The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-10-27
Here Lies Free Enterprise

Poor old free enterprise l speak thusly because
should speak softly of the deceased.
By free enterprise is meant competitive private business
used to know it.
only enterprise dead but it snketh unto high
heaven The only decent thing to do is bury it. dry
tears red and another lover
But what DO we do? We keep proppng up the old
corpse keep injecting embamng fluid and retouchng
the faded cheeks with fresh But the fact remains that
free-enterprse- capitalism is dead Hector.
lot of editors and politicians rattle off ree enterprise
and little Independent business though such things
big vital factors in But they those things
talking comfort the fellow with the secondhand
by the fybynight grocery the alley Cali
the good locations are monopoized by chains).
good old independent merchant about the
baby and meant it, who chatted about the the
community hanging by the economic eyeashes but
they slipping off daily They make good front for the
chains who like to prattle about free enterprise.)
Yes enterprise has done lot of good work-and
some bad work 1t has created lot of wealthand lost
by cuhroat competition 1t has made too rich and
piled lot of poverty its doorstep 1t has inspired
a lot of hope most of it diluted with fear.
1t has led through much pioneering but the same
has blocked the progress suppressed
coveres It has kept in actual scarcity while in sight of
the and of plenty has led back down the dark valley
of depression unemployment and starvation
Supporters of private enterprise terribly stupid
point They do not know that free enterprise cannot thrive
without high They protest hey get the
from the money monoposs high wages high even
the rch deficit spending and individuals
"save for rainy day. This all results diminished pur
chasing business stagnation bankruptcy In turn this
results in shrinking production light payrols low
comes little consumption slow
Up about the of the century enterprise had
frontiers exploit AS long there
drain off surplus labor remained comparatively high
they got too low people simply moved west opened up
FARMS stores and business throve Even New England
industry 1882 appealed the price
and to stop the drainage of unemployment from the
The last hundred and fifty have played havoc with
lot of things Most of great inventions have within
hat period starting with the cotton gin 1893 Since then
motion pictures radio arpane gasoline cracking
ylon synthetic rubber and teevision only
All these and produced services with less
per unt) power.
During that period another and very VITAL thing hap
ened Our free lands disappeared Meanwhile population
increased Production increased while capacity buy Ito
i'll the aggregate due to unemployment and low in
ONES, declined The land frontiers closed The tide
surplus unemployed eddied from harvest field to industrial
The labor market gutted Pockets
frontier must be opened up. There is such a
rontier, large 1t is the human capacity to
High high farm prices will result
nd thus make outlet for greater production This
nplemened by freed" moneye money from private
onro kept quantity balance with possible
Gods and forced into circulation through age
-sck-and unemployment pensions
But this presently remote Money too
to be tempered with just yet The most likely alternative
form of mixed collecvsm- combination of fl
ownership and peoples cooperatves If gov
nmen holds onto its plants and civilian
and eventually to cooperative ownership then private
monopoly will surely though not quietly decay
do-By B. o. M Thomson, Wiernie, Mimi in Action h
uman Welfare.
Where Does Montana Stand? N