The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1944-11-06

AulcI1CdA Pal I1Clpd IlOQ III u WOTlu
league or association OF nations, an
international police force, If neces-
sary, to enforce peace, and even an
American military alliance with
other world powers.
And on top of that, Joe Doaks
would have Uncle Sam maintain an
adequate military force of his own,
backed up by military training Of
American youth.
These revealing trends form the
interesting subject Of two books
which we have been digesting in
recent weeks. The books are Man
date from the People" by Jerome S.
Bruner, associate director Of the
office of Public Opinion Research
of Princeton university, and What
America Thinks" by William A.
Lydgate, editor of the American In
stitute of Public Opinions.
Among public questions treated
by the two authors, are social Sc
curity and free enterprise.
The two topics are often linked
together in public discussion.
What used to be thought Of as
welfare, whereby private citizens
assumed responsibility for care of
the suffering and less fortunate,
has now become thrift" sponsored
by the government in the form OF
social insurance.
Tests among Republicans and
Democrats have indicated little diff
ference as to their endorsement OF
old-age pensions, job insurance
health insurance, aid for students
and works relief. The overall TREND
varies from 81 to 70 per cent fol-
the above measures.
Joe Doaks has a great abiding
faith in the future of America.
AS such, he has a curious attitude
of expecting the government to SEE
that he is fully employed, and tc
eliminate, or at least alleviate, un-
employment. Both presidential nom
inees were on record in the fal
campaign as virtually pledging the
governments resources to make sure
that Joe Doaks is put to work wher
the war is over.
That in itself is an interesting
development in our national think
ing.
If you accept the above as being
valid-and we present it solely as 6
premise supported by public opin-
ion polls and both party nominee!
then how about the fate Of free
enterprise? And what is free en-
terprise" anyway?
For some time we have suspected
that Joe Doaks wasn't sure himsel.
about free enterprise.
Not three Americans in ten art
certain of what it means, according
to several polls. We assume tina
government must WELD controls tx
prevent abuse in business, and tina
business follows practices that art
not harmful to the community. TX
Joe Doaks, government is an in
visible guardian.
And yet Joe is cool to the ides
Of government ownership. Only thu
Communists with their collective
totalitarian ideas go that far. W.
don't want the government to main
tain and operate war plants fol
peace time production. We have {
strong distaste for monopoly; WI
favor small business.
We see a growing concentration
of economic power in the hands o
fewer people; we wonder how Thu
concentration can be ''socialized
or "equalized" without plunging in
to the communists solution Of gov
eminent ownership.
"Can an economy of huge com
bines provide substitute for equi
ty?" asks Author Bruner. "Profi
sharing? Some form Of ALDERMAN
agement cooperation in planninl
and conducting business? II 1t can
not and if enterprise Is to be linn
tied to the great, then we are rap
idly approaching the end Of the ert
Of private industry"
This question of free enterprise
the fate Of privately-owned business
as against government ownership
and opration-has been disturbing
the thinking Of many Michigan
business men. They are frank,
worried. The same problem exist
in Canada today only to far NOR
critical degree. SO we are not alone
Hence, it is not improbable tina
as we seek to avoid government
ownership, we may gradually in
crease governments control owe
business itself. The latter may b
the lesser of two evils. GAS littl
government as possible will thel