Evening star., 1937-12-07
Forum
Continued From Page B-16.)

effect of technology are the actions of
highly organized groups equipped with
great bargaining power which has been
intrusted to them by the Government.
Among these are corporations, labor
unions and farm organizations. These
great groups all too often try to in
crease their profits, wages or prices
without regard for the general well
fare: all too often they everyday their
O. hand and bring about either shortage
or an unbalanced abundance which is
equally destructive.
Balanced Abundance.
Actually, of course, there cannot be
any lasting prosperity for corporations,
labor unions or farmers unless there is
Increased balanced abundance which
can be moved into consumption at
prices low enough to be fair to con-
suners and high enough to keep the
increased balanced abundance coming
The contribution the farmer can make
TO continuing balanced abundance
at fair prices is the ever-normal gran
ary. Can labor and business make a
similar contribution which will restore
prosperity and prevent peaks of over
production and valleys of underpro-
duction? Business is not handicapped
with heat, drought and insect pests
IN the same way as agriculture But
business is faced with the problem of
steel mills operating at IS per cent of
capacity one year and only 35 per
cent another year. Labor is faced
with the problem of great variations
IN employment. To what extent are
the policies of business and labor re-
sponsible for the extraordinary swings
up and down in production and en-
ployment in the cities? These prob
lens are made by men and not by
weather.
The three background factors have
been discussing-the change in our
relations with foreign countries. the
increased use Of machinery and mod
ern methods. and the growth of cor
porations, labor unions and farm Or
ganizations-these three unco-ordi-
mated factors have an intimate rela-
tionship with the lack of business sta
bility from which this country along
with the rest of the world has suffered
since the World War.
Men OF good will should be able to
counsel with each other to eliminate
much of the severity of these man.
made economic storms. This does not
necessarily mean more government in
business, but it may mean that Nusi-
ness men. laboring men and farmers
will counsel together to find out how
eo use government coordination at
key points to increase our physical
wealth and to eliminate the violence
Of those business ups and downs which
have been acting so strangely since
the Great War came to an end.
Making Democracy Efficient.
Doing this job of keeping business
rising steadily should not be labeled
with some terrifying name such as
Communism, Fascism, collectivism or
botalitarianism. Doing this job SIM
ply means making democracy efficient.
Our various leaders, as they talk
informally together, might well con-
slider this problem of recovery as q
PAoUlCul VI AloW UCSt W bullO oil ClA~
cient democracy in the kind of world
which has grown up in the last IS
years. The essence OF democracy is
tolerance and belief in the sacredness
Of the Individual We abhor violence
and bloodshed. But democracy, If it
b to survive, cannot be anarchy. 1t
must have will of its own and it
must be able to act Otherwise, for
eign nations which know exactly what
they want may be able to project
their conflicting ideas into a peaceful
and decent democracy with tragic re-
suits. An inefficient democracy af-
hicted with many squabbling factions
can easily play into the hands of those
nations which stand for ideals that are
very different from ours.
In nations which are young, with
population growing and free land to