Evening star., 1950-06-11
Public Urged to Boek
Hoover-Buruch PIuns
Writers Fear Apathy
Moy Kill Needed Legislation
By Fronk 4. Kent

What is the matter with this country.
What Is the trouble with its people.
Beyond question the Constitution gives
us the best system Of government ever
devised. Beyond question. our system
Of free enterprise, under which the Ma
ton has become the richest and most
powerful in the world. is unmatched
anywhere.
Why. then. when the very existence
Of these things Is threatened, are tbs
citizens in the mass so inert as to dou-
bic the danger and treble the cost? At
this time there are pending two great
public proposals. both OF which are
vital to the health and even life of the
Republic. Yet. though the facts are un-
disputed, 50 far. 1t has been impossible
to arouse the sort Of public support es-
Sential to their adoption. This failure
deeply reflects upon the intelligence and
character Of the people.
One is the Hoover plan for reorsanixaa
ton Of the Government; the other is the
Baruch plan for legislation which in
event of war will make possible immedi-
ate effective mobilization of all our re-
sources. material as we'll as manpower
From neither of these proposals is 1t pos
sible reasonably TO dissent The argu-
ments for them are strong and urgent
Literally no one contends they are not
wholly in the national interests. No
one suggests there is trace OF politics
in either. Yet, though they are so clear
that the average first-year high school
student could understand. the average
voting adult does not seem to-
Innvar {e g.
the enormously swollen duplicating. over
tapping. conflicting and confused Federal
machine to manageable proportions, TO
have 1t once more make sense Informed
men are convinced that unless this is
achieved this session, the last chance will
have been lost: that size, cost and un.
wleldinesS will increase until the whole
business calamitously bogs down OF its
own weight. The Hoover plan, repre-
senting two years work of able and un-
selfish men, would avert this inevitable
collapse. restore reason to the Govern.
ment and by increased efficiency save
more than 50 billion annually.
Despite all this and despite the over
whelmingly favorable sentiment for the
Hoover plan less than half OF its recon-
mendations have been adopted and MOTH
ing like the full potential Of either econ
omy or efficiency will be realized. The
reason" Is that the people have failed
to make their feeling so effectively felt
as to prevent their representatives in
congress from yielding to the powerful
1obholders' lobby and the numerous
pressure groups" determined to hold
their own. Mr.. Hoover has indicated
tnat IN forthcoming speech he will 90
as Tar as the English language permits
~ naming names and fixing blame for
the sabotage OF reforms so terribly
needed Tor the national stability. 1t Ia
70 De hoped he does exactly that.
AS for the Baruch plan, the failure to
act seems even less defensible. All Mr..
Baruch. who, like Mr. Hoover, ia. above
suspicion Of partisansl1ip or selfishness.
urges Is that In the event of n third
world war we do not repeat the tragic
plumbers OF World Wars and II. Must
we persist he asks, lin the mistakes oh
the pastP Wasn't the price of neglect
IN the LAST war high enough? Its need.
less pSsioneation by q year meant 500
billion needlessly added to the cost, of
the war and hundreds of thousands killed
and wounded-needlessly." To avoid the
IL months costly delay Of the last war
before complete mobilization of our eco.
nomic and industrial power - men.
money. food. factories, profits prices,
taxes and wages-Mr. Baruch urges that
we achieve mobilization readiness before
war begins.
This does not mean going on A war
basis now. It does not mean regimen.
tation." All 1t means is that we be ready
to do the things we must do II war
comes Immediately instead of again bun.
Cling and delaying for many months AZ
stupendous cost in lives and treasure.
The plan is that bills to effect full
mooilization be enacted now but 70 into
effect only If and when war comes. The
argument is FIRST that this is the surest
way to prevent war: second, that IL war
cannot be prevented 1t is the surest vay
10 win at the least sacrifice As with
the Hoover plan. there seems no argu-
ment against the Baruch plan. At any
rate. none worthy of the name has been
presented. Failure to enact these two
proposals simply cannot be defended.
Failure would be worse than unintel.
ligent.