Detroit evening times., 1945-07-04

-NAZiS.
IN THE democraeies at present many who sincerely
i hate all of nazisms manifestations are working for
ideals whose realization would lead straight to the alb
horred tyranny
Most of the people whose views influence develop
ments in socialists. They believe that
economic life should be consciously directed that
should substitute economic planning for the COM
petitive system.
Yet is there greater tragedy imaginable than that
in endeavor consciously to shape our future IN ac
cordance with high ideals should in fact unwittngy
PRODUCE THE VERY OPPOSITE OFLW LWHAF-HE
HAVE BEEN STRIVING FOR?
Planning and Power
In order to achieve their ends, the planners must
CREATE POWER-power over men welded by other
men-of a magnitude never before known
Their will depend the extent to which
they achieve such power.
Democracy is an obstacle to this suppression of
freedom whch the centralized direction of economic
activity requires HENCE ARISES THE CLASH BE-
TWEEN PLANNING AND DEMOCRACY.
Many socialists have the tragic illusion that by
deprving private individuals of the power they possess
in indpidHaist SYSTEM and transferring this power
to society," they thereby extingush power
What they overlook is that, by CONCENTRATING
POWER so THAT 1T CAN BE USED IN THE SERV.
ICE OF A SINGLE PLAN, IT IS NOT MERELY
TRANSFORMED, BUT INFINITELY HEIGHTENED.
BY uniting in the hands of single body power
formerly exercised independently by many. amount
of power is created INFINITELY GREATER than any
that existed before much farreaching almost
to be different in kind
TT IS entirely falacous argue that the great power
Il exercised by central planning board would be mo
greater than the power collectively exercised by private
boards of directors
There is, in competitive society, nobody who can
exercise fraction of the power which socialist
planning board would possess.
To decenraize poWer to reduce the absolute
amount of poWer and the competitive system the
only system designed to minimize the poWer exercised
by
Who can seriously doubt that the power which
millionaire who may be my employer has over me is
VERY MUCH LESS THAN THAT WHICH THE
SMALLEST BUREAUCRAT POSSESSES WHO
WIELDS THE COERCIVE POWER OF THE STATE
AND ON WHOSE DISCRETION 1T DEPENDS HOW
l AM ALLOWED TO LIVE AND WORK?
In every real sense a badly paid unsklled work
man in this country has MORE FREEDOM to shape his
life than many employer in Germany much better
paid engineer manager in Russia.
If he wants to change his job the place where he
lives if he profess certain views spend his
leisure in particular way he faces absolute impedi-
ments
THERE ARE NO DANGERS TO BODILY SECUR-
ITY AND FREEDOM THAT CONFINE HIM BY
BRUTE FORCE TO THE TASK AND ENVIRONMENT
TO WHICH A SUPERIOR HAS ASSIGNED HIM.
OUR generation has forgotten that the system of
" private property is the most important guaranty of
freedom.
duction is DIVIDED AMONG MANY PEOPLE ACTING
INDEPENDENTLY that we as individuals decide
what to do with ourselves
When all the means of production vested in a
singIe hand Uheher be nor,inaly that Of society
as utoie that of DICTATOR whoeuer exercises this
control has complete potOer
In the hands of private individuals what is called
economic be an instrument of but