Milford chronicle., 1938-04-22
POLITICIANS, WATCH QUIT
lRsprlnlea from collIer.al

le than seventy-five Congressman hav
he asked that their names be include
lie as co-authors OF the proposal. Evl
m IDENTIFY they think there are votes 4
II that bill.
% II is interesting to note the pro
d visions of a measure so intrinsical
ly popular. Mr.. Patman says IL
r purpose is ito regulate seliishnes
It and to prevent greed" Its goal i
T certainly not TO raise revenue
a which used to be considered the oh
/. ject of taxation.
y The actual object is to destroy th'
c large chain store organizations By
e the imposition of a confiscatlng tax
: MFR. Patman predicted that the
1 chains would be broken up within
D two years after enactment of his
: bill.
~ He proposed to exempt small
chains from this new tax. A COM
pany owning only nine stores would
he free from this tax. Beyond nine
the rates would be piled up. A COM
: pany would pay $1,000 a store for all
stores in excess of 500. The tax
would he increased If stores are op-
Grated in more than one state. The
graduated taxes would be multiplied
by the number of states in which a
corporation maintained stores.
Mr.. Patman's bill is another po-
litical effort TO destroy national
markets and to make business local
rather than national. The effect of
such efforts upon our standard of
living is one OF the vital considera-
tions that politicians prefer TO ig-
more. Consumers seem to be pOliti-
cally negligible.
! Our high standard of living is
made possible by big business. Con-
slider the radio, for example. Broad
casting is only about eighteen years
old When Warren G. Harding lived
in the White House. the radio fan
was inclined TO build his own re-
ceiyer. The business was small
enough. When receiving sets were
offered to the public, the price was
about 5000. Last year the average
price of new set was $37.5
Big business gave us the radio
beyond all question just as large
scale production made possible our
use of the motor car. No other in
dustry has ever done more to in
crease values and to lower prices.
Ten years ago a car buyer paid |
two dollars for as much horsepower |
as he now gets for one dollar. Com
fort. safety. utility and beauty have
been enormously enhanced by large |
corporations. I.arge-scale enterprise
did it,
The oil industry is the classic ex-
hibitiOn of big business. Anti-trust
laws and famous court decisions
have been hung upon the oil indus
try. The plain fact is that oil
prices to consumers have moved
downward and oil quality has i'm
proved because of large business. In
1921 gasoline cost 31.4 cents a gal
Ion. This year the comparable
price, without tax. is 14.3 cents. Big
business did that too.
The electric industry has made
great advances, which have been re-
t1ected in lower costs to the con-
public. Generally speaking,
electric rates have been cut in half
1uring the last twenty-five years.
Perhaps they should have been cut
Ower still. However. the gains ac-
ually made are the results of large
enterprise.
The approach or Congress to pro-
lOsals such as the Patman chain
itore bill is purely political. Nobody
n Congress pays any attention to
my other consideration. Whether
consumers get better service or
worse service, whether prices are
higher or lower under one system
n the other. is distinctly outside the
ange Of political interest.
Sometime somebody will have to
10 some clear thinking and plain
alking if our high American stand
rd of living is TO be preser7ed, re-
tored or raised Governments can
estrOy what we already possess but
p to now no government has rails
any peoples standard of living.
Government can take and, If il
hooses, redistribute. Medieval kings
sed TO take property from churches
D give to faYOrite mobiles. But re-
does not increase pro-
uctiOn or lift any peoples general
,Vel OF living.
In spite of actual services, big
usiness has taken such beating
/ the hands of politicians that many
Dse confidence and begin to wonder
the politicians are right. II is
asy to find the answer to that one.
ANY system of government, big or
tile. is as good as it's results. A
Igh general standard of living is
pod. II is good to have plenty of
utritious food and comfortable
othes. II is good TO have motor
lrs and radios and notion picture
lows.
The kind Of business that can pro-
de the great majority OF American
miles, with such luxuries as mo-
II cars and radios does not have to
, apologize. The sort Of enter
Use that created in the United
ates the highest standard OF liv-
e ever ATTAINED by any people
lywhere does not nave 10 feel In.
rior.
Politicians think about politics be-
use that is their business. The rest
us have other and broader con-
rms. One of these concerns Is to
tain the good things we already
We and to keep up our American
andard Of living. II we want 10
ep IT or raise 1t. we shall have TO
it ourselves. Congressman won't