Show Bil Bate Us U S businessmen try to define free enterprise chamber of commerce officials inaugurate education campaign 1316 designed signed to teach specific phase of democracy by news analyst and commentator service union trust building washington DC in the last few weeks in washington and in london too tor for that matter there has been a crescendo demand for an explanation ot of our foreign policy and it Is reported that a similar cry is going up from the soldiers at the front what are we fighting tor for secretary hull bull attempted an answer n not ot too satisfactory to his c critics bitic s there will be further official efforts effort a at elucidation but at least one brass tacks institution whose headquarters is in washington has come to the conclusion that before we can understand what we are arc fighting tor for we must have a better understanding of what we think we want to fight for everybody on the allied side claims that democracy is the common ground upon which au all stand but there Is considerable difference a as to how each one defines democracy leaving the broader international a aspects a pacts for a moment I 1 want to report a unique campaign of education whose purpose is to find put just what is meant by one specific phase of democracy about which we hear bear a great deal namely free enterprise this organized effort is being promulgated by the one group whose members use that term most frequently and as their leaders admit frequently dont know its meaning and often aften do not even subscribe to it vie the united states chamber of commerce before me I 1 have a document from born which I 1 want to quote live five lines said one newspaperman to another id fall fail dead if I 1 found a businessman who in favor of tree free enterprise replied the other td id tall fall dead if I 1 found a businessman who really wanted it the document quoted from is not t communist pronoun pronouncement cement it Is the economic sentinel printed by the united states chamber of commerce and it Is just part of an edu at ional effort on the part of this ody of businessmen whose ob active Is im quoting from another pamphlet published by the chamber i commerce T to 0 develop in every community a group of leaders who really understand and who can explain and who can convincingly advocate the economic system of free private competitive enterprise or to put it another way american enterprise an important discovery the campaign of education among he chambers own members has deen going on tor for some time but she he general genera public realize what was happening until they heard eric johnston the president of the hamber make a speech early in march harch copies ot of which I 1 am told ire still in great demand mr johnston criticized labor but or every one of the seven deadly tins which he said labor had committed anit ted he confessed a parallel sin ommittee ted by business johnston in making this speech ind to in his subsequent writings and utterances itte rances Is practicing what his organization has been preaching in the campaign they thay are now carry ng on through the chambers de par artmont art t ment of governmental affairs in Nas washington hington they provide a program which heir local chapters can follow telling how to organize discussion 0 u p s w which aich they point out should 2 1 u d public officials ministers professional men and women and relieve it or not they strongly recommend the paid assistance of i college professor the purpose Is the understanding of that demo batic principle free tree enterprise it was from the document compiled by one of these doctors of philosophy dr V 0 watts economic counsel of the los angeles hamber of commerce tor for such roup group guidance from which I 1 was quoting for and against it if confession Is good lor for the soul be soul of business in olympia lV washington ashington where the quoted lecture was given must be hale and hearty after hearing dr watts declare A city chamber of commerce opposes restrictions which neighboring towns sometimes place on deliveries of merchandise by city merchants and truckers yet the same organization Is likely to help erect similar barriers against out ot of state or out of town enterprise which might compete with Us its own industries or merchants businessmen dislike restrictive policies ot of farmers and labor unions yet many of them thein say that tree free competition among themselves would be ruinous so they lobby for or measures to restrict business competition and to legalize price fixing by government or by their own organizations chambers of commerce frequently join the clamor for uneconomic local projects pr elects of the state or federal government on the ground that other places are aie getting theirs why we get ours such chamber ol of commerce socialism leads to increased tax burdens which correspondingly despondingly ly restrict markets and jobs in free enterprise this Is the kind of strong medicine which the united states chain chamber of commerce recommends the average american to absorb so that free enterprise enter pise may be understood here Is another sample of straight from the shoulder talk recent corrosions of eco liberty in the united states are not due to the efforts of a few communists or fascists instead they chiefly come from the tact fact that so many of us care only about our own liberties and are indifferent or even hostile to possession of similar liberties by others olour of our fellow citizens in tact fact tor for a momentary gain in higher prices higher wage rates or government fal tabors vors many of us are willing even to sell our own freedom I 1 wish I 1 might buote quote further but space does not permit it for it goes without saying that real free enterprise its virtues and its benefits 1 are expounded in great detail but this is enough to show you a surprising degree of frankness a remarkable mar kabIe willingness to think it is a something when the very people who often are loudest in their accusation that free enterprise is being destroyed by tom dick harry john lewis et alla alia are willing to admit that they themselves may be enemies of free competitive hitting the trail when eric johnston arose and de declared that labor and management must hit the sawdust trail together he started something but actually he was only carrying on something which his organization I 1 dont know whether he was the chicken or the egg biad already started it Is a process by which businessmen and in businessmen the farmer armer Is included tor for he Is a mighty important part of the american tree free enterprise system can get an understanding of what the american system of economic democracy really Is and then see whether they are really supporting this american system or not I 1 have no idea how success successful fili mr johnston and his colleagues will be but I 1 know some of them are ara enthusiastic thusia enough to believe that he has rendered a service which makes him eligible as a contender tender tor for the job of keynoter at the republican national convention in june and some are even optimistic enough to provide themselves with curry combs just in case they might be called upon to groom a dark horse for the presidential race but politics aside there Is cause tor for rejoicing when anybody sets out to try to define at least one phase of the thing we are supposed to be fighting for and to do some thinking about it As leonard read general manager of the los angeles chamber of commerce said just a few weeks ago we have come to the conclusion that the best contribution we can make to the thinking in our country Is to improve ar our own thinking amen to that I 1 B BRIEFS R I 1 EF S by baukhage U S expenditures tor for war purposes hit a new high in february as compared with in january an tor arcase ase of 53 per cent the cabinet of premier hideki rojo has decided to postpone the elections sections of town and vil lage age assemblymen assemblyman assembly men for or one year until september 1845 1945 approximately ot f the people of japanese ancestry evacuated irom from the west coast to relocation a centers two years ago are now living and supporting themselves them selve outside ou aside the centers cente a from to gallons of 0 water must be distilled every d day a y on a modern battleship for or use b by y the men and machinery |