For the People

REVIEWS "FOR THE PEOPLE"1 H. A. INNIS That "insi.dious and crafty animal vulgarly called a statesman or politician"-the description is Adam Smith's-knows the necessity of appearing intellectual if he is to captur~ votes. This fact has already been noticed in the QuARTERLY (for April, 1934) in a review of lectures delivered to political summer schools. As the federal election approached, this necessity became more urgent, and an appeal to books was sustained. Commenting in parliament on Mr. Bennett's programme as outlined in the radio-broadcast of January (1935), Mr. King Tetaliated by a recital of his own long and sustained activity in the interests of social legislation, and indicated that he had even written a book on the subject. Members of the government and the press tried to turn this fact to his disadvantage by implying that anyone who had written a book was discredited from further participation in governmental activities (even the Liberals were worried); but Mr. Bennett, unwilling to join the attempt to discredit intellectual interest as evinced in books, stated that he himself had read, and been inRuenced by, Mr. Bready's on Lord Shaftesbury. We know, however, that Mr. B-ennett was directly concerned with, and far more deeply influenced by, the production of a book which was destined to have far-reaching effects on poli tical life in Canada, namely, theReport ofthe RoyalCommission on Price Spreads. Even more than Mr. Bennett, Mr. Stevens had been concerned with 1R(port of t/z( Royal Commiuion on Price Sprends, Ottawa, King's Printer. Lord Shafusbury and Social-industrial Progress, by J. Wes.ley Bready, with an introduction by Sir Jcsiah Stamp, Allen and Unwin. Industry and Humanity: A Study in the Principln underlying Industrial Reconstruction, by the Right Hon. W. L. Mackenzie King, new ed., Macmillan Company of Canada. Social Cr~dit Manual: Social Credi~ as applied lo the Prooince Gj Alb~rta, by Wm. Aberhart, Calgary. Social Planningfor Canada, by the Research Committee of the League for Social Reconstruction, Thomas Nelson and Sons. Stu/ of Empire: Tlu Romantic HiJJory of the Canadian Pacific, by J. M. Gibbon, McClelland and Stewart. 278 REVIEWS the initiation of the work, with its progress, and with the publicity involved. The volume had but slight interest for the general public, and the ensuing legislation came too late to be of political assistance; but the significance of extensive publicity over a long period was sufficient to evoke and support Mr. Bennett's own programme , to warrant general agreement with the legislation on the part of Mr. King, to lead Mr. Stevens to form an additional party, to encourage a provincial party led by Mr. Aberhart, to strengthen the Communist party, and to steal the scant clothing of the looselyknit organization associated with Mr. Woodsworth. No bolder attempt than the price-spreads investigation has ever been made to repair the political damage of a sustained depression. The intense political activity which characterized the federal election has been an inevitable result of the depression. But an older and very interesting political document from an intellectual point of view (though of least political effectiveness, as seen in the haste and determination with which all parties dissociated themselves from it), the Communi.st Manifesto, has an illuminating comment : " In every historical epoch, the prevailing mode of economic production and exchange, and the social organization necessarily following from it, form the basis upon which it is built up and from which alone can be explained the political and intelJectual history of that epoch." Certainly much light is thrown on the intellectual state of Canada by some of the volumes under review. A re-reading of Mr. King's book and a survey of his work since its publication suggest a consistency in outlook which is impressive. A student of the social sciences with academic distinction, he has been actively engaged in the field of sociallegislatipn since the late nineties. His contributions include the establishment of the Department ofLabour, his work as d_ eputy minister and as minister, his development of technique in conciliation in the United States, and the legislation attributable to him as prime minister. These are a testimony to...