Montana labor news., 1935-07-04
DUMB SWEDE'

Within the past year, representative
OF the so-called brain trust in the
United States have visited Sweden,
made a study OF economic conditions
there, and undoubtedly returned to this
country with clearer understanding Of
the reasons why the depression per-
sists in continuity here. But so far,
at any rate, none OF them have ven
tured to advocate the remedies, the
application OF which has made OF Swed-
en- a shining example to the nations
OF the world because OF its emergence,
without revolution or change of form
Of government from the weller Of &c
onomic chaos that engulfs the rest of
the civilized nations at this time.
Sweden leads all the other nations
Of the world in true, cooperative or
ganization. Nearly all of the leading
industries are conducted comparatively.
The old private industrial o~rganiza-
tons have not been legislated out of
existence they have failed to meet the
competition OF the cooperative organi-
cations of an advanced, thinking peo-
pie, organized for production for use
instead OF Profit. Only a very few
of the former large industrial and COM
mercial profit-seeking organizations are
still struggling to keep alive. And their
doom is written in the steady, unswerv-
ing advance Of the cooperative, non
profit-making alliances of the people.
The daily press of the United States
failed to chronicle the text of the mes
sage of King Gustav, delivered to the
"Riksdag" or parliment on the open
ing of its five hundredth session. This
message was a report on the condition
OF the nation, and it was delivered to.
a parliment controlled by socialists and
other left wing" representatives, init
ed on one subject; the development of
a cooperative commonwealth. The
message is worthy of most careful con-
s~ideration.
King Gustav reported that the bud
get was balanced without any increase
in taxes. The national debt had been
reduced until now it was only ten mil
lion dollars. There were only 5000
unemployed, or less than one per cent
of the population. The sum Of money
appropriated for relief at the session
Of the year before had been $40,000,000
and more than half OF this sum had not
been expended. For the coming year,
an appropriation Of $~l5,000,O00 for re-
lief purposes was asked as a Measure
Of safety against unforeseen conting-
encies which might arise.
1t is obvious that the national debt
Of Sweden is negligible and could be
paid tomorrow if the need should arise.
And the great object lesson presented
by Sweden to other nations lies in the
fact that through cooperative effort,
with governmental sanction, it has prac-
tically eliminated its profit-hoarding
robber-baron class, and the government
by the elimination OF its control by
this class, is an example of a true de-
mocracy, even though it has as its head,
a figure-head king.
1t may be remarked as a further OBJ
ject lesson that Finland, one of the
strongholds Of cooperatives, is the only
country among the debtor nations
which has never defaulted for a day
in payment Of its obligations to the
United States.
As a demonstration OF an absolutely
certain cure for the economic ills which
causes people to go hungry in this land
of plenty, the program of the dumb
Swede" should be studied and its les
sons applied. And when the people OF
this country attain the enlightenment
and understanding necessary, we will
have representatives in II government
who will lead US out OF the economic
morass into brightness and abundance
for all.
"The Christian Century" in an edi-
torial on the conditions in Sweden, in
one of its recent issues, makes the fol-
lowing pointed comment Swedes
have no brain trust because they have
never taken up the American system
OF excluding brains from government
in the first place"
Farmers Union News