Preface
To the digitized edition
of
Prosperity Unlimited The American Way
My older brother was a babe in arms. The other four of us hadnʼt arrived yet. Unspeakable world wide trauma was still too raw for any calm conversations, perhaps any conversation at all. Industrial killingry had been on pause for less than 24 months since the Nagasaki detonation. Exactly 24 months after the European Nazi surrender, Carl Wilken addressed Congressʼ House Committee on Agriculture in Washington, D. C.
“Without a sound farm program all the dreams of future prosperity and world peace will end in chaos and confusion,” he stated. His presentation to the Committee that day is contained in Prosperity Unlimited The American Way. “In my analysis I wish to point out first some of the fallacies that exist; second, to analyze our economy, and third, to outline a program which will end any depression in 6 to 12 months,” he continued.
The domestic portion of the farm program he outlined had largely been enacted during the 1930s depression. Its original ineffectiveness had been mitigated somewhat in 1941 with a provision known as the “Steagall Amendment” (85% parity loan rate). In 1942, after Pearl Harbor (7 Dec. 1941), additional modifications added a few “perishable commodities” to the program, moved the loan rate to 90% parity and added a two calendar year continuance, by law, after the “stated cessation of hostilities.” According to President Trumanʼs Proclamation 2714, that was effective as of 12 oʼclock noon on 31 December 1946.
Four months and 8 days after that proclamation, Wilken testified before the House Ag Committee. His goal was to separate the threads within our economic “booms and busts” that had woven us into our recent depression. He ventilated beliefs that were contrary to facts and identified policies and practices flowing from them that had led to our breakdown. Detailing the research he and the Raw Materials National Council developed, he itemized for Congress factually based, sound policy requirements for economic stability and, as his title stated, “Prosperity Unlimited The American Way.”
There are 31 “charts” in his book, graphical presentations of the statistical evidence from our economic record. He wrote, “I have from time to time appeared before Committees of Congress. I have set forth the relationships which exist between the different segments of our economy and have literally challenged the experts in all walks of life to refute them. There has been no successful refutation because it is hard to refute the record as it exists.” These charts are the meat of the analysis and deserve to be studied closely.
Across the intervening years, statistical series for these charts have been terminated, had their data “methodologically revised” back to original dates, or have otherwise come to be considered irrelevant for “modern” economic analysis and are no longer maintained or compiled. With the growth of large private corporate production, particularly in raw materials, much of the nationʼs economic record is now considered “private” data and thus more difficult or impossible to access. Yet part of the impetus for the continual compression of industry into fewer and fewer operations (concentration of wealth) has been our failure to insure balance between economic segments as pointed out by this analysis. Private interests were at work as early as the late 19th century attempting to “cartelize” access and control of raw materials and their production, e.g.: German Dye Trust. [See Treasonʼs Peace, H.W. Ambruster, 1947; available online.]
The source data for “Chart XXX” is the only set of statistics that has been continuously maintained (as required by law) with comparatively little modification over the years since Wilkenʼs publication. That “Chart” has been recreated with spreadsheet tools and inserted in this edition in lieu of the original. Existence of this solitary string of “bread crumbs” allows extension of the original chart through 2020. It is shown here with that portion covering the original time span marked out (1910-1944).
Given the 111 year trend of the chart and Wilkenʼs observation that “Without a sound farm program all the dreams of future prosperity and world peace will end in chaos and confusion,” our embarrassment may be crossing the threshold into “Biblical.” Wilken termed it “malpractice of economics.” Given todayʼs “chaos and confusion” how do we calm ourselves long enough to give that “still, small voice” a chance to be heard? I donʼt know. If you do, Iʼd welcome your tips. Apparently it differs for each of us. Change, actual change, seems to come out of quiet. Thatʼs pretty rare these days with most everyone tethered to a “mobile device” and some “ear buds.”
Wilken was a patriot, instead of a nationalist. He saw the United States as the lone entity among the worldʼs nations that had the raw materials, the skilled labor, the governmental plan and the practical productive mindset to demonstrate how our fortunate combination could lift people to a higher order of cooperative effort, mutual respect and shared benefit based on individual work and reward. A condition, as a matter of policy, where no one profits at the expense of another and everyone compensates fully for those things they receive and hope to retain. Are there flaws in the analysis? I see a few. But this country wasnʼt founded as perfection. As our Constitution states, “...in order to form a more perfect Union...” More perfect than what we had under the Articles of Confederation, more perfect than what our ancestors fled homelands to escape or what they endured and found here on arrival. Isnʼt that what people do—try to make our place, wherever it may be, “better” than what we experienced when we first began to recognize for ourselves the reality of how we are living? Itʼs big work—hard work, individual personal work—and shared work. Wilken felt that and devoted his life to understanding the inner workings of our shared existence and to telling us his findings. I think his short book is worth a few hours of study and consideration.
On the 75th anniversary of the original publication, NORM presents the digitized edition of Prosperity Unlimited The American Way. [37.6 Mb, PDF]
Randy Cook
9/14/22