Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-08-11
We Are Our Own Undoinq

We Are Our Own Undoing
Herbert Hoover's 18th birthday speech
does not make pleasant reading. One
comes away from it with feeling of dis
couragement, with an uneasy conviction
that we, the American people, are pulling
the temple of our free society down upon
our own heads, and that nothing much
can be done about it.
It Is a speech that will serve no useful
purpose unless received in the spirit In
which 1t was made. The professional de-
tractors, of course, will cry it down as the
expression of man who Is living In the
past, as philosophy which looks back
ward and not to the future. But the reac-
ton of these professionals Is not especially
important. Mr. Hoover was trying to reach
out to that great mass of people who make
the final decisions in this country. Like
James F. ByrneS, who made a similar
speech few weeks ago, Mr. Hoover has
no personal axe to grind. His partiSanship,
as in the case of Mr.. ByrneS, is behind him.
His only purpose is to put before the
people of this country, for what it may be
has grown with the years, and who has
had an unparalleled opportunity to acquire
that wisdom which comes only from long
and varied experience in public affairs.
The question is whether the people, or
enough people, will listen.
Mr.. Hoover stated the central problem,
as he sees it, clearly and vigorously. In
his opinion, most Americans, although they
do not believe in a collectivist state, have
Endorsed or are acquiescing in policies OF
spending and taxation which will lead in
evitably to that result.
He gave some interesting illustrations of
what has been happening. Only twenty
years ago there was one Government en-
ploye to about 40 of the population. Today
there is a Government employe for, every
% of the whole population and for every
eight of the working population. Twenty
years ago all varieties of government, ex-
cepting only debt service, cost the average
family less than 5000 year. Today, again
excluding debt service, the cost to the av-
erage family is about 81 800 year. If the
new spending programs now being seri-
ously advocated are put through, and II
debt service is included, the average fam
lily soon will be putting up $1,000 year in
taxes for the support of government. II
this trend continues, in Mr.. Hoover's opin-
ion, our present structure will collapse
and one of two things will happen: The
Government will take over, which means
socialism, or the Government will dictate
our economic and institutional life, which
Is faScism.
It is silly to say that this sort OF thing
cannot happen here, for 1t Is happening or
it has happened all around the world. Yet
a great many people are actively clamor-
ing for more and more of the things that
bring on first collapse and then regi-
mentation, and many others remain in
different to the prospect.
Mr.. Hoover pointed out that there Is
little reason to blame our elected officials
or in hoping that they will find way out.
For it is not in the nature of our political
system that they should do so. These men
and women must run for reelection, and
as long as that remains SO, and as long as
the mass of the people remain Indifferent,
as long as they will not think for them
selves, the political candidates will be at
Perhaps this is a fatal weakness in our
political system. Mr.. Hoover does not say
it in so many words, but the fact remains
that, given time, the pressure groups, each
clamoring in behalf of some selfish in
terest without regard for the national
welfare will surely tear us apart.
The best hope of preventing this lies in
creating an awakened public opinion
which will be strong enough and alert
enough to make it politically feasible for
our public officials to say no to the pres
sure groups. This will not be done, how
ever, unless the people, not as mass but
as individuals, can be induced to subordi-
nate their immediate personal desires to
thee long interests of the country.
Mr. Hoover struck note of mild optimism
at the end of his speech when he said that
the qualities of self-restraint. of integrity,
of conscience and courage still live in our
people, and that it is not too late to
summon these qualities.
But how to summon them? At the out
set of his talk Mr.. Hoover said he would
hist sonic items for thought, but that II am
not going to offer you solutions to our ma
tional ills"
That, alas, is the rock upon which the
finest exhortation founders. For it Is one
thing-and this is not said in any spirit
of criticism of Mr.. Hoover-to delineate
the really basic problem of our times; quite
another to propose a specific solution.
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