Evening star., 1936-07-03

business Just
where to head in under a planned
economy.
Wallace pays his respects to the
property owners of the country. whom
he thinks are given special protection
under the Constitution and he under
takes also to criticize the churches
for their failure to inaugurate An
effective discipline" on property ac-
cumulations. He is especially caustlc
about Professionalism, which he thinks
In our industrial centers is too iden-
tical with the upper-class way OF
life" But here is the quotation In
which. for some unexplained reason,
the church is brought into the dis
cussion of a scheme for the political
governance of the Nation.
Says Restraint Removed.
Wallace writes:
Somewhat in the manner that 1u-
dicial Interpretation was to deny both
Federal and State power to regulate
modern business in the United States,
the Protestant ethic, freed from the
restraints Of the Roman Church. failed
to develop an effective discipline for
the social administration of great &C
cumulation of property. In both cases
a wide twilight zone was created in
which the jungle law OF tooth and
nail prevailed.
Many aspects Of the Protestant
faith no longer grip the imagination
@IA ~ Ctotn
as was once the case. but the great
middle class, especially in the farm
region, still works, denies, accumu-
lates and trains the children of the
next generation in the same spirit as
always, even though the fine points
of doctrine have been almost COM
pletely lost.
In the great industrial centers a
curious transformation has taken
place. In these areas professionalism
has become to considerable extent
identical with the upper-claSs way of
life. The essential faith of this class
Is belief in hard work. thrift, saving,
the sacredness of capital and the
moral right of such q group to con-
tinue to govern. profit and reap the
rewards of good life. -
Wealth Production Favored.
Probably no mental approach to
reality was better adapted to rapidly
expanding wealth production than the
Protestant approach. Unfortunately it
has not been quite well adapted to
wealth distribution and wealth con-
sumption in line with the doctrines
Of the New Testament"
The inference that might be drawn
from Wallace's book is that thrift,
saving, and the right to profit and
the reaping of the rewards of a good
life are somehow out of favor with
the New Deal. 1t so happens that
the religious discussion is but a small
part OF Wallace's book and becomes
significant only as the Presidents
spokesman undertakes TO show that
there must be a supreme power of
some kind in government because the
citizens are unable really to govern
themselves through associations of
their own choosing. Thus Wallace
writes:
The outstanding need seems to
be for democratic mechanism which
can direct action in behalf of the
general welfare. There is no reason
10 believe that organized farmers or
organized labor will in the long run
act more generously on behalf of the
general welfare than organized bus
aness.
On several occasions I have sug-
gested that sooner or later there
should be a council for the general
welfare"
Based on Interpretation.
Wallace thinks all this can be &C.
eomplshed within the Constitution
by simple process of judicial interpre-
taoon. He emphasizes the need for
greater power in the national gov
eminent, and it would appear that
IL new set of judges were appointed
there would be ample power available
Tor the New Deal to accomplish its
obJect1ves. His whole argument is
based on the notion that the general
welfare" clause of the Constitution
Is ample for the exercise of Federal
paternallsm. 1t is not new argument
In this respect, but If it were valid
there never would have been any
need In the first place for any other
articles In the Constitution except the
one about general welfare. The Fed.
efal Congress would have had In the
name Of the general welfare" the
right to do almost anything It planned
with Federal funds and with Federal
authority
The conception adopted by the
Supreme Court of the United States
Is that the Federal Government is
a Government of enumerated powers
and that whatever powers are not
specifically delegated to the National
Government belong to the States and
to the people who, from time to time
as the Federal and State Constitu-
dons are amended, surrender the
powers they wish to delegate to Gov
eminent.
Means One Man Rule.
Wallace shares the views of MANY
New Dealers, including the President,
that the National Government which
for $50 years existed alongside State
governments must now be given su-
preme power. This really means that
the vast powers of the presidency
would govern the country because
today both houses Of Congress have
been brought under the control of
the Executive through the use of
Federal funds and Federal patronage.
The new book will probably be heard
from in the campaign. Wallace writes
frankly and sincerely and gives his
book the atmosphere of the 1T76
revolution very much as did Mr..
Roosevelt in his acceptance speech