Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-12-05
Behind The
Scenes In
Politics
By
Clayton
Rusch
Chairman

The American people as a
whole have always taken great
pride in the American stand
ard of living made possible by
the chronological developments
of our system of production.
The American people have
also alway taken great pride
in their democratic traditions
and political democracy.
1t is even more important at
times like the present to care
fully look at the record and
recognize the very real threats
to both the American standard
of living and our Haunted po-
litical democracy.
Regarding our standard of
living, we must recognize that,
except in abnormal times such
as engendered by huge govern
mental expenditures for war
purposes, the benefits of the
famous American living stand
ard extend to only relatively
small portion of the people.
If we mean to avoid periodic
economic crisis (politely called
depresions and solved in the
past, only by war;, we must
take steps to see that enough
of the national income is
channelled off as wages as
suring emo ugh purchasing
power to enable the workers to
buy back the products which
they produce.
Some intelligent planning ap-
piled to our economic system
is the only way in which we
can avoid economic catas-
trophies. We must adopt a new
outlook and place human
rights above property rights.
A GLANCE
A glance at the record
proves this point beyond doubt
or question.
Almost two-thirds of the
manufacturing facilities of the
country are controlled by $50
corporations. OF these cor
porations 100 percent are con-
trolled by eight banks.
One-tenth of / percent of all
m a n u featuring corporations
own So percent of the total
corporate assets.
In 1946 less than 4 percent
of all manufacturing corpora
tions earned "a percent of all
net profits of manufacturing
corporations.
This record shows that we
have pure and simple economic
monopoly. 1t is a story of
economic domination by mon
opoly interests, called free
enterprise"
Looking at the political pic
ture we find that the monopoly
interests prefer to operate
within the framework of a po-
litical democracy, becase it is
more convenient, and because
they control 95 per cent of the
mediums which affect public
opinion, namely, newspapers,
magazines, movies, etc.
However, as the consumers
backlog and the European de-
mand which together have fore
stalled the almost inevitable
depression our democ-
racy becomes luxury which
the economic dictators no
longer can afford.
DEVELOPMENTS
So, as part of the drive to-
ward the next war, and also as
part of the scheme to set up
fascist controls to keep the
people in line in the next de-
preston, we note four out
standing developments.
~ The drive against the de-
funct and morally bankrupt
commies and Trotskyites which
is really a drive to spear all
liberal as reds.
p The Un-American Activi.
ties Committee, aptly named
because of its utter disregard
of the supposed inviolate rights
o. citizens.
81 The government loyalty
tests.
ii The drive to foist peace
time military conscription on
the American people.
II stands to reason that II
our economic system can JUS
tify itself on its own merits,
there need be no fear of people
who criticize existing condi-
tionS.
On the other hand, once we
accept the principle that it is
a crime to criticize the eco.
nomic system, the logical con-
sequences are obvious.
The drive will be first on
the reds, then the liberal, labor
unions, co-ops, and finally on
any and all who dare to op-
pose the right of the monopoly
interests to create an econ
omy of scarcity.
We must resist this encroach-
ment upon our civil liberties.
If we fail we shall lose the
only means through which the
people can peacefully contri-
hltta toward the establishment