Evening star., 1950-09-10

IaUOTS VINO COIltTOl the otIleI Ilal
of the earth.
These are tremendous response
bilities which We have assumed at
a time when our national debtEis
more than a quarter of a strillion
dollars-more than any other nation
ever dared TO conceive, much less
assume. Our taxes are already ap-
preaching confiscatory levels. and
much greater taxation must yet
come.
Our only hope to meet the re-
sponsihilities we have assumed and
to preserve our free way of life
lies In the capacity of the free ell
terprise system to produce in mass
quantities those goods, materials
and engines of war which are
needed under such conditions in
better quality and greater quantity
than all of our adversaries COM
bined. And there is no reason for
us to expect much help from the
nations who are associated with US,
for they are more wards than allies.
Yet, the President and our lead
Fers are still insisting upon expan-
sion of socialistic legislation-social-
lied housing, socialized medicine,
socialized farming (the Brannan
plan-which, If adopted, will de-
stroy the free enterprise system.
This free enterprise system upon
which we depend cannot survive in
confiScatory taxes or overwhelming
debt, or state socialism. What hap
pens to free enterprise under social
ism has been demonstrated by the
British before our very eyes in
these same five years since World
War II.
$40 Billion at Home.
In these five years, the Federal
Government has spent approxi-
mately $40 billion for strictly do
mestic-civilian programs, exclusive
of the cost of the interest on the
debt, veterans, foreign assistance and
defense. Since 1948 we increased
our domestic civilian expenditures
by the debt-ridden Federal Govern
ment by approximately rs per cent,
exclusive of interest, veterans, for
eign assistance and defense. At the
same time, during these five years,
we thought 1t was necessary to
spend approximately 500 billion to
prop up our foreign friends eco
nomically and defend them and our
selves militarily-$35 billion in for
eign assistance and $65 billion in
our defense and in foreign military
aid
Whether our Communist adver-
saries will continue to weaken us
by prolonging this series of sideline
satellite wars breaking out here and
there all over the globe, or whether
they will risk committing them
selves and their own resources to
an all-out third world war, is to
be their decision-not ours. Russia
has the time table-not us.
| Perhaps there is no sadder com
mentary on the quality of postwar
Yankee shrewdness" at Washing
ton than the fact that we have al
lowed ourselves to be maneuvered
into the shameful position where
Communistic dictators can call the
tunes to which the free people OF
Christian democracies must dance
At any rate. the end of the sac
rifice we must make-in blood, in
standards of living, and in hard
earned dollars-is not in sight,
whether we continue hoping thither
and yon to put down sideline wars
set off by satellites in remote areas,
or whether we are called upon to
exert our supreme effort in another
world conf1agration.
We must do everything It takes
to defend ourselves. Our own de-
fense should be as nearly impreg-
nable as possible and should be our
first consideration. But even before
We started building our own mill
tary defenSes, we committed our
selves to military defense of virtu-
ally indefensible foreign nations.
To defend ourselves in any circum-
stances, of course, is our duty, and
to defend the others in the current
circumstances is a responsibility to
which we have committed ourselves.
These things the Russians know.
Apparently they know it better than
we do. And, these things the Rus
slams are exploiting. They are espe-
cially exploiting our vulnerable
fiscal condition at home, as Russia
is waging against us today q war
Of economic attrition. More than
our own military might, the Rus
slams are probably counting on the
traditional American reluctance to
give up luxuries as usual, business
as usual, and politics as usual. In
short. they want us to beat our
selves by our own profligacy.
No Short Cut.
I have been frequently criticized
by some of the New Dealers and
Fair Dealers for voting with Re-
publicans in the Senate, but tell
you now, as I have said before, the
test OF my vote in the Senate and
my actions elsewhere, now, as they
have been in the past, and as they
will be in the future. are deter
mined by the test of what I believe
in my conscience to be the best
for my country. I say with all the
sincerity Of which I am capable
that such must be the test to be
applied to everything by everybody
in this country-in public office or
out-for a long time to come, if we
are to restore the peace and free
dom for which this Nation was
founded. and to which it is dedi-
Gated.
There is no short cut-there is no
easy way; it can't be postponed