Evening star., 1936-12-01
Compulsion and Security
States Have Chance to Help Remove Recommendation
Angle From Social Program, Observer Says.

Is a violation of the very basis Of the
American conception of society. 1t is
a new extension Of the power Of the
State to put compulsion upon the in
dividual. And every American ira
dition calls out to us to resist such
extension. Every sound American in
stinct tells us such extension Is
dangerous.
hesitate to use the entering
wedge" argument: but II We now sub
nit to taking an insurance we do
want. our submission may become
a precedent from which later we may
find ourselves required to take a
religion we do not want, a form OF
education we do not want, q peace
time military service we do not want,
a surrender of habeas corpus, Of
freedom Of speech.
II this seems fantastic, II 1t seems
to look too far ahead and too far
afield. recall something that happened
in America in the very recent past.
In 1923, about the time the Ku Klux
Klan was at its height. the State
of Oregon passed law compelling
every citizen, under penalty OF i'm
prisonment, TO send his children to
State public schools. He had to take
the education the State provided
whether he preferred some other form
of education or not. He would go to
jail If he sent his children to the
parochial schools Of the Catholic or
Lutheran or Episcopal church. all
of which had schools in Oregon.
He would go to Jail II he sent his
children to any ordinary non-sec-
tartan private school Of the familiar
type, of which there were some in
Oregon. The law was later held un-
constitutional by the Supreme Court.
Rise Of Dictator Theory.
The most conspicuous fact in the
world today Is the rapid spread Of
two conceptions of society and govern
ment, in both Of which the funda-
mental characteristic is compulsion
of tAe individual to submit to the
overpment-dictation by the govern
ment in every area of life in which
government chooses to assert auto
cratic power. In both fascism and
communism, the fundamental rule
is that the individual has no free
dom Of choice. no rights which the
government need respect. The aim Is
the authoritarian state the
"totalitarian state" The ideal is uni
formity-uniformity and therefore
conformity.
The most solemn duty Of Americans
is to safeguard our own country from
infection by this rapidly spreading
conception of society and government.
This infection. like thdSe of disease,
gets its foothold insidiously. and be-
comes Q contagion before the victims
are aware. The time to stop it is at
the first invasion. That the price
of liberty is eternal vigilance" Is an
American axiom.
One member Of the Federal Social
Security Board. Mr.. Miles, says the
law will need change. and that we
approach the problem with an open
mind; our sole purpose is to
make America a better place in which
to live"
Will America be q better place II
the totalitarian conception of society
gets foothold here? The Law already
permits many exemptions and lati-
| tudes; 1t exempts farm workers. do
| mestic workers, employees Of colleges
it exempts workers in establishments
having less than eight employees.
| Why not extend the exemptions to
all who can show that their own old
age insurance is arranged for in any
satisfactory way. That would take
from the law most of the sinister ele-
ment of compulsion It may be that
only ! man in 10000 would want
+ the exemption. But to exempt that
one man is to save an important
American principle.
(Copyrleht. 1850