Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-04-26
i. S. SEEN THREATENED
BY NEW FORM OF SOCIETY
Danger of Violent Initiation and Spread
of European Infection Cited
by Observer.

l
after some years Of operation these
two rnechanisms would have absorbed
many of the functions of government.
| And our familiar American pattern Of
society and institutions of government
would have been so altered as to Do
unacceptable. The courts as we
know them in America. as institutions
which stand between government and
the individual, which protect the in
dividual against compulsion by the
Government-the courts as we know
them would have disappeared. Courts
as they are in America are absolutely
incompatible with NJ r. A. and Triple
A. Somewhat the same thing that I
am saying here has already been said
by the Supreme Court. in the form Of
decisions declaring N. r. A. and Triple
A to be inconsistent with the Ameri-
can scheme of government. With the
courts would have gone, in large part,
the Constitution. And Congress would
have been gradually reduced in its
functioning so that eventually it would
have Sloughed away. The place Of
Congress as a body representing the
people as a whole would have been abb
sorbed by a body representing trades
and industries.
But let us not expand on would
have been" Both N. r. A. and Triple
A are gone. Few wish to bring back
either NJ r. A. in its original form or
Triple A in the form that included
| compulsion.
Congress Has Awakened.
The danger of new conception OF
society and government arising n
America-that is, the direct danger
has been further reduced by the emer-
| gence of the people out of the mood Of
the depression, and away from the
temporary needs the depression Great
ed. Congress today would not re-enact
N. r. A. and Triple in their original
forms. Congress. indeed, has come 10
resumption of its duties and preroga-
tives which would make the setting up
of new conception of society and
government, in direct way, close TO
| impossible.
One of two major dangers which the
| depression brought to America. I have
said, was violent imitation of the kind
which after the war took place in sew
eral European countries. This danger
still exists. ! do not wish to over
emphasize it. would not make a
$3.50 bet that it will take place Though
some competent judges WOULD. This
danger of violent imitation, to what
ever extent it exists, involves within
itself the other danger. the danger OF
the new form of society and govern
ment For if imitation should really
come in America and go on to the ca
tastrophic stage, the result would be
a collapse, a collapse much more Sc
rious than the depression; and after
the collapse would come period Of
chaos in which We would again be
subject, as we were in the depression.
and to greater degree than by the de-
preston, to the danger of falling into,
or being taken into, changed form OF
society and government. So that it is
not possible to consider the two perils
separately. One, the danger Of in
flation, contains within itself the other,
the danger of a changed form Of So
ciety and government.
Danger Still With Us.
The danger of imitation is still with
US. This danger rests mainly upon the
constant spending by the Government
of much more money than it take in
through taxation. the constant Dor
rowing, the constant increase in the
public debt.
About the degree of the danger OF
violent imitation, persons well equipped
to judge differ The most portentous
feature of the situation is the fact that
apparently next year, the fifth fiscal
year after the lowest point of the de-
preston. and the fourth fiscal year
after the new administration took
charge of the country-neXt year, ap-
parently. the deficit, the excess of eX-
penditures over income, is going to be
greater than in any previous year. No
one can tell, of course, whether the
deficits will continue to rise in future
years 1t may be that next years an
ticipated deficit will be the peak. Yet
a peak of borrowing and spending
which comes five years after the bot
tom of the depression, is sufficiently
cminous. 1t suggests that this con-
slant increase in the deficit may not
he solely result of the depression. but
may be the result of new conditions
or new policies or new practices.
There remain, nevertheless. the
cheerful possibility that the coming
years deficit may be The peak and
that thereafter the deficits may taper
down. Once the deficits begin to
taper off the danger, from this source,
is over. 1t may be that continued in
crease in volumes of business may
reach proportions which would bring
two happy results: First, the taxes
Yielded by business may approximate
the Governments expenditures; and
second, that the same increase of BUSH
ness may absorb so much of the UNI
employment as to reduce the Govern
ments outlay for this purpose.
(Copyright, 1850