The Omaha guide., 1945-05-12
Which Way Will America Choose?

Statement by the Peoples Lobby
IN the House Of Representatives Mon, Mar. rs, 1915
Mr.. Voorhis of California. Mr.. Speaker, at the
request of the Peoples Lobby, | am inserting here
with with my remarks a recent statement by that
organization, entitled (Which Way Will America
Choose?"
Mr.. Benjamin c.. Marsh, the executive secretary
Of the Peolpe's Lobby has frequently appeared be-
fore congressional committees to testify on various
types of legislation.
This war has proved that the United States of A
mer1ca has tufflcient farmo. experienced farmers.
factories, technicians, mechanics, and natural re-
sources-such as coal, iron and oil-to supply a good
standard Of living for all our people.
In spite OF having IL 100000 men and women in
our armed forces, our production is such as to en-
able the majority of our people to enjoy the highest
standard Of living in the woodland still send
goods to our allies, at a time when we are producing
enormous quantities Of guns, ships, a~irplanes and
munitions.
This is not the result Of private enterprise
Many Of our big manufacturing plants would not,
or at any rate did not, convert from peace produc-
tlon to war production, until the Government guar
anteed them prices to cover all costs, including a
lot Of wasteful notwithstanding the TAXPAYERS
billions Of dollars.
Governmentplanned war production, which is
much harder to plan than peace production. because
submarines, shifts in the fighting, casualties and the
enormous distances goods must be carried, upset
calculations.
Government takes all the risks in war.
After this war will we 60 back to 'one-third Of
our people ill-fed, ill-clad and l-housed, - as we did
after World War No. /?
If we do-World War No. 3 becomes almost in
evitable.
America is the one great nation where nobody
needs to Ego short" if willing to work.
We could be the storehouse of democracy in peace
as we are the arsenal of democracy in war, if we do
not return to the system underwhich we never pro-
Qlced and distributed onOuOh To maintain pnacn
From 1922 to 1896, when this war really started
IN Spain our productive machine ran one-third short
Of maximum production, therefore our people ran
short.
You can't eat your cake if YOU can't make it.
America has all the making Of all the cake Amer
leans can eat-and enough to share some ~ith the
world.
Big corporations make more money out Of scare
ity, and the resulting high prices.
That is the reason American trusts and interna-
tional cartels were started. III
When the owners talked about the law of supply
and demand" they meant that they wanted a law
that would keep down supply and increase demand
that would increase profits.
About 20 years ago, big corporations got less than
half of all profits, now they get about two-thirds
and would be willing to have SO 12 percent.
Can we block their game?
Yes; it enough Americans like you protest.
Early in the war, the Government spent about
9 1000, 100000 on plants to produce airplanes, ma
01A1O COOiOt oOOStO III % lO11 l. " .SdDO-
line, magnesium, etc.
The Government now owns about half the mach
Inc tool factory facilities.
The Government owns a tenht Of steel productive
capacity-and enough of many other plants to con-
troll much important production.
The big corporations want these plants.
Private ownership Of factories, mines and other
things essential to production gives the owners the
right not to produce the things he people medium
less they get the profits they want.
This is a dangerous form Of dictatorship.
It would be as bad policy to give up Government
plants iii peactime as to give up our ships in var
if we want to ensure full production.
There is only one way to raise the living standard
of all Americans.
That is to have full production Of everything A
mericans need, and pay producers enough to buy
the products Of industry and farm, out Of current
incOme-not by general installment buying.
10 get this American standard for all-the Peo-
pies Lobby is trying to get the Government to keep
the factories and plants it has built for war produc-
tion-and convert all possible, to peace production.
Most of them could be converted in from one to
six weeks.
They wuld be operated through public corporal
ions-by production engineers and technicians who