The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-03-02
LOOKING
/ AAEAD
BY GEORGE S. BENSON
h presideHf--HardiAg college
Searry. Arkansas
The Approach

Planned Economy was advocated
in Germany by small group of the
orists as long ago as 1880. The large
mass of politically minded Germans
considered them harmless cranks
and toyed with their ideas abstract
edly for all of ten years before they
saw danger in them. People who
were loyal to the old Germany and
it's ways learned suddenly that
Planned Economy was gaining pop
ularity
Serious consideration of Planned
Economy started among conserva-
tive thinkers in Germany about half
a century ago. Deliberate, Teutonic
minds almost universally opposed
the thought of manhandling econom-
ic laws which they recognized as
natural laws, worthy of respect in
any orderly society. Just the same,
they saw in Planned Economy a
powerful tool for rough work.
Something Different.
Fifteen or 20 years passed without
much outward change. Planned
Economy was still in the back
ground. Everybody seemed con-
scious of it. More and more people
admitted believing that parliaments
had right to enact written laws
against the workings of competition
as they understood it. In fact, every
time a German became dissatisfied
with conditions he thought about
Planned Economy.
Finally 1914 came, bringing World
War I. Germany quickly went all
out for Planned Economy. It was
a shrewd political move. People
reasoned feebly that open competi-
ton must cost something, and ac-
copied the new order in the name of
efficiency; to win the war. All in
dustry went hurriedly under govern
ment control, and the dreams of yes
terday's unpopular minority became
the rule.
Monopolies Thrived.
Government managers eliminated
new and growing industrial plants.
Huge monopolies grew larger still.
1t was the easy way for government
because a few big concerns are less
trouble to manage than large
number of small ones. Competitors
entered into cartels to hike prices
and hide incompetence. They di-
vided markets like pies and traded
customers as if they were sheep.
Defeated in World War I, burdened
with PREPARATIONS, lame of manpow-
er, Germany took still bigger dose
of government control. BY 1885 Hit
Ter was debating to a race of con-
servatives who could still remember
laughing at the economic planners
and saying, sit can't happen here"
Planned Economy had given way to
National Socialism; in other words,
plain dictatorship.
Like Drug Habit.
We have Planned Economy in
America now, powerful weapon for
rough work such as we are doing.
But Planned Economy is still hab-
Informing medicine. If America is
to be prosperous again, this drug
must be used sparingly. Rationing
is effective if it's necessary, poison
Gus if it's not. Rationing, in it's
only safe form, is held to an irreduc-
ible minimum-not taken for effect.
Americas defenders and her al
lies must be fed. Also must the
people at home understand that their
government is still power that's
friendly to them. Returning now to
the easy rationing rules of last Sep
TENDER and October would yield
more support voluntarily than Hitler
himself could get with his three
speed machine: (1) Planned Econ
omy, (2) Regeneration, (3) Dicta-
torship.