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Show THE AMERICAN WAY PLATO AND FRANKLIN By Geore PeckmrnL.-Ji, There seems to be nothing new about the drive to propel this nation into a socialistic dictatorship, dic-tatorship, nor about the methods meth-ods that are being used by the political planners to bring free, proud and prosperous American people to a condition of servitude, servi-tude, servility and poverty. If you doubt that statement, please read what Plato, the eminent Greek philosopher, had to say in the 4th century, B. C, on the subject of champions of the people, peo-ple, tyranny and high taxes: "The people have always some champion whom they set over them and nurse into greatness . . This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears We is a proctector ... In the early days of his power he is full of smiles, and he salutes every one whom he meets. "When the tyrant has disposed of his foreign enemies by conquest con-quest or treaty, and there is nothing1 to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader. "Has he not another object which is that they may be impoverished im-poverished by payment of taxes and thus compelled to devote themselves to their daily wants and, therefore, less likely to conspire against him?" The foregoing sounds as tho Plato, 2300 years ago, when he made those remarks regarding taxes, was indulging in a bit of prophecy regarding present day conditions in the United States of America. Are the reckless governmental spending, the plans for even more profligate spending, and the exorbitant taxes just part of a carefully calculated plot to keep the average av-erage American citizen so busy and harrassed that he cannot muster up the necessary energy ' to wage a successful fight against the demagogues? Is it possible that the political planners plan-ners who infest the nation's cap-itol cap-itol have "planned it that way?" Small wonder it is that thinking think-ing Americans are gravely cotv cerned about the future pf this nation. These patriots cannot be catalogued as panicky alarmists for having serious doubts that "The American1 Way" can survive sur-vive the onslaught. America seems to be passing through that dangerous phase which, sooner or later, every republic has experienced ex-perienced that inexplicable period when the citizenry becomes be-comes surfeited with liberty, soft with luxury and weary of opportunity and responsibility. After the Founding Fathers had drawn' up our glorious Constitution, Con-stitution, Benjamin Franklin was asked what the lengthy deliberations delib-erations had brought forth. He replied: "A republic if we can keep it." Shortly thereafter, in a letter to a friend he made this further comment: "Our con-sitution con-sitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." Wise old Ben believed that with the drawing up of our constitution con-stitution a framework had been erected upon which a free and prosperous nation could be built. How right he was! For a cen-tury cen-tury and a half we abided by that Constitution and justified Franklin's judgment. But Franklin had read history and he had a keen understanding understand-ing of human nature. That is whv he expressed doubt that we could keep our Republic. History His-tory had revealed to him the many nations that had been wrecked on the rocks of benevolent benev-olent dictatorship. He knew it was inevitable that, sooner or later, demagogues would arise in the land who would bid for support of the masses by promising prom-ising large groups special economic eco-nomic and social advantages who would practice the trick almost al-most as old as time itself, of ar- raying tjie "have-nots" against the "haves." Oh! for a 20th Century Plato or Benjamin Franklin to lead this nation out of the "some-thing-for-nothing" morass in which it is floundering, back to the high, dry ground of individual in-dividual toil and accomplishment accomplish-ment that made us the strongest, most free and most prosperous nation in all world hisory. |