Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-04-28
i. ). Businessmen ATTEMPT
To Define Free Enterprise
Chamber of Commerce Officials Inaugurate
Education Campaign Designed to Teach
Specific Phase of Democracy.
By BAUKHAGE
NeiUs analyst and Commentator.

clare:
"a city chamber of commerce
opposes restrictions which neigh
boring towns sometimes place
on deliveries of merchandise by
city merchants and truckers.
Yet the same organization is
likely to help erect similar bar
riers against out-of-state or out
of-toWn enterprise which might
compete with its own industries
or merchants.
Businessmen dislike restric-
tive policies of farmers and la
Dor unions. Yet many of them
say that free competition
among themselves would be
ruinous. So they lobby for meas
ures to restrict business competi-
ton and to legalize price-fixing
by government or by their own
organizations.
chambers of commerce fire.
quently join the clamor for un-
economic local projects of the
state or federal government on
the ground that other places are
getting theirs; why shouldn't we
get ours?' Such chamber of COM
merce socialism leads to in
creased tax burdens which cor
respondingly restrict markets
and jobs in free enterprise"
This is the kind of strong medi-
cine which the United States Cham
Der of Commerce recommends the
average American to absorb so that
free enterprise" may be under
stood. Here is another sample Of
Observation-Disclosures talk:
Recent corrosions of eco
nomic liberty in the United
States are not due to the efforts
OF few communists or fascists.
Instead they chiefly come from
the fact that so many of us care
only about our own liberties and
are Indifferent or even hostile
to possession of similar liberties
by others of our fellow citizens.
In fact, for momentary gain
in higher prices, higher wage
rates or government favors,
many of us are willing even to
sell our own freedom"
I wish I might quote further but
space does not permit it for it goes
without saying that real free enter
prise" its virtues and its benefits,
are expounded in great detail. But
this is enough to show you sur
prising degree of frankness, re-
markable willingness to think. 1t is
something when the very people who
often are loudest in their accusa-
ton that free enterprise" is being
destroyed by Tom, Dick, Harry,
John Uewis) ct ALA, are willing
to admit that they, themselves, may
be enemies of free, competitive
enterprise.
Hitting the Trail
When Eric Johnston arose and de-
clared that labor and management
must "hit the sawdust trail to-
gether,' he started something. But
actually he was only carrying on
something which his organization -
l don't know whether he was the
chicken or the egg - had already
started. 1t is process by which
businessmen (and in businessmen,
the farmer is included for he is a
mighty important part of the Ameri-
can free enterprise system) can get
an understanding of what the Ameri-
can system of economic democracy
really is and then see whether they
are really supporting this American
system or rot.
l have no idea how successful Mr..
Johnston and his colleagues will be
but l know some of them are en-
thusiastic enough to believe that he
has rendered a service which makes
him eligible as contender for the
job of keynoter at the Republican
National convention in June and
some are even optimistic enough to
provide themselves with curry
combs just in case they might be
called upon to groom a dark horse
for the presidential race.
But politics aside, there is cause
for rejoicing when anybody sets out
to try to define at least one phase
of the thing we are supposed to be
fighting for and to do some thinking
about it, AS Leonard Read, general
manager of the Los Angeles Cham
Der of Commerce, said just few
weeks ago:
"We have come to the conclusion
that the best contribution we can
make to the thinking in our coun-
try is to improve our own thinking"