. Some of the tape Is
still there and the home owners are
up nights and Sundays still cutting it
Public Support Needed.
I've visited the Offices of the bank
several times and the change of heart
is almost incredible. In Oregon, pub
lie outcry produced set of plans
complete in every financial and engi-
neering detail for some IA State prof.
ectS for the p w. A. in about a week
In the f1ue-cured tobacco belt a red
hot rebellion resulted in signing uI
| thousands Of farmers-about 90 pei
cent by count-in a few days. Bu-
reaucracy is not fatal But that it.
workings constitute an irritation anc
a real danger to the regulation o.
business cannot be denied
That Government officials will be.
come tyrannical and arbitrary Is q
bugaboo. The people simply do no
believe it. Like the sheriffs and thu
| Judges. these officials can only forct
the active will Of the great majority
on the fractions minority. Without
active public support they are per.
fectly helpless. Gen. Johnson Is NJ
dictator. He Is as careful as an!
alderman or president or mayor t.
''crack down" only when the cheering
section applauds.
These changes will crystalline vol
UNFAIRLY or not at all. Even today i
is more than the whole United States
Cavalry and all, can manage, to make
one dry cleaner in Kansas City raise
his prices. If his neighoors don
make him, he won't be made.
II my conviction, after my tour o
observation, that the reorganization
of business under regulation is an evo
luton and resulted from popular de.
mand due to a new environment o.
situation is correct. then the deduc
ton Is necessary that this remedy, a!
finally applied, will be partial and no
universal For there is goodly mum