Montana labor news., 1937-12-02
Big Business Now Has
Administration On Run

WASHINGTON.-(FP)-Bi bust
ness, it seems, has the administra-
ton on the hip and, despite declara-
tons that 1--WE have just begun to
fight which were made almost ex-
actly a year, big business has the adj
ministration on the run.
Ever since its return to Washing
ton Congress has whimpered the
theme, We've got to do something
for the relief of business" and in
high as well as in low circles the
song has been one of Cancellation
towards business. The economists
say that what has happened is that
business has gone on strike. Advance
orders r not being placed, further
development of industry is not be-
ing planned and the owners of CAPT
tai are cagily investing that capital
in tax exempt securities.
But a strike of capital is vastly
different than a strike of labor.
When workers go on strike the
troops are called out, newspapers
blast the strikers as "un-American"
and the whole force of government
is brought to bear upon the workers
who r insisting upon their rights.
When capital strikes the tune is
different. Newspapers take up the
cry of unfair to organized bust
ness" Congress goes into a tailspin
in its anxiety to pacify capital and
offer suitable inducements, and gov
eminent trots out its best sirens in
the attempt to WOO capital from its
retreat. The world with a little pink
ribbon on its tail is offered to the
high moguls if only they will return
to the arena.
There r a few voices in Wash
ington in rebellion against the spine
less attitude put on display by Con-
gross. If capital chooses to throw
the country's welfare to the wind in
order to gain its own ends, or be-
cause it fears the dark corners of
the future, then let the government
take over the functions of capital,
they say.
Instead of shifting the tax burden
from business to the little man, as
business now demands and as Con-
gress seems likely to agree, let the
government tax huge corporate
wealth more heavily and use the re-
turns in public works and govern
ment spending. If capital will not
build the factories and employ the
men and produce the goods then let
the government take the capital,
through perfectly legal tax means
and build the factories and employ
the men and produce the goods.
This doctrine is being advocated
by sound, conservative economists
here, not the starry-eyed radicals the
venal Chicago Tribune so dearly
loves to picture as the geniuses of
the administration.
Business, say these economists, is
not longer willing to take risks. 1t
demands that the government take
the risk for them but when it comes
to paying the fiddler, business says
Let the little guy do it."
Thus, when in 1888 capital was
afraid, the government stepped for
ward with a huge spending program,
with PWA and WPA, and with a
set-up under NRA which virtually
guaranteed to business a profit. I'm
der the program business thrived
and even after MIRA was outlawed,
business was able to keep going on
the funds provided by government
spending.
But despite the fact that the funds
from the Treasury took the quickest
and shortest route possible into the
pockets Of business, they began to
worry about how the government
would replace the funds in the
Treasury. When the corporate sur
plus tax was passed, business
howled and nov it demands emascu-
lation Of that tax before it will call
off its strike.
When the President announced
that government spending would be
stopped, business howled and now
it demands that government spend
ing be resumed before it will cal
off its strike. At the same time bust
ness is careful to say that govern
ment spending must be at the cost
of the poor and not Of the rich ano
that, although the government is
spending billions for the %rehabilita-
ton of business, the budget must be
kept in balance, and although bust
ness is acting like a spoiled ano
greedy child, the administration is
frantically searching in the buffet
drawers for its choicest sticks Of
candy. Quite possibly one of those
sticks of candy will be a guarantee
that labor will refrain from its de
mands for a decent standard of liv-
ing and that labor and the small
: merchant and farmer will pay the
, cost of government spending to swell
, the profits of capital.
But labor, fortunately, is strong
enough to hang on to what it ha!