Evening star., 1942-08-07
Ills Of Social System, Coming to Light Under
War Pressure, Need Cure Instead Of Surgery

re Insteod Of Surgery
will not heal us. They will grow
again-unless we do something
really curative.
At the root of our illness lies
a, fundamentally false concept OF
what a civilized society and a
true democracy is.
At the beginning Of what is
called the liberia lera, we had a
belief in a pre-established har-
mony of all parts Of society. The
logic OF this theory was: Let
everybody do what he wants to
do; let him follow his own inter-
ests-and everything will balance
itself.
Then, when everything did not
balance itself, we attempted to
create a harmony by transfer
ence of power. If industries or
bankers became too powerful and
rapacious, we sought to offset
them by more powerful and even
more rapacious organizations OF
labor. Disillusioned In our con-
cept of re-established harmony
we developed a balance Of power
policy.
This policy has determined the
role of Government to be a ne
gotiator, arbiter, and transferer
of power between groups, and
has created a public opinion
whose expressions are "objec-
tivity" and tolerance" Labor
is crooked but one must also
think of what the industrialists
have done"-or vice versa.
Constant Friction.
But in time of war we see that
this balance Of power idea does
not create unified strength. On
the contrary, every strength is
counterbalanced and weakened
by another strengthen opposi-
ton to it. In the very moment
when society, considering the
strength in all Its parts should
be strong-we find 1t, as whole,
weak.
Even without any symptoms Of
disease appearing in any Of its
parts, the body social is weak
because its parts are all fighting
each other. But, Of course, this
constant friction does create ILL
nesses in all the parts.
Now there is another result Of
this: All standards are destroyed.
For there are no common stand
ards. Labor demands standards
for industry-and vice versa But
no one demands equal standards
for every one.
Welfare Contribution Is Test.
Now an approach to a sane,
consciously created harmony is
the realization OF a simple re-
ligious truth-namely, that we
are all members one of another,
and that our individual and cor
porate lives are justified accord
ing to a single test: Does our
activity contribute to the well
fare of the whole social body
I don't think that James Pc
trillos activities are good for his
own musicians-but even II they
were, that is no criterion Of them.
The judgment must be: What do
they do for or against musical
culture in the Nation?
And what must be the function
of the Government? Not to be an
arbiter and horse-trader between
groups but to establish standards
and create laws compelling obe-
dience to them.
And what is the function Of
public opinion? It Is not to
tolerate everything for which an
excuse can be made on q bal
ance OF power theory, but to
develop public opinion into pub
lie conscience.
tReleased By The Bell Syndicate. 1nc)
furter undertook to say what /
thought Congress meant or shou
have meant by its action in bar
ming injunction units in labor di
putes.
The Hutcheson case, moreove
involved much more dispute b'
tween labor unions than betwet
an employer and employe organic,
ton, which Is the usual meaning I
labor dispute" Yet the Supren
Court turned . deaf ear to SUI
pleas and virtually immunized tt
labor unions from prosecution I
matter what they do to restra
trade or no matter how they col
spire to retard scientific progre.
Mr.. Arnold has a tough ca
ahead, but he is determined neve
theless to fight 1t through.
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