Evening star., 1938-04-10
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

ny MANN hN.
THE excitement of the country against
the Government reorganization bill
was fully justified. 1t was not justi-
fled by that bill standing alone
under another President, at another time,
that bill might have caused little commo-
ton. But the excitement was abundantly
justified by the sum of what has been done
to America over period OF five years.
The stark fact is that the United States
has gone some 40 or so per cent Of the
distance toward changed form Of govern
ment and society. We are still on the way,
and with accelerated speed. II this busi-
ness depression keeps up we will go the
Unless We reverse the course there can be
no doubt about our destination.
The destination we are going toward Is
the authoritarian type of government. The
form it will take In our case will not be
Communism; it will be more like Fascism
Ours, will not be identical with Italian
Fascism or with any other type Authori-
tartan government varies In each country
in which 1t arises. In each country it Is
modified by local conditions. In each coun-
try it takes different name. 1t will take
a different name here If 1t comes.
Advises Changed Course.
How did we get on this course2 In much
the same way that Germany and Italy got
on the same course. In our case the Sc
quence Of events may be stated thus:
When President Roosevelt took ofIice he
brought with him. as oficial or unoficial
advisers or as sources of inspiration, q
number Of persons and groups who did not
like our existing form of society and who
had ideas for changing it. About this
group it is not possible to make generaliza-
tions Some wished nothing more than to
make changes in our system OF society,
changes having the nature of improve
ments, changes made necessary by faults
which had grown up in the system The
intentions of these men were good But
their understanding was defective, for
some Of the changes they proposed could
not be made without destroying the system
Some others wished to get rid Of the
existing American system and substitute
another. The substitute that most Of them
had in mind was a variety of Communism
or Socialism. Practically no one of the
group wished to introduce Fascism in
America. Why Is 1t. then. that Fascisn is
likely to be the outcome Of what they have
done?
BY their gestures in the direction Of
Communism or Socialism they have made
the existing American system impossible to
function. The heart Of the American sys-
tenn. its motive power, its engine Is hope of
profit-the hope to make money and the
expectation Of keeping what money is
made. If the hope of profit is taken away
the system will not function. II the right
to own and keep the profit men make-if
that is taken away, again the system will
not function.
Just that has happened. What particu-
lar actions of the administration caused
this to happen cannot be set out fully in
the space here available Some of the
cause Is taxation-not merely heavy taxa
ton, but certain specific tax devices
adopted for the purpose OF limiting or de-
stroying profit and limiting or destroying
the right to own and use profit after it is
made
large part Of the cause is the Wagner
Labor Act as interpreted by the National
Labor Relations Board and As taken ad-