The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1947-11-13

AAEAO
~ BY GEORGE S. BENSON
MN Pres6eMt--HardiRs College
Starry. .4rkaSsGs
Shall America Follow?

countries have so quickly restored
their productivity without damage
to standards of living as have Can.
ada and the United States. These
two countries have restored produc.
tivity to the 1940-4l level, and in
many industries have surpassed
this level. 1t is no coincidence that a
recent New York Times 22-nation
survey showed that except in Can.
ada and the United States, the trend
is toward government management
of industry.
Countries that are exchanging
their freedoms for government con.
trolls are not making good postwar
records. In general, they are the
countries that are crying the loudest
for help from outside. Those nations
which desire to turn everything owe
to the government for complete con-
troll and management are the very
countries that are slipping back
ward. Still, the trend is in that very
direction, toward government man.
agement.
Public Must Decide
Shall America ultimately follow
this trend? In my opinion, the pub
lie in this country has not yet de-
cided that issue. There are some
voices crying loudly for government
management. Even our Attorney
General points his finger at Ameri-
can industry and accuses it of being
responsible for high prices. Political
maneuvers may please critical peo-
pie and get votes, but in making
industry unpopular the way is paved
for replacing u free enterprise
system.
AS an educator, I favor that sys-
ten which will provide the highest
standards of living for the masses
of the American people. If govern
ment management Of our industries
would provide higher wages, more
productivity and greater purchasing
power for each dollar spent, then
certainly l would be in favor of it.
Actually, our system of private en-
terprise has put America far ahead
of other nations that have tried any,
thing else.
Act With Wisdom
There are other dividends offered
by the American Way. We have
freedoms. We can work at what we
please, where we choose. We can,
speak Jul minds, assemble in
groups as we care to. These free
doms and other liberties we did not
have under the control Of despotic-
and dictatorial governments in pre-
vious centuries. Why, ever, should
we want to follow a trend that leads
us backward toward new despotism
and loss of personal freedoms?
The experience of England should
make us pause and think seriously.
Those freedom-loving people have
not found government management
an asset. Their coal production has
been extremely disappointing under
government management. Ration
ing has become more and more
severe. Burdens of the people have
become more and more heavy. To-
day, the very future of England is
threatened by strict government
regulation and management of In
dustry.
In this dark hour, Englishmen
should study their own history. They
will find that whenever their individ-
ual freedoms were greatest, it was
then their prosperity was the most
genuine. If we in America think
soberly and act in our best inter-
ests, we will act with wisdom to
preserve the fundamental patterns
of our economy: the right of pri-
vate ownership of property and the.
freest possible exercise OF private
management of our entire economy.