Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-01
ChurchiIFs
Promises
Analysed
Commentator Sees Two
Ideas at Loeeerheads
(The opinions expressed by
General johnson are not neees-
sariIy those of The Detroit
Times.)
By HUGH S. JOHNSON

~ lot of talk about bringing
new order. This new order
seems to be some kind of regi-
mented society-socialism.
In England, Mr.. Winston
Churchill tells his people, there
will be something new-that
more people will have more
privileges. Far be it from this
column to depreciate the prime
minister. He is, in any language.
a great guy. In 1929, saw him
in a brokers' office lose his for
tune betting on an American
industrial company - lose IT
against the best advice, and just
like a man betting two aces
against a full house.
We might not agree with
Churchill but we must admit
that, whether it is his American
blood or the British blood of one
of the greatest of soldiers, the
Duke of Marlborough, Mr..
Churchill is a force in the world.
IN World War !. he was the
Il apostle of the flank attack.
The very foolish marine eXpedi-
ton TO Amsterdam. and the
CHASTITY experiment of Gallipolis
are examples. He wrote a fas-
cinating book exculpating him.
self with which many military
strategists do not agree. but it
is fact that the German front
finally began to crumble at its
back door.
This is not intended to be a
critique of war strategy. 1t is
a criticism of economic strategy.
Do we have 10 remake our
world on some sort of regi-
mented pattern of human eff
fort? The idea on which
America was built was half
Thomas jefferson and half
Adam Smith.
Their greatest works came
out in the same year-1776. We
don't hear so much about Mr.
Smith. We hear a lot about
Mr.. jefferson. Both said the
same thing in different ways.
They said that if we release the
energies of millions of people
10 invent their own fortune and
future in their own way, the
human race will progress much
faster than if we try 10 tell
people from some central fort
of knowledge and goodness how
10 he prosperous, free and
happy.
IT is doubtless true that, in
Il our more crowded commune
ties. more regulation is neces-
sary. But there is still no man
sufficiently smart TO be smart
enough for all men. What we
need is to continue our trust in
the mass of us.
After all, what went before
democracy was effort regi-
mented by some king or tyrant.
There is nothing new in these
new ideas The question is
simply whether regimented Of
fort is better than free effort.
What we have done in this
country by free effort speaks
for our system.
The American formula of
democracy 49, of leaving every
man not only free but de-
pendent on nothing but his
own effortS-is what our
fathers thought would produce
a maximum result for all
people.
HCHIRT sleeves to shir I
- sleeves in three genera
lions" means nothing more.
Whether men are dependent on
what their fathers have saved
or whether they are dependent
on a beneficent government
which means on the rest OF us
the result is the same. They
aren't any good.
Depending on the wisdom
with which this war is ended
we shall have a better day. II
it is ended on any different note
than that the rules of arithme-
tic still stand and the ancient
veritieS still are true. il will
simply sow the seeds of worse
war-1just as the last one did.
Among the foremost of these
verities are that you can't en-
slave a whole people. thai
might never did make right. and
that the greatest freedom for
the many is, at long last, the
best rule for both the many
and the few.
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