The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-11-23
FREEDOM OF THE MACHINE IN A
FREE COUNTRY

FREE COUNTRY
\ newspaper of the proportions OF The
Times-NewS has neither the time or space
to compile and print bOok-iength discus
sionS on any subject, no matter how I'M
por,ant the subject or issue may be. 1t can
only touch the more important subjects in
high spots. Bruce Cation, hard working
newspaper man, was doing that in an al
ticle printed yesterday in this newspaper.
Il was a brief defense of the machine and
machine age.
The machine and machine age are sub
jects of frequent assaults by two or three
classes of citizens. First, perhaps, there
are those who honestly believe in scarcity
of commodities and high prices as an eco
monte policy. They are the mflationists
who think all problems will be settled il
prices of commodities can be hoisted to
hitherto mapproached heights.
Then there are two other classes of peo-
pie who attack the machine age and pres
ent day conditions from that standpoint.
These people are either FaScistS or COM
mmiSts. They are the advocates of the
State is Communist or Fascist. The ends
sought by both classes are the same. 1t is
government ownership and operation of
industry, agriculture and all resources of
a country, and government enSlavement Of
the people: with dictator and company
of sub-dictators controlling all.
FascSts and Communists use the Outcry
against what they call the tyranny and
danger of the machine to crush free gov
eminent and deprive peoples of their lib
critics; but when this has been accom-
plished they are ready to use all the power
of the machine and the machine age to
hold peoples in subsection and to promote
their ends. They are opposed to control
of the machine by free peoples in free
countries, but they believe in control of
the machine by dictatorship in tOtalitarian
States.
Opposing the Vaccinations of the two
classes Of radicals are the majority of
thoughtful and fully informed peoples of
free countries, the true liberals and believ-
ers in liberty. In this country they are the
system of governmental the social and
economic policies which. together with
our political system, are sometimes called
the system of Americansm. These people
differ about minor policies in all of these
fields of human experience and effort, but
they are agreed as to fundamentals.
These people do not believe in an eco
monte policy of scarcity and abnormal and
unreasonable high prices. They believe in
the typical American abundance OF mate
rial blessings and an economic policy of
fair prices for commodities which place
them easily within reach of all classes.
They oppose the scrapping of the great
inventions of modern times, which have
reVolutiOnized and remade civilization.
They believe in the continued and mcreas-
ing use of the machine to promote the
general welfare, prosperity and happiness
of all the people.
These people do not believe that any
desirable ends for free peoples are to be
secured by dictatorial political control, by
totalitarian State policies; or by govern
ment meddling, manipulation, government
ownership or competition with private
business, even in an otherwise free country
Bruce Cation, in the article mentioned,
names some blessings of the machine age
in a free country There is a lack of APP
probation of this viewpoint on the part of
numerous Americans. In many cases it il
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