OCR Text |
Show A Matter of Freedom There are some fine museums in the United States. One of the best is the Museum of Natural History along the lakefront in Chicago. Every Sunday this museum is visited vis-ited by thousands of people from all parts of the country. One of the first things that becomes apparent to the visitor is that our present western civilization, while remaikable, is not unique. There have been other civilizations civiliza-tions and great ones which in some respects may have reached higher attainments than have been reached in the present era. All previous civilizations have one thing in common they reached a peak and declined. Why? Historians know the answer. In many cases, decline followed fol-lowed some failure of character in the people themselves. The UnitedStates has been riding the crest of 20th century cen-tury western civilization. For generation after generation, our achievements in Bclence and living standards have soared. Evry crisis has been followed by greater success because of the indomitable will and ambition of millions of citizens. Then, came the day of Sputnik. A chill went through our comfortable land. Some people began to realize rea-lize that civilizations do not automatically continue. As the nation now stands between a temporary halt in a paralyzing steel strike and a threat of an even more paralyzing rail strike, it is time to take stock. The late John Foster Dulles said, "International communism emphasizes em-phasizes science and scientific applications. It seeks to dominate the world with a military establishment so powerful pow-erful that its will will not be challenged. It strives for superiority su-periority in all material ways, including economic productivity. pro-ductivity. It makes intensive efforts in the new fields of nuclear energy, and in the exploration of outer space. "Thus, the challenge of change that confronts us offers not a choice between freedom and stagnation, or even between freedom and chaos. The choice is between freedom free-dom aim a r,-cr!d in which great power, strong discipline and a materialistic creed are combined to end everywhere the exercise of human freedom. "In a struggle where freedom is the issue, government connot carry all of the responsibility. Governments of the free can do much, and we do not shirk our task. But the best exponents of freedom are free people. Our pride is not in what government does, but in what government does not do." There are some who now think that government should assume the Initiative in settling major strikes. Is this not a failure on the part of our people? In discussing strikes and powers of labor union leaders, the Saturday Evening Post says editorially, "the principal difficulty is seldom mentioned. It is the effective denial of tho right of individual indi-vidual workers to work or not to work. As long as this tight It surrendered to union leaders with power to punish those who prefer to make their own decision, the progress cf our fconomy will remain at the mercy of c few men who have been legally endowed with more power over their fellows than even a government ought to employ in time of peace." Some of the weakening effect of the Ignoring of basic principles has been showing up for months. At a time whw we are in a life and death economic struggle with Soviet Russia we find the United States deliberately pricing itself out of the market for a long list of goods The April 27th Issue of the U. S. News & World Report cites specific inci-1 dents where US industry no longer competes !ii world markets-- barbed wire, bicycles, sewing machines, nails, steel tlaiwire, iyf wriifrs, jeweled watches, cameras, iires, woolen fabrics and cotton cloth, to name but a few. And everyone is aware of what is happening in automobiles. Concludes U. S. News, "The U. S. producers trying to meet this competition hive two alternatives Lttliey want to stay In business; turn to mon? automation, Cr VS fewer people or shift production overseas." A leadinT American economist econo-mist observed recently that "we shall haVtf to get rid of the notion deeply ingrained in many of our economists but even much more In businessmen and in the nun on Hie street that our rate of growth is aturally the most rapid in the world. That notion now has fto basis in reality." re-ality." Tue above are straws in the wind. In terms of the world history they become significant only if we, as a nation; remain blind to their implications, if we remain too smug. |