Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-12-13

in the aggregate of tens of millions of dollars
on research.
On the other hand, the soapboxer who
calls the business man reactionary and
thinks of himself as radical, is to my way
of thinking, the true reactionary, because he
is trying to interpret contemporary events
through the obsolete eyeglasses of Karl Marx,
in terms of theories that were developed more
than 20 years ago before the power revolu-
ton, of which / have spoken before, took
place.
Accordingly, with the very future of civil
ization at stake, the job is TO dissect the
national economy. study the functions of the
various parts, of their interrelations to one
another and to look for the objective truth
and not worry whether 1t is acceptable to
John l.. Lewis or some new dealer or old
dealer, and | refer to new dealers in the
politics of both parties.
WHEN was talking on the Town Meeting
w of the Air at Charlottesville, Va, Prof.
Shuman of Williams College tried to put me
on the spot by saying:
Don't you accept as your views. the ind-
ings of the Republican Party last week at the
Mackinac Island conference"
said:
"Of course not. am an economist and
bOokkeeper and not politician"
Therefore if you have the belief that your
merchandise is the true merchandse--f you
believe that your life work constitutes the
true production then get out and compete
against the theological loose-talkers and
against the bue-sky politicians and the in
competent professional group.
Don't misunderstood me on that For the
last 10 or II years our patience has been
exhausted by the dragging in of immature
professors into high administrative positions,
and naturally they fell down in jobs for which
they were not equipped.
But, few weeks ago when the Congress
in righteous indignation said that the OPA
shouldn't use any of its appropriations to en-
poy professors for administrative posts and
suggested they should use business men,
publicly denounced that action
| don't think we should make class iudg-
ment against men and groups of men. NV
objection was they were not qualified 10 do
the particular job for which they were chosen,
and although many business men are able
men and could do a better job, they are not
all qualified. 1t smacks Of nszsm TO write
into statute a provision forbidding the ap-
pointment of professors.
WE ARE facing crucial decisions Assam
successfully consummated, as believe il will
be. where will it leave our national economy7
What will it mean TO the future of American
life?
am not one Of those who believe that the
war will automatically create brave new
world.
l wish it were so. ! believe all We can
count on from the war is exhaustion, debt.
and maladjustment.
Does that mean that the war job is not
worthwhile? BY no means, but the benefits
Of this war will be negative ones
1t is analogous to the surgeons knife used
TO cut away cancer from the human being.
II We cut away the cancer Of Hitlersm and
Japanese aggression, the effort will be well {
spent, but we won't any more than the indi-
vdual on the operating table, Immediately
go from there into brave new world
THE Santa Claus technique of government is
IN competition with your savings and loan
philosophy. Let's see now. Santa Claus OF
course might be committing suicide now. be-
cause with the Withholding tax and victory
tax we are no longer concealing from tho
ganfully employed person that he pays for
the cost of government
we are bringing more people into thu
ranks of direct taxpayers, and that consti-
tutes an intellectual revolution because it il
making apparent to the man on the street the
working man, for the first time. something
that was always true. But he didn't recoe-
nize 1t, namely, that he pays for the cost Of
the government.
No one stated that more clearly than
Franklin d. Roosevelt in his campaign Of
1882 when he said:
Taxes are paid In the sweat of every
man who labOrs."
At any rate, we are going through the
great mental change of awareness that gov
eminent represents a cost TO the national
economy; that it represents sheer overhead
and that it diverts something from the pro-
ducing worker-from himself and from his
family, into channels Of government. and
making it available for the purposes of gov.
eminent officials.