Evening star., 1935-02-03
The American Government Today
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Editors Note.-The following Is
from the introduction to Mr.. Has
kin's new book. 1.-THE American Gov
ernment Today" and outlines the oc-
casion for a work Of its character.) }
What constitutes the American
Government? This Is the intelligent
query Of every citizen. 1t Is a ques-
ton which cannot be answered once
for all. Founded by people who
themselves were bound on fresh
adventure in life every day, the
American Government has partaken
to some extent of that flowing char
acter. Adaptability to change while
still retaining basic fundamentals has
been the history Of this Government.
As wide gap exists between the
American Government Of today and
that Of the decade following the
World War as divided the social and
economic organization of the Nation
at the pinnacle Of its postwar pros
perity and during the era Of recovery
and reconstruction.
Theories of national economy which
had been maintained throughout the
| history Of the United States were not
only set aside, but actually reversed.
An entirely new conception Of what
relations should subsist between the
American Government and its citi-
zenS was adopted and placed in oper-
alton.
The remaking of the American
1.nVnF1noant fnl1nUrad
realization that the State must as
| sumo new measure OF responsibility
for its citizens. Such an assumption
was not repugnant to the Constitu-
tion Of the United States, for the very
| preamble of that instrument, an
nouncing its major purposes, declared
promotion of the general welfare to
be among them. At no earlier period
in the Nations experience had the
necessity for the full exercise of this
function been so apparent.
American economic history for a
century and a half followed the long
established lines which had been OBJ
served for centuries by the old civili-
cations of Europe. The laws of sup
ply and demand were regarded as in
exorable as the laws of the Medes and
the Persians. The cataclysm of the
World War was accompanied by tre-
mendous economic as well as political
upsets. New things happened in a
harried world.
The paradox Of starvation in the
midst of not merely plenty but over
supply was presented to a bewildered
people. 1t was explained that unem-
ployment which threatened starvation
and had dragged far down the stand
ard of living was traceable to over
abundance. The laws of supply and
demand were mysteriouSly suspended.
| The forces which aforetime had been
| depended upon to maintain a balance
in the world had slipped their nor
nal controls and were dangerously
| aberrant.
Perhaps such matters would not
have become first concern of the
great machine known as the Ameri-
| can Government had not this new
sense of social responsibility aWak-
ened. The fact that, in such an
emergency, such a sense did awake
| precipitated the deepest alteration
ever experienced in our governmental
system. From occupying a position
from which it was content merely to
! observe and. occasionally, regulate,
economic and social forces, the Amer
! iCan Government moved to dominant
| command and undertook to create
these forces. Causes and effects were
placed in reverse order. Finding that
the system of distribution had, some
! how, gone awry, the Government,
through multiplicity of agencies, at
/ tempted to become the motivating and
directing force Of distribution.
For example, the money and credit