Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-13

Il
pee! we remarked. That's us Amer
icansl We've got the stun! We
have got enterprise! Give us an
opening and we 60 through. That's
the difference between us and those
regimentalized Europeans. We
think for ourselves. We don't have
to wait for orders. Comes oppor-
t,nity and We seize it. By the fore
lock. That's what made America
great. That's why we're the great
est people on earth. That's why all
the other people in the world, il they
were bright. would try to be like us.
Free enterprisel The good old
U. s. Al
The funny part of 1t is that 1t is
true. There's nothing much that free
enterprise cannot-or could not
accomplish In this land Of oppor-
tunity.
Almost Gone!
A funnier part Of 1t is that free
enterprise has almost ceased to
exist here at home. Free enter
prise has been taken over and made
the private property Of people who
don't really believe in it. 1t has been
patented, copyrighted, trademark
registered, monopolized and exploit
ed for the benefit of comfortable
elements who have learned how to
get along without enterprise and
who are disposed to sit the situation
out, hanging on to all that has
been left in their laps by their own
earlier enterprise or the enterprise
of others. All they want OF free
enterprise is the phrase itself. 1t
makes q good smoke screen for
their own lack of the same, their
own unwillingness to take risk,
their Discrimination to get out and
hustle.
And the funniest part OF it is that
they really believe themselves. They
believe that free enterprise means
some kind of sacred right to sit on
their franchises, their special gov
eminent given or government-per-
.mitted advantages over any possible
competitors, and yell, mo tres
-passing!" And get away with it.
That's the idea of free enterprise
entertained by those who in elo-
quent public speeches and in beau
tiful multicolored ads are now cap
italizing the phrase to the limit.
What this harangue is leading
up to is the assertion that II young
1t. Burrows had had a proper
respect for free enterprise as it is
practiced by those who now preach
1T most vociferously here at home,
he would still be on this side of the
Rhine and so would all his buddies
They never would have exercised
their right to take a chance. They
would have stayed on this side of
the river and talked about 1t
instead.
Big Problem to Be Faced.
One of these days the war will be
won. Then we will take on the
problem that Is giving many people
more concern than the war itself,
the problem of keeping ourselves
fully and profitably employed. Hav-
ing long ceased to doubt that we
can defeat the Germans and the
Japanese, we still are uncertain OF
our ability to put unemployment
down and keep 1t down. I am in
spired at the moment to believe it
can be done. I believe the answer
to our fears is nothing else than,
and nothing less than, free enter
prise-enterprise that Is really en-
fnrnriSi,U and roollxy froo
The inspiration comes from q
new book on the subject, one just
written, under the title Justice in
Transportation" The author is Arne
c. Wiprud, who for two years has
been investigating monopoly in
American railroad, highway, water
and air transportation for the JUS
-tice Department. 1t is not per-
.mitted here to discuss its contents,