Evening star., 1938-05-02
The National Progressives
Gov. La Folettes Madison Speech Brilliant in Appeal
But Weak in Manifesto.

SAASN6A@ w oANS SoNy AA eAAAo A>o-
ton a decent economic existence.
Common Economic Fallacy.
He sees that capital. labor and
Government, have all been laboring
under a common economic fallacy,
and that the net effect Of all of our
policies for years. whether capitals
tic, governmental or trade union
policies, has been to freeze production
and ownership where they are and
steadily to diminish them.
And, oh, how refreshing it is to
hear q speech from the non-Marxist
left cut itself loose from the social
work, settlement house and benevo-
lent feudal landlord mentality that
has dominated, the New Deal ad
nauseam!
But when it comes to practical pro-
posals, the speech is weak and the
manifesto even weaker. The one con-
crete proposal is the naturalization
Of the banking system. suppose that
is what Gov. La Toilette means when
he puts as the first plank in his plat
form 1.-The public ownership and con-
troll, without qualification or reserva-
ton, Of the banking system"
suspect that the Governor has
been greatly impressed by what Nazi
Germany has done with public credit.
suspect that the Governor figures
that if Germany, with no money at
all and with serious shortages Of raw
materials, can do what she has done in
the economic field by the use OF pub
lie credit, this country can certainly
do it too, and do 1t very much more
impressively, with less danger Of in
flation. The Governor has certainly
studied Fascism and learned some
thing from it, and suspect that
there will soon be a cry that this Is q
Fascist program. That seems to me,
at the moment, superficial observa-
ton. There is nothing exclusively or
specifically Fascist about many things
that the Fascists have done. The
means, tempo and temper Of doing
them, the philosophy and purposes
that lie behind them, are all part of
the total picture Of Fascsm.
But Germany has been able to do
what she has done with nationalized
banking largely because Mr.. Hitler in
herited from his predecessors an old,
established, efficient and incorruptible
bureaucracy, comparable to no other
in the world, and what would work
there certainly wouldn't work in the
same way here.
Learns About Appeal.
Gov. La Toilette has also learned a
great deal from the Fascists about
psychological appeal. Instead of offer
ing benefits he makes demands. He
promises no individual anything out
OF this new movement except hard
work. He believes that good society,
as well as successful party. is the one
that asks most. That is shrewd and
1t is also sound. Also, instead Of ap-
pealing to organized groups, he ap-
peals to every one-to the vast and
preponderant unorganized-and that
Is the technique of the modern party.
But the banners, the crusade, the
exaggerated emotional appeal and the
exaggerated nationalism are all some
what disturbing. This new party, we
are told, Is going to be a religion"
Now this is the way to create
fanatics, but it is not the way to
create reasonability, and If the Gov
ernor begins mixing up economics and
mysticism he may be starting some
thing that will run away with him.
Because this is the way that you start
an intolerance that ends up in burning
the heretics in fanatical totalitari-
anism.
An Exception Is Noted.
And with one statement of the Gov
ernor's this column takes exception,
and picks it out, because it is so
typical q statement Of these times.
American freedom" he says, lis
based on abundance" and the implica-