Centralization and Decentralization (1952)

e [Music] [Music] more and more as the years go by the relatively independent life of the Frontiersman the Homesteader and the free Tradesman is disappearing from the American scene as communities grow larger and more complex as men become more interdependent their pattern of living becomes more highly organized the local community of today is swallowed up in a process of centralization its activities and institutions are more and more controlled by powerful organizations acting on a nationwide scale organizations whose decisions are so vital to the welfare of the community that its citizens often feel their power to govern their own Affairs is gone the next item of business is the proposal to put the new Super Highway through town any discussion Mr President I'm here to tell you city councilman that the mothers in this town won't stand for it you can't let them put that Highway right through the middle of the Town well Mrs Swanson the council would like to know your reasons why our children that's reason enough that Highway would endanger the life of every child in this town Mrs Swanson is right who says the highway has to go right through town why the state and federal authorities that's who they're paying for it all right but why don't we have a say where this highway should go well Mr Massie if we object we may not get it at all that's right right and I guess everyone knows how much we need the highway we've got to have state and federal aid to get it state and federal that's the trouble with you people with everyone in this town always knuckling under to someone in the state house or someone down in Washington where's our independence now George we all know how much you're afraid of the federal Octopus as you call it we're sympathetic with you of course but we can't build the road ourselves I'm not so sure about that there was a time in the good old days when people in this town ran their own Affairs why can't we do that now today many thinking citizens are concerned about the growing centralization of decisions controlling the business the social life and the public affairs of every Community this was not always so a century and more ago the local community was far more independent than it is today its citizens were men who believed they were free free to work as they chose in association with their neighbors free to seek the the good things of life in the manner of their own choosing free to make their own decisions in most matters affecting them now in this proposal to build a Turnpike to the Town Line who wants to speak how are we going to pay for it John I swear you're the tightest fisted man in town why will you Levy an assessment of course why should we use our own money why not ask the state to help us why not because we need the road that's why what's more if we ask the state for help they're going to tell us what to do right I say dig up the money to pay for it ourselves yes we're used to running our own Affairs around here now all in favor of building the road ourselves say I I citizens making their own decis decisions this was a decentralized pattern of life but life was changing even then a revolution in transportation in communication a vast transformation in methods of production all this was drawing men and their communities closer together tightening their bonds of interdependence making their lives more complex compelling them to organize their activities on an Ever widening scale as local communities faced an increasing number of problems they were unable to overcome alone there came the need for greater centralization we've called this meeting tonight to discuss the new railroad rates we don't want discussion we want action why we all know the new rates are highway robbery that's right Farmers around here can make a scent if they have to pay those rates the question is what can we do about it we've already petitioned the railroads petitions what good are they what do you think we should do why not get together with the other towns on the line get the whole state stirred up States big enough to handle the railroad now wait wait let's look at this thing carefully after all the railroad has done a lot for this town that's true well I can remember when I was a boy sitting in this very room my father was Town moderator then we built the first Turnpike to the Town Line a lots happened since then the town's five times as big we've got some big Industries now and the railroad's done it all right all right sure we need the railroad why they can make or break this town and practically every other town in the state there must be some way out of this there was a time when we settled our own Affairs now we're running to the state for this that and everything else what's happened they're too big for us all right is it agreed we put this matter up to the state legislature yes but many of these problems so grew too big for even the states to handle to deal with these problems it became necessary for the federal government to exercise responsibility on a national scale in recent years an increasing number of functions have grown to National size American citizens today are consumers of national Brands made and distributed by Nationwide Enterprises many hold jobs as members of national labor unions they get their news from Nationwide news services and periodicals with national circulation their entertainment comes to them over Nationwide broadcasting networks they belong to nationally organized clubs and they worship in nationally organized churches likewise their public needs are increasingly served by the states and the national government from Social Security to highways built with state and federal funds from Food and Drug inspection to the regulation of airplane travel from the regulation of wages and hours to the development of atomic energy citizens look to the state and the federal government for the performance of a crowding succession of services too great for any Community to handle alone all right perhaps we do need state and federal aid to help build a highway but that doesn't give any right to tell us where it should go no it certainly doesn't well I think that there's a way out of this but first do we agree that we want the highway oh yes I definitely then let's have a committee take up the the problem with the state highway department any objections not as far as I can see it I'll uh I'll put Mr Massie and Mr Pratt on the committee for the council and as an interested citizen I would like to see Professor Hughes on it I see him sitting back there Professor Hughes well uh I suppose I could serve fine fine as our local expert on government I thought that perhaps you could oil the Machinery at the State House any for the business meeting is adjourned really George I think you're going off the deep end with this Crusade against centralization you just don't see the danger Henry well Professor Hughes just what is the danger from centralization before I answer that I'd like to know where Mr Massy sees the danger I see it everywhere it's not just a matter of state and federal governments taking too much power you have the same thing in business entertainment everything else you're talking about too much centralization yes more and more decisions are being made at the top the individual Citizen and local communities like ours we're having less and less say so in everything MH you're right when it goes too far people lose their initiative this can happen in any organization or any society where the power is centered at the [Music] top you often see what too much centralization ation does to private organizations George I've got a tough assignment for