The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1946-08-23
LOOKING
AHE4D
BY GEORGE S. BENSON
h PnesidtNf--HardiRs college
Seancg. Arkahsas
Decisions
THINGS Ycu MAY
lfOr HHvr KNOWN
TIL NOW

Men and nations gain or lose by
the quality of decisions they make.
Founders of this remarkable repub-
lie made a wise decision long ago,
in favor of personal self-reliance
and individual government. Amer
lea is great today because so many
smart people were left free to do as
much as they could, as well as
they knew how, and gain as much
of a reward for themselves as they
were able.
Not all Americans are models of
progress and success but they all
have benefited more or less from
the achievements of those who did
have the immortal spark. You can't
pick successful men before they try,
but more men of outstanding talent
are sure to come to light where
everyone is allowed to do his best
A large number of thinkers at work
always adds up to more for every
body.
Not Luck at All
People may crate about Amer
ica's greatness coming from her
vast natural resources. The re-
sources exist all right but the red
skins had them before Columbus
came and didn't know the use of
a wheel. Some people boast of this
nations blue-blood heritage. 1t was
good. Our forebears, in large part,
came from Europe. That was prob
ably the smartest thing most of
them ever did.
Americas economic system is
what made America great. 1t is a
system of liberty giving every man
the right to pick what he wants and
go after it hammer-and-tongs, get
it if he can and enjoy it to the
extent of his capacity, so long as it
does not trespass the rights of some
body else. 1t is a sprightly and
dynamic economy, quickly adjust
able to changing times and condi-
tons.
What Developed?
Limitless opportunity and keen
competition have borne a rich har-
vest. Our farmers live better than
the peerage of some foreign lands.
Our laborers have more than work.
ers elsewhere ever have had at any
time. America has 10 of the
worlds population and 800 of the
worlds automobiles. We send more
children to high school and college
than all the rest of the world COM
bined.
During the last two years of World
War II, from a startled start in
December, 194l, America made
more war materials than all her al
lies and her foes put together. An
American carpenter can buy more
with his pay for days work than
any other carpenter anywhere-2h
times as much as the carpenter in
Germany or France. And the same
goes in all trades; the butcher, the
baker and the street-car conductor.
How 1t Works
Freedom of opportunity fires ev-
erybody to try; thus men of great
genius come to light and the whole
nation benefits. Then competition
between men of special ability slim
ulates them to jealous effort in turn
ing out products of excellence at
fair prices to develop and hold prof
liable markets. This enables Amer
ica's middle class to enjoy Injuries
unknown to run-of-mine kings.
Mass production for volume sales
demands fine and expensive tools.
Buying this machinery calls for cap
ital investment = averaging $4,000
per industrial job in the United
States. The thing that made Amer
lea great was decision to be free:
Free to work, free to think, free TO
earn, free to save and free to in
vest and make profit. 1t is called
Free Enterprise and it's too valu-
able to lose.