Show o 1 iii I i The New America Time- Time and md events have shaped a new America The economic system the structure of government the technology of living the temperament of the tho people and even religious an and moral precepts bear boar little mUe re resemblance to those prevailing prevail prevail- ing Ipg in the America of yesterday If II an epitaph is needed for yesterdays yesterday's America Amer ica it can be found in a column by Leonard Wiener of the Chicago Daily News Service reporting the tho virtual demis of the tho telegram as a means of communiCation cation The America of Samuel F. F II B. B Morse the telegraph key and till the Western Union boy on a It bicycle no n. longer exists The new America the AmerIca the America of moon flights computerization automa tion 11 a the disappearing workweek work work- week soaring public debt and a quasi quasi- quai socialist state state state-is is still hazy lit iri its new ness floss Even the experts who have presided presided pre pre- sided over the birth of the new baby arc are not certain what they have wrought As the nation moves through the numbered phases of wage price and other economic controls forecasting the future futuro is is' isa a a chancy undertaking ing at best BUSINESS CYCLES reflecting the waxing waxing wax wax- wax wax- ing fog and waning of supply and demand in ina a free market for the moment at least have gone the way of the telegram Hopefully hopefully Hope hope- fully the outline of our new America will become clearer in 1972 as the travail of Vietnam recedes and environmentalism environmental environmental- ism assumes less hysteric proportions The biggest problem could turn out to be how holy to preserve a semblance of individual lal freedom in n the US U.S. of the s More Jore and more preservation of freedom freedom free free- dom will come down to understanding the essential role of the private enterprise enterprise enter enter- prise business organization as a producer er job provider and tax taxpayer THE NEW America has seen an nn unprecedented unprecedented unprecedented un un- wave of attack on the business bus- bus business iness mess system system system-a a system that has given more people more of the good things things' of life than any other system in the history of mankind If this system is to survive survive sur sur- vive in n the new America people must recognize its Hs virtues as well as its faults They must recognize that big business i 1 is is as essential as little business As Time magazine has commented Size can bring social benefits too too and and smallness is no no guarantee of either efficiency efficiency ef ef- ef or virtue Those who would like to turn wage and price controls for example into weapons against big business might note the me words of the of big b business John Johnf f u umu Kenneth Galbraith Galbralth who has observed that The notion that you can get along without modern organization is strictly romantic If you think otherwise try taking a trip to the moon As has been said b before fote there is no noway noway noway way to feed clothe and otherwise provide provide pro pro- vide for a nation of over million people peo pIe except through the marshalling of resources and technology on a vast scale meaning big business whether it be government or investor THE ONLY difference is that government government govern govern- ment marshalling of the resources and technology of the nation atlon would mean an end to the private business system system- a system deeply rooted in the principle that economic and political liberty arc are inseparable It is entirely likely as as' asan an executive of one of the country's largest public relations firms has pointed out that a fault of business has been its failure to tosh tob tov sh b v how policies and measures measures mea mea- are in reality frequently adverse to the public interest IF BUSINESSMEN are arc to help shape A the future of the new America they must strive to remedy a tendency as the public relations executive puts it to regularly come before government bodies and talk only about what particular particular partie ular issues mean to their firm their industry in in- industry or the private enterprise system They seldom go the obvious obviouS' next step stepto to either the general public or to the specific publics the business represents and serves including serves including employees stockholders stockholders stock stock- holders hoMers suppliers customers of all aU sorts Millions of people are arc confused by the image they see of the new America The experts complain of lack of consumer confidence confidence a confidence general to move ahead This lack of confidence this this can can only be removed as people are reassured that the future still stin holds promise and opportunity forthe for forthe forthe the individual under a system that guarantees by law the right to profit from ones one's own endeavors IT IS UP to business as well as governmental gov gov- governmental leaders to instill this confidence confidence dence and to remove the uncertainty in inmany inmany inmany many minds about the shape of the America of the future Nothing could remove remove re re- m move ve that uncertainty more quickly than thana a return to the first principles that will govern the lives of everyone everone In the new America just as they did in the old |