Commons & Capitals

In an address entitled "Young America" delivered last week before the New York Herald Tribune's third annual Women's Conference on Current Problems at the Waldorf-Astoria, indefatigable Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt touched on one of her newest enthusiasms. "I happened to read a book not long ago," said she, "a book which has some really interesting new suggestions. They are a little revolutionary. They may have to be adapted to the gradual thinking of big groups, but they are interesting. Now, as a matter of curiosity, I have talked of that book to different groups of people. Yesterday I talked of it to Mr. [Senator Guglielmo] Marconi. Now, Mr. Marconi has what I would describe as the inquiring youthful mind. I had spoken of it for a few minutes when he said, 'Where can I get that book?' "And I told him. I said I would send it to him. . . . Now the day before, I had talked about that book to a group of older men in this country. They had listened with a certain amount of skepticism. ... I tried it out on some young people. . . . They had exactly the same attitude that the older men had had. But a few of them had Mr. Marconi's attitude. . . ." The book which Mrs. Roosevelt is talking about is Prohibiting Poverty, a 131-pp. volume by a Mrs. Prestonia Mann Martin of Florida. Mrs. Martin, 71, is a onetime Fabian Socialist, wife of a lecturer at individualistic Rollins College (Winter Park, Fla.). At Rollins Mrs. Martin had lectured on her National Livelihood Plan. Her preamble is as follows: ALL OF THE NATION'S YOUNG PEOPLE OF BOTH SEXES, BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 26, AS A CONTINUATION OF THEIR PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION, SHALL BE INDUSTRIALLY ORGANIZED TO PRODUCE, UNDER SCIENTIFIC DIRECTION, A SUFFICIENCY OF THE NECESSARY GOODS AND SERVICES TO CONSTITUTE A DECENT LIVELIHOOD AND TO DISTRIBUTE THESE GOODS AND SERVICES WITHOUT BUYING OR SELLING THEM, TO THE ENTIRE POPULATION. The young workers would be called the Commons. After they had served their eight-year industrial conscription they would be called the Capitals. Mrs. Martin recognizes that the "gambling obsession'' in man is unquenchable, therefore the Capitals would be permitted to continue a limited capitalistic economic system based on luxury industries. "Everybody would be happy. All the millionaires could keep their money, but there would be no abject poverty." The Commons would run all heavy industry, all transportation systems, all farms. "The farmer's day has passed." says Mrs. Martin. Every Capital would be provided free of charge with shelter and with food through "parcel post service, enormously enlarged and visiting each doorway every day." Life for the graduate newlywed Commoner, as pictured by Mrs. Martin: "Shall we follow the young couple on their first summer's long honeymoon? Supreme happiness is theirs--young, strong, healthy, independent, free and in love! Each will receive daily their necessary rations. The whole country is before them. We can picture them wandering over hill and dale. . . . "Cold weather, however, soon drives them indoors. A desire for luxury, for occupation and for companionship awakes in them. The young husband tires of loafing, love-making begins to pall, love begins to seem to both of them not quite 'enough.' ... So he takes a job in the Capitals and proudly brings home MONEY, receives her grateful smiles and feels elated. She immediately goes shopping. Presently she calls for 'a home' and soon other wants appear--a motor car. jewels, fine raiment, parties, theatres, fine furniture. . . . They throw their energies into the Capitals. Society has had the right to demand for its own protection as well as for his, that he earn his own keep. But now he has satisfied that obligation--he has won his free-dom." Mrs. Martin, who was in the Waldorf audience when Mrs. Roosevelt mentioned her plan, is elated by the fact that six copies of her book have so far been ordered for the White House.

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