The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-05-30
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

| XXTE are living in transitional period. Many
w of the more characteristic institutions of
| modern times are in their terminal stages, much
as feudalism, the manorial system and the guild
! system were in the early sixteenth century
Among these institutions which have been
subjected to the ordeal of new conditions is DEM
ocracy, perhaps the most characteristic political
| product of the nineteenth century. Many Of it's
| fundamental assumptions have been ridded by
practical experience and the growth of knowl-
edge.
The notion of the equality Of all men has
faded before the development of differential BIZ
| ology and psychology
The dogma that people would show an in
terest in politics once they we're given the right
to vote has been challenged by the alarming
growth of nonvoting. Even in exciting presiden-
tial elections only little over half of the au-
thorized voters get out to cast their ballots. It
was once believed that campaigns would be pc
RODS of rational political education and discrim-
mating choice
But, instead. they have degenerated into
orgies of prejudice, emotional trivialities and
partisan zeal
AS democracy has failed to meet the test of
the twentieth century, new rivals have appeared
on the horizon, most notably Fascsm with its
reverson to dictatorship and it's remuneration of
representative government and the party system
THIS ordeal of democracy in our day is very
thoughtfully analyzed by c. Delisle Burns
in his important work Challenge to Denoc-
racy" Norton). He clearly indicates the chal-
lenge to the old political order which is i'm
plict in the civilization of the twentieth CEN
fury:
THE whole situation is changed. Partly be-
cause of biological and other such fundamental
| causes. partly because of disillusion following
upon the Great War and Small Peace it can
not any longer be taken for granted that there
are things no fellow can do What our fore
fathers unconsciously assumed is now generally
questioned
THE division Of society into upper and
lover classes the Importance of the private pur-
suit of wealth, the value of discussion with an
opponent in ones neighborhood-all these are
under the eye of conscious criticism But
above all our forefathers assumed that the life
in society was sharing of certain powers and
| rights, already in existence; and we tend to
| think of powers and rights still to be created In
a society which will be the result of conscious
effort
IF there are moral standards which will
! prevent conflicting interests from destroying
the common good, we feel that those standards
! are still to be established They can not be
accepted from the past. Even the Conservative
nowadays tends to look forward rather than
back
The days of acquiescence in the unconscious
! control of traditional habit are gone. The funda-
mental difference between that age and ours is
the difference between sharing what already
exists and creating what does not exist. It is
the difference between the product and the
! process objects in the focus of attention It
is the difference between the attitude of child
hood and that of adolescence"
MR.. BURNS does not abandon all hope of
4V1 democracy. He believes that ii it exploits
existing knowledge and realistically adapts itself
to new conditions, it will be able to cope favor
ably with both Fascism and Communism.
Prof. j. H. Salter has brought out an i'm
portant book on one of the most effective OBJ
stacles to democracy and honest government
the boss system and the political machine-iIl
his Boss Rule; Portraits in City Politics" NC
Graw-HilD gathered chiefly from the rich field
OF Philadelphia city politics. One of the most
pressing problems of democracy is the relation
! of the government to labor and labor organiza-
tons. This is comprehensively analysed by AL
fred Bernheim and associates in their Labor
and the Government" a Twentieth Century
Fund publication (McGraw-HilD.
The Interstate Commerce Commission has
been one of the most interesting democratic ex-
perirnents along the line of controlling plu-
tocracy and enlisting expert knowledge.
Prof I. l.. Sharfman surveys the Commission
from the legal and historical point of view in his
| The Interstate Commerce Commission" Com
Press. The important biological issues in de-
mocracy are conveniently summarized by Edwin
Grant Conkln in his interesting little book,
Freedom and Responsibility CHoughton. Milf
/ fin). The attitude of British labor toward de-
mocracy today is authoritatively presented by
Lord Elton and associates in Toward a National
Policy uongmans). to which Premier Mac
Donald contributes the foreword.