That Something; J. O. Edmunds

In the lively decades following 1776,Americans became [35 ] a great and virile people-self-reliant and free. 110st histo rians of an earlier day believed that we had demonstrated for all the world to see the truth of Jefferson's theory that men are able to govern themselves. Many are not now so sure. Something seems to have happened to America-and to Americans. Especially during the depression and World War II we gave up much of our freedom-"temporarily." Since then we have discovered that freedoms relinquished "tempo rarily" are hard to get back. Emergency "regulations" have led to "planning" and now the government-which accord ing to our rules is supposed to be the servant of the people -is pretty much taking over the running of our lives. This "planning" appears to be changing not only the character of our government but the character of our people. Mil lions now seem willing to give up their independence for the promise that the government will take care of them.

The great cause for alarm is not that the "planners" want to plan our lives but that we are allowing them to do so. And the most tragic aspect of it all is that so many of us, who should be more far-seeing, are helping them, by scur rying to Washington every time our own "security" in the form of special favors is endangered, every time we our selves want some "planning" -subsidy-from the govern ment. This country was not built by men who relied on some body else to take care of them. It was built by men who relied on themselves, who dared to shape their own lives, who had enough courage to blaze new trails-enough con fidence in themselves to take the necessary risks. [36 ] This self-reliance is our American legacy. It is the secret of "that something" which stamped Americans as Ameri cans. Some call. it individual initiative; others backbone. But whatever it is called, it is a precious ingredient in our national character-one which we must not lose.

The time has come for us to re-establish the rights for which we stand-to reassert our inalienable rights to hu man dignity, self-respect, self-reliance-to be again the kind of people who once made America great. Such a crusade for renewed independence will require a succession of inspired leaders-leaders in spirit and in knowledge of the problem, not just men with political power who are opposed to communism, or to diluted com munism, but men who are militantly for the distinctive w~y of life that was America. We are likely to find such leaders only among those persons who teach self-reliance and who practice it with the strict devotion of belief and understanding. [37 ] THE FIRST LEFTIST b'j ;Dean RUddell THE first Leftist would not be popular in America today. That is true because the original Leftists wanted to abolish government controls over industry, trade, and the profes sions. They wanted wages, prices, and profits to be deter mined by competition in a free market, and not by govern ment decree. They were pledged to free their economy from government planning, and to remove the govern ment-guaranteed special privileges of guilds, unions, and associations whose members were banded together to use the law to set the price of their labor or capital or product above what it would be in a free market.