The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-09-10

Liberal Viewpoint
.Ry DR.. HARRY ELMER BARNES

THAT the American business man is the VIC
Il tim Of ignorance, rather than servant Of
the devil. is the sensible contention of Mr.. John
L. spvak in an article in the American Mercu-
~" entitled Business Men Are Bewildered"
Our business men would like to see prosper
itv returned for all But most Of them are Woe
fully incapable Of visuaizing what is necessary
to bring about this result They are prevented
by their apparent immediate self-interest from
| recognizing their actual sen-nteresI Wneh
viewed IN broad prospective.
| They know that their own immediate profits
are increased by curtailing costs, including wage
pavments Hence, they find it difficult TO accept
| the fact that they can sell goods only when
wages are high enough to insure vigorous pur-
chasing power.
Their conduct is not so much the product Of
overt devilishness as of confusion and near
sightedness Mr. Spivak puts the matter fairly
and clearly when he says that
The average business man is well-meaning,
earnest eager to DO what he can for his business,
his community and his country.
The American business man sometimes
knows his immediate business, but Of the world
at large he is generally abysmally ignorant.
TIE has seldom troubled himself TO under
l. L stand the economic system under which
he operates, and now that the very ground upon
which he built up his business is crumbling I'M
der him. he is utterly bewildered," writes Mr..
Spivak
Men whose fingers touch every artery Of
their business who know every inch OF their
factories have only vague ideas of what is oc-
curing in other factories, even in their own
field On questions affecting their industry IN
relation to other industries they are at an utter
loss"
THE business man, nurtured on cut-throat
competition in the struggle Tor immediate pro1tS,
does not realize that the prize of wheat in the
Argentine affects the price OF shoes IN Nebraska
The confusion in which American business
men founder is eXempllfed by representative
answers which they gave to Mr. Splvak as to the
causes of the depression:
THE country'S in this mess because there S
not enough money in circulation.
Its because of watered stock. These brokers
would sell ten cents worth of stock for $50 Then
all the money concentrates in the hands OF a
few men. That's what started the depression.
1T started because manufacturers built more
and more factories during the boom days"
A CONSIDERABLE section of American bust
N ness is hostile to the New Deal because the
President seems to be spending a lot of money
or to be helping the cause of labor unlonlSm. 10
the business man, this means merely hlgher
taxes and higher wages. He simply can't see That
all this is necessary in order to boost purchasing
power, avoid violence and promote the re5tora-
ton of prosperity
When business men are with the administra-
tion it is more because of fataliStic poker despair
than on account of intelligent insight into what
Mr. Roosevelt is going to do. Here are two rep
resentative statements given to Mr. Spvak by
business men friendly to the administration:
"I don't know what Mr.. Roosevelts trying to
do. The best can do is to be fatalistic about it
and hope that he knows. The whole country, in
spired by patriotism and earnest desire to get
out of this terrible situation, is following his
leadership blindly With no one knowing what it
is all about the best can do is hope that the
man we placed at the helm knows what he IS
doing"
7 don't know, really don't know. I guess
the only thing we can do is to give these COL
lege professors running the country chance.
Let's cheer for them. Maybe they'll get us out
of it."
All of which goes to confirm the old adage
that He'll is paved with good intentions.