Page 30 - Michael August 2021

oly strengthened its own positions, using the power- whether with an old or a new party. They do not take
ful means at its disposal to unite against the Social a rest for that. They maintain, along with Douglas, that
Credit idea the professional politicians, professors of as regards Social Credit, the efficient work to do is to
political economy, financial advisers of governments, enlighten the population on the monopoly of financial
trade unions, certain members of the clergy, influen- credit, attributing to it the bad fruits of which it is the
tial newspapers, and other makes of public opinion. cause in the lives of people, of families, of institutions,
Douglas grasped the situation clearly: as early as and, in front of these bad fruits, to expose the doctrine
1924, he said that if nothing was changed in the finan- of genuine Social Credit, which is so brilliant and in
cial dictatorship that “holds in its hands the destiny of keeping with common sense. They also endeavour to
the people,” a second world war would take place be- develop within themselves, and to also radiate, a Social
fore 1940. He was right! Credit spirit, which is clearly in keeping with the spirit
of the Gospel: a spirit of service, and not of domina-
In the years that followed this second world war, tion, not of an insatiable pursuit of money or material
Douglas expected nothing from any state action to goods which is of the same nature — with a less power-
bring the necessary reform in the financial system. ful means — as the spirit of the lords of High Finance.
He rather predicted that the present system would
eventually become unbearable, and would bring Whether the collapse of the present financial
about its own collapse. He wrote that the action to system, under the weight of its own enormities, or
be taken by the supporters of the Social Credit light events that have been foretold many times by priv-
was to spread it, so that when that situation would ileged souls — events one certainly cannot doubt of
occur (the collapse of the present financial system), when one sees the present decadence of moral stan-
the minds of the people would be prepared, and it dards, apostasy, the paganization of affluent nations
would be just as easy to inaugurate right away a fi- that used to be Christian — occur soon. In either case,
nancial system in keeping with modern civilization as the living or the survivors of those events won’t be
to try to do it with partial reforms. without a light to establish a social-economic system
The Social Crediters of MICHAEL have made up worthy of its name.
their minds on the orientation of their activities. They Whether this hour is at hand or distant, this is an
consider as a waste of time, of energy, of money, and unknown element, which therefore cannot be taken
as a source of frustration, any activity that tries to im- into account in our decision. v
plement Social Credit with a change of government, Louis Even

The 1935 Alberta Experiment

by Alain Pilote 7, 1936, Clifford Hugh Douglas stated that a Social
Some people may have thought — and others Credit party should not exist as it was a “profound
may still think it today — that promoting a “Social misconception”. Douglas added:
Credit party” is the best way to promote Social Cred- “If you elect a Social Credit party... it would be
it, but C.H. Douglas and Louis Even thought the exact to elect a set of amateurs to direct a set of very com-
opposite. petent professionals. The profes-
As Douglas and Louis Even pointed out, the cre- sionals, I may tell you, would see
ation of a “Social Credit Party” was even a nuisance, that the amateurs got the blame
and only prevented the establishment of genuine for everything that was done.”
Social Credit. For example, as soon as one uses the This is what happened in Al-
words “Social Credit” to label a political party, the berta in the 1930s. Douglas wrote
minds of people from other parties become closed in 1937 an interesting book on that
and cease studying Social Credit principles, since subject entitled The Alberta Ex-
they will consider it only as another of the opposing periment, from which the follow-
political parties. ing information is taken.
Real democracy requires that elected represent- The Alberta Experiment
atives express the will of their constituents. In that William Aberhart was the principal of a Calgary
case, the aim is not to create new parties, and divide high school who commanded a province wide audi-
people further, but to unite the people with common ence with a book on Social Credit, and impressed
objectives, and then pressure the government to im- by this new “light”, preached the “gospel” of Social
plement these objectives. MICHAEL advocates this Credit on his radio program and mobilized support
method of applying pressure to the political process. for its principles. Hundreds of study groups soon
In a speech given to Social Crediters on March emerged across the province, and a majority of Al-

30 MICHAEL August/September 2021 www.michaeljournal.org