Builders Can Lcad Fight Back To American \(/.y of Life

(The follorving address appeared in the "Building Contractor of America." The author is Gordon Stater, legal connsel for the Building Contractors Association of California, Inc. It lvas written previous to the November elections.)

\\'hen the Neu' Order of Government group finally began to take over in earnest, it started by literally buying the men and women who produce what we eat and rvear-the farmers. Through the ages, the farmer has been the backbone of liberty and independence. \\rhen freedom rvas chocked in America he hid behind stone rvalls, fought from around the corners and the windows of his house. crawled on his belly tllrough the grass and mud, tramped rvithout shoes through snow and cold; he struck from the swamps u'ith the speed and deadlinesS of an animal; in short, he fought for American liberty, and he achieved it. That farmer of those days passed on to his heirs and to all of us man's greatest heritage to date. And he rvas not alone in that fight, nor in the many fights which follorved, for shoulder to shoulder the farmer, the builder and the citv l;red man have kept that heritage and that freedom inviolate.

Nothing ever has, and nothing ever rvill conquer us from u'ithout.

Then came the idea of the Nerv Order. It u'as conceived and carried out with intelligence and speed. Those behind the "movement" knew that the u'hole rvorld had tried bv force and by violence to break through that barrier of American men and women, and had failed. They kneu' that the backbone of American independence rvas the farmer. So instead of fighting him, they bought him. and u'ith such a silken touch that he didn't even know he rvas selling his birthright for a subsidy. The farmer had been conquered by soft, slimy socialism.

Construction fndustry Next

Next in order was the construction industrv: rugged. independent, strong,. and second largest of the American group. By this time it rvas becoming apparent to those who rrould look, that the ,campaign for the conquest of our -\merican way of life was on in full srving. Some of these rugged individualists fought back; groups Nere organized and they too tried to throw back the tide of State Socialisms, Nationalization, Paternal Government. Regimentation, New Deal, Square Deal, Fair Deal, Old Deal-or any other opportune or applied or apt name. But rvhatever it is called, the Thing means the cancerous absorption of -\merican individualism and life by a unit state. We. in the construction industry, knew this, or rve rvere blind and deaf. So, the same oily tactics which had ruined the independence of the farmer were used to submerge the builder. Prosperity was thrown our way in lavish abundance. We built as never before in the United States' history; the same Government that doled out cash to the farmers, gave the Builders of America unlimited financing -a subsidy by another name. As naturally as the farmer, the Builder seized this easy mone)- and prospered as he has never prospered before.

But nos' the day of reckoning has come for both the right arm and the left arm of America-for the farmer and the builder.

Danger Enhanced

All this has come about by the action of -A,mericans themselves, rvho believe (perhaps sincerely, perhaps for selfish reasons) that the future of America should be State Socialism and that the dav of personal independence should be dead. The fact that they are Americans and the fact that they are or may be sincere, enhances instead of lessens the danger. Those rvho have brought this about and are urging its ultimate fulfillment can succeed only by taking money from all and giving it to some. So far, probably half of evervthing America produces goes to suppoft and strengthen this paternalistic Government through the medium of taxes.

What To Do?

At this moment the American Builders are experiencing the effects of the n'ithdrarvals of paternalistic subsidies by the "Government." Contrary perhaps to calculations, we grerv strong and not u-eak through the stimulus of those subsidies, so other tactics are to be applied. It makes no difference what chimerical excuse is advanced, the purpose is to kill the strength and independence of America's second largest rock-ribbed Business. If rve fall. if we allow ourselves to be rvhipped in this fashion, u,hat can \r,e expect and rvhat do u'e deserve except destruction, or the nicer term of "absorption" into the Governmental scheme of things ?

\\rhat to do ? The ansrver is obvious to anyone. Force a change in policv and activitv in the Federal Government. This must be done b.v a ballot in which a majority of the ^{merican people vote for a reversal of the exiiting scheme of things. In the last national election the national so_ cialism received a landslide of votes, nith the consequent natural conclusion that -the American people rvanted so_ cialism. Of course "rve" didn't r.ote foi the man who ad_ vanced those ideas-..1fisy" voted for him. It is difficult today to find anyone rvho rvill say that he voted for Mr. Truman, but it lvas difficult before the election to find anvone who would sa1, that he was going to vote for l\fr. Truman. Nevertheless. Mr. Truman-was overwhelmingly elected. Somebodv lied; somebody fell down on tt. ioil of letting John Q. Public knorv rvhat was really at stale; and that somebody is you and me, Mr. Buildei. It is noi all our fight. but it is up to us to set the example and to lead that fight back to s'hat u,e call our Ameiican way of life, or to lie down and take the inevitable.

Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise that the pou,ers that behave taken away from us these subsidies. these softening sedatives. Perhaps it is a good thing that we will no* havi time to recognize and understand iundamentals and reari-

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