you tough I always get the dirty work what's up we've got to lay off old Thompson the main office says he's too old to work in this plant anymore lay off old Thompson but he's one of the most valuable men we have here are those people down there in New York crazy it's all a matter of policy George Thompson reached a certain age and that lets him out listen can't you straighten this out with the main office so I should think as plant manager you'd be the one to decide whether you need Thompson or not I can't do a thing about it a rule is a rule to our main office George that's the way our companies run yes they make all the decisions and they have all the answers it's no use George what a way to run a business yes when local groups lose their freedom and initiative and the people who have the power use it for for their own selfish interests then you're in a bad way there's not much left of democracy then all right but do things have to work out that way yes but the question is how after all you can't turn the clock back no in a complex closely interdependent country like ours many jobs are too big for the local communities sure I know that so A measure of centralization is necessary many decisions must be made on a Statewide or a nationwide basis I suppose so then the question is how to maintain local freedom and initiative and at the same time give the centralized authorities the power they need to do their particular jobs maintain a balance between centralization and decentralization how can we do this well I think we're heading toward it on a good many fronts for example many of our large businesses are decentralizing their administrative setups likewise in government we're beginning to realize that the the important thing is to achieve a balance in the powers and responsibilities of the local communities the state and the nation well just what do we do to get this kind of a balance well the main thing is to tackle every job with a predisposition to leave it to the local groups or communities to handle if they can most especially we expect the citizens of local communities to shoulder the responsibility for all activities affecting them alone for example all the activities and services carried on exclusively within a single Community for the special benefit of its people are clearly the responsibility of the community and its citizens on the other hand when it comes to activities involving the welfare of people in many communities we're usually up against jobs that are too big to be handled by the various individual communities themselves then those jobs have to be centralized yes they usually call for Action by the States or by the federal government or by various levels of government working together for example it's clearly a state job to regulate public services operating exclusively within the state on the other hand it's clearly the job of the federal government to regulate a thing as wholly National in scope as radio broadcasting however State and National governments work together on such problems as Social Security while such a problem as a devastating flood over a wide area may call for the cooperation of local as well as state and National authorities but the major responsibility rests with centralized Authority all right but there's where the evils of concentrated or centralized power come into the picture not necessarily we can have centralized Authority make decisions and still maintain the balance how by giving local groups every opport to participate in making policies and an opportunity too to assist in putting them into effect the first thing is to give local groups a method of expressing their views effectively before Central authorities make decisions that's the flood control program as recommended by the federal government the state thinks it's a sound program and it has the approval of the governor this committee favors it now all we have to do is get it through the legislature just a minute what about public opinion what do you mean Mr chairman most of the people in my district are going to be greatly affected by this program I think we ought to give them a chance to express their opinions on it what's the idea don't you represent the people of your District in the legislature sure but I haven't even had a chance to find out yet how the people in my district feel about it they haven't even heard about it yet we've got to give them a chance to to talk it over to studied there's a lot to be gained by letting the local groups stret this out beforehand I doubt it if you don't know whether this plan is any good or not they certainly won't perhaps not but before I can make up my mind I've got to be sure I know how the folks back home feel about it how are you going to go about it well there are several things we can do in the first place we can get it published in the newspaper we can invite editorial comments then we submit this plan to the city councils and to the county boards we'll ask them to look it over and give us their opinion on it and then I'll go out into the district and there I'll meet with the different Community leaders also I think we ought to have some public hearings hearings especially in the farm areas that are going to be affected most by this plan you're asking for trouble but well all right when local groups can express their views on political proposals citizens have a chance to participate in decisions affecting their interest I I want to thank Senators Phillips and Barnum for coming all the way down here to tell us what this flood control program is all about any discussion yes it sounds like a sensible program the way the Senators tell it but there's one thing wrong in it what's that well as I understand it those new levies will cut right across the Farms by the river that's right well those farmers are going to lose a lot of land that's true but as we've already pointed out to you the owners will be paid for their land I understand that all right but my point is we're not going to be paid enough not the full value by any means that's right why those levies are going to take up some of the best land in the county well if you think the price is unfair I'm sure the legislature will consider another proposal well I'd like to make a motion that our County Board here draws up a fair proposal to submit to the legislature well now we'll do that I don't think we need to vote on your motion is everyone agreed once a policy has been adopted with consideration to local groups the next step is to give citizens and their local community organizations a share in the work to be done even when the control of a project has to be Cent centralized much of the administrative responsibility can be shouldered by local groups giving everyone a chance to participate in the common Enterprise and after all in a nation and a world becoming steadily more interdependent we need to take advantage of everyone's abilities for the common benefit of all well that certainly takes care of most of the dangers of centralization it would help all right but we're still a long way from the good old days yes I believe you'll find that a does help now about this highway proposal of ours I rather think that we can get the state and federal authorities to consider our views as to where the highway should go let's see what they have to say about it in a democratic Nation citizens must recognize the need for a proper balance between local and centralized Authority essential to the Democratic process is a balanced working relationship in the making of decisions on all levels of government with each level serving the nation as best it can making its own unique contribution to a strong and growing democracy [Music]