Evening star., 1940-06-26

upward toward liberty. These people
in 20 years had attained a large
degree of free government - free
speech, free worship, orderly justice
and free enterprise. After that war,
liberty and peace seemed assured
to the world.
And then in less than 20 years
hundreds of millions of these people
surrendered freedom for bondage
under totalitarian government. This
abandonment of liberty has been the
most gigantic revolution in history
European Inquiry Made on Scene.
Two years ago I was the invited
guest of some II European countries
That gave to me an unique oppor-
tunity to inquire into some things
that might help the American
people.
I wanted to know more of what
ideas and pressures had plunged
these nations into relationships.
There will flash into your minds
that it was Communism, Fascism
or Nazi-ism, That is not what
refer to. They were the effect.
was seeking the cause. Liberty hao
been weakened long before the '.ic.
tators rose under those banners
There was long poignant drama
before the last act in this gigantic
tragedy of civilization.
There were many disintegrating
forces. But also in every single
case before the rise of totalitariar
governments there had been a
period dominated by economic
planners. Each of these nations
had an era under starry mer
who believed that they could plar
and force the economic life of the
people. They believed that wa,
the way to correct abuse or to meet
emergencies in systems OF free en-
terprise. They exalted the state
as the solvent of all economic
problems.
These men thought they were lib
erals. But they also thought they
could have economic dictatorship by
bureaucracy and at the same time
preserve free speech. orderly justice
and free government. They can be
called the totalitarian liberals. They
We're the spiritual fathers of the
New Deal.
Ideas Were Mixed
Into Free Systems.
These men were not Communists
or Fascists. But they mixed these
ideas into free systems. 1t is true
that Communists and Fascists were
round about. They formed popular
fronts and gave the applause.
These so-called liberals shifted the
relation of government to free en-
terprise from that of umpire to con-
troller. Directly or indirectly they
controlled credits, prices
and production of industry, farmer
and labor. They devalued, pump
primed and inflated. They con-
trolled private business by Govern
ment competition, by regulation and
by taxes. They met every failure
with demands for more and more
power of control And they en-
ployed that handmaiden of power,
named Gimme Billion, Quick"
These leaders ignored the fact
that the driving power of free eco
nomic life is the initiative and en-
terprise of men.
When it was too late they discoy-
ereG that every time they stretched
the arm of government into private
enterprise, except to correct abuse
then somehow somewhere mems
minds and judgments became con-
fused. At once men became fear
full and hesitant. Initiative slack
ened, industry slowed down in pro-
duction.
Chronic Unemployment,
Chronic Spending.
Then came chronic unemployment
and frantic Government spending
in effort to support the unemployed.
Government debts mounted. And
finally Government credit was un-
dermined. Out of the miseries of
their people there grew pressure
groups-business, labor. farmers de-
relief or special privilege.
Glass hate poisoned cooperation.
Does this sound unfamiliar to
you?
1t was all these confusions which
rang down the curtain upon liberty.
and despairing these
of millions of people vol
voted the powers of govern
ment to the man ON horseback. as
the only way out. They did it in the
hope of preserving themselves from
want and poverty. They did 1t in
hope of preserving their national
independence.
And that. blight of totalitarian lib
even spread to Great Britain
in 1929. But that liberty loving peo-
pie overthrew it in 1881. The Brit
ish fully recovered prosperity in 1894.
The blight swept over France in, 1896
under Premier Blum and the French
attempted to escape collapse by vot-
ing his government out in 1888. But
their productive life was 50 injured
that they are paying in blood, in
tears and defeat.
Need I carry this analogy further?
This is battle which Americans
better not lose.
Our Totalitarian Liberals
Stabilized Depression.
We have now had eight years OF
experience with our own totalitarian
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