In Opposition To Centralisation

The centralisers and their loudspeakers, consciously or unconsciously, love to proclaim that the tendency of mankind is towards federations, centralisations, towards the disappearance of small associations, or at least towards the diminution of their sovereignty, in the interest, they add, of humanity at large.

When these gentlemen speak of federation, they think fusion. They wish to federate the nations in order to suppress them. Among us Canadians, federation of provinces is practically suppression through the moulding of them in such a way that they become nothing more than mere geographical divisions — departments, as they say in France.

If by mankind one means a body of men, this may be said to be a tendency. It is the tendency of some men, centralisers, who wish to control the others. It is a manouver; the tendency is imposed.

The best proof that it is not a natural tendency is that in spite of all the forces of which the world's centralisers dispose, — finance, the press, central government — they have not yet succeeded. Upon this objective, their hearts have been set for over forty years. The centralisers have opened the doors to wars and crises to create the conditions which would throw individuals into the hands of the State, without, however, achieving their ends.

Centralisation "goes against the grain". The individuall does not run after it. He wishes to be, on the contrary, master of his own life. But the farther a government is removed from individuals the less chance they have of making themselves heard by the government. That does not help democracy.

Social Crediters are resisters. They resist centralisation as they resist everything which goes against someone, everything which leads to the tightening of the grip of institutions or of governments over somebody. They combat all conscription, civil or military.

The resistance may seem to be a war of retreat, particularly when too few take part in it, when the masses remain unconscious or apathetic or fatalistic: "What would you have me do?"

But it must not be forgotten that the resisters have for such the intimate hopes of the individual; liberty oppressed yet lifts it head. History shows it. Tyrants have centralised great power in their hands; but their tyranny has been defied. They have had their victims but they in turn have fallen.

Every act of resistance fortifies the resister and creates an obstacle in the path of the centraliser. It raises up other resisters. Resistance develops all at once with the quality and number of the resisters. But always there must be guidance for there are many athirst for power, and a sleepy people is soon shackled.

In the forefront of Social Credit is the pursuit of personal liberty, in order that the individual may expand fully through the means of his own choice.

"Social Credit", wrote Major Douglas, "is a new strategy in the great struggle between the will to domination of the tyrant and the desire for freedom on the part of the individual."

If Social Credit insists so much on the recovery of control of credit by the members of society, it is because Finance has become the supreme instrument of domination. It is financial centralisation which has decided the program. That is what holds all the countries of the civilized World under its thumb. All march in step with finance. All walk into crisis together with no trace of natural cause to justify the privations thus imposed.

But even financial centralisation is defied and more and more. Its tyranny is more and more exposed and better and better known. It feels the need of governmental support. lt desires a world government disposing of the material power of the world, to dictate the lives of men by the control of credit and by the threat of starvation. Social Crediters do not approve of political centralisation any more than they accept even while they are subjected to it financial centralisation.

It is not the politics of the Parties that can best resist centralisation. The Parties seek power. And power corrupts. The more power anyone has the more he desires to have. The provincial governments which have most to say against federal centralisation are those which themselves practice centralisation most at home. The battle against centralisation cannot be well conducted but by individuals who do not seek to impose themselves on others; that is, by citizens. detached from the pursuit of power. Such are Social Crediters.

(This talk by Mr. Even appeared in The Social Crediter on March 20, 1954. under the title, "Against Centralisation")