The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1942-04-16
THROUGH
IA E [
YES
Q
BY
Hazel Brannon

" uisneaflenlng TO the America
people that conditions are such il
Washington that at the same tins
We are vitality concerned with the
outcome of the war we have to con.
undermine the American way Of life
at a time when thousands upon
thousands Of our men are being
placed upon the altar of sacrifice foi
its survival.
1t is widely conceded what has
been termed as "the American Way
of life, that which implies a system
of private enterprise and the high.
est standard Of living in the world,
is on its way out. 1t is suggested to
the American public hat a modified
form Of Socialism" will be the ul-
innate outcome of the war in which
we are engaged.
Mr.. Paul Mallon's comment on a
new work published by the New
Deal economist, Mr.. Stuart Chase,
should be Of interest to those in
terested in the question of what is
coming after the a
We quote Mr.. Mallon as follows:
"A harsher system for postwar
America than any yet suggested By
Mr.. Roosevelt's National Planning
Commission is Offered in prelimi-
mary from now by Stuart Chase,
who sometimes in the past has been
q prophet of economic policies Of
the Government.
In a book, out today, callad "The
Road We Are Travelling" published
by the Twentieth Century Fund
6foreword by Asst. State Secretary
Adolph Berle), Mr.. Chase carries
the vague postwar outlines Of the
Planning Board several steps fur
Their. He adapts Mr.. Roosevelt's
promise of four freedoms to a new
kind of an economic system.
"The road We are travelling, he
says, is leading to control of indus
try by Government without owner
ship If industry by Government.
ale calls this system by the mys.
terious symbol of "X", but he de-
fines it as a strong centralized gov
eminent with the executive arm
growing at the expense of the legis-
llative and judicial arms; underwent
ing by the Government OF employ
ment, social security. food. housing
and medical care, with large expen-
ditures financed by further postwar
increase in the Federal debt; Gov
eminent control of labor unions,
foreign trade agricultural produc-
ton, hydro-clectric power, coal,
petroleum. natural gas, commune
cations, propaganda, railways, high
ways, Always.
1T sounds like a makeshift social
ism, in the shell of democracy and
private ownership, whereby the Gov
ernment would fix production limits.
ration out raw materials through
priorities, set prices and what not.
among the vast blank spaces in
Mr.. Chase's reasoning is the ques~
ton of who will have OIL want the
ownership of any business under
such a system? If the Government
is going to run all business, man.
agement will be reduced to the
status of an employee of the Gov
ernment, just like labor. If Govern
ment is going to control everything
else in business, it will have to con
troll profits.
ANY political machine able to fin
business profits in this country as
well as wages ought to be able to
elect itself indefinitely and estab-
lish a Fascist system in perpetuity
or until the money runs out.
"And if it fixes pretty good pro-
fits, there is going to be a lot Of
scrambling among the politicians
here to buy a little stock on the side.
"In any event private ownership
loses its meaning in the Chase sys-
TEN.
"The economic prophets seem to
want to lose the war for democracy
in theory, after it is won in fact on
the battlefield
Citizens who feel that America
has the best system OF government
in the would, even with its faults and
disadvantages, cannot help but be
concerned with its survival in the
future.
The system Of government We
have is based on a system of private
ENTERPRISE without which it would be
impossible. We should not be con-
cerned if only one man, such as Mr.
Chase, had the ideas expressed il
1.-The Road We Are Travelling But
our whole government seems per-
meated with people, many in high
places, who are more concerned with
their ideologies than they are with
the future of the country.
The best insurance against AM
erica going Fascist after this wa
is the people themselves. Informed
aroused and concerned, no system
IAN be placed upon them against
their will. But they must be inform
ed and aroused. They cannot sit
idly by and expect our representa-
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