Задание №12
(факультативное)
WILL
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY ENDURE?
Albert
Einstein, summarizing the condition of our land and the world in 1939, says:
"The production and distribution of commodities is entirely unorganized so that
everyone must live in fear of being eliminated from the economic cycle, in this
way suffering from want of everything." But take no notice of him — the man is
an alien.
Verily
it is. said: "Man is born free and is everywhere in chains." And all the chains
(chain hotels, chain drugstores, chain oil stations, chain radio stations, chain
bakeries, chain barber shops, chain movie theatres, chain newspapers, etc.)
howling in chorus that "the American way" is for the government to stop
interfering with them, so that — there can be no other motive — they can still
further enslave the slaves.
Do
not be deceived by the specious arguments offered by newspapers and magazines
which are themselves a branch of the corporative interests. In the same year as
the Declaration of Independence was accepted Adam Smith wrote: "Civil government
is maintained for the defense of the rich against the poor." That is just as
essentially true for America as for any oilier country under this system, all
the cant about "the American way" to the contrary notwithstanding: except that
now the owners of our corporations are not content with a mere five hundred
slaves. They require and have thousands each, even though they know not who or
where they are. Indeed, since the first world war our great fortunes have
doubled and redoubled until those with an income of one million or more a year
make a large directory.
Is
that the "American way" to mortgage the lives of American boys for the sake of
extra billions from Europe and South America and the Far East when we are not
making use of half what the good Lord gave us right here at home? Is following
England on the path of world imperialism the American way?
What
is American about the insane scramble of the old imperialists to become a World
Power? Who wants to be a World Power? What ordinary, normal American?
Being
a world power has done nothing for the people of England. See how they live now.
See how little they have of material things, how little democracy.
The
world power business is an obsession. For world power means millions bowing down
to you. It means dictatorship in your subject countries and leads by quick
stages to dictatorship at home. It means competition in armaments building and
that means war. Armaments have never yet been built to rust in storerooms and
never will be. Every wise man drew that conclusion from the first world war.
Lord Grey of Fallodon, British Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1915, wrote:
"Great armaments lead inevitably to war. If there are armaments on one side,
there must be armaments on other sides... The increase of armaments that is
intended in each nation to produce consciousness of strength and a sense of
security, docs not produce these effects. On the contrary, it produces a
consciousness of the strength of other nations and a sense of fear. Tear begets
suspicion and distrust and evil imaginings of all sorts."
82
A commonplace
in the years following 1918. Forgotten now in the hysteria and panic of a new
armaments race resulting from nothing but the interimperialist dog-fight to
redivide the world. (Th. Dreiser America Is Worth
Saving)
