The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-05-31
WHO CONTROLS THE COUNTRY
AND WHY?

The Charlotte News intimates that
around ten per cent. of the business men
of the country are either crooked or are
so lacking in business judgment and COM
mon sense that it is necessary to have
something like NRA to take charge of them
and their businesses and compel them to
operate sanely, safely and honestly. If this
ten per cent. could be eliminated, says The
News, there would be no call for govern
ment regulation, for RECOMMENDATION or for
economic planning"
While The News makes statement of
facts, it does not go far enough into the
discussion to shed any light on q problem
that is as old as civilization and, as far as
anyone knows to the contrary, one which
will continue to vex mankind until the end
of time. The poor we have. always had
with us, and they, too, will remain until
the end; and the same is true of crooked
business men and business men who are
short on intelligence, initiative, sound Judg-
ment and the capacity to succeed.
One of the greatest weaknesses of NRA
in addition to the fact that it was ille-
gal-was that it placed all the business
men of the country in one vast company
and undertook to shackle all of them be-
cause ten per cent. merited handouts. A
system that regiments and handicaps a
whole nation of business men in order to
weed out ten per cent. of undesirables, IS
in itself an undesirable system. The unde-
sirableS stir up lot of trouble, and at
times have almost wrecked civilized So
ciety; but is it doing justice to the ninety
per cent to punish them for the sins and
shortcomings of ten per cent?
The New Deal dream of a perfect elvlll-
cation would never come true if way
was found to kill off the undesirable ten
per cent. of business men-that Is, until
way was found to rid the country of a
much larger percentage of undesirable
politicians, New Dealers and other classes
of undeSirables.
If The Charlotte News would be inter
ested in a prediction of what may be en-
pected to happen in this connection in time
to come, it might read the Scripture para
bic of the wheat and the tares-that, at
least, illustrates the thought The Times
News has in regard to this matter. The
adoption of the Golden Rule and practice
of it's teaching by all men everywhere
would usher in the Golden Age; but this
newspaper is not expecting the Golden
Age as development of moral and social
and economic progress in this present
world"
Evil has been in the world from near the
beginning and its consequences have al
ways handicapped and burdened mankind
Crooked business men have cursed every
age since men began to engage in COM
merce and do business with one another
The ten per cent.-or whatever per cent
it is that is responsible for the trouble is
here to stay. The lack Of wisdom, courage
and practical capacity for the advance
ment of civilization of the other ninety per
cent. could not be more clearly and fore
IDLY evidenced in any way than by the fact
that nine-tenths of the people have been
driven to desperation by the misdeeds OF
the evil one-tenth. Will nine-tenths sur
render to the assaults of one-tenth? On
will nlne-tenths deprive all of life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness because one
tenth justly merits condemnation and pun.