Scripto | Page Revision | Transcription

Harrington, Maine, 5-3-48 Chairman E.C.A.S., Princeton, N.J. Honored Leader In Thought: Your potent message came on the May 1 Sabbath finding me in a highly receptive mood. A review of past civilizations was showing that, with the development of grandeur and scholastic attainment, pride and self-aggrandizement and disgust for the less fortunate grew apace, until natural retribution brought the 'have-nots' in force as destroyers of those civilizations, along with their libraries of arts and sciences. In each case centuries of darkness intervened, and some element of original thinking has never been re-discovered. Veneration of self enlarges to nationalism or characteristic ideology. It seems that we Americans have indulged this form of idolatry more than have the Russians. Marxism with all its faults seeks to serve a larger section of society than does capitalism in all its actual working. The theory, that free spending from a few huge fortunes will cause many crumbs to fall to multitudes below the table, is based on a false premise. The theory, that the genius of leadership needs to reward, is equally false. Our forefathers established this government feeling the motive of divine assignment, and sought to safeguard the inalienable rights of the individual by making the government the creature of the governed. They never anticipated a governmental monstrosity of duplication, in which departments, bureaus, sections, commissions, authorities, ad infinitum interlocked, overlapped, and pyramided; until the purpose of all is defeated. In the instance of relief, 96 groups exist at Washington for this function; but the confusion is so great determining who should act, that no one acts; and no relief is administered. Every group has become so impotent that no new task can be performed without creation of another agency. We have so many governors that nobody can govern! The costs have mounted until the private citizen is burdened to pay so that he can't spare a minute for public service. Political machinery has developed making it impossible for the man truly interested in the masses to seek office. His name couldn't even reach the ballot. Here in Maine no campaign for